Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Paying a Visit – The Door of Rebirth in the Apocalypse

“So, you want to establish a base?” Ji Jiuzhe didn’t show any surprise after hearing Gu Ning’s plan. His reaction was very calm, as if it was within his expectations.

“Base?” Gu Ning was stunned for a moment, then thought carefully. If the plan went as she expected, it would indeed be equivalent to establishing a base.

“I’m glad you have such an idea,” Ji Jiuzhe said, putting down his cup and looking at Gu Ning. “But establishing a new base in the Capital City is not an easy task. Setting up a Survivor Settlement Point is simple, but building a large base is not as easy as you think. You should know about the three major bases in the Capital City. None of them were established by civilians because it requires vast resources, powerful weapons, and talents from all fields to keep a base running. Otherwise, it’s just a new Gathering Place for survivors. The Capital City alone has over a thousand registered Settlement Points, with an average of five hundred people per point. If your base is really established, have you thought about how many people would flood in? In your team, I doubt anyone has experience managing over a thousand people. If a riot breaks out, do you know how to handle it? Gu Ning, even I have to admit that you are strong now, but you are not an outstanding leader.”

Gu Ning wasn’t discouraged by Ji Jiuzhe’s words. Her eyes remained bright, staring at him without blinking. “But you will help me, right?”

Ji Jiuzhe paused, looked at Gu Ning for a while, then suddenly sighed. “I still hope you can think it over carefully for a few more days. If you still insist on this decision when you return, I will give you an answer.”

“Okay,” Gu Ning said cheerfully, then continued eating her breakfast.

“Did you purchase all the previous supplies yourself?” Ji Jiuzhe asked after taking a sip of water.

“Uh, yes. Why?”

Ji Jiuzhe casually pulled a white box from the gap in the sofa and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Gu Ning. “Use this phone from now on. I’ve saved a number in it. Whenever you need to buy anything, just give him a call or send a message, and he will take care of it for you.”

“How did you know I wanted to change my phone?” Gu Ning said happily. She had bought an old-fashioned phone cheaply before, but it was indeed a bit inconvenient. She was planning to find time to replace it, and Ji Jiuzhe had already given her one. The color, as expected, was pink… “I like it, thank you.”

Ji Jiuzhe raised an eyebrow. “I like it too.” He deliberately paused, then stared at Gu Ning and added, “You.”

Gu Ning: …

“Do you know you’re being very cheesy right now?”

“No.”

Ji Jiuzhe suddenly looked around the living room and asked, “How is it?”

Gu Ning was stunned and also looked around, confused. “What?”

“Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing are both out. Now it’s just the two of us here. We can talk about these topics without any worries. Don’t you think it’s great? If we get married, we will move out and live in our own home, just the two of us. You can talk about these things that you can’t discuss in front of others anytime you want.”

…Gu Ning sighed, covering her forehead, and looked at Ji Jiuzhe with a very obvious expression.

Ji Jiuzhe just raised an eyebrow. “Alright. Aren’t you going home today? I’ll drive you.”

Gu Ning quickly refused. “No need.”

“It’s not easy to get a taxi here,” Ji Jiuzhe glanced at her, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. “Don’t worry, although I really want to visit your home, I will get your permission first. I won’t do anything that might lower my score in your heart. After all, I might still need some time to make you like me enough to tolerate these actions.”

Gu Ning had nothing to say and could only lower her head to drink her soy milk.

Ji Jiuzhe stood up. “I’ll go get the car. Take your time eating, no rush.” He looked at Gu Ning’s head, which seemed to have a nice texture, so he gently patted her head and then walked out in a good mood.

Gu Ning took a sip of soy milk, then suddenly found it a bit funny. She glanced at the door, shook her head, and continued eating her breakfast leisurely.

When she went out, the car was already parked outside the yard.

Gu Ning got into the car, which was already very warm. The warmth from the car’s heater made her, who hadn’t slept all night, immediately feel drowsy.

The car stopped at a red light. Ji Jiuzhe was about to say something when he turned his head and saw Gu Ning leaning her head to the side, eyes closed, asleep. Unlike her usual cold demeanor when awake, Gu Ning looked very peaceful when asleep, without any coldness or distance, like a normal girl without any defenses. Yes, she had just graduated from university this year. If it weren’t for the apocalypse, she should have been like the girls outside, carefree and full of life.

He remembered the photo attached to Gu Ning’s file. She was always full of vitality, her eyes bright and spirited.

Because of Gu Ning, he always felt moved, but it was always accompanied by sudden heartache. He wished she was always within his sight so he could ensure she wasn’t harmed in any way.

When Gu Ning woke up, she found the car had already stopped. She asked groggily, “Where are we?”

Ji Jiuzhe said, “Your home.”

Gu Ning immediately woke up, sitting up straight and looking around. She found the car parked at the entrance of the community and breathed a sigh of relief, complaining, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Ji Jiuzhe said innocently, “I did, but you didn’t wake up.”

Gu Ning looked at him suspiciously, very doubtful of the truthfulness of his words. She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.

Gu Ning walked around to the driver’s side, and Ji Jiuzhe rolled down the window.

Gu Ning said, “I won’t be going back tonight. If Zhuang Chen and Shaoqing haven’t returned, remember to eat out or order takeout. You know the takeout number is on the fridge, right?” Zhuang Chen had complained to Gu Ning that if Ji Jiuzhe was alone at home, he didn’t like calling strangers and would never go out if he didn’t have to. So when he was alone at home, he would never eat.

Ji Jiuzhe listened to Gu Ning’s serious instructions and suddenly said, “Gu Ning.” He gestured with his fingers for her to come closer.

“Hmm?” Gu Ning thought he had something to say, so she bent down and leaned closer.

He leaned in, and Gu Ning’s heart tightened, instinctively leaning back. Ji Jiuzhe’s eyes flashed with a teasing smile, then he reached out and ruffled her hair a few times, smoothing out the strands that had stuck up. Satisfied, he said, “There.”

Gu Ning… Don’t do such misleading actions, okay? She awkwardly touched her hair and said, “I’ll go now.”

Ji Jiuzhe was about to speak when his gaze suddenly froze. He was stunned for a moment, quickly glanced at Gu Ning, then very naturally smiled and said, “Hello, Auntie.”

Gu Ning froze, her expression as stiff as it could be. She stiffly turned her neck to look and saw Gu Mama standing beside her at some point, looking at Ji Jiuzhe in the car and asking Gu Ning, “Ningning, who is this?”

Gu Ning felt cold sweat on her forehead. She had never imagined such a situation and didn’t know how to introduce him. Boss? Ordinary friend? Boyfriend: “Uh…”

Ji Jiuzhe glanced at Gu Ning, seeing her eyes wide open, and found it very cute. He gestured for Gu Ning to step aside, then opened the car door and got out. Sitting in the car, his height wasn’t obvious, but standing in front of Gu Mama, she was shocked, thinking to herself that this young man was so handsome and tall. Did Gu Ning meet a celebrity somewhere? Ji Jiuzhe got out of the car and took Gu Ning’s hand, then, under Gu Mama’s astonished gaze, smiled and said, “Hello, Auntie. Let me introduce myself. I’m Ji Jiuzhe, Ningning’s boyfriend.”

Ten minutes later.

Ji Jiuzhe stood up respectfully and took the hot tea Gu Mama handed him, then calmly said, “Thank you, Auntie. I’m really sorry about today. Ningning and I have just started dating, and she still has some concerns, so we planned to visit you after some time. Today was just supposed to be me sending Ningning home, but I didn’t bring any gifts. It’s really impolite.”

“Not at all! Not at all!” Gu Mama hurriedly said with a smile, her eyes still fixed on Ji Jiuzhe’s face, her mouth almost reaching her ears, her eyes shining, her face glowing, radiating a festive joy.

Gu Ning, on the side, held her forehead, unable to bear watching.

Ji Jiuzhe, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, not intimidated by Gu Mama’s unabashed gaze. Instead, he looked around Gu Ning’s home with ease. As he had imagined, it was an ordinary but warm little family. Gu Ning’s file showed that her family had bought this house when she was three years old. The furniture looked like it had been used for many years, a bit old. The house wasn’t big, and by his standards, it could be considered crowded. If he had to stay in such a small and crowded room for a long time, he would feel suffocated. But surprisingly, he felt very comfortable and relaxed here. Probably because it was filled with traces of Gu Ning’s life, just like the feeling Gu Ning gave him—comfortable and at ease.

“Can I look at the photos on the wall?” Ji Jiuzhe suddenly asked, glancing at the many photos hanging on the right wall.

“Of course!” Before Gu Ning could answer, Gu Mama eagerly replied.

“This is Ningning when she was five years old. She was so cute back then, her little face was so chubby, everyone wanted to pinch her cheeks,” Gu Mama volunteered as the guide.

Hearing this, Ji Jiuzhe gave Gu Ning a meaningful look, then quickly reached out and gently pinched her cheek while Gu Mama wasn’t looking. Gu Ning glared at him, but he had already turned back to look at the photos.

Gu Mama pointed to a row of photos and said, “Look, this is Gu Ning when she graduated this year.”

Ji Jiuzhe looked at each photo one by one. When he saw the photo placed in the center, his smile slightly froze. In the photo, Gu Ning had shoulder-length black hair, holding a large bouquet of baby’s breath, smiling brightly, her eyes squinting with joy. He had never seen her smile so happily before. In the photo, she was leaning slightly to the side, her body close to a young man in white casual clothes…

He knew this person, not just from Gu Ning’s file, but they had also met before. The man who was waiting for Gu Ning in the hotel lobby, the man Gu Ning had liked from high school to university…

Gu Ning noticed that he had seen the photo and regretted not having thrown it away earlier. She thought that since Ji Jiuzhe had seen her file, and Lu Jiazhi was someone she had been close to, he couldn’t possibly not know about her past with Lu Jiazhi…

At that moment, a hand held hers. Gu Ning was slightly startled and looked up at him. Ji Jiuzhe glanced at her, gave her a smile, then said to Gu Mama, “Ningning looks much thinner than in the photo. It seems I’ll have to take her out to eat more delicious food in the future.”

“That’s right!” Gu Mama seemed oblivious and continued happily, “Girls who are too thin don’t look good. Look at Ningning before, her face had a bit more meat, she looked much better.”

After looking at the photos, they sat down again.

Next was Gu Mama’s interrogation time.

“Xiao Ji, where do you work now? What do you do?”

“I currently live in Jinyong, in the Longchi District. I work in real estate.”

“Oh, selling houses, right? Houses aren’t easy to sell these days, are they?”

“Pfft—” Gu Ning spat out her hot tea.

“Ah!” Gu Mama was still in shock, but Ji Jiuzhe had already handed Gu Ning a few tissues and took the cup of hot tea from her hand, looking a bit helpless. Gu Mama, seeing Ji Jiuzhe’s actions, looked even more satisfied.

Gu Ning wiped her mouth and gave Ji Jiuzhe a strange look.

Ji Jiuzhe, however, had no intention of explaining. Instead, he smiled and said, “Auntie, you can rest assured. I’ve already bought a house and a car, and I have some savings. I can fully support Ningning and myself. My parents are in the Capital City, and we have a house there. My father is in the military, and my mother takes care of the household. After Gu Ning and I get married, whether we live with my parents or not, I will respect Ningning’s opinion. You can rest assured and entrust Ningning to me.”

Gu Ning: Staring = = This is not what we agreed on!

Ji Jiuzhe lowered his head and gently patted Gu Ning’s golden hair as if comforting a restless pet, then continued talking to Gu Mama, “I heard that Uncle is a high school teacher, so he probably doesn’t have much time. When Uncle is on winter break, if it’s convenient, I can have my parents come over to meet you and Uncle.”

Gu Ning grabbed Ji Jiuzhe’s hand, “I think these things can wait. Shouldn’t you be leaving now? Don’t you have work at the company?” If he didn’t leave soon, he and Gu Mama might end up setting a wedding date!

Ji Jiuzhe held Gu Ning’s hand, a teasing smile on his face, “Don’t worry. I’ve already taken the day off. I’ve always heard Gu Ning say that your cooking is excellent. I wonder if I’ll have the honor today…”

Gu Ning: I never said that!

Gu Mama, however, was beaming with joy at Ji Jiuzhe’s words, happily saying, “My cooking is nothing compared to Ningning’s. You should stay for lunch. I’ll go out and buy some groceries. Your Uncle will be back for lunch too, so you can meet him then! Oh! Let’s go down together, and Ningning can show you around the neighborhood so you won’t get lost in the future!”

Gu Ning sighed helplessly, “Mom—”

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Gu Mama urged, almost pulling Gu Ning along.

Gu Ning had no choice but to stand up, giving Ji Jiuzhe a look that said, “You’ll regret this.”

Gu Ning thought, you still don’t understand the nature of middle-aged women.

Gu Mama’s steps were noticeably slower than usual, and her voice was deliberately louder.

When they reached the second floor, a plump middle-aged woman finally came out of her door, seemingly attracted by Gu Mama’s voice. Sure enough, her eyes were immediately drawn to Ji Jiuzhe, “Oh! Who is this?!”

Ji Jiuzhe nodded slightly to her, then looked at Gu Ning, as if to say, “Is this the trouble you mentioned?”

“Oh, this is Ningning’s boyfriend. It’s his first time visiting today,” Gu Mama said, her face blooming with smiles, introducing Ji Jiuzhe to the woman, “Jiuzhe, this is Auntie Wang.”

Ji Jiuzhe nodded politely, a standard social smile on his face, “Hello, Auntie Wang.”

Gu Ning, watching from the side, felt a bit sorry for Ji Jiuzhe. Thinking about how he usually couldn’t be bothered with ordinary people, now having to make small talk with someone he didn’t know, he must be in agony.

Auntie Wang was shocked, “Oh my! Ningning, is this really your boyfriend? Oh my! He’s so tall and handsome! What does he do? Is he a celebrity?”

Gu Mama almost laughed out loud, saying, “What celebrity? He’s in sales, selling houses! He’s bought a place in Longchi. Oh, I can’t talk anymore, I need to hurry and buy groceries! If I go any later, they won’t be fresh!”

“Oh my! Such an excellent future son-in-law, you must cook him some good dishes!” Auntie Wang said.

“We’ll see you later, we’re heading out now!” Gu Mama said, smiling as they walked downstairs.

Auntie Wang watched them disappear from sight, then immediately ran back home, picked up the landline next to the TV, and dialed a number, excitedly saying, “Liu Xueqin! Let me tell you! That Gu Ning brought a boyfriend home! Oh my! That boyfriend is something else! So tall and so handsome, even more handsome than the celebrities on TV! Yes, yes! That Gu Ning from the third floor! Teacher Gu’s daughter! Oh! It’s hard to explain over the phone, come down and find me! Bring Wei Sufang too!”

Gu Ning looked helplessly at Gu Mama, who was walking ahead, so happy she could barely find her way. She whispered to Ji Jiuzhe, “In less than an hour, the entire neighborhood will know I have a boyfriend.” She glanced at Ji Jiuzhe, a hint of teasing in her voice, “And a boyfriend who looks like a celebrity.”

Ji Jiuzhe raised an eyebrow, unbothered by Gu Ning’s teasing, and looked at Gu Mama’s back, saying, “Auntie seems very happy.”

“That Auntie Wang has a daughter who got married last year. Her husband is a company manager, and she’s been bragging about it in front of my mom countless times,” Gu Ning didn’t continue, but Ji Jiuzhe already understood.

Gu Ning suddenly smiled and asked, “Is this more tiring than a full day of meetings?”

Ji Jiuzhe reached down and took Gu Ning’s hand, “No. You weren’t at the meetings.”

Gu Ning glanced at him sideways, Ji Jiuzhe’s expression was calm, and Gu Ning was impressed. Ji Jiuzhe always managed to say cheesy things so naturally and seriously.

“Jiuzhe, this car isn’t cheap, is it?” Gu Mama asked after getting into the car.

Ji Jiuzhe glanced at Gu Ning, then smiled and said, “It’s alright.”

Gu Ning thought to herself, thankfully Gu Mama knew nothing about cars. If she knew this car cost millions, she wouldn’t know how to explain why Ji Jiuzhe had a car worth millions.