Relying on her silver tongue, she managed to negotiate the price down by another two thousand, settling the deal at seventy-four thousand.
Just like last time, Ning Xin filled in the address of the abandoned factory, arranged for the delivery the next day, and then went with Nie Ran to buy other items.
The house was gone, and so were the furnishings. However, she couldn’t afford to buy another set of furniture as the previous batch had already cost too much.
Ning Xin decided to take matters into her own hands. She bought a bunch of nails, saws, hammers, and other materials, planning to go back and cut trees herself to make whatever was needed.
Afterward, they went to the supermarket and bought some pots, bowls, and utensils to use back at the asylum.
As for food, she didn’t buy much. When Lang Xiao went crazy, he only damaged the house, not the food in the warehouse. There should be plenty to scavenge when they go back to the ruins.
It seemed like they had bought everything they needed, and Nie Ran was ready to go back.
However, Ning Xin pulled him into a digital city and started picking out items.
Nie Ran still looked bewildered by these modern technological gadgets and asked, “Don’t you already have a phone?”
Knowing her nature, would she really buy two of the same thing?
Ning Xin shook her head. “This isn’t a phone.”
“What is it then?”
“It’s a power bank.”
She pointed to a black brick-like object on the counter and asked the salesperson, “Can we take a look at this?”
The salesperson enthusiastically introduced various options, and Ning Xin chose the one with the largest capacity among the power banks, priced at 120 yuan each. She bought ten of them in one go.
Each power bank could keep her phone running for three days, so with ten of them, that’s thirty days, exactly a month. This way, she could charge her phone to full in the 21st century and still have some extra.
Ning Xin was very satisfied with her decision, eager to rush back and fill her phone with content right away.
Her phone was initially cheap, with only 128GB of storage, not enough for much. So she bought an additional portable hard drive to ensure she could bring back plenty of data.
When they returned, Lang Xiao was awake. Ning Xin urged them both to take their medicine.
The effects weren’t very noticeable yet, but Lang Xiao hadn’t had any violent outbursts since. It was unclear if it was due to the medication or his own self-control.
The next day, Ning Xin’s period was over, feeling relieved and with everything settled, she decided to have some fun.
Traveling was too expensive, so free entertainment was more suitable for her, like playing games.
Ning Xin lay in her room, downloading a game she had been wanting to try for a long time but never had the chance to. She immersed herself in playing it.
Meanwhile, Nie Ran and Lang Xiao were watching TV in the living room. After a while, Lang Xiao walked in looking dejected, complaining as he leaned on the bed edge.
“Director, he won’t let me watch TV.”
“Oh? Just ignore him. He can’t cover your eyes?”
“But he won’t give me the remote, and he always watches boring shows.”
Ning Xin perked up upon hearing this.
Wasn’t Nie Ran always disdainful of TV, considering it a mental opiate? Why was he suddenly so interested today?
She paused the game and walked out. In the living room, Nie Ran was sitting on the couch in a grey pyjama set, his attention focused on the screen.
Glancing at the TV, Ning Xin saw rows of plastic greenhouses with a shiny logo in the bottom right corner – “Rural Wealth Creation”.
“You’re watching other people raise frogs? Why?” Ning Xin asked.
Nie Ran replied casually, “Nothing, just browsing.”
“Do you also want to raise frogs? Our conditions don’t allow for it,” Ning Xin added, recalling he had once been an emperor!
Nie Ran shrugged, “I said, just browsing.”
Unable to do anything about him, Ning Xin took Lang Xiao to the room to teach him how to play games.
As they reached the door, Nie Ran suddenly asked, “What’s a company?”
“A company is… it’s a profit-making organization formed by individuals, like if someone wants to sell clothes and expand, they can register a company to hire people to assist them. Then the clothes they sell would be under the name of that company, and their role would be the owner and CEO of the company… Why are you asking this?” Ning Xin replied.
“Where can you register a company?” Nie Ran asked again.
“It should be at the Industrial and Commercial Bureau. Do you want to register one?” Ning Xin inquired.
Nie Ran shook his head, reiterating, “Just curious.”
Ning Xin was dumbfounded before she believed his words. She returned to the couch, adopting a stance that demanded a clear explanation.
“What are you planning to do?” she asked firmly.
Nie Ran pursed his lips and finally spoke up. “I remember you can conduct material transactions in different worlds.”
“Yes,” Ning Xin had always wanted to try this feature, but the previous two worlds were too barren, with nothing but trees and mud. Therefore, she hadn’t had the chance to try it until now.
“We can bring some things next time we come,” Nie Ran suggested.
“Bring things to sell here?” Ning Xin questioned.
“Yes.”
“But what do we sell?” Ning Xin wondered. Wood? It was bulky and troublesome, and even if they brought a few thousand pounds, how much money could they make? And to whom would they sell it?
Ning Xin wasn’t hopeful about this idea, and Nie Ran didn’t say much either, continuing to watch his “Rural Wealth Creation”.
After leisurely spending two days in their new home, when it was time to return, the three locked the door, went to the abandoned factory, counted the supplies, and confirmed nothing was left behind. Ning Xin closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, they were back in purgatory. It was daytime here too, with lush vegetation and enchanting fragrances, making the scenery as beautiful as a dream, contrasting sharply with the desolation of the ruins.
Ning Xin checked the things they had brought back and found no issues. She then called for their help to clean up the ruins and take out anything that could be used.
Ning Xin inspected the items they had brought back and found no issues. She then called on the two to help clean up the ruins and take out anything useful.
Nie Ran said, “You guys search around, I’ll measure the foundation.”
Worried, she asked, “Can you handle it alone?”
“No problem,” he replied confidently.
Seeing his confidence, Ning Xin shrugged and led Lang Xiao into the ruins.
“You see, your nice house has turned into this mess. You really need to control yourself better in the future. Can you do that?” she asked.
Lang Xiao lowered his head guiltily and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Feeling a bit sorry for him at his pitiful appearance, Ning Xin patted his head.
“What did you see at that time? How did you suddenly lose control?” she inquired.
Lang Xiao lowered his eyelids, “I saw hunters rushing into the valley, killing all the wolves. My usual companions lay beside me, blood flowing everywhere. They laughed at me, cursed me, forced me to eat the food they threw on the ground. I’m not a freak, Director, I’m really not a freak…”
He lifted his head, tears welling up in his eyes.
Ning Xin quickly hugged him and comforted him, gently patting his back.
“Of course you’re not, you’re so good and so cute, many people like you. Trust me, those things are in the past, and no one will hurt you again.”
“Cough cough!”
A cough could be heard in the distance.
Awkwardly releasing Lang Xiao, Ning Xin chuckled. “It’s getting late, let’s pick up the pace.”
Busy until nightfall, Ning Xin collected what she could salvage of the intact food, furniture, and daily necessities, piling them up.
Nie Ran finished measuring the foundation, leaving marks. Tonight’s accommodation was a simple wooden hut he hastily constructed in three hours.
It was very small, only accommodating three people lying side by side, so dinner had to be cooked outside.
Ning Xin was nostalgic for the smell of barbecue and had bought a lot of meat from the supermarket before returning. She decided to have a barbecue that night.
First, she dug a pit in the ground and threw in the collected twigs and dry leaves to burn. Gradually, she replaced them with thicker firewood until a pile of bright red charcoal formed in the pit.
She flattened a stainless steel steaming rack and placed it on top of the pit.
Lang Xiao assisted her by handing over the marinated ingredients.
Ning Xin carefully arranged the rack, brushed oil on it, flipped the food, and the aroma began to spread.
Nie Ran had roughly planned tomorrow’s work and set aside his notebook to walk over.
Ning Xin proudly raised an eyebrow. “Look at my skills. Even if we have to camp in the wilderness, we won’t starve.”
Nie Ran scoffed, wanting to tease her, but he swallowed his words when they reached his lips. Squatting down to take a look, he said, “Hmm, not bad.”
Ning Xin raised her head in surprise. “Are you alright?”
Is this Nie Ran she knows? He’s actually praising her?
Nie Ran rolled his eyes, walked to the side, dug a hole, and started boiling water to drink.
Half an hour later, dinner was ready. Without a table, Ning Xin spread a plastic tablecloth on the ground, gnawing on chicken wings against the backdrop of the sunset, feeling a bit like a picnic.
If only the nights were as safe as they are now…
She glanced at Lang Xiao, who was devouring his food without stopping.
After finishing their meal, the three of them sat on the ground, each holding a cup of hot water to warm themselves.
Nie Ran looked at the sky and kicked Lang Xiao with his foot, “It’s time.”
The latter was quite conscious, put down his cup, and transformed into a young wolf, crawling into the transparent plastic box and lying down obediently.
Ning Xin couldn’t help but laugh and cry, taking out her phone and placing it outside the box.
“Let’s watch TV, how about SpongeBob?”
Lang Xiao wagged his tail, blinked his round eyes, and said, “Ah, comfortable…”
Ning Xin lay down on the ground, looking up at the starry sky, hands resting on her belly.
Nie Ran looked at her sideways, suddenly feeling puzzled.
Why had he never noticed before how beautiful a quiet night could be?
What did he used to do at night before?
He used to read documents, meet ministers, and engage in nothing but schemes and intrigues in his life.
Before he died, he regretted not being able to live for several more decades and shape the world according to his own ideals.
But now he has changed his mind.
Living calmly like this is also very nice.
Nie Ran stood up holding a Dawnbreaker and walked towards the woods.
Ning Xin asked puzzledly, “Where are you going?”
“To work.”
Several flashes of golden light passed by ahead, followed by a loud rumble as a large tree fell to the ground.
Ning Xin understood what he meant and also picked up an axe to follow, attempting to contribute her share of effort.
However, not only was there a big gap in their physical strength, but their tools were also not on the same level.
Nie Ran chopped down a tree every few seconds, while she struggled for an hour just to chop down the thinnest one, and nearly got crushed by a falling tree because it was too dark to see clearly.
Nie Ran stopped and said,
“You should go back to sleep.”
“But can you handle it alone? I feel guilty just lying here while you work.”
“Well, in that case…”
A thought crossed his mind, and he blurted out without thinking, “Give me a kiss.”
Ning Xin widened her eyes, “What?”
The words were already out, and there was no taking them back.
Nie Ran simply walked up to her and leaned in.
Ning Xin backed away.
He asked firmly, “Do you hate me?”
“N-no, of course not.”
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
He held her hand, the burning heat making it impossible for her to think.
“No more running away this time.”
Before she could respond, Nie Ran’s lips were already on hers.
Cold, soft.
The contact felt like setting fire to the place they touched, sending heat rushing to her ears and spreading upwards.
“Mmm…”
She wanted to struggle, but the sound that escaped her seemed to echo with her own pulsing blood.
Nie Ran’s body noticeably tensed, his breath heavy, and his actions becoming more dominant.
Ning Xin felt disoriented, and by the time she realized what was happening, she found herself pressed against a tree by him.
His right hand gripped her waist, his left hand pinched her chin, his assault fierce.
She grabbed onto his sleeve, wanting to speak but unable to find the opportunity to do so.
What was most frightening was that she found herself oddly enjoying this sensation.
Nie Ran’s appearance was impeccable, occasionally a bit foul-mouthed, but trustworthy in character.
If he were born in the 21st century, even if he were orphaned like her, he would surely carve out a place for himself in the world.
If they were truly together…
The man’s scorching breath sprayed against her earlobe, and Ning Xin closed her eyes, retracting her hand.
This kiss began abruptly and ended even more abruptly.
Without warning, Nie Ran released her, picked up the fallen axe from the ground and placed it back in her hand, showing no hint of lingering affection, then turned and continued chopping wood.
Ning Xin, feeling disoriented, stumbled into the cabin, only fully awakening when she sat on the ground.
What was this between them?
Was it just because of their hunger, with no other options, that he used her to alleviate his loneliness?
The axe in front of her seemed particularly glaring, and she angrily kicked it, only to be hit on the ankle by the raised axe handle, causing her to grimace in pain.
Lang Xiao looked over with concern, but she quickly waved her hand to indicate that she was fine. She lay down with a heavy heart, listening to the manic laughter of SpongeBob in her ears, but unable to shake the image of the kiss from her mind.
Had he, with his high status and power, ever been attracted to other women?
Was he as devoted when he kissed others?
The more she thought about it, the more confused and troubled she became, unable to resist rolling over and covering her ears.
The laughter of SpongeBob faded away, replaced by the distant sound of chopping wood.
Thump-thump-thump—
Like the irregular beating of her heart.
Ning Xin fell into a daze and eventually drifted off to sleep, unaware of when Nie Ran returned.
The next day, she woke up to bright sunlight streaming in. Outside, on the tablecloth, were cooked noodles and a bucket of clean water.
Lang Xiao and Nie Ran were nowhere to be seen, but her phone was placed beside her pillow.
Outside, she heard the clattering of construction, indicating that work had already begun.
Ning Xin got up without bothering to wash her face and hurried outside to see what was happening.
Sure enough, the two figures were standing at the planned foundation from yesterday, one setting up wooden boards, the other hammering nails.
They seemed to have been working hard for quite some time, sweating profusely, shirts off, wearing only pants.
As Ning Xin ran over, Lang Xiao noticed her and waved at her with a cheerful smile.
“Director, look, we’re building a house.”
Since it was a simple structure, the foundation didn’t need to be too deep, and there was no need for cement. They just needed to drive the wooden stakes into the ground.
Now that the foundation work was done, the two were constructing the walls for the first floor, estimated to be over two hundred square meters in size.
Seeing the nascent form of their new “home,” she naturally felt happy, but as her gaze swept to Nie Ran, she couldn’t help but recall what happened last night.
He, on the other hand, appeared unperturbed, as if nothing had happened. He put down his hammer, wiped his sweat, and casually said,
“The noodles should have cooled down by now. Let me heat them up for you.”
After saying that, he stepped out of the half-built wall and headed towards the cabin.
Ning Xin hurriedly stopped him, and after their eyes met, she nervously almost forgot what she wanted to say.
“N-no, it’s fine, I’ll do it myself.”
“Alright then,” he replied calmly.
“Alright then.”
Nie Ran was about to go fetch the hammer again when Ning Xin, feeling anxious, grabbed his wrist and ran, rushing into the woods.
Lang Xiao tilted his head, watching the direction where the two figures disappeared with confusion.
Nie Ran didn’t say anything as she pulled him along, following her as if nothing had happened.
Or perhaps, judging by their postures, “being dragged” would be a more appropriate description.
Ning Xin ran until the cabin was out of sight before stopping, panting heavily, and turning around to say,
“You went too far.”
Nie Ran frowned, “What do you mean?”
“How could you do that last night?”
“But you seemed to enjoy it.”
“You… you shameless!”
“Are you unwilling? You can retaliate if you want.”
“What?”
Nie Ran answered her with action.
Several minutes later, the two emerged from the woods, one after the other.
Nie Ran, walking ahead, remained calm, picking up the hammer to continue working.
Ning Xin, walking behind, seemed as if she had been stung by a hornet, her whole body bristling with anger. She cursed all the way, and in the end, even kicked the bowl of noodles away.
Lang Xiao looked left and right, utterly puzzled. He ran up to Ning Xin, only to be shocked when he saw her face.
She was in such a bad mood that it was the last thing she wanted – to see anyone.
“Go away, do your work,” she snapped.
“Director.”
Lang Xiao looked concerned, “Why is your mouth so red? Are you poisoned?”
“My mouth?”
“Your face is starting to turn red too!”
Ning Xin covered her mouth, knowing the reason, and awkwardly said, “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look…”
“Are you going to listen to me or not?”
Lang Xiao fell silent at this, returning to the foundation to tell Nie Ran about the strange incident.
Upon hearing it, Nie Ran smirked and advised him, “From now on, don’t sneak into her bed, and don’t lean on her either.”
Feeling guilty at his words, Lang Xiao asked, “Did I poison her?”
Nie Ran tossed the hammer leisurely, and the heavy tool spun gracefully in the air before landing back in his hand.
“Because from now on, only I can do these things.”
Lang Xiao was even more puzzled.
Inside the cabin, Ning Xin lay for a while.
The heat on her face gradually faded, and she felt something was off about herself.
Being bullied and then sulking alone? That wasn’t like her!
Since childhood, if someone kicked her, she had to kick back twice as hard.
Even if the other person was a 1.9-meter tall tough guy.
She might not match him in physical strength, but she had her brains.
With this in mind, Ning Xin regained her energy, got up, tidied up the spilled noodles, cooked herself another bowl of noodles, and prepared lunch.
At noon, the two of them, drenched in sweat from their hard work, returned and took a shower before getting ready to eat.
Ning Xin, who was serving the rice, tapped the bowl.
“You, yes you. Who said you could sit down? There’s no food for you here.”
Nie Ran frowned, “No food for me?”
“Yeah, the food I made is only for those who respect me, right Lang Xiao?”
She shoved the bowl into Lang Xiao’s hand, who had never dealt with such complex interpersonal relationships before, and nodded blankly.
The two of them sat down to eat. Nie Ran watched for a while, seeing that she had no intention of changing her mind, he didn’t insist. Instead, he rummaged through the food pile and pulled out a few bags of biscuits and bread, then sat under a large tree to eat.
Considering the weather was so hot and they had started working early, could they really stomach just dry biscuits?
Ning Xin waited for him to apologize and then scold him a bit, and she would let it go. But to her surprise, after finishing his biscuits, he remained silent.
A glance from the corner of her eye revealed that he had already finished eating and was now lying under the tree with his eyes closed, resting.
Well, it seemed he didn’t want to apologize at all.
Ning Xin, with a stern face, cleaned up the bowls and utensils, deciding to completely ignore him.
While squatting to wash the dishes, Lang Xiao suddenly whispered, “Director, he got injured this morning.”
“Who? Nie Ran?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of injury?” Ning Xin’s heart clenched, and she dropped the bowl on the ground.
“His leg was cut by a steel plate. He didn’t say anything, but I smelled it.”
She immediately went to look at his leg, but he lay there without moving, and she couldn’t see any injury. All she could see were those long, straight legs.
Since he didn’t say anything, it shouldn’t be a big deal…
Ning Xin’s mind was in turmoil. She glanced at Lang Xiao and patted his head.
“You did really well today. Good job. Remember to take your medicine.”
“Okay!”
Lang Xiao was as happy as a child who had received a gold star.
It was too hot to work at noon, so the two of them took a break inside the cabin.
Lang Xiao couldn’t sleep at night, so he quickly fell asleep.
Ning Xin waited for a while, then quietly took out the medicine box and walked to the bottom of the big tree, clearing her throat.
Nie Ran opened his eyes slightly, “What’s the matter?”
She expressionlessly threw the medicine box over and turned to leave.
Nie Ran chased after her and hugged her from behind.
Ning Xin wanted to kick him in the leg, but the height difference made it difficult, so she kicked his knee instead.
Nie Ran’s features twisted in pain as he groaned and fell to the ground, clutching his leg.
She was startled and quickly squatted down to check.
“Did I kick your wound? Let me see.”
She rolled up his pants leg and indeed found a laceration about two to three centimetres long, not too large but quite deep. The skin around it was stained with dried blood.
Ning Xin opened the medicine box and began to dress his wound.
Nie Ran lay still for a moment, then suddenly said, “You’re not averse to it, are you?”
She paused in her movements. “Whether I’m averse to it or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re not respecting me.”
“What if I ask you now, would you be willing to accept me? How would you answer?”
Nie Ran looked at her, his gaze more focused than ever before.
Ning Xin angrily punched him. “Can you even assume such a thing?”
He chuckled instead of getting angry. “Alright, I won’t assume. But what’s your answer?”
Not assuming, so he’s… confessing?
This was something she had never considered before, and she couldn’t find any reason for it.
“Are you on the wrong medication or something?”
Nie Ran chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Could be. I’ve lived for decades without ever considering such a thing. I’ve only known you for a few months.”
“But don’t you always joke about me, mock me, and disdain me? I don’t feel like you… are interested in me.”
As she said this, she couldn’t help but lower her head, feeling self-absorbed.
Nie Ran replied, “Yes, that’s my fault.”
Under the scorching sun, the shade of the trees fell upon them, and a faint fragrance emanated from the grass.
Ning Xin silently cleaned his wound and applied a band-aid, then stood up and said, “I need to think about it.”
“How long will that take?”
She thought for a moment. “Until the next world.”
At two o’clock in the afternoon, the three of them resumed their work.
Nie Ran and Lang Xiao were the main force, while Ning Xin assisted on the side, coordinating quite well with them.
The assembly of the wooden house progressed rapidly, occasionally encountering small problems, but they were resolved within a few days.
A month later, another two-story building stood on the ruins, structurally similar to the previous one but without a well. The materials had changed from bricks to alloy panels.
They moved in what they could salvage, but most of the furniture had collapsed. Nie Ran went out every night to fell trees, and there were already hundreds of logs piled up outside. He found two thick ones, worked on them, and turned them into a rough table and two rough single beds.
The homemade furniture didn’t look fancy, but it was very sturdy and especially heavy.
Ning Xin exerted all her strength but couldn’t move the bed.
Nie Ran walked over, hoisted it on his shoulder, and helped her carry it to the room.
“Thank you,” she said as she stood by the stairs.
Nie Ran looked around the living room. “What else do you think we need?”
What else…
Ning Xin walked around for a moment, then suddenly ran outside and pointed at the front door.
“We still need a sign.”
Despite not making any money so far, this place could still be considered a profitable establishment. How could it not have a sign?
Nie Ran picked up a piece of wood from the discarded materials and shaped it into a rectangle, asking, “What should I write?”
“Just write… ‘Asylum at the End of the World.’”
The golden light of Dawnbreaker shimmered in their view, and soon, several flamboyant characters appeared on the wooden board.
The handwriting was so beautiful that Ning Xin couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. Nie Ran brought a chair, grabbed some nails, and fixed the wooden board above the door.
Everything is ready, and Ning Xin is itching to lie down on the new bed and sleep for three days straight. Nie Ran lifted his chin.
“Is it time? Should we go out and collect money?”
She walked over to the wood pile, feeling uncertain. “All this wood… Can we really sell it? And for how much money?”
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