Picking Up My Ex-Wife in the Apocalypse

When they were young, Si Qi believed no one in the world could love Si Ruxu more than she did.

In the fifth year of their relationship, Si Ruxu watched as Si Qi tried to hide a gift behind her back. A soft, effortless smile played on Si Ruxu’s lips—a smile so calm it felt casual as she announced the end of their relationship like it was nothing more than an afterthought.

Then, the apocalypse arrived.

When they met again, Si Ruxu had become one of the first “Dual-Attribute” high-ranking Awakened. Si Qi, on the other hand, was a “discard”—an ordinary human among the masses. When the zombie tide surged, she was thrown out as a first-layer “meat shield” to buy time for the powerful.

In the second before the swarm consumed her, Si Qi had one final thought: If I’d known I’d end up this pathetic, I would have stayed far away from Si Ruxu. I should have just headed out on my own and gambled on a life for myself.

But after the agony of being torn apart, she woke up. She had returned to the day before she was killed. This time, she decided to get as far away as possible.

*****

Day 1 of survival: Si Qi hid in the crowd. From a distance, she watched as Si Ruxu entered the base’s high-level headquarters, surrounded by a worshipful entourage. Si Qi took one look, withdrew her gaze, and focused only on hiding the scrap of bread in her shirt.

Day 10 of survival: Si Qi found a wounded Si Ruxu outside the base. Her powers were in chaos, and she had been beaten. Risking her own life, Si Qi nursed her back to health—then immediately vanished.

The next reunion: Si Ruxu didn’t spare her a single glance. She watched with cold indifference as Si Qi was framed for stealing a “Ultimate Weapon,” left to be cornered by a mob of Awakened and cast into a black hole.

Day N of survival: Si Qi found herself cornered by Si Ruxu against a crumbling wall. Behind her, mutated plants lashed out; before her, a riotous tide of the undead. Si Qi merely tilted her head, a faint, breezy smile on her face. With a flick of her wrist, the very atmosphere shifted.

*****

“What now?” Si Qi asked. “Are you looking to share a grave with me after all?”

What Si Qi didn’t know was that during the countless nights she was missing, Si Ruxu couldn’t sleep. Si Ruxu realized too late: if the price of learning how to love is losing the one you love most, the cost is far too high.

When they met again, Si Ruxu was willing to walk through fire. She was ready to offer up everything she owned, praying only that Si Qi might love her just a little bit more—just like she used to.

******

No one knew that Si Ruxu was the moon Si Qi could never reach, the “seven-year itch” she loved but couldn’t keep. If life is a web cast in uncertainty, Si Qi was once willing to drown in it, never seeing the sun again.