Chapter 98

Chapter 98: We Don’t Raise Ungrateful Wolves

“Zhuang Chen, thank you so much this time.” Gu Ning sighed in relief as she looked at the intact Celadon Sunflower Wash in her hand. If it weren’t for Zhuang Chen, even if she knew Jiang Yu was at the TV station, she probably wouldn’t have been able to get in.

Zhuang Chen smiled and said, “No need to thank me, just call me next time there’s something fun like this.”

Gu Ning looked at her helplessly.

Originally, they had come just to retrieve the Celadon Sunflower Wash from Jiang Yu, but as soon as they arrived at the TV station, they received a call from Jiang Yu.

Although Gu Ning knew Jiang Yu had feelings for Lu Jiazhi, and during the apocalypse, it was likely because of Lu Jiazhi that Jiang Yu deliberately put Gu Ning in such a situation, she didn’t hold a grudge. She just wanted to keep her distance. It wasn’t until now that she realized Jiang Yu’s true nature was dark. After learning the true value of the Celadon Sunflower Wash, Jiang Yu actually tried to trick Gu Ning into giving it to her.

Even if Gu Ning refused, Jiang Yu could have just said she accidentally broke it. As long as that episode didn’t air, Gu Ning wouldn’t know the value of the Ru kiln piece. Given Gu Ning’s character, even if she was angry, she wouldn’t fall out with Jiang Yu… Jiang Yu had really played her cards well.

But all of this was based on the premise that Gu Ning didn’t know the value of the Ru kiln piece.

Jiang Yu didn’t realize that her cautious probing had completely exposed her ulterior motives to Gu Ning and Zhuang Chen.

If Jiang Yu hadn’t been greedy, Gu Ning would have quietly retrieved the item without Zhuang Chen publicly humiliating her.

But it was just as well. This was a good opportunity to cut ties completely. It would be best if Jiang Yu never interacted with her again.

“Gu Ning! Wait!” Jiang Yu finally caught up as they were leaving the TV station.

Zhuang Chen raised an eyebrow, immediately perking up.

“Gu Ning, I want to talk to you.” Jiang Yu gestured with her eyes for Zhuang Chen to leave, but Zhuang Chen just crossed her arms and coldly stared at her, showing no intention of leaving.

Gu Ning, however, said, “Zhuang Chen, go wait in the car for me.”

Zhuang Chen wasn’t worried about Gu Ning being at a disadvantage; she just wanted to stay and watch the drama. But since Gu Ning had said so, she reluctantly left.

“Let’s find a place where we can talk.” Jiang Yu led Gu Ning to a secluded corner.

Jiang Yu sighed and said, “Gu Ning, I know you must have misunderstood. We grew up together, been sisters for over twenty years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”

Gu Ning looked at Jiang Yu, a cold smile on her lips. “Yes, we grew up together. I just didn’t know you were this kind of person.”

Jiang Yu was stunned, then looked at Gu Ning with a pained and disappointed expression. “Gu Ning, can you listen to my explanation…”

Before she could finish, Gu Ning coldly interrupted, “I know you like Lu Jiazhi.”

Jiang Yu’s pupils contracted uncontrollably. “What?”

Gu Ning’s icy gaze fixed on her. “Since things have come to this, let’s lay everything out on the table. I don’t know if it was love at first sight or if I described him too well, making you fall for him. I don’t want to know now.” She smiled mockingly. “But considering our sisterhood, I’ll reluctantly give Lu Jiazhi to you.”

Jiang Yu was thrown off by Gu Ning’s words. When Gu Ning said she was giving Lu Jiazhi to her, Jiang Yu was stunned, not understanding what Gu Ning meant.

Gu Ning’s smile vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness. “But between the two of us, you first tried to steal my man, and now you tried to trick me out of my belongings. We’ve already torn off the mask of sisterhood. Even if your face is thicker than a city wall and you still want to be sisters, I can’t stomach calling you ‘sister’ anymore. To avoid awkwardness, it’s best if we don’t see each other again. What do you think?”

Gu Ning’s words were like sharp swords, each one hitting its mark. Jiang Yu wanted to explain, but Gu Ning wasn’t going to give her the chance.

It wasn’t until long after Gu Ning left that Jiang Yu finally snapped out of it, her body shivering with cold. When did the always-smiling, easygoing Gu Ning become so sharp-tongued and aggressive?

Having completely severed ties with Jiang Yu and venting her anger, Gu Ning felt a sense of relief. She walked with a spring in her step, a smile unconsciously appearing on her face.

As she walked out the door, several people were heading her way.

Gu Ning was stunned.

Xiang Xu, wearing a simple white cotton dress, and Xiang Yi, in a white shirt, were being escorted by a few people toward the entrance.

A director was patiently reminding them of the precautions for the upcoming recording. The eight-year-old Xiang Xu’s face was calm, showing no signs of nervousness. Sensing a gaze, Xiang Xu suddenly looked over at Gu Ning. After a curious glance at Gu Ning’s blonde hair, she turned away. Xiang Yi didn’t even glance in their direction, treating them like complete strangers.

And indeed, they were strangers. Gu Ning silently watched the group enter the elevator, then smiled wryly and walked out of the TV station.

On the way back, Zhuang Chen pulled Gu Ning out of the car to grab some late-night snacks. They had already heard about the value of the Celadon Sunflower Wash at the TV station, but Zhuang Chen didn’t ask a single question about how Gu Ning came to possess such a valuable item. This made Gu Ning feel both touched and comforted.

By the time they returned to the apocalypse, it was already 10 a.m., and the sun was high. Gu Ning hadn’t been back all day yesterday. As she opened the door, she saw everyone sitting in the living room—Third Brother, Zhang Xiaobai, Method, Cheng Ming, and the others. Normally, they would have already left by this time.

“Did something happen?” Gu Ning asked.

“A few kids ran away,” Gu’s father said.

Gu Ning frowned and walked over. “What do you mean?”

Zhang Xiaobai’s face was grim. “This morning, I took them for a morning run. When we got to the river, a few boys pushed Zuo You into the water. Zuo You can’t swim, and I was running ahead, so I didn’t know what happened. If it weren’t for He He and Wu Sen saving him, Zuo You would have drowned. I scolded those boys on the spot. They accused us of favoritism, then stormed off and haven’t come back.”

Zuo You, Wu Sen, and He He stood there like they had done something wrong, not daring to lift their heads, afraid Gu Ning would blame them.

Gu Ning said, “Zuo You, come here.”

Zuo You’s chubby body trembled. He glanced at He He and Wu Sen, then fearfully looked at Gu Ning before slowly shuffling over.

Gu Ning asked, “Tell me what happened. Why did they push you into the river?”

Zuo You was scared but answered honestly, “I don’t know. I was running fine, and they suddenly rushed over and pushed me into the river… It’s my fault. They got scolded by Brother Xiaobai, so they ran away.”

He He quickly added, “Sister Gu Ning, it’s really not Zuo You’s fault! They often bully Zuo You when the adults aren’t around! They say you favor us three the most! Zuo You gets bullied, and they don’t let us tell you. Zhou Jian is the worst! This time, they did it on purpose, trying to kill Zuo You!”

Gu’s father said to Gu Ning, “Zhou Jian is the oldest among the boys. He’s impulsive, doesn’t follow rules well, always slacks off during training, and has a rebellious personality. He’s hard to manage.”

Zhong Xu added, “Zhou Jian found us himself, saying his parents were killed by zombies. We felt sorry for him and let him stay. He’s clever and good with words, but he’s not honest. At first, he would steal food from the other kids. After we scolded him a few times, he stopped. The other boys are his close friends.”

Gu Ning frowned. It seemed Zhou Jian pushing Zuo You into the water wasn’t just kids playing too rough—it might have been an attempt to kill…

Gu Ning pondered, then asked, “Have they been found yet?”

Third Brother said, “I sent Luo Long with a few people to search other parts of the base, but they haven’t been found yet.”

Gu Ning said, “Then tell Luo Long to come back. No need to search anymore.”

The room fell silent. No one expected Gu Ning to say that, except for Hong Jie, who chuckled.

Third Brother looked at Hong Jie and asked, “Gu Ning, what do you mean? Are you saying they should find their way back on their own?”

“No,” Gu Ning said. “They can leave whenever they want, but they can’t just come back whenever they feel like it. Tell the administrator downstairs that if those kids come back, don’t let them upstairs. From today on, they’re no longer part of our group. If you see them outside, treat them as strangers.”

The remaining twenty or so kids didn’t dare to breathe loudly.

Zhang Yang, being the most soft-hearted, couldn’t help but plead for the runaway kids. “Gu Ning, they’re just kids. They don’t know any better…”

“It’s been four months since the apocalypse. They no longer have the luxury of not knowing better,” Gu Ning said coldly, looking at the group of kids who were now scared by her words. “If I find out any of you are bullying someone, I’ll kick you out immediately.”

Although Gu Ning had never lost her temper with them and could even be considered gentle, the cold aura she exuded made the kids both fear and admire her. Hearing about Gu Ning’s “heroic deeds” only added to their reverence. Her current anger left all the kids in the room silent, not daring to make a sound.

After a while, she let them all leave, leaving only the adults in the room.

The kids running away had caught everyone off guard. They hadn’t expected such a problem to arise in the relatively safe environment they provided. It seemed they had underestimated the complexity of the kids’ minds, thinking that providing food and shelter would be enough to keep them obedient. But wherever there are people, there will be conflicts and contradictions. Even though they were just kids, their personalities were subtly changing with the environment—some for the better, some for the worse.

This was the first time something like this had happened in the group, and Gu Ning hoped it would be the last.

Hong Jie broke the heavy silence, saying to Third Brother, “Xiao Xie, later arrange for some people to take them around the base. Let them see how people outside are living. We can’t be raising a bunch of ungrateful wolves.”

Third Brother understood the seriousness and nodded solemnly. “Okay.”

Six boys and a ten-year-old girl had run off with Zhou Jian. They were now hiding behind a tent, cautiously watching Luo Long, who was anxiously searching for them. The only girl whispered, “Zhou Jian, can we go back now? We’ve been hiding for so long.”

“What do you know?” Zhou Jian said smugly. “If we go back too soon, what’s the point? We might even get scolded. See those people looking for us? When they’re most desperate, we’ll show up. They won’t scold us; they’ll scold Wu Sen and the others instead.”

The girl said pitifully, “But I want to go back.”

“Shh!” A boy whispered, staring in the direction of the search. “Brother Xiaobai is coming. Is he looking for us too?”

The others cautiously peeked out. Sure enough, Zhang Xiaobai was talking to Luo Long, who looked very surprised.

Zhou Jian said excitedly, “See? Now everyone’s out looking for us.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Xiaobai and Luo Long turned and started walking back.

The girl exclaimed, “They’re leaving!”

Hearing the noise, Zhang Xiaobai glanced back in their direction. Zhou Jian’s eyes met Zhang Xiaobai’s, and he was startled, his eyes flickering nervously. He hesitated, unsure whether to go out and return with Zhang Xiaobai or keep running. Then he saw Zhang Xiaobai’s expression change—and to his surprise, Zhang Xiaobai turned his head away as if he hadn’t seen them at all, chatting and laughing with Luo Long as they walked toward the dormitory building.

What’s going on? Zhou Jian’s mind was filled with questions. Zhang Xiaobai had clearly seen him. Why didn’t he come to take them back?

“Ah! They’re leaving! They’re not looking for us anymore!” One of the boys couldn’t hold back and stood up, watching Zhang Xiaobai and Luo Long’s retreating figures anxiously. “Zhou Jian! What do we do?”

Zhou Jian was still frozen, unsure of what to do.

The girl panicked and called out, “Brother Xiaobai! Brother Luo Long! We’re here!”

“Xiaobai, are we really not going to do anything about them?” Luo Long asked hesitantly as they walked.

Zhang Xiaobai, however, seemed much calmer. “Hong Jie said we don’t raise ungrateful wolves. Let’s go.”

Zhang Xiaobai and Luo Long must have heard, but they continued walking as if they hadn’t, not even turning their heads.

The kids stood there helplessly, too scared to chase after them. They looked at each other, at a loss, suddenly filled with dread.

The girl, seeing them walk further away, burst into tears. “Waaah—what do we do? They don’t want us anymore!”

Zhou Jian stood stiffly, watching their retreating figures. He suddenly realized the gravity of his mistake and the terrible consequences it would bring. His face turned pale, and his body began to tremble as if he had thought of something truly terrifying…