"No," Yu Hao said firmly when he heard Qiao Ci wanted to stay behind alone. "It's impossible to leave you here by yourself."
Qiao Ci paid no mind to his agreement or disagreement. "I'll speak to Dad. You guys go back first to report the situation here, and come back to pick us up when you have the chance."
Su Ye looked up in surprise. It was then that he got a good look at the only female present: tall, with fair skin and eyes like autumn water. She wore a camouflage uniform cinched at the waist, giving her a heroic and spirited appearance.
He lowered his gaze, habitually rubbing his thumb and middle finger together.
These people seemed different from the others. Especially the beautiful girl, who was willing to stay and accompany him…
Yu Hao assumed Qiao Ci had taken a liking to this unfamiliar handsome man. He felt unwilling but couldn't persuade her, so he took the other two back to the base first.
Only Qiao Ci and Su Ye remained in the house, staring at each other awkwardly without speaking.
"I'll clean up the living room," Su Ye finally said, breaking the silence as he got up.
Not long after, he returned with an unopened packet of seafood-flavored instant noodles and handed it to Qiao Ci.
Qiao Ci frowned at the noodles. She didn't think she had ever eaten anything like it.
A trace of sarcasm flashed in Su Ye's eyes. She even disdained instant noodles. The others clearly deferred to her, so she must be a young lady who had never experienced hardship.
Though he thought this, he said apologetically, "Sorry, these are all I have. You can make do with them for now, and I'll try to find some other food."
Qiao Ci took the noodles, looking at him strangely. "Why apologize? It's the apocalypse now, having food is good enough. But this…?"
As she spoke, Qiao Ci's small face grew serious. She had never prepared these before. If she did it poorly, would it leave a bad impression on him?
Su Ye glanced at her subtly. As expected, a pampered young lady who wanted someone else to prepare her instant noodles.
He was about to tell her that there were instructions on the packaging, but seeing her about to explode with frustration, he held back. He stepped forward, picked up the noodles, and walked towards the living room. His clear voice carried a hint of indifference, "I'll make them for you."
Qiao Ci looked around the house. It was spacious, with simple yet luxurious decor.
After a while, Su Ye came back with steaming hot instant noodles. Qiao Ci took them without politeness, mainly because she was indeed a bit hungry.
She picked up a fork and slurped the curly noodles. After the first bite, she put them down, her small face looking unhappy.
The taste felt strange.
Qiao Ci was a picky eater with high standards for food. Coupled with her sheltered upbringing, she found the simple instant noodles very unaccustomed to.
"It doesn't taste good? Shall I get you a different flavor?" Su Ye's sarcasm intensified. Why would she stay if she was so delicate? Was she interested in his face?
"No need," Qiao Ci picked up the noodles again, her voice betraying a hint of unspoken grievance. "I just need to get used to it. It's my first time eating them, so I'm not accustomed to it."
After a while, having eaten more than half of the noodles and feeling full, she threw them into the nearby trash can.
Although she knew there wasn't much food in the apocalypse, Qiao Ci didn't want to force herself. She then said to Su Ye, "I'm full. Thanks for the noodles."
"Please, sister, I don't have much food left. When will they come to pick us up?" Su Ye ignored her thanks and asked instead.
Qiao Ci shook her head. "I don't know. Don't worry about food, I'll find a way."
Su Ye raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Really? Then thank you in advance, sister."
Qiao Ci paused for a moment. "How old are you?"
Chu Ye: "20."
Qiao Ci pursed her lips. "I'm 17."
You're older than me.
So, calling me sister is inappropriate.
Su Ye: "..."
Heh, so she was indeed interested in his face. It was just a matter of calling him sister, and she felt that made her sound old.
Women are so superficial!
"Then should I call you little sister?" Chu Ye asked playfully.
Qiao Ci: "My name is Qiao Ci. You can just call me by my name."
Upon hearing this, Su Ye's expression improved slightly. He introduced himself, "My name is Su Ye."
As night fell, Su Ye tidied up a bedroom for Qiao Ci and changed all the bedding on his own bed. He then told her to call him if anything happened and quickly locked his door.
His actions were so swift, as if he was afraid Qiao Ci would try to molest him.
Qiao Ci curiously recounted the situation to Little Spoon. "He doesn't like me."
He even seemed to detest her.
Little Spoon: "It's normal for the first meeting. Besides, it's the apocalypse now, people are dangerous. It's right to be cautious. Host, don't overthink it. In Little Spoon's heart, Host is the best!"
Dreamless sleep.
Seven twenty.
Su Ye woke up strictly according to his biological clock.
He had expected to sleep restlessly with another person's presence in the house, but he slept as usual.
As long as that woman didn't disturb him, he would let her live for three more days. If her companions didn't come to pick her up within those three days…
Heh, he didn't keep idlers around.
After washing up, he opened his door, intending to get his day's food from the storage room. However, he noticed signs that the storage room door had been tampered with.
A chill permeated Su Ye's body.
Damn woman, she stole food!
It seemed it was time to clear out the trash.
He pushed open the storage room door and saw the scene inside. The ferocity in Su Ye's eyes receded, replaced by utter astonishment.
On the shelves in the storage room were various snacks, rice, flour, seasonings, and purified water. In the freezer, there was fresh meat, and even tender radishes, tomatoes, and a few sprigs of dewy wild vegetables…
The other items were understandable, but where did this fresh meat come from?
It hadn't been long since the apocalypse, and all power had been cut off. The reason he still had electricity was his self-provided generator.
He looked towards Qiao Ci's bedroom, his gaze flickering.
Undoubtedly, these food supplies must be related to her.
Even without any danger, moving so much food would take two to three hours. Considering the fresh meat and wild vegetables, how did she manage to bring them back?
He subtly closed the storage room door, deciding to assess the situation first.
Around 12 o'clock, Qiao Ci's bedroom door finally opened from the inside.
"Good morning," Su Ye greeted Qiao Ci proactively.
"It's not morning, it's noon." Qiao Ci, to avoid eating for free, had gone to find ingredients overnight and had only managed to sleep near dawn.
She couldn't sleep peacefully during the day, which made her unhappy.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Ci retorted him right away. Su Ye didn't know what he had done to displease her, so he changed the subject. "What do you want to eat today?"
Qiao Ci's eyes lit up. "Can I order?"
So she was a foodie after all? Thinking about the relatively abundant food in the storage room, Su Ye nodded. "I'll try my best."
Qiao Ci excitedly listed more than ten dishes.
In his entire life, Su Ye was dumbfounded for the first time.
Miss, it's the apocalypse!
Are you kidding me?
Reminded by Little Spoon, Qiao Ci said with a tight face, "These are all dishes I used to love. The conditions are limited in the apocalypse now, so it's fine to just eat something simple."
Thinking about the food in the storage room, Su Ye suppressed his rising irritation and said, "My cooking isn't great, so don't have high expectations."