Apocalypse: I'm the Landlady of the Refuge

"You’ve grown up with Hao’er since you were a child, and I, as a grandmother, have seen how he treats you with my own eyes."

Grandma patted Ji Wanwan’s hand, her eyes filled with affection, "Child, Hao’er has you in his heart, and that has never changed over all these years.

I understand that times are different now, and you are now the base lord, a person of high stature, perhaps already no longer on the same level as Hao’er.

Grandma doesn’t mean to morally bind you; I just want to tell you that whether or not you will accept Hao’er, in our hearts, you are the only one who deserves this bracelet, so please accept it, as a fulfillment of our wishes, okay?"

Ji Wanwan’s eyelashes trembled, feeling the weight of too many emotions carried by the bracelet on her wrist, as heavy as a thousand pounds.

How could she not know about Qi Hao’s feelings for her, but her heart was buried with too many matters, and these deep-rooted sentiments didn’t even have the chance to sprout before she would completely forget them.

Seeing Grandma’s earnest gaze, Ji Wanwan heaved a soft sigh, "Grandma, let’s agree beforehand that I will keep this Jade Bracelet for the moment, and when Brother Qi Hao finds someone he wants to spend his life with, I will return the Jade Bracelet to him."

Although Ji Wanwan did not accept the bracelet outright, she had after all made a concession, making Grandma’s smile a bit more genuine.

She looked fondly at her grandson sleeping on the bed, "Good, good, as long as you are willing to take it, everything is up to you!"

Ji Wanwan smiled graciously, "Then Grandma, can you go back to sleep with me now?"

This time, Grandma did not linger, "Let’s go, we’ll go back now!"

The two left the private space, unaware that Qi Hao on the bed once again slightly curled his fingers...

...

At the door, the worried crowd saw the two emerge and couldn’t help but hold their breath in anticipation.

Upon closer observation, they noticed that Grandma’s expression had softened, and there was a faint satisfied smile in her eyes, prompting everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

It seemed Wanwan had handled the situation well, and they need not worry.

The keen Zhou Kai noticed an extra lustrous Jade Bracelet on Ji Wanwan’s fair wrist and couldn’t help but narrow his eyes, a hint of curiosity flickering within.

The quality of the Jade Bracelet was good; it was a fine piece of jade and likely came with a hefty price tag.

If he remembered correctly, this Jade Bracelet was originally on Qi Hao’s Grandma’s wrist, so how did it end up with Boss Ji?

Associating it with Grandma’s content and satisfied demeanor, Zhou Kai suddenly thought of something, his pupils dilating with shock.

His hand, hanging by his side, clenched unnaturally into a fist, his knuckles turning white with the force.

Ji Wanwan, unaware of his turmoil, simply suggested that everyone go back to rest since they had to be busy expanding the base at the crack of dawn, and couldn’t afford to mishandle important matters due to lack of sleep.

After escorting Grandma back to her suite, Ji Wanwan dragged her weary body back to her private space.

By then, everyone had left, except for Zhou Kai.

Seeing the tall figure hidden in the dim light, Ji Wanwan was somewhat taken aback, "Brother Kai?"

The man leaning against the wall heard her voice and straightened up, his gaze, which had been somewhat dispersed, slowly gathered and fixed on the girl approaching him.

"Is Grandma asleep?" The man’s gaze was elusive, as if he was troubled, yet he chose to talk about something else.

Ji Wanwan nodded, "She is asleep. What about you, Brother Kai? Dawn is near, aren’t you going to rest?"

Zhou Kai chuckled lightly, "I’m not very tired."

A High-level Superpower Awakened, with physical strength and spiritual power that were far beyond that of ordinary people, could go days and nights without sleep without being greatly affected.

So it’s true, Zhou Kai wasn’t lying.

Similarly, Ji Wanwan wasn’t actually that tired either, it was just habit; it seemed appropriate to sleep at this point, or else it would feel awkward.

Knowing Zhou Kai had something to say, she opened the door and made an inviting gesture, "Come in and have a seat."

Zhou Kai didn’t stand on ceremony and walked in with long strides, seating himself on the couch naturally, although his gaze lingered unintentionally on Qi Hao’s bedroom door.

Ji Wanwan opened the refrigerator to look for juice, "Brother Kai, do you want some coffee?

Although neither of them was very sleepy, a cup of coffee would provide a pick-me-up, and they would feel more comfortable.

Zhou Kai nodded slightly, "Sure."

Soon, Ji Wanwan came over with a cup of coffee and a glass of juice, sitting down on the couch and naturally handing the coffee to Zhou Kai, "The nights in the autumn are still a bit chilly, so I didn’t add ice. Try it."

Zhou Kai took it and sipped lightly.

The unique bitterness of the coffee bloomed between his lips and teeth, and then a sweetness unique to coconut milk spread up his throat. Unlike the usually bitter coffee he drank, this one was exceptionally good.

Zhou Kai couldn’t help but take another sip, "Thank you."

Ji Wanwan held her juice and took two big gulps with satisfaction, narrowing her eyes, "Brother Kai, are you troubled about something?"

Zhou Kai unconsciously looked down at the bracelet on Ji Wanwan’s wrist, "It’s nothing, I was just thinking that once the base expands tomorrow, we’ll get busier. It will be difficult to find time to sit together and chat leisurely like we are now, so I want to grab onto this last chance to spend more time with you."

Ji Wanwan laughed, "Since when did you start spouting such cheesy lines, Brother Kai?"

But Zhou Kai was dead serious, "It’s four-thirty in the morning now, and there’s still an hour and a half until dawn..."

He took out a pocket watch from the inner pocket near his heart, opened the lid, and handed it to Ji Wanwan.

Inside the cover was a photo mounted on the face of the watch, a family portrait of three people: a young woman dressed in a cheongsam and two children.

The photo was small, but Ji Wanwan recognized at a glance that the taller child was Zhou Kai.

She couldn’t help but gently touch the little Zhou Kai on the pocket watch with her fingertip. His sharp eyebrows carried his signature impatience, immature yet unmistakably handsome and cool.

The woman holding him had gentle eyes, the warmth characteristic of women from the water towns. She smiled softly, elegant and beautiful like a lily, but the faint sorrow in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

The other little girl cradled in the woman’s arms brimmed with naive innocence, evidently carefree.

Faced with such a tender photo, Ji Wanwan’s heart softened too, "Is this your family?"

Zhou Kai nodded slightly, "This is my mother and sister."

Ji Wanwan sighed from the bottom of her heart, "They’re very beautiful. The photos are so lovely, they must be even more so in person."

Yet Zhou Kai felt a twinge in his heart, his voice becoming hoarse, "Unfortunately, they’re no longer here. Otherwise, they would have liked you a lot too."

Ji Wanwan’s throat tightened.

It was just a casual remark from her, not having considered the possibility that, in this apocalypse, Brother Kai’s family might have already perished.

Her words, no doubt, were a fresh blow to Zhou Kai’s heart.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Ji Wanwan quickly raised her head to look at Zhou Kai, "I’m sorry, I..."

Before she could finish, Zhou Kai shook his head and gently covered Ji Wanwan’s lips with his finger, "No need to apologize. They’ve been gone for many years, and I’ve long since gotten used to it..."