Chapter 205: Warmth

By the time An Nan returned from the 15th floor, Gu Zhiyu had already finished making dinner.

On the table were cheese corn, ham and pork floss sandwiches, shrimp and egg custard, pumpkin porridge, and soy milk.

There wasn’t a lot of any one dish, but there was a wide variety, filling up half the table.

An Nan sat down excitedly, grumbling, “If this keeps up, you’re definitely going to feed me until I’m fat.”

Gu Zhiyu smiled, his eyes gentle. “It’s good to be a little chubby—means you’re blessed.”

An Nan shot him a look.

Never mind whether being fat is a blessing or not—this is the apocalypse! Everyone else is skin and bones from hunger, and she definitely doesn’t want to be the only fat person left in the world.

That would be terrifying.

She scooped up a spoonful of egg custard and praised, “So tender!”

Then she added, “You don’t have to go to all this trouble in the future. It’s just the two of us—keep it simple.”

Gu Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. “You think this isn’t simple enough?”

He knew that with the current disasters, food was precious, so he was already being quite restrained with his cooking.

If this were before, An An wouldn’t have to scrimp and save like this with him.

Hearing this, An Nan couldn’t help but sigh, “There really is a big difference between rich families and us ordinary folks.”

Gu Zhiyu arched his brow. “Stop talking nonsense.”

He was about to say more when he suddenly noticed the jade necklace he’d given her hanging around her neck.

He smiled and complimented, “It suits you.”

The fine jade accentuated her fair skin and made her look even more radiant.

An Nan didn’t catch on. “What suits me?”

She followed his gaze and looked down at her neck, then realized what he meant.

She puffed up proudly. “Well, a necklace of this quality is barely worthy of me.”

Since Gu Zhiyu was living here now, she hadn’t rushed to put the necklace away in her storage space.

Besides, this was a rare piece worth eighty million, and once she put it away, it would disappear from this world forever.

So she figured she’d enjoy wearing it for now.

Gu Zhiyu smiled, lips pressed together. “You’re right—it’s just barely worthy of our An An.”

An Nan was usually thick-skinned, but the way he was doting on her like a child made her feel a bit embarrassed.

Besides, he only ever called her “An An” when he was feeling particularly affectionate, so hearing it out of the blue now made her skin crawl a little.

She lowered her head and took a sip of soy milk. “Don’t keep calling me An An—it’s too mushy.”

Gu Zhiyu looked at her. “Then what should I call you?”

An Nan: “Whatever you want.”

Gu Zhiyu: “Little Hell King?”

An Nan: …

Gu Zhiyu: “Baby?”

An Nan: …

She rolled her eyes. “Just call me Nan Nan like everyone else.”

Gu Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. “If everyone calls you that, I won’t.”

An Nan twitched her lips. “Fine, call me whatever you want.”

Gu Zhiyu: “Alright, An An.”

An Nan: …

After dinner, the two of them sat on the sofa as usual to watch TV.

Gu Zhiyu reached out and pulled her straight into his arms.

An Nan was startled. “What are you doing?”

Gu Zhiyu: “Exercising my rights.”

An Nan looked up. “What rights?”

Gu Zhiyu kissed her on the cheek and said, “Boyfriend rights.”

An Nan was speechless.

Why is this man so clingy?

She squirmed uncomfortably in his arms, but Gu Zhiyu seemed to catch fire, his gaze darkening. “An An, don’t move.”

An Nan could feel his breathing getting heavier and immediately stopped moving.

She obediently curled up in his arms. “It’s so hot—aren’t you uncomfortable?”

Gu Zhiyu said in a low voice, “Just focus on watching TV. If you don’t want to, we can go take a nap in the bedroom.”

He paused, then added, “Together.”

An Nan pinched him. “Can you be normal for once?”

Gu Zhiyu chuckled softly and ruffled her hair.

The two of them snuggled together on the sofa and watched three movies in a row.

Fugui didn’t mind at all that Gu Zhiyu had taken his spot on the sofa. Instead, he obediently cuddled up on An Nan’s other side.

Outside, the rain was falling harder, but inside, everything felt warm and cozy.

As evening fell, the two of them started preparing ingredients for dinner.

An Nan had deliberately installed two large fridges at home, both packed full of meat.

Tonight was perfect for a barbecue.

And it would give Gu Zhiyu a break, so he wouldn’t have to cook up a bunch of dishes every meal.

For barbecue, all you need to do is marinate the meat and prepare the dipping sauces.

An Nan knew that Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei’s only sources of meat these days were chicken and rabbit, so she took out beef, lamb, and pork from the fridge.

Cumin beef, honey-glazed pork, black pepper beef strips, spicy squid—she marinated a plate of each.

There were also thick-cut pork belly, marbled beef, and leg of lamb, all unseasoned and plated up.

Plus sweet potato slices, potato slices, and other veggies perfect for grilling.

The two of them were busy when the doorbell rang. An Nan hurried over to open the door.

It was Zhao Ping’an and Aunt Hu, both carrying a big bag of lettuce and perilla leaves.

An Nan smiled as she took them. “These are the perfect barbecue companions.”

Hu Cuilan laughed heartily. “Aren’t they? As soon as Ping’an heard we were having barbecue, he rushed out to pick lettuce.”

Zhao Ping’an scratched his head. “It tastes better wrapped up!”

An Nan found two pairs of slippers and invited them in.

It was the mother and son’s first time visiting An Nan’s home, and before they could look around, they were stunned by the three little animals that came to greet them.

Zhao Ping’an’s mouth twitched. “Fugui’s grown fast—he’s even bigger than a Labrador now…”

Then he pointed at Laifu. “This one… isn’t that the rooster I gave you?”

Aunt Hu stared in disbelief. “That’s a chicken??”

She thought it was some peacock hybrid or something.

An Nan nodded. “That’s him.”

Zhao Ping’an marveled, “I’ve raised so many of his siblings, but none of them look this good!”

Then he turned to Aunt Hu. “Mom, is there something wrong with your animal husbandry skills?”

Hu Cuilan gave him a punch. “Nonsense! I raised you just fine, didn’t I? You think I can’t handle a few chickens?”

An Nan laughed and chimed in, “Exactly! It’s just that mine mutated.”

Laifu seemed to understand, strutting around them proudly.

This chicken is smart and noble—how could it be compared to those ordinary chickens in your yard?

An Nan was used to its show-off personality, but Zhao Ping’an and his mother stared wide-eyed. “This chicken seems to understand human speech?”

Before they could say more, Aunt Hu pointed ahead, dumbfounded. “What’s that thing?”

Zhao Ping’an followed her gaze, lips trembling. “A r-rabbit?!”

After he said it, as if he couldn’t believe it, he turned to look at An Nan.

An Nan nodded at him, confirming he wasn’t seeing things.

Aunt Hu stared at the rabbit, which was much bigger than an orange tabby cat. “I’ve lived so many years, but today I’ve really seen it all! If it weren’t for those long ears, who would believe that’s a rabbit?”"