Chapter 038 Surviving The Apocalyptic Era

　　As soon as the two arrived at the cafeteria, they were stunned by what they saw. For some reason, the entire place was decked out in festive decorations. Colorful streamers and lanterns hung from the ceiling. At the front of the hall stood a large round table covered with red velvet cloth. Every long dining table was lined with stacks of clear disposable cups—clearly, wine would be served later...

　　Chu Mufan and Youyou exchanged a confused glance. It was no holiday, nor any special occasion they knew of, yet the cafeteria had been decorated so grandly...

　　They had arrived fairly early. Only a few kitchen helpers were bustling about, busy with the arrangements. Chu Mufan walked straight over to the tall, slender young man closest to him and asked, “Brother, what happy occasion is today? Why all the fanfare?”

　　“Huh, today is… wait—who are you?” The young man had been about to answer, but when he turned his head and caught sight of Chu Mufan’s face, he nearly swung the streamer right into him in shock!

　　“Good grief! Are you pretending to be a ghost in broad daylight? You scared me half to death!” The young man stared at Chu Mufan, who looked exactly like a zombie —gaunt and haggard skin, prominent cheekbones, thinning hair, and a deathly pale complexion! He snapped at him angrily.

　　“I’m so sorry, Brother Ma. Did I frighten you?” Youyou hurried over to smooth things over.

　　The moment the tall young man saw Youyou, he quickly composed himself. “Oh, Youyou, what brings you here? It’s nothing at all. A little scare like this doesn’t faze me! Your Brother Ma has nerves of steel.” He smoothed his neat center-parted hair, then eyed the frail Chu Mufan with disdain and asked, “You know this person? Why does he look so much like a zombie? Who is he anyway?” The young stared at the skinny Chu Mufan as he asked Youyou!

　　Though Youyou was not breathtakingly beautiful, she was pure and quiet in her youthful bloom, a delicate little beauty. Standing beside Chu Mufan, who looked like an emaciated corpse, she seemed utterly out of place.

　　“Brother Ma, this is Brother Chu. He’s a friend of Captain Star.”

　　“Oh, so this is the bag of bones… uh, Chu… what’s his last name again?” The young man had almost blurted out the nickname everyone used behind his back, but thought better of saying it to his face. He wanted to call his name...However, he only knew the man’s surname was Chu and nothing else, leaving him awkwardly lost for words.

　　“His name is Chu Mufan. By the way, Brother Ma, what’s happening today? what’s all this excitement for?” Youyou asked, glancing around the joyfully decorated hall.

　　“You haven’t heard? Today is the Lord’s wedding day!”

　　“The Lord is marrying again? He already has several wives!” Youyou whispered in surprise.

　　“Hehe, right. No man ever has enough women. Let me count—this will be the Lord’s ninth wife.” The slender man glanced around cautiously, then lowered his voice, “Word came that she was brought back a few days ago by Captain Gou of the Second Team from somewhere out there. She’s stunningly pretty. She met the Lord the day before yesterday, and yesterday he announced their marriage. Can you believe how fast that is?”

　　“So sudden? No wonder I never heard a thing. I’ve been staying over here these days and haven’t gone to the Lord’s quarters much...” Youyou murmured to herself, leaning in closer to listen.

　　“You’ve been here all this time? What have you been up to? And why haven’t I seen you in the cafeteria?”

　　“Captain Star told the Lord that Brother Chu needs someone to look after him, so the Lord assigned me to take care of him. We’ve been cooking for ourselves in his room these past few days instead of eating here.” Youyou was clearly on familiar terms with the young man surnamed Ma, answering all his questions candidly.

　　“No wonder I haven’t run into you lately. How’s the person you’re taking care of doing?”

　　Chu Mufan stood right beside them, completely ignored by the lanky young man. He seethed inwardly. I’m literally right in front of you! How can you act like I don’t even exist? Is this really your clumsy way of hitting on a girl?

　　But he dared not voice his thoughts. He was far too weak right now to afford offending anyone. Putting on a forced smile, he said, “Brother Ma, I’m Chu Mufan. I’m standing right here before you.”

　　Brother Ma cast a disdainful glance at the emaciated Chu Mufan, frowned, and snapped irritably, “Scram! Scram! Can’t you see I’m talking to my Youyou? Go bother someone else, you’re such an annoyance! Youyou, come on, let’s keep chatting and pay him no mind!”

　　He turned to Youyou at once, breaking into a lovesick grin and smoothing his center-parted hair.

　　He already looked comically gaunt, tall and thin like a dry straw stalk. Coupled with his silly, over-the-top mannerisms, he looked utterly ridiculous. Even Chu Mufan, who’d just been rudely dismissed, couldn’t bring himself to stay angry at his absurdity.

　　Youyou laughed at his antics. “That’s enough. I have to look after Brother Chu. Why don’t you get back to work first? We can talk properly after dinner later!”

　　“He’s perfectly fit and sturdy—what could he possibly need looking after? Honestly, look at him. Give him a little while, and he’ll probably end up fatter than me…”

　　Dark lines crept across Chu Mufan’s forehead when he heard that. He thought, “Good grief, you’re a master of lying straight to someone’s face. How long would I even need to put on weight to surpass you?

　　He had to admit the guy was shockingly scrawny, almost as thin as himself. How do you stay this skinny working in the cafeteria? Back when I was in the military, every cook in the mess hall was round and plump. How are you skin and bones? Can even the cafeteria staff not get enough to eat in the apocalypse?

　　Chu Mufan kept all these thoughts to himself, still wearing a polite smile as he watched the lanky young man...

　　“I can’t do that. Also, looking after Brother Chu is a duty assigned to me by the Lord and Captain Star. I can’t neglect my responsibility!” Youyou said firmly.

　　“Fine then. I’ll come keep you company once I finish my work. Hurry and find a seat before more people show up. Word has it the Lord and his entourage are coming today too! It’ll be packed and lively!” Brother Ma said warmly.

　　“The Lord is coming as well?” Youyou asked in shock.

　　“Yeah, he is. Gotta go; I’ve got work to do!” Spotting another group of people walking in, Brother Ma hurried off.

　　He rushed over to greet several burly men in camouflage uniforms who had just entered, his manner turning instantly fawning and obsequious—a stark contrast to how he’d treated Chu Mufan...

　　Chu Mufan paid it no mind. In his current haggard state, there was no point caring about others’ judgmental stares in this chaotic world.

　　Those who truly cared about him would never mind his appearance, and there was no need for him to care about the opinions of those who didn’t.

　　Still, Youyou’s shocked reaction earlier left Chu Mufan puzzled. He leaned closer and asked in a low voice, “Youyou, why were you so surprised just now?”

　　Hearing that, Youyou lowered her voice and replied quietly, “In the past, when the Lord married his other wives, he only held a small private celebration in the Lord’s Quarter with a few team captains. We’d just get an extra meal here in the camp. This is the first time he’s ever made it so grand and formal!”