Xie Ning turned her head and saw Song Xue hurrying toward their table.
It had been several days since they’d last seen her, and Song Xue’s face seemed even more gaunt and pale than before.
Song Zhaodi ran over after her, tugging at Song Xue’s sleeve.
She had no idea what had gotten into Song Xue; there was a huge pile of bowls waiting for them to wash in the back kitchen.
How did she have the time to be over here chatting up Xie Ning and her friends?
In truth, they had only come out to clear dishes and wipe tables. But then Song Xue had suddenly untied her apron, a look of delighted surprise on her face as she ran toward Xie Ning’s table.
Her intentions were all too obvious.
And asking, "What brings you here?"
Was she blind?
It was obvious they were all in the middle of a meal!
The previously harmonious atmosphere was instantly shattered by Song Xue, plunging the table into an awkward silence.
If it weren’t for his excellent upbringing forcing him to exercise restraint, Gu Chen would have been tempted to flip the table right then and there.
’What kind of psycho is she?’
’He’d never even spoken to this Song Xue, so he had no idea how she’d latched on to him like this.’
Seeing that Gu Chen and the others had all gone silent, Song You’ai gave an awkward laugh. "Song Xue? You? You work here?"
"No, no." Song Xue waved her hands frantically, terrified that her crush would look down on her for just being a dishwasher.
"I... Zhaodi and I came here to eat." Song Xue tugged on Song Zhaodi beside her, her gaze fixed on Gu Chen, never moving an inch.
If she had bothered to glance back at Song Zhaodi, she would have noticed.
Song Zhaodi was still wearing the base’s main cafeteria apron and had a pair of dark blue dishwashing gloves on her hands.
Seeing her tell such a bald-faced lie, Song You’ai felt there was nothing more to say, and the atmosphere instantly grew cold again.
Song Xue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at the group shyly. "C-can I..."
Gu Chen couldn’t take it anymore. He gently pushed his bowl away and set down his chopsticks. "Aunt Song, Xiao Lu and I have some business to attend to, so we’ll be leaving first."
Lu Wei also stood up and smiled politely at everyone. "Please, take your time. Excuse us."
"Hey, hey, but..." Song You’ai said, getting anxious. "You’ve barely taken two bites."
But the two men were already walking shoulder to shoulder toward the cafeteria exit, not looking back.
It was quite a beautiful picture. In fact, everyone in the cafeteria had been secretly watching their table.
Now, seeing the two of them turn and leave, it felt as if even the blinding sunlight from outside could barely contain their dazzling radiance.
Just as he reached the doorway, Gu Chen suddenly turned his head to meet Xie Ning’s gaze, giving her a small, pitifully wronged look.
Xie Ning didn’t know what came over her. By the time she came to her senses, she had already raised her hand and tossed two lunch boxes at them.
Thankfully, she had tied the lunch boxes tightly in a plastic bag; otherwise, she would have splattered braised pork sauce all over their faces...
That would have completely ruined the aesthetic, haha.
Gu Chen just barely managed to catch the lunch boxes. He grinned at Xie Ning, gave her a wink, and waved goodbye.
Yu Tianfeng glanced at their retreating backs, then silently turned, pulled out his phone, and used it to check his reflection. Looking at his face, which was as grimy as a stray cat’s, he suddenly wiped away a black smudge.
’Maybe I should go wash my face?’
Song You’ai looked at Song Xue, who was standing frozen by their table with a deathly pale face. Unable to bear it, she started to say, "Song Xue..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Song Xue let out a "WAH!", turned, and bolted out of the cafeteria, leaving everyone in a state of utter embarrassment.
He Shuping looked at Song Zhaodi, who was still standing there awkwardly. "Zhaodi, why don’t you sit down and have something to eat?"
Song Zhaodi waved her hands frantically. "I... I have to get back to work. There’s a lot waiting for me, so I won’t disturb you all any longer."
With that, she scurried away as if escaping, heading to the next table to clear the dishes and deftly wipe it down.
"Zhaodi is a good kid," He Shuping sighed, then said to the others, "Let’s eat. There’s still a lot of food; let’s not waste it."
The cafeteria was very spacious, with good cross-ventilation and large electric fans running.
So, the meal didn’t end up being as hot as they might have imagined.
After he finished eating, Yu Tianfeng politely said his goodbyes to the elders and returned to the lab to continue his work.
He Shuping saw that there was still a lot of food left on the table, so she started packing it into plastic bags.
Just then, that girl Song Xue reappeared before them, drifting over like a wandering spirit, utterly listless and dejected.
He Shuping, who was in the middle of packing up the last plate of spicy chicken, glanced up at her.
Unexpectedly, Song Xue suddenly dropped to her knees with a THUD in front of Xie Ning.
He Shuping was so startled her hand trembled, and she nearly dropped the plate.
What was going on? Everyone stared at Song Xue, completely dumbfounded.
’Is there something wrong with this girl?’
Noticing all the curious stares from around the cafeteria turning toward them, Song You’ai’s expression darkened. She reached out to help her up. "Song Xue, dear, what are you doing? Get up, quickly."
He Shuping also put down the plate and tried to smooth things over with a smile. "Song Xue, dear, are you not feeling well?"
But Song Xue ignored them, crawling forward two steps and reaching for Xie Ning’s leg. "Ningning, please leave Brother Gu Chen and the others, won’t you?"
"I have nothing left now. I’m the only one left in my family. It was Brother Gu Chen and the others who saved me. I’ll never be able to forget that day."
"They broke down the door and saved me from my mother, who had gone mad."
"From that day on, I’ve told myself that Brother Gu Chen and his men are my saviors, my salvation in this life. I can’t live without Brother Gu Chen."
"Ningning, I know you’re a Superpower User. You’re already so strong, so can you please not fight with me for Brother Gu Chen’s protection?"
"Please leave them, Ningning, okay? Just leave them."
Song You’ai took one look at the situation.
’This is bad!’
A massive storm was now brewing behind her daughter’s usually calm and unruffled face.
’And she had just managed to soothe the girl’s explosive temper, too!’
’Song Xue was walking right into the line of fire!’
"Get lost." Xie Ning kicked away Song Xue, who was lunging forward to grab her, her eyes filled with deep disgust.
"I’ve seen shameless people before, but I’ve never met someone as utterly shameless and disgraceful as you!" Xie Ning sneered. "And you dare to have the surname Song. You’re a true insult to the name."
"You think everyone’s like you, with a head full of shit all day long."
"Ningning, don’t be angry, I’m begging you, please?" Song Xue cried, her face a pale, tear-streaked mess, her expression one of humble pleading. "If I don’t have Brother Gu Chen and Brother Lu Wei to protect me, I might die."
"Get the hell out!" Xie Ning was absolutely sick of women like Song Xue. "I don’t have as many ’brothers’ as you do."
Seeing that Song Xue was about to lunge at her again, a Metal Spike from Xie Ning suddenly shot out, stopping right in front of Song Xue’s eyes.
Reflected in Song Xue’s widened left pupil was a long, sharp metal spike, glinting with a cold light, barely an inch from her face.
Terrified, she fell backward, landing hard on the ground.
"The next time you dare come within five meters of me, don’t blame me for being ruthless and destroying you, you wilting little flower!" Xie Ning shot her one last cold look, then turned and walked away.
’Surviving in the apocalypse is hard enough.’
’Instead of using your limited life to do something meaningful, you waste it on all this romantic drama.’
’Utterly pointless!’