The location where the four of them were didn’t seem to be in the bustling city centre.
A not-so-wide cement road stretched into the distance, lined with standalone rural houses. The ground floors of these houses were converted into various shops selling all sorts of goods.
Most of the vehicles on the road were small pickup trucks and vans used for transportation. It took quite a while to spot a decent luxury car, indicating it was an area where urban and rural areas intersected.
The asylum, built from simple materials, was interspersed among these buildings, not appearing too out of place.
Ning Xin gazed at the silhouette of the distant skyscrapers, unable to believe that there could be such a world within purgatory. She took out her phone.
The signal showed full bars, and it was 4G. Opening web pages was smooth and fast.
Considering in previous worlds the phone’s communication and network functions were completely unusable.
She looked at the full screen of apps and had an idea. Opening the map, she selected the location.
Immediately, their current location appeared on the screen, indicated as XXX High-Tech Development Zone.
And less than 30 kilometres away was the city area where she had grown up.
“This is amazing…” Ning Xin muttered.
Suddenly, Wan Yue’s phone rang. Everyone looked at it, and he answered after seeing the caller’s name.
It wasn’t clear what the other person said, but he frowned, uttered a few “hm”s, and hung up.
Nie Ran asked, “Who was calling?”
He mentioned the name of that Su’s young master.
The four of them were bewildered by this new world when suddenly a van drove up, stopped in front of them, and the driver lowered the window, loudly shouting, “Going to the city?”
They all shook their heads in unison.
As the window rolled up, the van sped off, leaving only swirling dust behind.
Their appearance was too attention-grabbing, especially those three tall figures. By the time the van stopped, many passers-by had already glanced their way.
Ning Xin put away her phone and said, “Let’s go inside first.”
They still hadn’t figured out what was going on in this world, and she didn’t want to attract trouble right away.
However, trouble found them even when they tried to avoid it.
Not long after they entered, there was a knock on the door.
Ning Xin was afraid the others might inadvertently reveal something, so she asked them to stay upstairs and went downstairs alone to open the door.
Standing outside was a middle-aged woman with permed and dyed red hair, wearing a floral chiffon blouse with a complete set of gold earrings, rings, and a necklace.
She seemed vaguely familiar, likely someone from the nearby small restaurant.
“Are you newcomers? Why haven’t I seen you before?” the woman asked.
Ning Xin skilfully put on a smile. “Yes, we just moved in today.”
“What’s the deal with this house? I’ve never seen it before, and it just popped up out of nowhere.”
“This is a prefab house, assembled quickly. Because we were in a hurry to move in, it was put up overnight.”
“Is that so? I live next door, but I didn’t hear a thing.”
The woman was quite puzzled.
Ning Xin said, “We intentionally kept our voices down, afraid of disturbing everyone’s sleep. Looks like it worked pretty well.”
“So… why did you move here? You’re not locals, are you?”
“We came here… to do… some small business.”
“Business, huh? No wonder there’s a sign outside. What does it say? It’s too messy to read properly.”
Ning Xin was pulled outside by her, and she looked up at the sign above the gate that read “Apocalypse Asylum”.
She deeply regretted choosing such a whimsical name in the first place.
“It says… Ning’s Kitchen.”
“Ning’s Kitchen?”
The woman stared at the sign, trying to find any resemblance.
Ning Xin, afraid she might catch on, quickly pulled her back into the living room.
“That was the old sign. We haven’t decided on the business yet this time. We’ll have to stay a few more days and think it over carefully.”
“Yes, think it over. Let me tell you, running a restaurant here is not easy. The restaurant next door is owned by my husband and me. It’s been over ten years, but hardly anyone comes in. We barely make ends meet.”
“Haha, is that so?”
The two chatted for more than ten minutes, and Ning Xin finally managed to send her away, relieved, and quickly closed the door.
Nie Ran had been listening attentively upstairs the whole time. After the woman left, he came downstairs with a smile. “Ning’s Kitchen?”
Ning Xin snorted, “Why are you laughing? The writing looks like a dog’s scribble, nobody could recognize it.”
“Who was the one who said my handwriting was nice?”
“Did someone say that? Who said it? Well, it wasn’t me.”
She sat down on the sofa, and Lang Xiao approached holding her phone, asking, “Director, are we going to live here from now on?”
Thinking about this matter, Ning Xin also felt troubled.
Surrounded by people, it was simply inconvenient to live here. What if these people were also controlled illusions? Who knew if there would be a sudden attack? It was too dangerous.
But if they didn’t stay here, where would they go?
She glanced outside the window, feeling lost.
Nie Ran said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Worrying won’t help. When the time comes, things will naturally fall into place. Stop daydreaming and go cook.”
Ning Xin pursed her lips. “If you want to cook, go ahead. I’m not hungry.”
“In that case…”
He looked around and pointed at Wan Yue. “You cook.”
Wan Yue was puzzled. “Why?”
He smoothly made up an excuse, “It’s a rule. Every time new people come in, they have to cook for a month first. Otherwise, why would we take you in for free?”
Wan Yue glanced at Ning Xin, who avoided eye contact out of laziness and guilt.
He had no choice but to go cook, but he found there was no water.
Since the reconstruction of the asylum, the well had disappeared.
In the previous world, there was thick snow outside. Whenever water was needed, they could just bring a bucket of snow back and melt it to cook.
That method wouldn’t work here, with only the busy main road outside.
Ning Xin thought about the many large barrels of clean water stored in the warehouse that they could use temporarily, but Nie Ran handed a water bucket to Wan Yue.
“Go borrow from next door. They have tap water.”
Wan Yue went out with the water bucket, and Ning Xin, worried, peered out the window to watch.
She saw him go to the neighbouring restaurant and have a conversation with the same lady who came earlier. Because of the traffic on the road, she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Not long after, he returned with a full bucket of water and a bag full of vegetables in his other hand.
Ning Xin approached and examined it carefully: Chinese cabbage, radish, pork, beef, and even a whole carp.
“Is this… what you bought?”
Wan Yue shook his head. “I told her I wanted to cook, and she gave me these.”
“…”
Ning Xin, who had talked for half a day without even getting a grain of rice, quietly retreated back to the sofa.
Nie Ran walked over with a smile, patting her head.
“Everything I have is yours. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”
Ning Xin replied, “Thank you, but it’s my allowance that pays for everything you have.”
Although Wan Yue appeared as an elegant and refined beauty, he was quite skilled in practical tasks.
He swiftly chopped and washed the vegetables, even more proficiently than Ning Xin. In no time, the first dish was ready – braised carp.
Ning Xin tasted it with chopsticks and couldn’t help but give a thumbs up.
“It’s delicious! Where did you learn to cook like this?”
Wan Yue smiled. “I’ve been helping out in the kitchen since I could walk. Sometimes when the chef takes time off, we prepare the dishes for the guests. Cooking some home-cooked dishes is nothing special.”
So that’s how it was.
Ning Xin took a few more bites and couldn’t resist calling Nie Ran and Lang Xiao over, asking them to learn cooking from Wan Yue.
When the two of them also became proficient, with three people in the house who could cook, she could openly expect to be waited on.
Nie Ran saw through her intentions and pulled her upstairs.
“Are you really planning to live with them in the future?”
“What if not?” Ning Xin asked inexplicably, “I’m the director here.”
“And what am I then?”
“You’re you.”
After saying this, she turned to leave but was stopped by his arm.
“Alright, you are…”
She pursed her lips, looking at his face so close to hers, and smiled slightly.
“You are the person I like very much right now.”
Nie Ran thought he would receive her sarcasm or mockery, as he had countless times before, but he didn’t expect this kind of answer. His heart felt like it was filled with melting honey, sweet and warm.
Ning Xin blinked, “Can you let me go now?”
“No.”
He lowered his head and kissed her, whispering softly in her ear:
“Give your room to Wan Yue, stay in mine.”
The second floor of the asylum had a total of three rooms. Previously, one room was for her, one for him, and the remaining one was used as a storage room.
Since Lang Xiao didn’t sleep at night, he didn’t need a room. If he wanted to nap during the day, he could use Nie Ran’s bed.
During the past few days when Wan Yue came, she had been sleeping on the couch.
Ning Xin initially thought about clearing out the storage room to make it his bedroom, but Nie Ran proposed this solution…
Her cheeks blushed, “Okay.”
Nie Ran immediately took action, moving her belongings into his room.
Downstairs, Wan Yue had finished cooking, and the two upstairs also finished moving their stuff and came down to eat.
After sitting down, Ning Xin said, “Wan Yue, I’ve cleared out my room. You can sleep there from now on.”
Wan Yue raised her head in surprise, looking at the two of them.
Nie Ran raised an eyebrow, “Any objections?”
He shook his head without saying anything, but later, after dinner, he pulled Ning Xin aside and asked quietly, “Sister, you two aren’t serious, are you?”
Ning Xin had never discussed matters of the heart with anyone other than Nie Ran before, so she felt a bit embarrassed.
“What do you mean ‘you two’?”
“You and him.”
Wan Yue nodded towards the second floor, her voice barely audible, “If you’re just bored and want to have some fun with him, it’s fine. After all, he’s not bad-looking. But if you’re serious… I advise you to think twice.”
Ning Xin became curious, “Do you have any thoughts about him?”
“Me? I can’t be bothered to have thoughts about him. But when it comes to these matters, it’s always women who end up getting the short end of the stick.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle, “And now you’re an expert on this?”
Wan Yue gave her a disdainful look, implying she couldn’t make someone see reason who refused to.
“I’m treat you like my sister. What’s the point of tying yourself down to a man? You’ll have to bear children, do the laundry, cook, and even earn money to support the family when he can’t. And what about them? They laze around all day, and sometimes they might even hit or insult you.”
Ning Xin laughed so hard her sides hurt.
Wan Yue’s expression darkened considerably.
“You’ve let him fool you completely if you can’t see the truth in this.”
She wiped her eyes, straightened up, and helped her stand.
“I understand, I understand. You’re just looking out for me. But I haven’t been fooled by him; I’ve come to my own realization.”
In the past, without anyone she liked, she comforted herself by thinking that as long as she bought a house, she would have a home. Now, with someone she liked appearing, and every aspect of him being to her liking, why not bravely give it a try?
Ning Xin smiled at Wan Yue.
“Remember what you said that day? Treat it like a gamble. Win, and you gain wealth and glory; lose, and it’s just death.”
But while others rely on luck when they gamble, she relies on Nie Ran.
When she was doing business, she had a good eye for choosing merchandise, and she hoped it would be the same this time.
In the afternoon, the owner of the neighbouring restaurant came again, bringing along many neighbours, saying they wanted to get acquainted and inviting them to dinner at their restaurant that evening.
Ning Xin had never encountered such warmth before, but unfortunately, it came at a bad time. Just dealing with them had drained her.
After finally sending the neighbours away and finishing dinner, she went upstairs. All she wanted to do was lie down on the bed and sleep.
Out of habit, she walked to the door of her own room, only to remember that she had “moved” and continued forward to Nie Ran’s room.
Nie Ran hadn’t come up yet; he was still in the bathroom taking a shower.
She took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and sat on the bed.
After the afternoon’s moving, this room had already taken on a new appearance.
The table was cluttered with her skincare products, mirror, and daily odds and ends, while Nie Ran’s belongings consisted of just a few books and a phone charger.
The original wardrobe couldn’t fit both of their clothes, so they brought up another one from the storage room.
One for Nie Ran, one for her, placed side by side, like a pair of twins.
The bedsheets and blankets had also been changed. Nie Ran had previously chosen a set in dark grey, claiming it was stain-resistant. Now it was replaced with her favourite set of pink floral patterns.
Was this how their days together would start?
Although they had been living under the same roof before, moving into the same room officially felt different.
Ning Xin got up and wandered around, touching here and there.
She opened the drawer of the bedside table, where Nie Ran had placed the jewellery he had given her.
The jewellery was too extravagant and grand, unfit for daily wear.
But she had to admit, just looking at them made her happy.
Nie Ran’s coat was draped over the back of the chair. She picked it up and held it against herself in front of the mirror, realizing how large his clothes actually were.
The sleeves were thick and long, and the hem was large and wide, almost big enough to fit two of her.
Ning Xin draped it over her back, feeling warm as if he was hugging her from behind.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway, sounding like Nie Ran.
She quickly threw the clothes aside and huddled under the covers. After a moment’s thought, she extended one leg, adopting a seductive posture.
The door opened, and indeed, Nie Ran walked in.
He probably just washed his hair, as he was using a towel to dry it, splashing droplets onto her.
This guy, couldn’t he just blow-dry it before coming up? Every time, it’s like a dog shaking off water.
Ning Xin pretended to be asleep, keeping her eyes closed.
As seconds passed, Nie Ran didn’t even glance at her, finishing drying his hair and sitting on the chair to read a book.
This was their first official night living together, and he didn’t look at her but chose to read a book instead? Was the book really that interesting?
Ning Xin’s little expectations vanished without a trace, replaced by a nameless anger. She decided she wouldn’t bother with him tomorrow.
Humph, sleep!
“Oops!”
Nie Ran suddenly exclaimed.
She almost fell for it, her body twitching slightly before she quickly steadied herself, listening intently.
But Nie Ran didn’t say another word. The room fell silent, devoid of any sound.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Ning Xin surreptitiously turned her head and opened her eyes just a crack.
A large face, so close it almost bumped into her nose, filled her vision.
“Ah!”
She exclaimed in surprise, sitting up.
Nie Ran reached out and gently flicked her nose. “Forgot to greet my wife.”
“Who, who’s your wife?”
“Yeah, who indeed?”
He returned to his chair, picking up the book once again.
Unable to resist, Ning Xin leaned over and snatched the book away.
“What kind of book is this? Let me see. ‘Mobile Vehicle Stance Techniques’? Why are you reading this? What a waste of time.”
“Who knows, maybe there will be an opportunity in the future.”
“Impossible, you don’t even have an ID card, let alone a driver’s license.”
Nie Ran nodded. “True.”
He took the book back and slowly approached her.
Ning Xin grew nervous. “What are you going to do?”
“Didn’t you say not to waste time? After all…”
He flashed a sly smile. “A moment of spring romance is worth a thousand gold.”
With that, he leaned in closer, wrapping his arms around her, even though they had been through this countless times before, Ning Xin still felt unsure.
Too proactive, afraid of appearing promiscuous.
Too resistant, yet also seeming childish.
It wasn’t until Nie Ran pulled the blanket over them, covering both of them, and turned off the light, that her heart finally settled, and her hands knew where to go.
Starting from her forehead, Nie Ran kissed her slowly, one by one, down her body.
It felt tingling and warm, tender and gentle.
Just when Ning Xin’s body had finally relaxed, he reached the most crucial spot, then suddenly returned to his original position, planting a kiss on her forehead and holding her close, saying, “Let’s sleep.”
How could one sleep in such a long night?
Ning Xin asked, “Have you ever slept with someone else before?”
Nie Ran grunted in affirmation.
It was just a casual question from her, but unexpectedly, it brought something up. She immediately retorted, “Who? Didn’t you say you’ve never had any concubines?”
“I haven’t, are you worried I’m lying to you? The one I slept with, was a dead person.”
“…Dead person?”
Ning Xin suddenly felt a chill running down her spine.
“In the year before I returned to the palace, someone sent assassins to kill me. The guards accompanying me were all killed by them. With no way to escape, I happened to be near a mass grave, so I jumped down and slept with a dead person for a night. That’s how I survived that ordeal and managed to return to the palace.”
Nie Ran’s tone was casual, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself.
But Ning Xin remembered clearly that when he ended his time as a hostage and returned to the palace, he was barely in his teens.
How did he manage to spend a night in such an environment at that age?
She dared not imagine, silently holding him tighter.
Feeling her grip, Nie Ran chuckled.
“Are you scared? That’s all in the past now. From now on, the only person lying in my arms every night will be you.”
Sleep, to be embraced by the one you love, is such a warm and blissful thing.
Ning Xin rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Having lived in such an empty and desolate place for so long, this new environment almost took Ning Xin’s life.
Starting from five or six in the morning, there was constant noise outside.
There were vegetable sellers, bun sellers, and large trucks rumbling by, shaking the floor.
Across the street, a repair shop was cutting something, making noise all morning.
Nie Ran had a strong ability to sleep, like a log.
Ning Xin couldn’t bear it anymore and managed to hold out until seven o’clock before heading downstairs, yawning.
“Good morning, Director.”
Lang Xiao was lively, playing on his phone.
She nodded and looked around. “Where’s Wan Yue? Hasn’t he woken up yet?”
“He’s gone out. Said he’s buying breakfast for everyone.”
“He’s already gone out? This early?”
Ning Xin didn’t even bother brushing her teeth, walking to the window and peering out, worried that something might have happened.
Just then, Wan Yue returned, holding soy milk and buns in one hand and a long strip-like youtiao in the other, his face showing a joy of harvest that Ning Xin had never seen before.
As soon as he entered, he said, “Sister, you’re awake too? Guess how much all this food cost?”
“Um… Fifty?”
“Fifty? It’s only fifteen. Meat buns are one yuan for two, and youtiao is one yuan for three. It’s so cheap.”
Wan Yue was full of joy, as if he had won the lottery.
Seeing the neighbouring shopkeeper busy with business, Ning Xin quickly woke up Nie Ran and urged everyone to eat breakfast quickly.
She wanted to go to the city to see if there was anything unusual, as the neighbours around seemed normal, but she wasn’t sure if the city was the same as in the real world.
They had to hurry because once the shopkeeper got free, they might not have the chance.
At eight in the morning, the four of them were ready to set off.
Getting to the city was a challenge.
According to the map, it was thirty kilometres away from the downtown area, too far to walk.
Ning Xin remembered the van that had picked up passengers yesterday and decided to try flagging one down on the roadside.
To her surprise, they didn’t manage to flag down the van, but a small truck was willing to give them a ride for ten yuan each.
They paid and got into the truck, sitting in the cargo compartment with a faint smell of pig manure, swaying and swaying as they headed into the city in the morning sun and breeze.
The closer they got to the city centre, the more amazed Ning Xin became.
When she saw familiar buildings and streets in her field of vision, she could hardly believe her eyes.
Was this reality or purgatory?
If it was reality, why was the mental hospital brought along?
But if it was purgatory, how could the city look exactly like the real world?
The greenbelt lined with hibiscus flowers, in her memory, had only been completed at the end of last year.
Arriving at an intersection, the driver said his car couldn’t go any further, and they had to get off here.
Ning Xin paid the fare, then turned around and hailed a taxi, giving the address of the rental house.
If even her rented house was there, then she would really go crazy.
Arriving at the residential complex, the four of them went upstairs and stood in front of the familiar door number.
Under the gaze of the other three, Ning Xin took out the keys with slightly trembling hands.
With a soft click, the door opened.
…What was going on here?
In the living room were the sofa, coffee table, and TV she had personally bought.
But she couldn’t bring herself to step inside.
Ning Xin was just about to turn around when her phone rang, showing an incoming call from someone she hadn’t contacted in years – the director.
Different from the director who played house with her, this person was a real director of a children’s welfare institution, dedicated to the study of child psychology and devoted most of their life to charity work.
In Ning Xin’s heart, this person was the elder she respected the most.
Why would they call at a time like this?
Was the person on the other end of the line truly the director?
She looked at the three people beside her and then answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Is this Ning Xin, right? I’m Director Jiang from XX Welfare Institution. Do you remember me?”
“Of course, I do. What’s the matter?”
“Well, a couple contacted us, wanting to find their daughter who went missing twenty-three years ago. After comparing various pieces of information, we believe that you might be their daughter.”
Couple… daughter…
Ning Xin felt dizzy, and her body instinctively began to sway backward.
But Nie Ran was by her side and quickly caught her.
On the phone, Director Jiang was still speaking.
“Are you available? If you’re willing, you can come and meet your parents.”
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