Chapter 206: Eating Together

An Nan couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

Looking at it this way, it really had to be the big CEO who could keep his emotions so well hidden.

Of all the people who had come to her house and met the three little ones, only Gu Zhiyu had managed to stay calm and composed.

Mother and son sighed as they walked inside, soon spotting Gu Zhiyu—tall and upright—busy in the kitchen with an apron on.

Zhao Ping’an immediately abandoned his “Fantastic Beasts” and rushed over to help.

The two men quickly struck up a conversation.

Hu Cuilan, meanwhile, sat down on the sofa with An Nan, smiling. “You’re a lucky girl!”

An Nan glanced at Gu Zhiyu bustling in the kitchen. “It’s all thanks to Aunt Hu’s advice.”

Normally, young and handsome CEOs like Gu Zhiyu were hopeless at daily life—take away their maids and housekeepers, and they’d have a hard time surviving the apocalypse.

Who would have thought he could handle both the living room and the kitchen? He was the perfect boyfriend.

Hu Cuilan shook her head. “What’s it got to do with anyone else? You deserve someone this good. If it’s meant to be, you can’t run from it. If it’s not, no amount of persuasion will help.”

An Nan smiled, lips pressed together.

After chatting for a while, the doorbell rang again.

“That should be Peipei. I’ll get it.”

Chu Peipei burst in energetically. “I’m here!”

Spotting Hu Cuilan and Zhao Ping’an’s shoes by the door, she quickly asked, “Am I late?”

An Nan laughed. “Not at all, you’re right on time.”

Chu Peipei handed An Nan the things she was carrying. “A little gift for you lovebirds.”

An Nan saw it was the latest couple’s gaming console from before the disaster.

“You’re too kind, bringing something just for a meal.”

Chu Peipei explained, “I saw you two glued together yesterday and thought of this. It’s no use to me, so you two can use it to bond and kill time.”

An Nan didn’t stand on ceremony and took it, but protested, “We’re not glued together…”

Chu Peipei just laughed and pulled out the child hiding behind her.

“Xiaoguai, this is Auntie Nannan. Say hello.”

Only then did An Nan notice the little girl who had been hiding behind Chu Peipei.

Chu Peipei had styled her hair into two neat braids, and her face was scrubbed clean. Though her cheeks were thin and she was a bit underweight, her features were still quite pretty.

An Nan looked her over—something about her felt a little odd.

Before she could think more, the little girl shyly greeted her.

“Hello, Auntie Nannan.”

An Nan smiled down at her. “Hello, Xiaoguai.”

A nine-year-old girl should be about 1.3 meters tall, right? But maybe due to malnutrition or poor development, this child looked only about 1.2 meters.

She ruffled the girl’s hair. “Come on in!”

The little girl instinctively flinched, as if she was a bit afraid of An Nan.

Chu Peipei led her inside and explained, “She’s heard all sorts of scary stories about you from the people downstairs. That’s why she’s so nervous.”

An Nan smiled. “It’s fine. Let her play with Fugui and the others for a bit—she’ll relax soon enough.”

After coming in, Chu Peipei greeted everyone.

The little girl followed her, looking around curiously.

Then, as if something caught her attention, she kept glancing toward the kitchen.

An Nan followed her gaze and saw that Gu Zhiyu had finished tidying up.

She called out, “Everyone, let’s eat! We can chat while we eat.”

Everyone happily gathered around the table, their spirits undampened by the acid rain pouring down outside.

Zhao Ping’an and his mother didn’t know about Chu Peipei adopting a child, so Chu Peipei told them the whole story.

An Nan fetched some drinks from the pantry, while Gu Zhiyu quietly grilled the meat.

By the time Chu Peipei finished her story, the first batch of meat was ready.

Gu Zhiyu picked up a lettuce leaf in his left hand, grabbed a slice of pork belly with his right, dipped it in seasoning, added some chili and garlic, wrapped it up, and handed it to An Nan.

An Nan took a bite. “Delicious!”

But her eyes couldn’t help drifting to the black pepper beef on the grill.

Gu Zhiyu noticed and naturally picked up a piece, placing it in her bowl.

Seeing this, Chu Peipei immediately teased, “Ooooh, look at you two!”

Zhao Ping’an, serving his mom some meat, chimed in, “My idol isn’t someone just anyone can match—only Brother Gu is good enough for her!”

An Nan raised an eyebrow. “You’re calling him Brother Gu now?”

He used to call him “President Gu” so formally.

Gu Zhiyu just smiled at the side.

Zhao Ping’an scratched his head. “That’s how it is with men—just a few words and you know you click. We barely talked, but I could tell we’re on the same wavelength.”

Then he added regretfully, “Too bad I never joined Gu Corp before, or I wouldn’t have taken so many detours…”

An Nan knew he was referring to his previous company’s philosophy not matching his own.

She joked, “Doesn’t matter where you worked—now that the apocalypse is here, you’re all joining me as the unemployed.”

Aunt Hu laughed heartily. “She’s right! No point dwelling on the past. As long as everyone at this table stays healthy and safe, that’s the greatest happiness.”

They chatted and grilled meat, occasionally clinking glasses.

Chu Peipei barely ate herself, focusing on taking care of the child beside her.

The little girl probably hadn’t had such a hearty meal in a long time. Though small, she ate a lot.

Only when she was almost full did Chu Peipei finally eat a piece of meat herself.

An Nan couldn’t help but feel moved—Peipei really treated this child as her own.

Suddenly, she thought to ask, “Peipei, what’s Xiaoguai’s full name?”

Chu Peipei replied, “She doesn’t remember her full name, just that she’s called Xiaoguai.”

“She doesn’t remember her name?” Zhao Ping’an looked at the girl in surprise, recalling how Chu Peipei said she used to call random women ‘Mom’.

He asked, “Did she injure her head?”

Chu Peipei shook her head. “I checked—no recent injuries. Either it’s congenital, or it’s from an old injury.”

Then she added, “It’s fine. I’ve given her my surname. From now on, she’s Chu Xiaoguai.”

Zhao Ping’an nodded, glancing thoughtfully at the child with a mouthful of grease.

Seeing the girl had finished eating, An Nan worried she’d be bored just sitting there, so she called over the three little pets.

“Xiaoguai, do you want to play with three new friends?”

She knew most kids loved animals. Especially children who were a bit withdrawn—they might not warm up to adults, but they’d often open up to animals.

Chu Xiaoguai glanced at them, then shook her head.

Instead, she pointed at Gu Zhiyu. “I want to play with that big brother.”"