Chapter 78

Chapter 78: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Chapter 78

“Gu Ning, it really is you!” Jiang Yu looked at Gu Ning with a mix of surprise and joy: “What happened to your face?!” After saying this, her gaze quickly swept across the faces of everyone at the table, lingering a bit longer on Ji Jiuzhe’s face. Even among the men at the table, Ji Jiuzhe stood out, with his cold, handsome appearance and demeanor making Jiang Yu unable to resist taking an extra glance.

“You guys eat first, I need to step out for a moment,” Gu Ning nodded to her tablemates, then stood up and said to Jiang Yu and Lu Jiazhi, “Let’s talk outside.”

After Gu Ning led Jiang Yu and Lu Jiazhi out of the hall, the expressions of those left at the table became subtly complex. Although Gu Ning had controlled her expression, the sudden coldness in her demeanor was still quite noticeable.

Gu Ning, Jiang Yu, and Lu Jiazhi walked out of the main hall to the front lobby.

Jiang Yu feigned anger: “Gu Ning, what’s going on? You came back and didn’t even contact me.”

Lu Jiazhi, however, was more concerned about the injury on Gu Ning’s face. He frowned and asked, “How did you get hurt? What happened to your face?”

“I just fell,” Gu Ning replied.

Lu Jiazhi continued, “Auntie said you’ve started tutoring.” He implied that Gu Ning should be tutoring now, not dining with a group of people he had never seen before.

“I’m off today,” Gu Ning remained indifferent. “I think you two still have things to do, so I’ll head back in now.”

“Wait,” Lu Jiazhi stopped Gu Ning. Then, turning to Jiang Yu, he said, “Jiang Yu, you go ahead. I need to talk to Gu Ning for a moment.”

Jiang Yu’s brows twitched almost imperceptibly, then she said, “Okay, sure.” She then turned to Gu Ning, “Don’t forget to come to my place for dinner on Sunday. I’ll head off now.”

Lu Jiazhi explained, “Jiang Yu introduced a new client to me, and we arranged to meet here for a meal. Don’t overthink it.” He reached out to touch Gu Ning’s face, “How did you fall so badly? Does it hurt?”

Gu Ning stepped back, avoiding Lu Jiazhi’s hand, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back in.”

“Who are those people?” Lu Jiazhi finally couldn’t help but ask.

“My friends. Do I need to report to you about who I befriend?” Gu Ning’s patience ran out, and she turned to walk back into the hall.

Lu Jiazhi frowned as he watched Gu Ning disappear behind the door, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. He remembered how Gu Ning used to tell him everything, even what she had for lunch… This change was unsettling. Seeing Jiang Yu still waiting outside, his frown deepened.

Jiang Yu, seeing Lu Jiazhi come out, immediately smiled and walked over in her high heels, “Let’s go.”

Lu Jiazhi stopped, suddenly changing his mind, “I have something urgent to attend to, I can’t take you home.”

Jiang Yu’s smile faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered, “It’s okay. I can manage on my own.”

“Sorry,” Lu Jiazhi smiled apologetically and helped Jiang Yu into a taxi.

He glanced back once more before heading towards the parking lot.

Once in his car, his phone buzzed with a message from Jiang Yu.

“Don’t forget to treat me to a meal after the deal is done,” followed by a cute emoji.

Lu Jiazhi stared at the message for about ten seconds before replying, “Sure, no problem.”

Jiang Yu, in the taxi, kept her eyes on her phone until she saw Lu Jiazhi’s reply, then smiled contentedly. However, the thought of Lu Jiazhi staying behind to talk to Gu Ning alone made her smile fade slightly.

Gu Ning returned to her seat, receiving a few glances but otherwise everything was normal.

Third Brother’s heart bled as he paid the bill at the cashier—over twenty thousand for this meal. Each digit he entered felt like a stab to his heart.

On the way back, he consoled himself with the thought that two members from his team, plus Gu Ning, would bring in a bonus of three hundred thousand. This thought somewhat healed his bleeding heart, and adhering to the principle of not wasting food, he packed up the leftovers for a late-night snack.

Gu Ning took the opportunity during a bathroom break to call Gu Mama, telling her she was off today and mentioning that she had dinner with friends and ran into Lu Jiazhi and Jiang Yu.

Gu Mama was thrilled that Gu Ning was out with friends but was surprised to hear about Lu Jiazhi and Jiang Yu being together, as she thought they were unlikely to mix. She even sensitively asked if they were in a romantic relationship.

Gu Ning simply said she didn’t know and ended the call after a few more words. She made the call mainly to preempt any potential issues if Jiang Yu or Lu Jiazhi mentioned the encounter to Gu Papa or Gu Mama.

Back home, Lu Jiazhi was still distracted, and Lu Mama noticed, asking a few questions. He only mentioned work-related matters.

Lu Mama then complained that Gu Ning had promised to come over for dinner but hadn’t shown up for days, “Are you two fighting? Last time at the hospital, I noticed Gu Ning’s attitude towards you seemed different.”

Without thinking, Lu Jiazhi replied, “No.” After a pause, he sighed and looked somewhat helplessly at Lu Mama, “We’re not fighting, but Gu Ning seems to be upset with me.”

Lu Mama couldn’t help but chide, “Gu Ning has such a good temper, don’t always bully her. Sometimes you need to coax her, don’t always wait for her to make up with you. Gu Ning is getting older, her thoughts are naturally heavier. You can’t expect her to come running at your beck and call like when she was a little girl.”

With the wisdom of experience, Lu Mama added, “And you know, that day at the hospital, I noticed that young man with Gu Ning—their relationship is definitely not ordinary. Accompanying someone to the hospital is not a casual thing.” She said meaningfully, “I’m a woman too, and when a woman likes you, she likes you a lot, but she can also stop liking you just as quickly. Sometimes women can be more ruthless than men. Don’t take her affection for granted. If she really stops liking you, it’ll be too late to do anything. After all, I’ve watched Gu Ning grow up, and your father sees her as a daughter. If you don’t like her, don’t hold her back. She’s already twenty-three, hasn’t been in a relationship all these years for you, it’s time…”

As Lu Jiazhi listened to Gu Mama’s words, his frown deepened. Thinking about his recent encounters with Gu Ning, which all ended unhappily, and Gu Ning’s consistently cold attitude since her return… He felt inexplicably irritable. Ignoring Lu Mama’s ongoing relationship advice, he stood up and went into his room. After some thought, he took out his phone and dialed Gu Ning’s home number.

After a few rings, the call was answered.

Gu Mama’s voice came through, “Hello? Who is this?” She also called out to Gu Papa to turn down the TV volume.

Lu Jiazhi said, “Auntie, it’s me, Jiazhi.”

“Oh?! Jiazhi? Why are you calling? Is something wrong?” Gu Mama asked while signaling to Gu Papa on the couch.

Lu Jiazhi replied, “Nothing’s wrong. It’s been a while, just calling to say hello.”

Gu Mama said, “Oh, I see, we’re all fine, thank you for thinking of us. Oh, by the way, Ning just called and mentioned she saw you.”

Lu Jiazhi perked up, a slight smile forming on his lips, “Really?”

Gu Mama probed, “Yes. She said you were with Jiang Yu. Jiazhi, are you and Jiang Yu in a relationship?”

Lu Jiazhi immediately responded, “No, Auntie. Jiang Yu introduced a new client to me, and we had a meal together. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. We can’t interfere with you young people’s relationships. If you and Jiang Yu are together, as your aunt, I’d be happy for you both,” Gu Mama said.

Lu Jiazhi repeatedly emphasized that he was not in a relationship with Jiang Yu before hanging up.

After the call, Lu Jiazhi felt very uneasy. The change in Gu Mama’s attitude towards him was too obvious. She knew Gu Ning liked him, so how could she possibly encourage a relationship between him and Jiang Yu? Unless Gu Ning’s attitude towards him had significantly changed and she had communicated this to Gu Mama… Lu Jiazhi sat on the couch, phone in hand, feeling a sudden emptiness, wanting to grasp something but feeling utterly powerless.

On the way back, Zhuang Chen deliberately sat next to Gu Ning, enthusiastically saying, “Gu Ning, I don’t think we’ve formally met. I’m Zhuang Chen.”

Gu Ning, seeing Zhuang Chen introduce herself, couldn’t help but think of how she had introduced herself in the apocalypse. The gloom brought by Lu Jiazhi and Jiang Yu was instantly swept away, and she couldn’t help but laugh, “Hello, I’m Gu Ning.”

Zhuang Chen stared at Gu Ning for a moment before suddenly saying, “I don’t know why, but I feel like you really like me.”

Yi Shaoqing, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but roll his eyes, somewhat exasperated, “Zhuang Chen, I never knew you were so narcissistic.”

Zhuang Chen elbowed him, and Yi Shaoqing immediately fell silent.

“Let me tell you, although my close combat skills aren’t the best, I can use all kinds of guns. Want to try a rocket launcher? Want to learn how to drive a tank? Or maybe a helicopter? I can teach you,” Zhuang Chen enthusiastically promoted herself to Gu Ning.

Yi Shaoqing kept rolling his eyes but dared not speak, as his combat skills were no match for Zhuang Chen’s.

Zhong Xu, Zhang Xiaobai, and Chen Gen, however, looked on with envy, lamenting that Gu Ning was indeed extraordinary, attracting such strong interest from the elite Five-Star Brigade, while they themselves went unnoticed, which was somewhat disheartening.

Ji Jiuzhe sat in the corner, eyes closed but not missing Zhuang Chen’s continuous self-promotion and Gu Ning’s occasional responses.

When they got off the vehicle, Yi Shaoqing lingered at the back, approaching Gu Ning and whispering mysteriously, “Gu Ning, I must kindly remind you, if you really want to learn close combat, our captain is the best.” He then nodded towards Ji Jiuzhe, who had already gotten off, before jumping off himself.

Third Brother and the others said their goodbyes to Gu Ning and the three members of the Five-Star Brigade, then walked off towards the dormitory, chatting and laughing.

As the Five-Star Brigade trio parted ways with Gu Ning, Yi Shaoqing didn’t forget to wink at her.

Gu Ning returned alone to her room in the family building, lying on her bed and thinking about Ji Jiuzhe, the captain of the Five-Star Brigade. Ji Jiuzhe appeared to be around thirty, very serious, never smiling, and had shown no interest in her whatsoever. If Yi Shaoqing was right about Ji Jiuzhe being the best in close combat, how could she convince him to teach her?

Gu Ning thought about it all night but couldn’t come up with a solution.

The next day, after breakfast, she found an opportunity to speak with Yi Shaoqing alone.

Gu Ning got straight to the point, “How can I get him to teach me?”

“Hehe,” Yi Shaoqing chuckled, then said, “Dealing with someone like Ji Jiuzhe, there’s only one word: persistence. Tell him a hundred times a day, and maybe he’ll agree.”