24: Chapter 24 Are you two dating?

He used a bit too much strength, throwing Xu Wanning directly into Lu Chengyue. If not for Lu Chengyue's steady stance, the two of them would have fallen to the ground in an embrace.

"Hey, hey!" Lin Wanqiu and Qin Qingru rushed over in a panic to help them up.

Lu Chengyue steadied Xu Wanning, helping her stand up. "Are you okay?"

Xu Wanning shook her head, taking the opportunity to stroke his pectoral muscle before standing firm. "I'm fine."

Lu Chengyue's body went rigid. This was the second time. Last time, he could tell himself it wasn't intentional, but this time, the touch had been too deliberate; he couldn't fool himself into thinking it was an accident.

His ear tips turned red. There were too many people around now; it wasn't the right time to talk about this. He would wait—wait until they were settled before addressing it.

The Lu siblings had driven over in two cars. Lu Zhiyu arranged for the grandparents to get into her car and beckoned to Xu Wanning, "Ningning, come over here."

Lu Chengyue blocked her, opened the passenger door, and shoved her inside. "She's riding with me. I don't know the location."

Lu Zhiyu thought her brother made sense, so she didn't say anything and went to the driver's seat.

Xu Yu very consciously opened the door and got in. Lin Wanqiu and Qin Qingru, feeling uneasy, also got into that car.

After Xu Wanning sat down, she instinctively waited for Lu Chengyue to fasten her seatbelt.

Lu Chengyue didn't think anything of it either, leaning over very naturally to pull the seatbelt.

Xu Wanning used her old trick and blew into his ear. Seeing his ears turn red, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The three people in the back seat had their eyes wide open, not daring to blink. Are… are these two kids dating?

Lin Wanqiu was too embarrassed to ask, but Qin Qingru wasn't. "Ningning, are you two dating?"

Lu Chengyue, who had just pulled the seatbelt over and clicked it in, panicked instantly. "No, no, Second Aunt."

Xu Wanning was unhappy. Was it really necessary to rush to clear things up like that?

However, Qin Qingru was very sharp. "Then why do you call me Second Aunt, just like Nickname does?"

Calling the grandparents that was normal, but calling her "Second Aunt" wasn't. If they were just ordinary friends, he should have called her "Aunt."

Lu Chengyue's ear tips turned bright red. "I, um, I..."

Xu Wanning snuck a look at him and couldn't help but laugh. "Second Aunt, don't tease him. He didn't overthink it; it's fine for him to follow my lead. Doesn't Zhiyu call you that too?"

Qin Qingru 'glared' at her. "A girl grown is hard to keep at home."

Xu Wanning smiled embarrassedly. Even Second Aunt could see her intentions; was Lu Chengyue really oblivious?

She was starting to lose confidence. In this lifetime, Lu Chengyue hadn't experienced the three years of The Apocalypse with her, hadn't spent that time together—would he really end up with her?

The car went quiet for a moment. No one spoke, as everyone could feel the cold aura radiating from Xu Wanning.

Lu Zhiyu might have been getting impatient; she started her car first and zoomed off, with Lu Chengyue quickly following.

Throughout the journey, Xu Wanning didn't speak to Lu Chengyue, instead pointing out the buildings and landmarks they passed.

"Rest today. Tomorrow, I'll have Zhiyu take you around. After all, after The Apocalypse, these places might not still be here."

Supplies could be taken away, but these landmark buildings couldn't be moved, nor could they be protected.

Lin Wanqiu felt a bit melancholic. "I've wanted to visit Jing City for a long time, but never had the chance. Now, seeing this… *sigh*."

Qin Qingru patted her, remaining very optimistic. "Sister-in-law, this time might be different. Ningning said she would talk to the higher-ups, and the state will have our backs. As for those zombies, maybe they'll be wiped out before long."

Xu Yu agreed wholeheartedly. "That's right, Auntie. My sister is back, what do we have to fear?"

Lu Chengyue glanced at Xu Wanning from the corner of his eye. Three years of The Apocalypse—she must have experienced so much. But why was she interested in him?

His sister said she had provided a list of big shots from The Apocalypse and told them to get close to these people. Could he be considered one of them? And had the task of getting close to him fallen to her?

Feeling his gaze, Xu Wanning turned to him, confused. "What's wrong?"

Lu Chengyue shook his head. "Nothing."

An hour later, the car stopped at the back door of the cold weapon shop.

Grandpa Zhou had sent someone to wait there in advance. As soon as they knocked, someone opened the door. "The boss told me to wait here for you. Come in quickly; the rooms have already been arranged for everyone."

"Thank you," Xu Wanning said. This was her first time in this backyard, and she hadn't expected it to be so large—much bigger than a typical courtyard house.

The employee led them to the guest rooms. There were five rooms in total: one for the grandparents, and separate ones for Xu Wanning, Lin Wanqiu, Qin Qingru, and Xu Yu. There were none for the Lu siblings, as it was known they wouldn't be staying there.

Xu Yu fell in love with the place at first sight. "Oh my god, this is so cool! It's like the place where heroes in period dramas live."

"Stop shouting and go wash up and sleep." Xu Wanning waved her hand to get them to go rest, then she walked the Lu siblings to the door.

At the entrance, Lu Chengyue stood directly facing her, his voice low. "In the past life, where was I? Why did you die?"

Lu Zhiyu had told him everything she knew. He could guess that everyone's fate had been tragic, but Lu Zhiyu hadn't mentioned that he had died. Yet, if Xu Wanning had died, would he have survived?

He didn't think he would have let Xu Wanning die, unless he was already dead himself.

Xu Wanning looked him straight in the eyes. "We died together. At the time, you were severely injured. To help buy me time for rescue, you blocked the rooftop entrance alone. I didn't want to live alone, so I detonated the crystal nucleus inside my body and perished with the zombies."

Her voice was calm. She often dreamed of that day's scene. She didn't regret her choice back then; after all, even if she had chosen to leave with the rescue team, it was uncertain how long she would have survived.

A woman, especially a beautiful one—what kind of ending could she expect? Even though she was an Ability User, there were many others with higher abilities. If they wanted to do something to her, it would be effortless.

She wasn't being narcissistic; in the past life, even with Lu Chengyue's protection, people had tried to take advantage of her time and again. If not for Lu Chengyue keeping a close watch, it was hard to say what would have happened.

Lu Chengyue's pupils constricted slightly. He knew it—how could he have let Xu Wanning die first? "Fool."

He meant that she shouldn't have detonated herself; why not live if she could? Only by living was there hope.

Xu Wanning shook her head. "No, by dying then, I died with my purity intact. If I had lived on, that might not have been the case."

Lu Chengyue understood. His heart felt as if it had been struck hard. He was a man, too; how could he not know the base nature of men, especially those with power and status?

So, it made sense that she had reached out to him first thing after returning. She must have wanted to build a relationship in advance, so that he could protect her just like in the past life—no, perhaps even more thoroughly than before.

Xu Wanning felt that there was something new in Lu Chengyue's eyes that she couldn't decipher. What was he thinking? Or had he misunderstood something? "You..."

She wanted to explain, but Lu Zhiyu suddenly spoke up, interrupting her. "It's getting late, Brother. Let's head back and let Ningning rest. She has to go to Meng City tomorrow."