Zombie Apocalypse: Creation

"No, it's fine. You can come to school with me."

Seeing Lily's emotion returning to normal as she answered back, Xiaoyun nodded as Yongyi slid down the slides once again.

"Okay then..."

Just as Lianrong slid down into Xiaoyun's arm, the sound of a door sliding quickly grabbed their attention.

"Xiaoyun, Lily, you guys can come back now! They finished with their pump." Tianci yelled as she stepped out of the glass door.

"Okay!"

"Wah! I want to go again!" Qiaolan complained after seeing Lily begin to walk off the slide's staircase.

"Me too!" Xuanhua demanded.

"Fine. Just one more... Xiaoyun, stop bringing them to the staircase again."

"Come on, let them play until they are tired. It's good exercise for them... You guys want sister Lily to help you all go down the slides, right?"

Seeing all four of them nodding with their face filled with excitement still, Lily sighed before going back up to the top of the slides.

"I just have an essay to write later," Lily murmured as she began helping Xuanhua down the slides.

"An essay after your finals? What would you need that?" Xiaoyun curiously asked.

"I mean, a letter to write a letter... For my major, I need to get a letter of recommendation from my teachers to increase my chances."

As Lily helped Xuanhua down next, she quickly realized the person before her was the person she had been looking for.

"Wait, actually, can you write me a letter of recommendation?" Lily pleaded.

"Me? What letter of commendation could I write for you? I'm just warning you, I'm not going to ask the professor outright to accept you in."

"Of course, I'm not asking you to write that. I just need you to write about things that I'm good at..."

"Things you're good at you say..."

The question eluded Xiaoyun a little as his mind couldn't really think of a positive side that would help her in a letter.

At least something academic, something that would make a professor choose her over any other students in the school.

"Can you really not think of anything positive about me?" Lily questioned, her face starting to look a little disappointed.

"Of course I can. I'm just thinking what to pick out of all the positives that would help you..."

Despite Xiaoyun saying it with confidence, his mind was still scrambling for answers as he still couldn't think of an answer.

Even as all of the babies went down the slides for the third time, a sweat began to fall down his forehead as he really didn't have anything at all.

"Xiaoyun, what are you going to write? Have you decided yet?"

"Still thinking about it. Ahem, I can't show you about it. If I remember correctly, letters of recommendation are supposed to be private."

"Whatever."

As Lily didn't press him any further, his mind let out a small sigh of relief as he finally came up with an answer in his head.

But it was way too inappropriate. Something that she had in common with Nami. Something that is way better kept private.

---

As noon quickly approached, Xiaoyun was back in the house as the soaring heat made it too hot to go outside.

Everyone was sitting in front of the TV, watching a movie that Nami had happened to buy in a DVD store out of all places.

The only person missing was Lily, who was busy in her room writing the letter to her teachers requesting a letter of recommendation.

"Hey guys, I need a little help." Xiaoyun suddenly asked just as the movie started playing.

"What is it?"

"What would you write, hypothically, if you need to write a letter of recommendation for Lily?"

As soon as the question was asked, everyone remained silent as if they were a little caught off guard by the question.

"Why are you asking that? Did Lily ask you to write one for her?" Leyan curiously asked.

"Maybe... Ahem, let's focus on the question for now. What would you all write for her?"

"How about how hard she works? I saw her waking early every morning to go to school and even take care of the babies sometimes." Leyan suggested.

"Hmm... Good idea."

"How about that one time when she went out of her way to bring my phone to my workplace that I accidentally left behind at home?" Yuqi suggested.

"Way too specific... Any other ideas?"

"Lily had volunteered to help take care of the elderly and even carried their food when I was still working as a grocery clerk," Nami added.

"That doesn't really feel academic other than to show she is a good person," Xiaoyun murmured.

"Xiaoyun, I think you're misunderstanding what a letter of recommendation is. She's asking you to write this because you are close to her.

Of course, it's not going to be academic. That's the teacher's job to write how good a student she is, not you."

Shuli's point instantly made Xiaoyun freeze for a second, before his mind finally wrapped around what she meant by it.

"Oh my god, I completely didn't realize that. Thank you for pointing it out... I think I know what I need to write now."

As Xiaoyun headed upstairs, none of his wivies stopped him as they shifted their attention back to the TV.

"Nami, this movie better be good," Yueyue murmured, looking a little bored.

"I spend a day's worth of salary on this. It surely cannot be bad... Or else why would the store owner put that on his shelf?"

---

When dinner arrived, Xiaoyun handed the letter of recommendation he had made over to Shuli, opting to let her handle the rest.

"What did you write inside it?" Wuli curiously asked.

"Can't tell you. It's a secret."

Xiaoyun answered as he looked over to Lily, whose face looked calm. Yet, the slight flinch on her cheek told him she was just as curious.

"Shuli, make sure only the professor gets to read it. I don't want anyone else to get the chance of reading it."

"Okay then... I'll hand it to him after work."

As she puts the envelope into her pocket, Leyan finally puts the last dish onto the table as everyone begins eating the food at the table.

"Time to eat!"

---

Nighttime...

"Xiaoyun, what did you write in the letter?" Yueyeu asked this time, with all of his wives looking just as curious on his bed.

"It's a secret."

"Come on. Lily isn't here. You can tell us, and we won't tell a soul outside of this room. I swear."

Seeing all of them really wanting to know the answer, Xiaoyun decided to back down in the end.

"Fine fine... I just wrote about a little story of her life. That's all."

"Story of her life?"

All nine of them looked a little puzzled, unable to understand why he would write something that seemed so random.

"You barely know her background and everything. How could you write something like that?" Leyan questioned.

"I just wrote from when I first met her til now. That's all."

The answer gave a lot of clarity, except Nami, whose face looked more and more nervous as the more she thought about it.

"Wait, Xiaoyun, you didn't write about her relationship with you, right?"

As soon as Nami asked her question, everyone's face looked just as nervous as hers, as if they were already expecting the worst-case scenario.

"Of course not. I'm not that stupid... I just wrote how she's a good person. That's all. Stop overthinking it."

Watching Xiaoyun lying down on the bed and pulling up the blanket, they all still felt a little dissatisfied.

"Babe, you didn't just flat-out use your position to threaten the professor, right?" Yuqi questioned.

"I said, stop overthinking it. I'm going to sleep now."

Seeing him suddenly getting all defensive and covering himself fully with the blanket, all of them felt something was off.

However, none of them could think of a way—a way for him to leak out the answer without just opening the letter themselves.

"Tianci, say something. Xiaoyun won't be mad at you."

"I-I don't know."

As Tianci instantly backed down from even attempting to ask it, they all rolled their eyes before giving up asking it completely.

"Hey Xiaoyun, don't you think you're sleeping too early today?" Kate quietly questioned as she tried to pull the blanket away.

"I have to go to Lily's school in the morning. Let me sleep early today."

"It's only ten... Xiaoyun, please."

"Pleaseeeee."

Hearing all of their voices merging in unison, Xiaoyun let out a small sigh before sitting back up in bed.

"Fine. But only one time today, and it has to be quick today... I don't want to sleep too late."

"Who wants to go first?"

As they looked to each other, they all eventually looked over to the person who asked it, which happened to be Leyan.

"You all don't mind me going first?"

"When did we ever mind you going first?"