Chapter 20: Dipping to Eat

He paused for a moment, picked up a french fry, slowly stood up, and began to eat.

Lu Li: "?" Why is he standing up? The thought flashed through her mind before she burst into laughter.

Reaching out to pat his shoulder, Shen Bing obediently sat down and looked up at her. "Aren't you supposed to dip it first?"

Lu Li was still laughing. Only then did she realize that Shen Bing seemed like a minor—he was usually so tense.

"Stop laughing." Shen Bing felt a bit embarrassed by her carefree and uninhibited laughter.

For the first time, a hint of insecurity crept in, so he feigned seriousness, trying hard to act as he usually did.

But Lu Li laughed so hard she could barely straighten her back. When she finally calmed down and saw him in this "adult" demeanor, she laughed even harder.

Shen Bing thought: So frustrating!

Not knowing what else to do, he angrily grabbed a fry, put it in his mouth, and took a big bite.

Might as well treat the fry like Boss Lu.

Lu Li finally settled down, rubbing her stomach over her chest, murmuring, "Almost laughed myself into abs. Luckily, I didn’t."

She looked down to eat a fry, caught Shen Bing’s resentful gaze, and twisted the corner of her mouth, struggling to hold back her laughter.

"Alright, alright, no more laughing. Eat quickly." Lu Li hurriedly urged, afraid she’d laugh too much later.

Shen Bing lowered his eyes, hiding the faint, secret smile beneath his gaze, then earnestly ate the small portion of food Lu Li had shared with him.

Eating together, Lu Li unexpectedly felt very hungry—perhaps this was the effect of companionship?

She pondered silently, then subtly glanced at Shen Bing, who wasn’t wearing the hood of his cloak.

His obedient hair was exposed, his nose sharp and prominent, and he ate with extreme seriousness, not wasting a bit.

The more she looked, the more Lu Li thought he resembled a younger brother.

Somehow, she felt a surge of affection for him. To have endured the apocalypse at such a young age, his temperament had to be like this.

Her mind raced with all sorts of thoughts, and without realizing it, she shoved the only burger into his hand.

With a somewhat commanding tone, she generously said, "Eat this. Eat more. You’re almost as thin as a stick."

Shen Bing slowly raised a question mark, hesitantly glanced down at his stomach—which wasn’t visible...

But he was a man with eight-pack abs, after all. Besides, black is slimming, right?

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Really, a stick? Does Boss Lu even know what she’s saying…

Yet, looking at the burger resting in his palm, he consoled himself, “Never mind, as long as there’s food, who cares if I’m a stick or not.”

After comforting himself, Shen Bing didn’t eat the burger but stored it away in his space.

Since Lu Li gave it to him, it was his now; she wouldn’t inquire further. The two quietly finished the food on the tray.

"I'm stuffed..." Lu Li muttered.

A white light flashed, and the tray along with the trash vanished. Shen Bing didn’t ask any questions—some things didn’t need to be spelled out; understanding was enough.

He glanced at her, casually waved, as if saying goodbye, then turned and walked away.

Lu Li pulled down the cover, preparing for her afternoon rest—an essential daily ritual. Without it, she’d be exhausted in the afternoon.

Shen Bing walked alone for quite a while. Though his pace wasn’t fast, each step seemed like teleportation, swiftly covering dozens of meters.

Zombies, sensing his aura, kept their distance from him. Shen Bing stopped before an alley.

Looking left and right, he finally entered. At the alley’s end stood a boy, about six or seven years old, his expression tense and serious, eyes sharp.

Upon seeing Shen Bing, the boy immediately brightened and ran up, smiling, "Big Brother Shen, you’re here!"

Shen Bing didn’t remove his hood, smiled down at him, and patted his head. They entered the house one after another.

It was a courtyard at the alley’s end, resembling a traditional quadrangle, still preserving the pre-apocalypse appearance.

A banyan tree grew lushly in the center, vibrant and full of life.

A wire was wrapped around a branch, stretching to the eaves where a few wrinkled clothes hung—not freshly washed, more like worn-out clothes left out to dry in the sun.

Shen Bing and the boy passed under the tree.

"Big Brother Shen, can I come out with you to kill zombies?" the boy asked resolutely.

"No." Shen Bing refused gently. The boy was too young; outside dangers weren’t just zombies, but also humans...

The boy wasn’t sad about the refusal. He quietly vowed to ask again when he was a year older.

He was sure Big Brother Shen would agree then. With zombie cores from kills, he could exchange for supplies to buy food for his friends!

They entered the house, and the light instantly dimmed. The boy happily exclaimed, "Big Brother Shen is here!"

The room became lively again. Several children ran over, surrounding Shen Bing, looking up at him with admiration.

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Among these children were boys and girls, all around six to ten years old.

Their clothes were ill-fitting, either too big or too small, patched up here and there.

Each was gaunt and pale, lips chapped from long-term malnutrition, but overall still clean.

Shen Bing squatted down to meet their eyes, stretched out a hand with his palm up, and playfully said, "Guess what this is this time?"

The boy named Da Dong eagerly replied, "It must be that fruit we had yesterday! So sweet!"

A little girl gently nudged Da Dong, "I think you just want to eat it!"

Da Dong defended himself, hands on hips, chest puffed up, "Don’t you want some?"

The girl shyly said, "I do."

Shen Bing smiled at their interaction, keeping his palm up as if casting a magic trick.

Suddenly, a burger appeared in his palm, instantly filling the stuffy room with a delicious aroma.

"Wow, what’s that? Smells so good!" The children crowded around, heads close together, eyes nearly glued to it.

Yet none reached out—it was understood that Big Brother Shen would distribute the food.

Shen Bing thought for a while but couldn’t remember the name. Boss Lu hadn’t told him either.

He casually said, "Tasty food," then handed it to Da Dong, instructing, "Share it. Everyone gets a portion."

"Yay!" The children cheered and turned to share the food.

Shen Bing called out, "Wait, there’s more." At once, the children turned back.

"What is it? What is it?" they asked eagerly, eyes sparkling, faces full of innocent smiles.

"Look." Shen Bing whispered. Their breaths involuntarily softened, some even held their breath in quiet anticipation.

In the next moment, a large takeaway box appeared in Shen Bing’s hand, tall and big. He had cooked all the leftover hotpot ingredients and brought them back.

A faint scent of chili oil wafted out, striking Da Dong and the others. They were eager yet restrained, "It smells amazing, Big Brother Shen!"