5: Chapter 5 Can I give myself to you in return?

Lu Chengyue glanced at Xu Wanning's empty water cup. "Do you want more water?"

Xu Wanning blinked her beautiful peach blossom eyes. "Okay."

Lu Chengyue walked over, picked up her cup, unconsciously rubbed the rim, filled it with water, and handed it over.

Xu Wanning reached out with both hands to take it. Her fingertips brushed against his fingers; they were cool. Her finger pads grazed the calluses on the web of his hand, feeling rough.

She didn't pull back, and neither did he.

It lasted for about three seconds before Lu Chengyue let go of the cup and returned to his seat.

He didn't touch that oxygen mask again, but instead leaned back against the chair with his arms crossed over his chest—a very clear defensive posture.

Xu Wanning sighed inwardly. Did this guy realize she had ulterior motives so quickly? Was it necessary to be this guarded?

He realized it, but when they touched just now, he didn't dodge. That was interesting.

It was time to go. Xu Wanning looked at Lu Zhiyu. "Zhiyu, let's go. Don't disturb your brother's rest."

She said the word 'you' very softly, but the word 'brother' very heavily. The distance between them was enough for Lu Chengyue to hear 'brother' but not 'you'.

His heart was struck hard, and he couldn't help but frown. He couldn't figure out what she meant.

The three best friends didn't feel like anything was wrong and got up to pack their things.

Lu Zhiyu tightened her grip on her bag. "Brother, we're leaving now. How much liquid cash do you have? Can you lend some to me first?"

Lu Chengyue put down what he was holding, stood up, and stared at his sister. "What for?"

He didn't have much to spend money on. After working as a firefighter for four years, most of his money was saved up—he had 500,000.

This was what he had prepared to use for marrying a wife. He glanced at Xu Wanning, but quickly retracted his gaze. He didn't want to lend it.

Lu Zhiyu didn't know how to tell her older brother. "I, I want to buy some things."

She had actually thought about telling her brother that The Apocalypse was coming, but she was afraid it wouldn't come.

If her brother knew, he would definitely report it. If it attracted the attention of higher-ups and then The Apocalypse didn't actually happen, everyone in the know would be arrested, including her brother who reported it. It was better to quietly hoard supplies first and wait until Ningning's space was full before deciding.

"Buy what?" Lu Chengyue didn't relent.

Wen Shuyang and Song Yunqing silently shrank back. They didn't dare to make a sound; it seemed there was no hope for the money today.

Xu Wanning stared at Lu Chengyue for a long time, then opened her lips. "Brother Chengyue, I'm the one who wants to borrow this money. I'll pay you back in three months. If I can't pay it back, can I compensate you with myself?"

The three best friends looked at Xu Wanning in unison, stunned. They hadn't expected that Ningning would dare to say anything just to get the money.

Lu Chengyue was also looking at her, the emotions in his eyes complex. He didn't know if she was serious, joking, or just teasing him for fun.

Also, 'Brother Chengyue'—this form of address was very special. It was the first time someone had called him that. For some reason, it felt quite comfortable.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xu Wanning lowered her head slightly, feeling a bit disappointed. "Is it not okay? If not, then forget it..."

Lu Chengyue cut her off decisively. "Okay."

Lu Zhiyu and the other two were stunned. This actually worked?! Especially Lu Zhiyu, she couldn't be more surprised!

Lu Chengyue went out to the dormitory and quickly returned with a bank card, which he handed to Xu Wanning. "The password is 667788. You don't need to rush to pay back the money, and you don't need to compensate me with yourself."

On the way to the dormitory, he had figured it out. This girl was probably just joking, thinking it was fun to tease an old-fashioned guy like him.

She was so beautiful that she must have many suitors, just not the type like him. She found it interesting and wanted to tease him, but in reality, there wasn't much sincerity.

Xu Wanning held the bank card, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "Thank you. Brother Chengyue, let's add each other on wechat. I'll contact you when I have the money."

Lu Chengyue took out his phone from his pants pocket and opened the QR code. "We don't look at our phones often. You can give the card to Zhiyu."

Xu Wanning gave a hum, unsure if she was agreeing or not, and sent a friend request.

Leaving the Fire Station and waiting for a car at the entrance, Lu Zhiyu suddenly spoke up. "My brother is so strange today."

Xu Wanning chuckled. "How is he strange?"

"He usually doesn't talk much, but today he was exceptionally quiet. He barely said a few words the whole time. Plus, he lent you money and added you on wechat. Before, when other girls asked for his wechat, he actually told them he didn't have a phone."

Xu Wanning pinched Lu Zhiyu's cheek. "He must have lent the money for your sake as his sister. I don't even know him right now."

Wen Shuyang raised her hand. "Is it possible that he has taken a liking to you, Ningning, and really intends to make you his wife?"

"Mhm, mhm." Song Yunqing nodded in agreement.

Before Xu Wanning could say anything, Lu Zhiyu started laughing, rocking back and forth. "Impossible. My brother is a die-hard straight man who doesn't feel sparks with women; he doesn't have those cells. My mom even said that the fire truck is my brother's wife."

With her interruption, Wen Shuyang and Song Yunqing dismissed that idea.

Xu Wanning rubbed her fingers. That wasn't necessarily true; in her past life, he wasn't like that.

As soon as the ride-hailing car arrived, the four of them quickly got in.

Xu Wanning's phone vibrated. A wechat message from Lu Chengyue—he had accepted her friend request.

She stared at the screen for three seconds, then flipped the phone over onto her lap. It took him so long to accept; he must have gone through a long brainstorming session in those few minutes.

The corners of her lips couldn't help but rise by two pixels. It was good that he accepted; now that he had, she could harass him.

The ride-hailing car stopped in the city center. This was a cold weapon shop that Lu Zhiyu had found while in the car. It didn't matter if they couldn't be sharpened; they could buy some sharpening tools and sharpen them themselves. The point was to have them.

Standing in front of the cold weapon shop, Wen Shuyang pouted. "Ningning, won't we have any Supernatural ability after The Apocalypse? Aren't Supernatural ability very powerful in novels?"

She didn't know how to use swords or blades at all. If she really had to use them, who knows if she'd be killing zombies or killing herself.

"We will." Xu Wanning stared at the imposing door. "Zhiyu has Water Ability, Yangyang has Wood Ability, Qingqing has Healing Ability, and I have Space Ability."

Actually, in her past life, she also had an Ice Ability—a dual-ability user, which was very rare. However, at this moment, she didn't perceive any Ice Ability and wasn't sure if she could awaken it in this lifetime, so she wouldn't mention it for now.

"Oh my god." Wen Shuyang covered her mouth. "Aren't we invincible? Wood Ability for forcing growth, Water Ability for water supply, Healing Ability for treatment, and Space Ability for storage."

"As long as we have enough seeds, I can continuously force food to grow. We won't even need to hoard that many things."

Lu Zhiyu and Song Yunqing were also very excited. They were definitely the chosen ones.

Xu Wanning flicked each of them on the forehead. "If only it were really like that. Haven't you realized that our combat ability is not good?"

"At most, Zhiyu and Yangyang can still put up a fight, but once used for combat, there's no way to provide for daily life."

"Besides, Supernatural ability have levels. When first awakened, it's F-rank, and the Supernatural ability can only be output continuously for half an hour."

"E-rank is one hour, D-rank is two hours, C-rank is three hours, B-rank is four hours, A-rank is five hours, S-rank is six hours, SS-rank is seven hours, and SSS-rank is eight hours."

"However, when we died in our past life, everyone's highest rank was only C-rank. The rest of those durations were inferred by experts based on the previous ones."