Ruan Ning’s room had only a small table, and she placed the food container on it. Before she sat down to eat, though, she hesitated, feeling like she should make one last attempt to save herself from this awkward situation. After a moment of deliberation, she said, “Brother, maybe I should eat alone… Didn’t you say you had something important to discuss with Captain Xue? While the power’s still on in the villa, you should go deal with that first. It’s more important than staying here with me.”
She then raised her hand in a mock-promise gesture, her face filled with exaggerated sincerity. “I swear, I’ll finish the porridge before you’re done with your business!”
“There’s no rush. I’ve already finished discussing things with Captain Xue. You can take your time drinking the porridge,” Gu Yicheng replied casually, pulling over a chair and sitting next to her, clearly intending to stay and watch her eat.
Already finished? If it was that quick and easy, why did he insist on staying the night?!
Ruan Ning had no choice but to continue her task, complaining silently as she opened the food container. Since she had already made the promise, she had no way out now—even if Gu Yicheng had secretly put something in the porridge, she still had to drink it all.
As soon as the container was opened, the rich aroma of seafood porridge filled the room, even more intense than before.
Ruan Ning, to her embarrassment, felt her appetite stir at the scent. If Gu Yicheng weren’t sitting next to her, she might have audibly swallowed. Although she hadn’t been hungry earlier during dinner, the moment she smelled the porridge, her appetite returned with full force.
Maybe I should just try it?
The container didn’t look that large from the outside, but there was quite a bit of porridge inside. Determined, Ruan Ning scooped a spoonful and tasted it. The porridge was thick and creamy, perfectly seasoned, and melted in her mouth. Even by pre-apocalypse standards, this was gourmet-level delicious.
Why is this so unfair? she thought. How can the male lead be such a good cook too?!
Ruan Ning, who had initially been worried about how to force herself to finish the porridge, found her pace quickening unconsciously. Before she knew it, the container was empty.
Only when she saw the bottom of the container did Ruan Ning set the spoon down, a trace of embarrassment appearing on her pale face. “I finished it.”
Phew! At least I said I’d finish it earlier. If I’d used the same excuse as I did at dinner—saying I had no appetite—then finishing the whole thing now would’ve been completely hypocritical.
“Good,” Gu Yicheng said, glancing at the now satisfied-looking girl. The faintest hint of a smile flickered across his face. “How did it taste? Was it alright?”
“It was really, really delicious!” Ruan Ning’s clean plate had already spoken for her. There was no more convincing proof than an empty container.
Seeing that she had indeed finished it all, Gu Yicheng finally stood up. “Alright then. Rest well, Ning Ning. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Goodnight, brother,” Ruan Ning replied, her eyes shining. “And thank you for the seafood porridge today.”
Ruan Ning had tasted many gourmet dishes in her previous life, so her palate was quite refined. The moment she took that first bite of porridge, she could tell right away that the ingredients used were not frozen or packed with preservatives. The fish was incredibly fresh, likely top-quality yellow croaker, and the other ingredients were undoubtedly just as fresh.
In this apocalyptic world, where could such ingredients even be found? It’s not like someone could just go fishing for her in the middle of the night. Even before the apocalypse, gathering such high-quality ingredients would have taken considerable effort.
Which meant that the seafood porridge Gu Yicheng made for her tonight must have been prepared using ingredients from his space. His space allowed for food to be stored as it was, preserving its freshness perfectly. Although living creatures couldn’t be stored, freshly caught or just-killed seafood could, and once taken out of the space, it was as good as if it had just been prepared.
Still, Gu Yicheng had never once revealed that he had a space ability. Ruan Ning wasn’t sure if Lin Yang and Jiang Jingchao knew about it, but at least the rest of the group certainly didn’t. Gu Yicheng didn’t seem to rely on his space ability much. He mostly focused on gathering resources and didn’t even use items from his space. Even in the original novel, when upgrading his abilities, he prioritized his lightning ability over the space one.
Had it not been for a twist of fate that led to the discovery that a space ability could also evolve into an attack ability, Gu Yicheng might never have paid much attention to it.
Of course, even though Ruan Ning knew this, there was no way she was going to reveal what she knew. She would simply pretend that she had just drunk an ordinary bowl of seafood porridge.
But that porridge really was delicious.
If only I could eat something like this every day…
Sighing inwardly, Ruan Ning couldn’t help but feel the unfairness of it all. People who had a space ability before the apocalypse lived on a different level altogether compared to someone like her, who only got hers after everything fell apart. Even the quality of the supplies they could gather was worlds apart.
Her space was filled with instant foods like biscuits, instant noodles, and canned goods, whereas Gu Yicheng’s space even had fresh seafood—probably even cooked meals, too.
If Ruan Ning had a space ability before the apocalypse, she would have packed up a hundred portions of all her favorite restaurant dishes, stored them away, and enjoyed gourmet food whenever she wanted. After all, anything stored hot would remain just as it was when taken out—no need to cook anything herself.
Too bad my own cooking is so bad that I can’t even stomach it myself, she thought gloomily. Even if I had the fresh ingredients from Gu Yicheng’s space, it would be a waste in my hands.
But this was just wishful thinking. The one with a rebirth and a space ability was Gu Yicheng, not her.
Still, Ruan Ning couldn’t help but wonder. Once I’ve firmly latched onto Gu Yicheng’s thigh, do you think he’ll let me mooch off his food more often? Even if not once a week, she’d settle for once a month.
She never thought a simple bowl of seafood porridge could leave such a lasting impression on her.
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