Romantic history

Chuxiang sighed and said, "How should I put it... I've had four, but they all ended badly." 

"Why?" Zhang Debing asked, puzzled. It seemed that he was one of those who liked to ask until they reached the heart of the matter. Chuxiang, having been roused by his question, did not avoid it but instead began to recount his romantic history. 

"My first girlfriend was Xie Shanshan. We were childhood friends, really, never officially a couple. And when she was sixteen, she moved away with her parents to another city. We never saw each other again. I only heard a few years ago that she found herself a rich boyfriend." 

Zhang Debing chuckled kindly, "That sounds like your first love. Many young boys feel too shy to confess their feelings, and you were one of them. But it's good that Xiao Chun was more open about it, or else you might have missed the chance. Besides, you were only sixteen; is that really what you'd call heartbreak?" 

Given Zhang Debing's words, Chuxiang realized Xiao Chun might no longer be around, so he chose not to probe further. Instead, he continued with his stories. 

"My second girlfriend was Liu Qingqing, a classmate from high school. The three years of high school were made bearable because of her. But when we went to different universities, we slowly drifted apart. We still wrote letters and made phone calls at first, but eventually, we lost contact. One year, during a reunion, I heard that she was dating a company CEO. Haha, isn't that just terrible?" 

Zhang Debing nodded thoughtfully. "It's not so bad, really. You two just had different aspirations. Distance doesn't always make the heart grow fonder; sometimes it fades the feelings between two people. She didn't abandon you—if you really cared, you could've gone to her city to find her." 

Chuxiang reflected on Zhang Debing's words and thought, indeed, he hadn't had the courage back then. Who knows how things would have turned out if he had been bold enough to pursue her? 

"My third girlfriend was Fang Su, a senior from university. Heh, let me tell you, she had an amazing figure and was elected our campus beauty for several years. Chasing her was incredibly hard. Just when I thought I had a chance, she suddenly became a flight attendant and left school. Later, I heard from other students that she married a foreigner and probably settled abroad." 

Zhang Debing responded, "See? You're saying you hadn't succeeded yet. How could she be your girlfriend? She was a flight attendant, constantly flying around and meeting foreigners. Unless you became a pilot, always by her side, who knows? Maybe it would've worked out, so don't call it a tragedy." 

Chuxiang, now enlightened by Zhang Debing's reasoning, said, "That makes sense. Hearing your analysis, I do feel better. But my fourth girlfriend, she really had it rough. Her name was Cheng Xue, a girl I met when I started working. She was lively and charming, a true sweetheart. But her parents were too ambitious. They forced her to love the son of a higher-up just to climb the social ladder. What's worse, Cheng Xue actually gave in to them. That pushed me to the point of contemplating suicide..." 

Zhang Debing anxiously said, "No, don't do that, Chuxiang! It's not worth it. The only thing that's missing is the right opportunity. You never know, you might run into them again one day, and maybe even win them back. But if you die, there's no chance at all." 

Chuxiang smiled bitterly. "What's there to fear? I'm still alive, aren't I? My four 'girlfriends' were all beautiful, but in the end, I returned heartbroken. I've come to understand now—women, the more beautiful they are, the less dependable they become. Win them back? I never thought of it. Besides, who knows if we'll even meet again in this lifetime." 

With only two hundred million survivors left out of seven billion, who could guarantee that those four girls would be among the fortunate? Zhang Debing shifted the conversation. "I think you should go after Zhang Jingyao. She fits your type." 

Chuxiang was taken aback. "Damn, don't say such things. Even if I had the intention, she might not agree." 

Not wanting to delve too much into matters of the heart, Zhang Debing changed the subject, focusing on the weapon in his hands. "These outdated weapons are useless. If I hadn't lost my Type 95 light machine gun, and added the Type 03 red dot sight with a drum magazine, I wouldn't have been afraid of any zombie." 

Chuxiang, seeing that Zhang Debing had finished cleaning his gun, tossed him a cigarette. "Are you a machine gunner?" 

Zhang Debing nodded, lighting the cigarette. "We were dropped into the target area as an eight-man team. Six of them sacrificed themselves, and all the weapons were lost during the retreat. It was awful. Seeing comrades, who had just been laughing and talking with me, turn into soulless zombies, and having to put a bullet in their heads... I still feel that knot in my chest." 

Chuxiang comforted him, "Everything will get better. A machine gunner is the backbone of a team's firepower. If we're still together, I'll make sure to get you another machine gun." 

Zhang Debing sighed. "I'm a soldier. After this mission, who knows where they'll send me next? I'd rather stay by your side—at least we won't go hungry." 

As the two of them conversed, the night passed by unnoticed. When the shift changed, He Er took over, and Chuxiang went back to the Golden Dragon bus to sleep. After a few minutes, he groggily felt the vehicle vibrate. Not daring to be careless, he quickly got up, waking Zhang Jingyao who was sleeping beside him. 

"Chuxiang, what's going on?" 

Chuxiang motioned for her to stay quiet and peered out of the window. Under the moonlight, a robust black figure with four legs passed by the bus, heading towards Su Yulian's Honda CR-V. At this moment, Song Jun woke up, as did Xu Changtian, who, unable to move due to his injured leg, anxiously called out from beneath the vehicle. "What's happening?" 

Chuxiang made a shushing gesture. "Shh, it's a cow." 

Zhang Hongbing, who had also woken up at some point, wiped the sweat from his brow. "Just a cow? You scared me. I thought we were surrounded by zombies." 

Song Jun murmured, "What if the cow is infected with the virus and mutated? Who's on duty? How come no one noticed it before it got to the camp? This could cost us lives." 

Xu Changtian muttered in frustration, "I had He Er on the late shift. Could he have already met with misfortune?" 

Chuxiang peered again at the fire outside. "No, he's asleep. Everyone, stay quiet. Maybe the cow will leave if it can't find anything to target. Otherwise, dealing with it will be too difficult. Our weapons can handle zombies, but not cows." 

Xu Changtian cursed under his breath. "Damn He Er! I shouldn't have trusted him... this is bad! Su Yulian is in danger!"