Chapter 194

Chapter 194: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 194

Ji Jiuzhe sat on the wooden chair in the study, wearing a gray long-sleeved hoodie and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, making him look exceptionally young and scholarly. His slender fingers flew across the keyboard. When Gu Ning pushed the door open, he didn’t even look up, asking, “Has there been any movement from the Capital Base?”

Gu Ning placed a cup of hot tea next to Ji Jiuzhe’s computer and replied, “Yes. Guess who’s coming from the Capital Base?”

Ji Jiuzhe’s fingers paused for a moment. He looked up at Gu Ning, thought for a second, and said, “Seventh Brother?” Seeing Gu Ning nod, he lowered his head again to continue his work, adding, “He must have volunteered; otherwise, the base would have sent someone more suitable. But this is good news for Oasis Base. Now, it’s time for negotiations.”

Gu Ning asked, “What conditions do you think the Capital Base will propose?”

Ji Jiuzhe pressed the enter key, closed his laptop, and looked directly at Gu Ning. “If your base hadn’t developed so quickly, after Seventh Brother returned, the Capital Base would have immediately used force to annex you. Although Seventh Brother is familiar with you, he wouldn’t disregard the base’s interests for your sake. At most, he’d do his best to keep you alive. But now, Oasis Base has intimidated them, so it’s time for a long negotiation period.” He paused briefly before continuing, “I’ll write a letter to Seventh Brother later. You take it to him, and make sure to deliver it before his next visit.”

Gu Ning nodded. “Okay.”

“Hmm.” Ji Jiuzhe took off his glasses and placed them on the table, then leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples. He looked slightly tired.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Gu Ning quickly asked. It was rare to see him so exhausted.

“Just a bit tired.” Ji Jiuzhe smiled, but even his smile carried a hint of fatigue. He then said to Gu Ning, “Ningning, come here.”

Gu Ning walked over. “What is it?”

Ji Jiuzhe suddenly pulled her down to sit on his lap. Gu Ning, as if scalded by hot water, immediately tried to stand up, but Ji Jiuzhe wrapped his arm around her waist. “Don’t move,” he said, leaning against her and speaking in a low, deep voice. “Let me hold you.”

Gu Ning’s body stiffened for a moment, but hearing the exhaustion in Ji Jiuzhe’s voice, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. She sighed softly in her heart and relaxed, letting Ji Jiuzhe hold her. Recently, it seemed like there were many things to handle in this world. Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing were so busy that they were rarely seen, and Ji Jiuzhe had also been constantly occupied. The last few times he returned, she hadn’t seen him, and they only communicated via phone. It had been over a month since their last meeting, the longest they’d been apart since getting together. Every time they met, it was to discuss base construction, leaving no time for anything else.

“Did you eat over there?” After holding Gu Ning quietly for a while, Ji Jiuzhe suddenly asked with his eyes closed.

“I did,” Gu Ning replied.

Ji Jiuzhe opened his eyes and looked at her. “I haven’t eaten yet.”

Gu Ning was stunned. Her first reaction was to check the time—3:30 PM. She frowned slightly. “You didn’t even have breakfast?”

Ji Jiuzhe’s eyes flickered, and he said, “Hmm… I did.”

Gu Ning, seeing his reaction, knew he hadn’t even had breakfast. She was both angry and helpless. “I bought sandwiches and put them in the fridge.”

Ji Jiuzhe looked innocent. “Too busy, forgot.”

Gu Ning sighed. “Then I’ll go make you some noodles.”

Ji Jiuzhe frowned. “I don’t like… okay.” Seeing Gu Ning’s stern expression, Ji Jiuzhe wisely swallowed his dislike for noodles and reluctantly accepted her decision. After saying this, he suddenly felt something was off. He had always been decisive, but now he was actually considering Gu Ning’s mood?

The plain noodles floated in the soup, topped with a few vibrant green scallions and a golden fried egg covering half the bowl. The color combination was fresh and appetizing.

Ji Jiuzhe loved sweets but hated noodles.

Yet, looking at this bowl of noodles, he couldn’t help but compliment, “It looks great.”

Gu Ning smiled proudly, sitting across from him. “Eat up.”

Although it looked good, when it came to eating, Ji Jiuzhe couldn’t help but frown. He really didn’t like noodles.

He glanced at Gu Ning, wondering if she’d be upset if he suggested going out to eat. Even if she didn’t show it, she’d probably be unhappy inside. Ji Jiuzhe sighed inwardly, feeling that worrying so much over a bowl of noodles was unlike him.

Under Gu Ning’s “supervision,” Ji Jiuzhe ate the noodles bite by bite.

“Was it good?” Gu Ning asked.

No, it wasn’t. Ji Jiuzhe thought.

“It was good,” Ji Jiuzhe said.

Gu Ning’s eyes curved into a smile.

When Gu Ning was about to leave, Ji Jiuzhe handed her the letter to take back. She didn’t delay, returning to the apocalypse and immediately asking Xia Yu to deliver the letter to Base One, instructing Zhuang Chen to make sure it reached Seventh Brother. Gu Ning was genuinely curious about the letter’s contents, but she soon found out.

“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” Gu Ning said with a smile to Seventh Brother.

This time, Seventh Brother only brought Ji Zhaotang with him.

Seventh Brother’s gaze at her was quite subtle. “Yeah,” he said, staring at Gu Ning with an ambiguous expression that made her uneasy. Third Brother and the others were also puzzled. Gu Ning asked, “Seventh Brother, is something wrong?”

Seventh Brother clicked his tongue and said to Gu Ning, “Should I start calling you sister-in-law?”

Gu Ning was stunned.

Third Brother and the others were also stunned.

Seventh Brother continued, “It seems even Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing didn’t know about this, or they would’ve explained this relationship to me.”

Ji Zhaotang, standing beside Seventh Brother, looked listless. He hesitated before asking Gu Ning, “Gu Ning, are you really with my Ninth Brother…?”

Seventh Brother gave Ji Zhaotang a meaningful glance and interrupted, “You should call her sister-in-law. Do you think your Ninth Brother would lie?”

Hearing this, Gu Ning realized that Ji Jiuzhe must have mentioned their relationship in the letter to Seventh Brother. She hadn’t expected Ji Jiuzhe to bring this up in the letter and was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

Meanwhile, Fang Fa, Cheng Ming, and the others also caught on from the conversation, especially Fang Fa and Cheng Ming, whose expressions instantly changed as they instinctively looked at Gu Ning.

Jia Daozhang asked suspiciously, “Zhaotang, is your Ninth Brother Ji Jiuzhe?”

Ji Zhaotang nodded weakly.

Jia Daozhang looked at Gu Ning in surprise. “That Captain Ji—you’ve only met him a few times, right? How did you and he…?”

Gu Ning, bombarded with questions and under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, could only pretend to stay calm. “This is too complicated. I’ll explain it to you all later.”

Unbeknownst to her, this was tantamount to admitting her relationship with Ji Jiuzhe.

Fang Fa and Cheng Ming’s hearts sank, their expressions shifting through various emotions, looking utterly dismayed.

Seventh Brother, a seasoned player in the love arena, quickly picked up on the two young men’s feelings. His eyes flickered, but he smiled at Gu Ning and continued, “Jiuzhe wrote in the letter that you’re the one he’s decided on, so you’re family now. Since we’re family, everything can be discussed. Let’s go to your conference room and talk in detail.”

Zhang Xiaobai, walking behind Fang Fa and Cheng Ming, placed a hand on each of their shoulders. They had spent so much time together, and neither Fang Fa nor Cheng Ming were good at hiding their feelings. Zhang Xiaobai, fully aware of their feelings for Gu Ning, patted their shoulders sympathetically. “There are plenty of fish in the sea—”

Before he could finish, Fang Fa and Cheng Ming simultaneously brushed off his hands and caught up with the group ahead.

Zhang Xiaobai shrugged and followed.