Ruan Ning pressed her lips together, her brows furrowing as she grew more panicked, her resistance clear in her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Gu Yicheng reached out and patted her head, a soft smile forming on his lips as he spoke gently, “Once a gift is given, there’s no taking it back. These crystal cores are yours now, Ning Ning.”
Hearing that Gu Yicheng was insistent on giving her the entire bag of crystal cores, Ruan Ning felt utterly overwhelmed. She tried to refuse, her voice dry, “Brother, really, I don’t need them.”
Gu Yicheng raised an eyebrow, his gaze teasing. “Did I scare you with what I said earlier?”
“No,” Ruan Ning shook her head, looking a little wronged.
Her pitiful, aggrieved expression only seemed to brighten Gu Yicheng’s mood. The hidden anger he had carried after fighting the zombies gradually dissipated. He added, “Didn’t you say earlier that having an ability would help you assist me? Upgrading your ability is the most important thing to me right now.”
“But I still can’t accept it…” Ruan Ning mumbled.
Her so-called “space ability” was a disguise, and although it functioned similarly to a real space ability, it couldn’t be upgraded. Even if she were truly a space ability user, she felt it was inappropriate to accept something as valuable as these crystal cores without contributing anything in return.
Gu Yicheng wasn’t the type to tolerate losing out on anything. Ruan Ning knew she hadn’t provided him with any real benefit during their time together, and if she naively accepted such a significant gift, who knew if her fortunes would take a sudden, devastating turn.
Gu Yicheng frowned slightly, “Why not?”
“Well, if these cores can enhance abilities, then you should keep them for yourself,” Ruan Ning hastily made up a reason.
So please, take them back! I’m begging you!
For the first time, Ruan Ning realized how exhausting it could be to refuse a gift. She had thought dealing with Gu Yicheng’s previous cold attitude was hard enough, but after his return from slaughtering zombies, his personality seemed even more unpredictable and mischievous.
It must be the bloodshed that’s gotten to him, she thought.
If it were just his temper, she could handle avoiding him, but why did he always seem to single her out for teasing whenever he was in a bad mood?
It’s not fair to bully the weak!
At this rate, even playing the role of a “sister” would become unbearable, especially since they weren’t even real siblings.
Gu Yicheng’s lips curved slightly. “I didn’t realize Ning Ning cared so much about her brother.”
Gu Yicheng’s lightning ability had already advanced to the second tier and was on the verge of reaching the third. At his level, crystal cores from regular, newly evolved zombies did little to enhance his power. However, while killing zombies in the factory earlier that morning, he had thought of Ruan Ning and her newly awakened ability, which prompted him to collect the cores for her.
Despite his distaste for his father, Gu Yicheng found himself surprisingly fond of Ruan Ning.
After being reborn and living a dull, monotonous life for so long, he found it unexpectedly pleasant to have this “sister” around—someone who was not only interesting but also didn’t annoy him.
Though she was connected to his father, as long as she continued to please him and didn’t become a nuisance, Gu Yicheng figured he might even see her safely to the capital, just to give the old man some peace of mind.
Just as Ruan Ning was feeling overwhelmed, ready to crumble under the pressure of the situation, someone finally came to her rescue—Xue Chen.
With preparations for supplies now in the final stages, Xue Chen had come to call both Gu Yicheng and Ruan Ning—although mainly Gu Yicheng—to discuss the upcoming route to the capital. Ruan Ning knew her role; she was merely there to listen in.
“Of course, Captain Xue, no problem! My brother and I will head over now!” Ruan Ning quickly responded before Gu Yicheng could, afraid that if she delayed even for a second, something else might come up.
She couldn’t bear staying in that room any longer, especially not alone with Gu Yicheng.
Gu Yicheng glanced at her briefly, clearly aware of her little ploy, but didn’t call her out on it. His lips curved faintly, though the smile was less warm than before.
When Ruan Ning saw Gu Yicheng stand up and walk away, not pushing her to accept the bag of crystal cores any longer, she let out a sigh of relief. To her, Xue Chen was nothing short of an angel, rescuing her from a tense situation. If it weren’t for the fact that they were different genders, she would have hugged him out of sheer gratitude.
****
By the time Ruan Ning and Gu Yicheng reached the living room, the others had already gathered.
Ruan Ning found an empty seat and settled in, only for Lin Yang to scoot over with a friendly smile, eager to ask her more about her space ability. Partly because he was genuinely curious about her power, and partly because after seeing too many zombies that morning, he needed a break and some pleasant company to lift his spirits.
Ruan Ning chatted with him casually, responding here and there. When Lin Yang cracked a joke, she laughed along, her bright almond-shaped eyes curving into a smile, making her seem even more charming and likable.
Gu Yicheng, who had been listening half-heartedly to the conversation around him, had his attention pulled over to Ruan Ning. When he saw her laughing so happily with Lin Yang, his expression darkened slightly.
“Ning Ning, come sit over here,” he said in a low voice, his eyes cooling.
Ruan Ning, in the middle of enjoying her conversation with Lin Yang, blinked in confusion when Gu Yicheng called out to her. She looked over at him, puzzled.
Lin Yang, oblivious to the sudden tension, chuckled and added, “Come on, Gu-ge. Ruan Ning is sitting fine here. No need to move her.”
Ruan Ning felt a bit of gratitude toward Lin Yang for voicing exactly what she was thinking. Their earlier conversation seemed to have built a good sense of camaraderie.
Gu Yicheng, however, frowned, his gaze fixed on Ruan Ning. His eyes grew colder as he repeated in a lower, more dangerous tone, “Ning Ning, are you coming over or not?”
Still bitter over what had happened earlier, Ruan Ning wanted to resist. But when she caught the dark intensity in Gu Yicheng’s eyes, she couldn’t help but cave in, reluctantly getting up and taking a seat next to him.
Once she sat down, though, her mood visibly soured. Her head drooped, and she wore a gloomy expression, clearly unhappy with the turn of events.
No surprise there!!
Ruan Ning, the poor thing who had been frightened over by just a single glance, was now stuck sitting next to the person responsible for her distress. How could she possibly feel happy in this situation?
All she could do was silently pray for Gu Yicheng’s strange mood to pass quickly. Otherwise, she might not last long before completely breaking down.
Help! The male lead is too terrifying!
“Ning Ning, are you upset? Brother didn’t mean to scare you earlier,” Gu Yicheng’s deep, magnetic voice sounded near her ear.
He was probably referring to when he had deliberately scared her by describing how to dig crystal cores out of zombies’ brains…
But how could Ruan Ning dare to openly admit she was mad at this powerful figure next to her? She pouted and replied, “No, I’m not mad.”
Gu Yicheng narrowed his eyes slightly. “Then why did you sit so far away from me just now?”
“I—I… It’s just that the seat over there was free.”
Ruan Ning felt utterly helpless. Does he not remember how he treated me just a little while ago? She’d have to be crazy to willingly sit next to him after that!
Besides, she recalled from the novel that Gu Yicheng wasn’t fond of people getting close to him. The first time she hugged him had been out of sheer necessity, and even then, her heart had practically leapt into her throat, fearing he would throw her out in anger. She wasn’t keen on experiencing that kind of stress again.
“Then sit here with me and listen closely to Captain Xue’s analysis,” Gu Yicheng said, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t get distracted chatting.”
Ruan Ning was speechless. She was completely innocent! It was Lin Yang who had started chatting with her, not the other way around!
The male lead is totally biased, she thought bitterly. It’s so obvious. When Lin Yang and I were talking, he didn’t say a word to him, but he just can’t let go of my tiny mistake.
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