With the male lead, Gu Yicheng, sitting right beside her, Ruan Ning became much quieter. She didn’t speak and instead rested her chin on her hand, half-heartedly listening to the discussion about which routes had fewer people or which had more supplies. The conversation was not just about pre-apocalypse traffic routes; they also had to consider how things had changed since the world fell apart.
Ruan Ning was only there to listen; she had no intention of offering any suggestions. The original Ruan Ning, a native of S City, had rarely left the area and only travelled long distances by train, high-speed rail, or plane. She had no idea where highways, gas stations, or the quickest routes to the neighbouring B City were.
As for Ruan Ning herself, she had researched this when she had been staying at the apartment, trying to find a good place to settle in the apocalypse.
B City had been one of her backup options, mainly because it was close to S City. Both cities were on the outskirts of the province, roughly two to three times the distance from her apartment to the safe zone. At that time, Ruan Ning was all alone and vulnerable, so she naturally favoured somewhere close. The further away she travelled, the greater the risk of becoming zombie bait.
B City was also a good choice for other reasons. It would later become the location of Base No. 3, one of the top-ranked bases in China, largely due to its low population and slower zombie evolution compared to S City. Unlike S City, where mutated zombies ran rampant and the city fell quickly, B City had a better chance of survival.
When word spread that S City had been overtaken by high-tier mutated zombies, no one dared to set up a safe base nearby. Every survivor avoided the area, taking detours just to stay out of harm’s way.
As for the specific route Gu Yicheng and his team would take to B City, Ruan Ning couldn’t remember. But she was confident that the reborn male lead knew far more than she did. Instead of worrying, she decided it was best to trust in the team and follow their lead.
After all, zombies were everywhere in the apocalypse—it was just a matter of how many. Traveling with the male lead, blessed with protagonist-level protection, was bound to be safer than going alone.
**
After the meeting ended, Gu Yicheng didn’t leave as expected.
Ruan Ning, who had been eagerly waiting for dinnertime and some rest, hoping she could finally escape the male lead’s presence, nearly fell off the sofa when she heard him say he planned to stay the night.
“Brother, are you really staying here tonight?” Ruan Ning asked nervously, a bad feeling creeping into her heart.
Gu Yicheng, as composed as ever, responded calmly, “I have some more things to discuss with Captain Xue later. It’s more convenient to stay here tonight.”
Ruan Ning could only sigh in defeat, feeling mentally exhausted from the whole afternoon’s ordeal.
Lin Yang, seeing that Gu Yicheng was staying, thought he might as well let Chaozi head back alone and stay behind with Gu Yicheng. It would also give him more time to admire the “little beauty.”
But before Lin Yang could finish suggesting this, Gu Yicheng cut him off with a single, dismissive sentence. Lin Yang had no choice but to leave, albeit reluctantly.
At dinner, Ruan Ning picked at her food, unable to muster much of an appetite. She ate less than half of what she normally would before putting down her chopsticks.
Gu Yicheng noticed how little the girl had eaten and frowned. It wasn’t surprising, considering how light she had felt when he carried her the other day—light enough that he could lift her with just one hand. If she ate so little every day, how could she possibly gain any weight?
“Eat more. Once we leave the safe zone, you won’t have access to meals like this,” he said.
“Brother, I really can’t eat anymore,” Ruan Ning replied, her wide almond-shaped eyes looking up at him with a hint of pleading.
She knew he was right, but today, she just couldn’t force herself to eat more. Why was he insisting so much?
Gu Yicheng stared into Ruan Ning’s eyes, which held a hint of grievance, for a few seconds before falling silent.
Had he really gone too far today? All he had done was tease her on a whim, but it seemed like that had been enough to scare her thoroughly. She wouldn’t even accept the crystal cores he had given her.
Somehow, his mind drifted back to the first time they met. It had been years ago, a memory from before the apocalypse. Back then, he had intentionally played a trick on her, and every time he came home after that, before the world fell apart, he would see her peeking out from behind his father, timidly watching him, afraid yet unable to stay away.
At the time, Gu Yicheng hadn’t paid much attention to her behaviour.
But now… was she going to avoid him again, like she did back then?
A surge of irritation rose within him, that familiar, dark energy bubbling back to the surface.
Ruan Ning, noticing that Gu Yicheng had finally shifted his gaze away from her, exhaled in relief. But her day wasn’t over yet. Since they were “siblings,” Xue Chen had arranged for Gu Yicheng to stay in the room next to hers on the second floor.
Seriously? Her last shred of hope was crushed. Ruan Ning just wanted to hide in a corner and be left alone. The arrangement seemed logical, sure, but there were four rooms on the second floor—why did it have to be the one closest to her?
Still, the decision had already been made, and there was nothing she could do about it. As soon as she had the chance, Ruan Ning quickly slipped back into her room.
Out of sight, out of mind. If the male lead couldn’t see her, then nothing could happen, right? And if he went off to find someone else to bother, that would be even better.
Lying in bed, Ruan Ning munched on an apple she had taken from the supermarket and played a single-player game on her phone. By the time she had reached level ten, her mood had improved a bit.
Before the power went out in S City, she had fully charged all the electronics in her apartment, including her power banks. They should last for a while. Ruan Ning had avoided using her phone too much before, fearing she’d get addicted and run out of battery too soon, so she had kept it stored in her space.
Now, it was a perfect distraction.
Just as she was about to clear the next level, there was a knock on the door—three steady taps.
Her heart sank. The game was lost, and she already knew who was standing outside.
To open or not to open?
She stared at the door for a long moment, then, with a sigh, closed her game, stashed her phone back into her space, and reluctantly walked to the door.
There was no way she could leave Gu Yicheng waiting outside, not unless she wanted her relatively peaceful life to come to an abrupt end.
“Brother?” she feigned surprise as she opened the door and saw him standing there.
In the safe zone, ability users had an extra hour of electricity provided each night. Otherwise, the main source of light came from candles, which had become a rare commodity. For most people, moonlight was the only thing to rely on after dark.
Right now, there was still power in the villa, and the hallway was illuminated by a lamp. It was easy for Ruan Ning to spot the food container in Gu Yicheng’s hand.
Ruan Ning’s fake surprise quickly turned into genuine shock.
This smell…
Gu Yicheng’s dark, unreadable eyes softened slightly as he spoke, “I noticed you didn’t eat much this afternoon, so I made some seafood porridge in case you got hungry.”
The moment she smelled the delicious aroma in the hallway, her heart had been completely drawn to the food in Gu Yicheng’s hands. The scent was so enticing, it instantly reminded her of her favorite restaurant before she transmigrated.
But after that brief moment of being captivated by the food, Ruan Ning was overcome with a different kind of panic.
First, there were the crystal cores, and now there was food… She could somewhat understand the crystal cores, especially after he scared her. But seafood porridge? And he made it himself?
What’s going on? Could he be plotting something? The thought made her nervous. She swallowed and stammered, “I-I’m not hungry.”
Hearing her refusal again, Gu Yicheng’s brows furrowed, and his aura grew more intense, making him appear a bit menacing.
The moment Ruan Ning saw his expression, her survival instincts kicked in. She immediately reached out and took the food container from him, hurriedly saying, “But since you made it, I’ll definitely eat all of it!”
Gu Yicheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on her nervous expression, and said in a low voice, “I’ll stay and watch you eat before I leave.”
“…” Ruan Ning had been planning to fool him, get him to leave, and then stash the porridge into her space in a different container. That way, she wouldn’t waste food and could still report back to him that she had eaten.
But she hadn’t expected him to stay and watch. If she didn’t know better, she might’ve suspected that he had put something suspicious in the porridge.
Clutching the handle of the food container tightly, Ruan Ning’s internal struggle was real. Why is he like this?
She finally gave in, her inner voice crying, “I’ll drink it now.” “Good.” Only then did Gu Yicheng seem satisfied.
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