Chapter 24: Xu Xuehui

“Perhaps she was terrified into a stupor from the start, so she didn’t move or make any noise. This might have prevented the monster from noticing her, saving her life. It’s a miracle amidst the misfortune.”

Su Li thought to himself that it was understandable that the girl, listening through a door as everything happened outside and realizing her father had been brutally killed, was so shocked.

Pity rose in his heart for the girl. Seeing that she still didn’t react after he spoke a few sentences, Su Li felt helpless. Suddenly remembering something, he quickly pulled a small bag of bread from his pocket.

When he had left the raft and climbed in, he hadn’t put all his food into his backpack in case something happened after he left the raft. Instead, he had carried a few pieces of bread and biscuits on his person.

It occurred to him now that the girl had been hiding here, and the events in the room had taken place at least a day ago. Based on this, she must have gone without food for at least a day.

Su Li took out the bread, tore open the outer bag, then slowly approached and offered the bread to the girl.

This method worked. The girl, who had been staring with wide, vacant eyes, finally showed a reaction.

Her eyes slowly moved and fixed on the bread Su Li was offering.

The tempting aroma of the bread made her instinctively swallow.

“She must be famished.” Su Li was delighted to see her respond. He nodded at her and gestured, “Take it, it’s for you. I have more.”

The girl seemed to understand his words. She slowly reached out a hand, hesitatingly took the bread from Su Li, stared at it for two or three seconds, and then very cautiously began to nibble.

She ate in small, slow bites, but perhaps because she hadn’t had water for so long and her throat was dry, she still choked. Her face turned red, and she began to cough.

“You haven’t eaten in too long. You should drink some water first.” Su Li realized his mistake. He wanted to get water for her but then remembered the water was on the raft, and it would take time to retrieve it. So, he started looking around the apartment.

He quickly found a glass for drinking water in the living room. It had about half a glass of plain water in it. Although it was cool, it should still be drinkable. He picked it up, opened the lid, and offered it to her.

The girl took it, drank a few sips of water, and finally caught her breath.

She ate very slowly. Even though it was just one piece of bread, it took her a while to finish. Su Li then handed her a small packet of biscuits, though his heart felt a slight twinge of regret.

Food was scarce right now, and these were vital supplies for survival. However, seeing how pathetic the girl was, Su Li couldn’t bear to leave her. Moreover, he yearned for a companion. Even a seemingly ineffective girl was better than being utterly alone.

What Su Li feared most was the loneliness of being by himself—that was the most terrifying thing.

He was terrified of being the only one left.

So, seeing this girl at this moment made him more excited than anyone.

The girl looked at the biscuits Su Li offered again. Her small hand started to reach for them but then stopped, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

Su Li smiled and said, “It’s alright, eat it. I have plenty more.” As he spoke, he tore open the packaging and pressed the biscuits into the girl’s hand.

He thought, This girl is quite perceptive. Did she notice the look of regret on my face just now? That’s a bit awkward.

After eating the bread and biscuits and drinking the remaining half-glass of cool boiled water, the girl’s pale and vacant expression softened, and she looked much more alive.

Su Li leaned against the wardrobe and quietly observed her. He thought the girl was not unattractive and looked quite cute in her white dress.

“My name is Su Li. What’s your name? How old are you?” Su Li, seeing her finish eating and regain some of her spirit, tried to communicate with her.

The girl finished the biscuits and then carefully licked the crumbs from her fingers. Finally, she turned her big eyes to look at Su Li. Her lips moved, and her voice was tiny: “Xu Xuehui, 13 years old.”

“Xu Xuehui, 13 years old.” Su Li repeated, trying to make conversation with a smile, “That’s a nice name…” As he spoke, he observed the girl. He saw her staring blankly at the corpse of the middle-aged man in front of her. She suddenly moved, crawled out of the wardrobe, and gently stroked the man’s face before lowering her head slightly.

As the girl crawled out, Su Li noticed that the back of her white dress was ripped in several places and stained with blood. The dress was practically ruined.

Su Li was a little puzzled.

She clearly wasn’t injured, so why were her clothes so ragged?

“Xu Xuehui, is he your father?” Su Li took a deep breath. Although he knew it was cruel, he asked the question.

Xu Xuehui didn’t answer, but her skinny shoulders shook slightly, as if she were responding to him, or perhaps weeping.

Su Li sighed internally. He decided to take her away from here. It was too cruel to let a thirteen-year-old girl keep staring at her father’s corpse.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you away from here. There are no other living people here, and staying here is not a solution.” Su Li said, reaching out to take the girl’s hand.

He grasped Xu Xuehui’s arm, intending to pull her to her feet.

Xu Xuehui raised her head slightly and tried to stand up with Su Li’s help, but she only managed to rise halfway before falling back onto her seat, unable to stand.

“What’s wrong with your leg?” Su Li was slightly alarmed. He thought that if she couldn’t stand, it would be a huge problem. In this perilous world, she would become a massive burden.

“I… I’m fine. My leg is just asleep. It’ll be fine in a moment.” A flash of panic crossed Xu Xuehui’s eyes. She seemed to have sensed Su Li’s concern and was afraid he would abandon her.

Su Li understood. She had been curled up in the wardrobe with her legs bent for too long. The lack of blood circulation had made her legs numb, so she couldn’t exert any strength to stand up.

“That’s good. Rest here for a bit. I’ll check the other rooms.”

After saying this, Su Li walked out of the bedroom and returned to the living room. Looking at the overturned shoe cabinet and the shoes scattered all over the floor, Su Li spotted a pair of leather boots and picked them up.

Riding the raft meant his shoes would get wet. The shoes he was currently wearing weren’t waterproof, and his socks and shoes would easily become damp. These waterproof leather boots made his eyes light up, and the size looked right.

Su Li unceremoniously took off his already soaked socks and shoes, found a clean pair of socks to put on, and then slipped on the leather boots. He tried them out, and they fit perfectly.

Su Li looked satisfied.

Although it was a bit warm to wear leather boots in the current weather, Su Li could bear it. It was much better than constantly wearing damp socks and shoes.