002 Encountering the Doomed Boy

Zombies had appeared at their university, so it was certain the high school would not be spared either.

More importantly, she was familiar with the area outside, and if her brother came searching for her, he would surely head for the school first.

With this in mind, Shen Shiwei glanced up at the art gallery before her and decided to seek shelter inside. Unexpectedly, as she took her first step, a sharp pain stabbed at her ankle.

Her right foot was twisted. Shen Shiwei could only limp painfully toward the art gallery, her figure pitiable from behind.

But from the front—

Shen Shiwei narrowed her eyes, clenched her fists, and bit out fiercely, "If I ever run into Gao Li again, I’ll make her taste exactly what I’m feeling now!"

The system exclaimed, "Wow, you really have the aura of a vicious supporting character. I love it~~"

Shen Shiwei focused on the latter part of her statement, raising her chin in quiet confidence. "Not just you—many people adore me to the point of obsession."

The system had no retort.

Shen Shiwei was strikingly beautiful: round, luminous tea-brown eyes drew attention, and her cheeks, still touched by baby fat, dimpled lightly when she smiled. Her skin was a delicate pinkish white, meticulously cared for; long chestnut curls draped quietly down her back.

Altogether, she resembled a rare and elegant ragdoll cat.

Shen Shiwei pushed open the side door of the art gallery, bracing herself against the wall as she slowly entered. She failed to notice the bloody handprint smeared on the corner wall; crimson streaks ran down the pristine white surface.

The gallery was lavishly decorated, saturated with artistic ambiance, its ceiling adorned with a dazzling crystal chandelier.

At this moment, the vast hall was eerily silent—not a soul in sight.

There were five floors in total, with the topmost reserved exclusively for Shen Shiwei.

Yes, this gallery had been built at great expense by the Shen family, solely for Shen Shiwei, just because she had once mentioned, while in her second year of high school, that she wished to attend A University's art department.

The gallery’s power supply was independent; the wiring remained intact, so Shen Shiwei took the elevator straight to the fifth floor.

She often painted late into the night, so a private rest room had been arranged for her here.

The door lock was a keypad. Oddly, the buttons did not respond this time. Yet with a gentle press of the handle, the door swung open.

Shen Shiwei hesitated for a few seconds, then pushed the door wide.

The room was small—a modest sitting area, leading into a bedroom, with the bathroom tucked inside.

---

Standing at the threshold, Shen Shiwei surveyed the room, careful to note every small detail of its arrangement, but everything indicated no one had entered.

She was uncertain whether to go in; glancing back at the empty corridor behind her, she decided after a few seconds to step inside and close the door.

According to the novel’s description, she would not die yet.

Thinking this, Shen Shiwei’s confidence returned at once.

She went directly to the bedroom, searching the wardrobe for comfortable pajamas, intending to shower first.

She couldn’t stand the filth clinging to her body.

Before heading to the bathroom, she locked the bedroom door.

Shen Shiwei took her time showering.

She changed out of her dust-stained dress, donned cotton pajamas, slipped into slippers, and prepared to fetch the hairdryer from the living room.

But as soon as she opened the door, she saw a boy, his clothes stained with blood, moving a table to barricade the bedroom entrance.

Shen Shiwei immediately slammed the door shut and locked it.

The boy heard the door close, wiped the blood from his face, and turned to look at the now tightly closed bedroom door. His gaze was fierce, as if he’d just killed someone; the emotion in his eyes had yet to fade.

Shen Shiwei leaned against the door, breathing nervously.

"System, what should I do now? Do you have any solutions?"

System 0805 faltered, responding instinctively, "Do you want to fend off your admirer? I have some sarcastic remarks you could use—would you like them?"

Shen Shiwei: …

The world had ended.

The good news: she had a system.

The bad news: the system was obsessed with romance.

Knock, knock—

Suddenly, a knocking startled Shen Shiwei out of her guarded stance.

"Hello, may I speak with you?"

The boy’s voice was gentle, his tone calm.

Shen Shiwei instinctively gripped the handle, saying nothing, wide-eyed as she listened intently for any sound outside.

---

"Are you listening?" The boy’s eyes lowered slightly. "If you’re there, could you knock once?"

Shen Shiwei pressed her lips together, staring down at her hand. After hesitating multiple times, she finally tapped lightly on the door.

Immediately, she heard the boy speak: "I’m not a bad person. I only came in to escape the zombies outside." He paused, then emphasized, "I’m not a zombie, either."

Still no response from within. The boy’s expression shifted; after a moment’s silence, he turned to leave.

At that moment, a faint click sounded—the door opened.

Shen Shiwei had changed from her pajamas. Among the array of beautiful dresses in her wardrobe, she had chosen an ivory long-sleeved dress, the hem just covering her knees.

Hearing the door, the boy slowly turned.

A breeze swept in, stirring the wisps of hair on Shen Shiwei’s face. She lifted her eyes, meeting his gaze.

His eyes remained fixed on her, stunned, momentarily forgetting to react.

At the same time, words appeared in Shen Shiwei’s mind:

A boy, in panic, barged into Shen Shiwei’s room. After apologizing and explaining he was not a zombie, Shen Shiwei still insisted he leave, solely because his bloodstained body would dirty her room. The boy, after leaving, was torn apart by two or three zombies on the second floor. Shen Shiwei, alone, was later powerless when three construction workers forced their way in and assaulted her.

A dull ache throbbed in the back of her head. Shen Shiwei’s expression grew dazed, and she involuntarily stepped back.

The boy assumed his bloody appearance had frightened her. He hurriedly wiped at his face, apologizing repeatedly, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m not—"

"Would you like to wash up?"

"I’ll do it right away…" He stopped mid-sentence, finally realizing what Shen Shiwei meant. Surprised, he lifted his eyes, now filled with complex emotion.

Shen Shiwei stepped aside. "Or perhaps take a shower?"

Those tea-brown eyes were bright, free of any hidden intent—like the purest, clearest spring—

Inviting one to fall in, defenseless.

The boy felt his ears burning, not wanting the girl opposite to see his embarrassment, so he quickly agreed, "I’ll go shower now."