193: You've got a big face, trying to eat and drink for free?

Ai Yue, annoyed by the noise, moved farther away, then watched Gong Qiumu, who was desperately shaking Gong Qiuqiu, with a complicated expression. Gong Qiumu was shouting loudly.

Ai Yue tried to open her mouth several times, but found she wasn't given a chance to speak.

In the end, she could only close her mouth and quietly watch him torment Gong Qiuqiu.

"Ugh..."

Gong Qiuqiu was shaken awake.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his silly younger brother crying like he was at a funeral, snot bubbling from his nose, and still vigorously shaking him.

The shaking made his head even dizzier.

"Gong Qiumu..." Gong Qiuqiu called out helplessly.

Hearing his brother's voice, Gong Qiumu instantly widened his eyes and looked at the brother in his arms.

"Wah... Brother, you're not dead! Wuwu, I, I thought, I thought you were dead! You scared, you scared me to death..." The young man couldn't bear the sudden mix of grief and joy and burst into loud sobs.

Gong Qiuqiu, his face pale, rubbed his temples weakly and said helplessly, "Alright, aren't I fine? You're acting truly embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? What's embarrassing? I don't care about being embarrassed! I'm not, not afraid," Gong Qiumu stammered between sobs.

Gong Qiuqiu truly didn't have the strength to comfort his younger brother and asked weakly, "Do you have anything to eat?"

"E-eat? Food?" Gong Qiumu hiccuped while crying and quickly said, "Yes, I do! Aunt Li made some vegetable pancakes. I couldn't bear to eat them, so I saved several pieces."

Gong Qiumu quickly pulled out a cloth bundle from his clothes, carefully opened it, and revealed three vegetable pancakes.

"Brother, they're all for you! Eat quickly, you must be starving! Luckily, I stayed with Aunt Li and the others, so I didn't go hungry. You haven't eaten anything these past few days you were missing, have you? My poor brother, when have you ever suffered like this? It's all my fault. If I hadn't snuck out and left home, you wouldn't have come here, and you wouldn't have run into such bad luck..."

As Gong Qiumu spoke, he couldn't stop rambling.

Gong Qiuqiu frowned deeply upon hearing this, finally losing his patience and saying, "Gong Qiumu, can you stop talking for a moment? Carry me. I haven't had water for days. Get me some water to drink."

"Oh! I remember there's still a lot of food and water in the escape pod! Let's go find Aunt Li." After saying this, he carried Gong Qiuqiu on his back and didn't forget to call out to Ai Yue, "Sister Ai Yue, come on! Don't just stand there. You must be tired too. Hurry back and rest!"

Ai Yue was truly resigned to the young man's impulsive nature and said with a smile, "You go first, I'll be right behind you."

Gong Qiumu vanished in a flash. Ai Yue shook her head and walked toward where her parents were located.

By the time Ai Yue arrived, Gong Qiuqiu had already eaten and drunk his fill, wearing a look of contentment.

"Ai Yue, you're back just in time. Now that Nameless Mountain is gone, and you no longer have a place to stay, why don't you return to the Yingjin Safety Tower?" Mo Li immediately spoke upon seeing Ai Yue return.

Hearing his words, the others stopped what they were doing and looked towards Ai Yue.

Ai Yue took the vegetable pancake and water handed to her by Ye Rui, took a large bite, and said indistinctly with a full mouth, "Thank you for the kind thought, but since we've left, we don't plan on going back. So, let's forget your suggestion."

"No room for negotiation?"

"No negotiation!"

"Why? It couldn't be because of Cheng Siyu, right?"

Mo Li's words made Ai Yue laugh. The corner of her mouth curled in disdain: "Her? She isn't qualified to be the reason I don't go to your base!"

"Then why are you so determined not to go?" Mo Li asked, still unwilling to give up.

"What you're saying isn't pleasant to hear. I suggest you stop talking in the future. Oh, right, almost everyone who came here with you is dead. You should hurry back," Ai Yue said expressionlessly.

"You're kicking me out?"

"Is it that obvious? Then yes," Ai Yue shrugged indifferently.

Mo Li was displeased. He had, after all, shared life-and-death experiences with everyone here. Besides, their relationship used to be very good. Why was Ai Yue treating him like a stranger now?

He was very confused. As for leaving? He definitely wouldn't go. If he left now, he wouldn't know when he'd see Ye Rui again.

"I'm not leaving!" Mo Li declared.

"What? You're not leaving? You want to stay with our family and eat and drink for free? You wish! I'm telling you, no way! Go back where you came from immediately!"

Hearing him say that, Ai Guosheng immediately refused, frowning as he tried to chase him away.

"Uncle Ai, don't chase me away! I'm very useful; I can help you share a lot of tasks," Mo Li said. He hadn't expected to be chased off. He was capable and useful, so why was he so unwelcome here?

"Oh, please! If you do all the work, what will I do? Wouldn't that make me look useless? I still need to please my dear wife! You little brat, go cool off somewhere cooler!"

He intended to be the indispensable man of the house; how could he let someone steal his job!

"Then can I just eat and drink for free?" Mo Li asked tentatively, his heart filled with a thousand curses.

Ai Guosheng glared, becoming even more displeased: "You're a grown man, how can you be so shameless? Why are you dreaming such a beautiful dream? You've got some nerve, asking to eat and drink for free!"

Mo Li, having never been so scorned in his life, looked upset. He glanced at Ye Rui and muttered, "Why is chasing a wife so hard? Sigh..."

No one heard clearly what he was saying, but besides Ye Rui, no one present cared about him anyway.

"Since you are unwilling to go to the Yingjin Safety Tower, come settle down at our base first. You can move whenever you find a suitable place; we absolutely won't force you to stay."

Gong Qiuqiu spoke gently and courteously, his expression warm.

"Hey, you're trying to poach people!" Mo Li said, looking wary.

"Mr. Mo Li, what are you saying? Ai Yue and I are friends. Now that she's in trouble, I'm just offering her a place to stay. It's not what you think."

"Exactly! Sister Ai Yue, Uncle and Auntie, and Ye Rui are just staying with us temporarily. They are free to leave or stay as they wish," Gong Qiumu said, unwilling to be outdone.

"Enough, stop talking! My family will think about it properly. I'm tired, and I need to rest for a while." Ai Yue had a headache from listening. She quickly interrupted, not wanting to hear their meaningless argument continue.

Ai Yue ignored everyone else, entered the escape pod, lay down in a chair, and quickly fell asleep.

Seeing this, Gong Qiuqiu also entered the escape pod, preparing to take a nap.

The others had been inside the escape pod for too long and temporarily didn't want to go back in, so they all stayed outside.

As for Mo Li, he was still constantly trying to persuade Ai Guosheng and Li Shilan to agree to let him stay.