Once Yan Cijin stepped inside the bathroom, she immediately turned on the water and began washing her hair first. Thankfully, not much zombie blood had gotten into her hair, so that part was easy enough to clean. Even so, she still scrubbed carefully, not wanting to leave even the smallest trace behind. But her body was another matter entirely. The smell was bad, and it clung to her skin no matter how much water hit it. She had to use shower gel again and again, four whole times, just to make sure the ugly scent was gone. While she stood under the water, she kept thinking about Bai Li. The more she thought about it, the more she felt concerned. Bai Li’s hands had been badly injured, and not in a small way either. On top of that, Bai Li had used the knife again that morning, which meant she had touched the wound once more and probably made it worse. Now that Yan Cijin was thinking about it, she could not help imagining how painful that must have been.

And then another question came into her mind. How was Bai Li supposed to bathe later with hands like that? Her hands were hurt, and if she tried to wash herself carelessly, the wounds could easily get wet. If that happened, the injury might get infected. In a time like this, that was not a small matter at all. A simple infection could become dangerous very quickly when everything outside was already so chaotic and unstable. The thought made Yan Cijin’s chest feel tight, and for a moment she hesitated in the shower with the water running over her face. Should she help Bai Li? The idea came naturally, but the moment it appeared in her mind, her ears started to burn. Even the bathroom suddenly felt hotter than before. She could not quite tell whether she was feeling shy because of what she knew she had to do later or because the warm water was making everything feel more intense. Either way, the heat in her face kept rising, and the more she thought about Bai Li’s injured hands, the more embarrassed she felt for reasons she did not fully want to admit to herself.

Her face slowly turned red while she kept washing up. She was still thinking about Bai Li, still thinking about those badly injured hands, still thinking about the fact that Bai Li had helped save her. If the wounds were touched by water, the risk of infection would be there. And with the outside world in such a mess, even a small infection could turn into something serious. Those thoughts kept circling in her head until she finally finished bathing. She hurried to dry herself off, changed into the clothes she had picked out, and then combed her hair just a little. She did not even bother with a hairdryer. There was no time for that. Right now, the only thing on her mind was getting over to Bai Li as quickly as possible.

After stepping out of the bathroom, Yan Cijin had not even taken many steps before the little dumpling came rushing over again. This time, the child wrapped those tiny arms around Yan Cijin’s leg with complete confidence and looked up at her with a face full of wanting.

"Mommy, hug me."

That soft little request made Yan Cijin’s heart melt immediately. She bent down and picked the little one up, holding the child close before kissing the baby’s little face. The little dumpling felt warm and soft in her arms, and that tiny face was so sweet it made Yan Cijin’s tiredness feel lighter for a moment. Then she spoke with a patient smile, trying to explain that she had to leave for a little while.

"Lili, be good. I have to go next door for a bit. I’ll come back to play with you later."

The little one nodded right away, still very obedient, but the child still did not want to let go of the chance to stay close for long. With a tiny hand, the child pointed toward the kitten toy sitting on the sofa and rubbed against Yan Cijin in the most affectionate way, like a little spoiled ball of fluff asking for attention.

"Okay, Mommy, play with the kitten with me."

Yan Cijin looked at that and felt her heart turn soft all over again. She hugged the little dumpling tighter for a moment and bounced the child lightly in her arms, unable to stop herself from smiling. It was such a small thing, but it filled her chest with warmth. Even after everything that had happened outside, even after the blood and danger, coming back to this kind of home feeling was enough to make her think it was worth it. The child’s trust, the child’s love, and the child’s sweet way of speaking to her made her feel full inside, like she had something precious waiting for her no matter how hard the world became.

Yan Laojin, hearing that her daughter was about to go next door, immediately became worried again. She looked at Yan Cijin with concern and asked right away, unable to hide the worry in her voice.

"Xiaoyan, you just got back, why are you going next door again?"

Yan Cijin paused for a moment, then explained carefully. She did not want to make it sound bigger than it was, but she also did not want to hide the truth from her mother. Her tone stayed soft and honest as she answered.

"Bai Li’s hands were badly injured while saving me. I need to go change her dressings, and besides, it’s inconvenient for her to bathe with those hands. I wanted to go help her."

The moment those words came out, Yan Cijin suddenly felt like she had said too much. Her face warmed again, and she did not dare to look Yan Laojin straight in the eye while speaking.

She could already feel that her mother was about to misunderstand something, but before she could even say more, Yan Laojin’s expression had already shifted. Hearing that Bai Li had been injured while saving her daughter, Yan Laojin’s eyes widened, and for a brief second she looked stunned. Then, very quickly, the surprise turned into a smile, and that smile kept growing, as if she had just realized something interesting.

"Dear... do you perhaps like her? Is she your girlfriend?"

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TO BE CONTINUED.