To be fair, as the male lead, the author had given Fu Yinli everything—an excellent family background, outstanding looks, and even a good romance.
So being this close, Ruan Zhe was completely overwhelmed by his handsome face. She could even feel the heat radiating off him. There was a saying she suddenly thought of: dumplings should be eaten plump, and men should be found warm.
Subconsciously, she held her breath.
“I’m not a masochist. I don’t like that kind of thing!” Ruan Zhe panicked and shoved him away.
The original heroine’s constitution was absurdly powerful. After enduring so much abuse from the male lead, male supporting characters, and female supporting characters, she still ended up living happily ever after with Fu Yinli in the end.
But Ruan Zhe knew she couldn’t do it. If Fu Yinli ever treated her like that, she would probably stab him to death.
And then she suddenly realized something—during these past few days together, her relationship with Fu Yinli had unknowingly become much closer.
The suspension bridge effect.
A sudden sense of crisis rose within her. No matter what, she was already starting to rely on Fu Yinli—and he was, after all, the original heroine’s man.
She felt like she was interfering in someone else’s relationship. That made her very uncomfortable.
They could be partners, but not lovers.
Fu Yinli, who had been pushed away, didn’t move at all. But he was extremely sensitive—he immediately sensed her retreat and coldness.
Just a moment ago everything had been fine. Just a moment ago she had been interested in his body. Why had she suddenly changed?
Fu Yinli didn’t understand. He didn’t move any closer. Instead, he withdrew and lay down at the edge of the bed.
The RV lights were turned off. There was no need for night watch. One lay flat, the other on their side—yet neither could sleep.
Ruan Zhe stared at the window curtain, feeling an indescribable heaviness in her chest. She forced herself to sleep.
“In the afternoon, the one who called me was my grandfather’s assistant.”
In the darkness, Fu Yinli spoke slowly.
Ruan Zhe immediately became interested and shifted slightly to show she was listening.
“For them, the apocalypse actually leaves a lot of room for maneuvering.”
Ruan Zhe understood this. The wealthier the family, the stronger their survival awareness. In a crisis, they often had more resources than ordinary people.
“After the earthquake struck, the Fu family estate was one of the most earthquake-resistant buildings. The damage wasn’t serious. Their supplies were enough to get through the initial crisis, and Grandpa quickly gathered people.”
With shelter, supplies, and manpower—those three things alone were enough to make survival much easier in the apocalypse.
“He asked where I was and told me to go back,” Fu Yinli said flatly, as if he had no intention of returning.
“You didn’t agree?” Ruan Zhe said. “If you want, when we get out later, I can send you back.”
He was the actual head of the Fu Corporation. Returning meant wealth, power, and his own forces.
They going their separate ways—that would be better.
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a faint laugh from the darkness. No—it was more like a mocking laugh.
“Ruan Zhe, you’re really naive.”
“You have something this valuable on you, and you still want me to go back? Aren’t you afraid that once I return, I’ll just capture you, use you, and turn you into a mobile storage unit?”
Before Ruan Zhe could even feel a chill, he continued:
“And the greater the benefit, the greater the risk. With something like you, do you even understand what level of danger the outside world is heading toward?”
“You’ve read so many apocalypse novels—tell me, what level do you think the current rainstorm and earthquake are? And that unknown zombie outbreak?”
“Also, Ruan Zhe—I don’t want to go back. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have stayed with you this long in the first place.”
Fu Yinli’s voice was cold, almost icy. But somehow, it made her feel a little better.
In the darkness, his silhouette was tall and silent. Even just his side profile was striking. There was no doubt this man was extremely attractive.
Ruan Zhe turned to face him. “I don’t know. Maybe… things could get very dangerous.”
Zombies, rainstorms, floods, earthquakes, extreme cold, extreme heat, endless day, endless night…
“Then Fu Yinli, would you turn me into a mobile storage unit?”
She admitted she hadn’t really thought that far.
When the earthquake hit, Fu Yinli had risked his life to save her. That had already earned her initial trust.
This was the first time he had spoken so much. Ruan Zhe realized that his relationship with the Fu family didn’t seem very good—maybe even cold. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him not to be in contact.
But in an apocalypse, where no one knew when it would end… could a person really remain unchanged?
She waited for his answer.
But Fu Yinli merely snorted coldly, turned over, and said nothing.
Ruan Zhe: “……”
Was he angry?
Looking at his broad back, she blinked.
Shouldn’t the one feeling uncomfortable be her? What was he even upset about?
Still, seeing him like this oddly reassured her a little. Her eyes slowly closed, and she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, they both woke up almost at the same time—awakened by a rooster crowing.
Chickens adapted quickly; their schedule was far more regular than theirs. At around six in the morning, it started crowing.
Ruan Zhe’s hair was a mess from sleep, but because it was soft, she looked a little dazed.
“You sleep a bit more. I’ll go boil water,” Fu Yinli said as he got out of bed, his face already expressionless again.
Ruan Zhe rubbed her head and agreed half-asleep.
Whatever. She’d just get by. It’s not like she could do anything else now—she didn’t even know if civil affairs offices still existed.
After getting up, she lifted the bed platform, cleaned the RV interior with a cloth, and finally felt more comfortable.
Now that there was water in the farm, she wasn’t as stingy as before.
After cleaning up, she pulled something out from behind the RV seat.
Fu Yinli had already lit the fire and walked over when he saw her struggling with it. “What is this?”
“I bought a blackboard. We’ll write down anything we need to do in the future.”
Good memory is worse than a bad pen. Supplies needed, farm plans—everything had to be organized step by step.
“Should I put it near the barn?” he asked.
The blackboard was 90×120 cm, with magnets, chalk, an eraser, cloth, hooks, and a stand. She had originally bought it to study languages while traveling.
Now it could serve as a task board instead. She liked everything structured and planned.
Ruan Zhe nodded, and once he placed it, she began writing.
Task List:
Fu Yinli had already picked up an axe to chop branches for the fence when he passed by and glanced at her writing.
Her handwriting was excellent—bold and free-spirited, nothing like her personality at all.
She was completely different from how she had been before mentioning divorce.
He had been somewhat angry yesterday—angry that the moment she noticed even a slight sign, she immediately wanted him gone.
But now that he thought about it… what was there to be angry about? They would still end up together anyway.
Saying nothing, he took off his jacket, revealing strong, defined arms.
“I don’t know how to build a fence.”