"What… what's going on?" Xu Shu still had a trace of a smile on her face, probably made a little awkward by our expressions.
Lili also scanned us, gradually wiping the smile off her face.
Zhou Wen tugged Taozi onto an empty sofa, and Shen Feng stood beside me silently.
After a moment, I signaled, "Xiao Shu, take the two kids over there to play for a bit."
Xu Shu immediately sensed something was wrong.
She squatted down, motioning the kids to go over to Bruno, who had just been woken up, then stood up and stared at Shen Feng and me for a moment before asking, "Did something happen?"
Shen Feng glanced at her, then looked toward Lili: "Yes, something… not very good happened."
"What happened? Did the walkers break in? Are we moving again?"
Lili clearly hadn't realized that the "not very good" thing concerned her.
Then, noticing both Shen Feng and I were looking at her, Lili froze, and after a while, she dryly muttered, "Does… does this mean we can't stay here?"
For once, my brain was racing fast.
I had to figure out how to break it to her.
A full minute passed in silence before I finally took a deep breath and said, "Something happened over there, Lili. You might need to go take a look."
Women are sensitive.
Even if Lili was usually slow to catch on, she immediately realized that this matter was connected to her.
Her face paled in an instant, her eyes flickered uncertainly over us, and her lips trembled slightly.
She seemed about to say something but swallowed it down.
After a long moment, she whispered, "Okay… are we leaving now?"
Shen Feng nodded at her and turned to start the car.
Lili, her face pale, circled around the table and followed him.
Seeing Lili leave, Xu Shu, who hadn't spoken until now, asked worriedly, "Chen Yang, what happened?"
Once I was sure Lili couldn't hear, I leaned over and quietly told Xu Shu, "Lili's child… is gone."
"Whoa…" Xu Shu gasped, looking in disbelief at Lili through the doorway.
I let out a deep sigh and followed them out.
After the car had been driving for a while, Lili still hadn't spoken, just staring out the window with a pale face.
It wasn't until the car passed the checkpoint leaving the villa district that she asked in an almost inaudible voice, "It's… Wang Jun… what happened?"
Hearing this, I instinctively glanced at Shen Feng.
He frowned, looked at Lili through the rearview mirror, then slowly nodded at me.
My heart tightened.
I bit my lip and, after a few seconds, turned back to Lili: "Your… child is gone."
The moment I said it, Lili froze.
I could see from her suddenly dilated pupils that her mind went completely blank.
"D… dead?" Lili's voice trembled.
I couldn't bring myself to answer her, so I hesitated and looked at Shen Feng, hoping he could help ease the blow.
"Answer me!" Lili suddenly shouted, her voice sharp, startling both Shen Feng and me.
"Yes," Shen Feng replied for me.
Hearing Shen Feng, Lili seemed to have her soul ripped away, suddenly calm.
She slowly leaned back in the seat, her hand covering her mouth, closed her eyes, and didn't speak again.
I kept watching her, noticing her body trembling slightly.
Shen Feng, probably wanting Lili time to process, slowed the car as we drove through the neighborhood.
I glanced again at the crowd outside; it had grown even larger, almost reaching the traffic lights.
People from inside the district reacted in shock as we passed, but quieted down quickly as we moved through the intersection.
Soon, we arrived at the apartment building.
Lili didn't wait for the car to stop—she opened the door and ran out.
Shen Feng and I hurried to park, but Lili had already taken the elevator, and we had to wait for the next one.
During the few minutes we waited for the elevator, I anxiously stomped my feet in place.
When the elevator finally arrived and began to descend slowly, I rushed in immediately, startling a few elderly women who were getting ready to leave.
Shen Feng gave them an apologetic nod before following me in and pressing the button for the twenty-third floor.
He looked at me and asked, "You're in this state… how are you going to help comfort Lili later?"
For safety's sake, I finally stopped stomping.
Hearing Shen Feng's words felt like I had found a release for my frustration.
"Comfort Lili? Look at her expression! Do you think comforting her will do any good? She'd be crazy not to be! If that Wang guy, that Song woman, and that nagging Liu say one more word over there, I swear Lili might just jump off the twenty-third floor! And why the hell is this elevator so slow?!"
Seeing me so agitated, Shen Feng wisely stayed silent.
The elevator, finally enduring my complaints, reached the twenty-third floor.
As soon as the doors opened, I rushed out—only to see four people in teal uniforms carrying a white woven bag toward the elevator.
Behind them was Wang Jun, his eyes red, yelling at the top of his lungs, though it was all just shouting.
He kept staring at the white bag, too afraid to approach.
Judging by his demeanor, he must have suffered a loss from these people before.
As they passed by, I clearly saw the bag shaking violently, and inside came rough, guttural sounds.
They quickly entered the elevator and left.
Then two security guards came out from Wang Jun's apartment, gave us a dark glare, and hurried down in another elevator.
Uncle Gazi and the others were standing in the hallway.
I scanned around but didn't see Lili.
Chen Pu noticed my movement, pointed to Uncle Gazi's apartment, indicating that Lili was inside.
Just as I was about to enter, Song Meijing, standing at Wang Jun's door, suddenly called out, "Chen Yang."
I turned to look at her. "Yes? What's the matter?"
After a brief pause, Song Meijing asked, "Where is Suo Tian?"
Hearing that, I couldn't help but glance at Song Meijing and found it amusing. "You're asking me?"
Apparently realizing I wouldn't tell her, Song Meijing seemed a bit regretful for coming to me, gave me a glance, said nothing, and returned to her room.
Back inside, Lili was sitting on the sofa, holding a formula container, staring blankly.
Han Xue sat beside her in silence.
The whole room was very quiet.
I looked at Lili, took a step forward, but then paused, unsure of what to say.
I grabbed a chair, sat at the dining table, and stayed silent.
I sat there for two hours.
During that time, Shen Feng came in and told me he was taking the others over to the villa, leaving only me, Uncle Gazi, and Lili in the room.
Uncle Gazi, being older, spoke with careful tact and the natural warmth of an elder.
He comforted Lili for a long time.
Eventually, the girl, who had been in a daze all night, could no longer hold back and began to cry out loud.
She cried and screamed hoarsely, and I worried she might faint at any moment.
Lili clutched the formula container to her chest, pressing her face against it, sobbing intermittently as she poured out her grief.
"…Mom didn't hold you properly… Mom didn't take care of you properly… Mom didn't even get to see you properly… How could you leave so fast…"
Han Xue, who had been trying to comfort Lili, started crying as well upon seeing her like this.
Uncle Gazi, who had only needed to console one person, was now at a loss, sitting beside them, furrowing his brow in silence.
I sat at the dining table, some distance away, feeling numb, sorrowful, and carrying a strange, indescribable mix of emotions, watching Lili in front of me, who looked as if a thousand arrows had pierced her heart.
So many had died, so many had left, so many tears had been shed… and yet the child, who had lived only about ten days, brought others' sorrow mainly as sympathy for his mother.
Shen Feng had sent Yangyang and the others back, and now returned to pick up the rest of us.
Entering the house, he glanced at Lili, still quietly sobbing, and frowned slightly in helplessness.
Then he walked over to me and said, "We should head back. It's getting dark."
"Mm." I nodded to him and stood up, but having sat still for so long, my legs were numb.
When I rose suddenly, the muscles cramped painfully.
Shen Feng hurried over to support me.
I waved him off, clenched my fists, and hammered my legs a few times to relieve the cramps slightly.
After twisting them a bit, I limped toward Lili and the others.
"Uncle Gazi, we should go now."
Hearing this, Uncle Gazi nodded to me.
Han Xue, her eyes red from crying, raised her head, wiped her tears clumsily with her sleeve, and softly said to Lili, "Lili, let's go. Staying here won't help."
Lili didn't move or respond.
Seeing this, Shen Feng stepped forward with Uncle Gazi, each taking one side, and gently lifted Lili from the sofa.
She cooperated, standing up and following us toward the outside.
When we reached the car, Han Xue opened the rear door for her, but the dazed Lili shook her head and, with a hoarse voice, said, "I want to sit in the front passenger seat. The back is too stifling; I can't breathe."
Hearing that, I quickly opened the front passenger door.
Shen Feng helped her settle in, and the rest of us got into the car.
Lili was in poor condition, and none of us wanted to speak.
The ride was completely silent.
When the car reached the bustling city area, we could see from a distance the massive crowd gathered at the traffic lights.
Many cars were stuck in the road, horns blaring repeatedly, showing the drivers' impatience and frustration.
But with so many people crowded onto the streets, movement was nearly impossible.
As we approached the throng, the car came to a standstill, unable to move even an inch.
— The end of the Chapter–