The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

As dawn broke, tranquility returned to the oasis. In the soft morning light, figures could be seen moving through the streets, clearing the bodies of the dead and the debris of collapsed wooden houses.

The ability users hadn't slept all night, but it didn't seem to affect them much. Though their abilities were depleted, they were only slightly fatigued. However, looking at the tall, slender woman sitting in the center of the room, none of them seemed to feel tired. Instead, they were filled with passion and energy.

The Sage's wooden house had been burned down, and now Anqiya was staying in a house that belonged to one of the oasis's original inhabitants. Faced with the former Sage, whom they had believed dead, the original inhabitants of the oasis were deeply moved and respectful. Without a word, they vacated their own homes, willingly crowding in with others. This demonstrated Anqiya's prestige within the oasis.

Anqiya listened to her subordinates' reports, tallying the losses and casualties from the recent internal strife. Her expression remained calm until she heard the names of the two people who had led a group of ability users against the Qin family's counterattack. She suddenly asked, "Their names are Chen Dong and Fang Minglei?"

Ban Yi nodded. "Yes, they were ability users recruited by the Qin family. Thanks to their swift action in suppressing the rebellious Qin family members, the losses in the oasis were minimized."

After hearing this, Anqiya chuckled softly and said, "I underestimated him!"

Kur and the others didn't understand what she meant, but Ban Yi did. If Lou Dian hadn't been manipulating things behind the scenes, they wouldn't have been able to regain control of the oasis from the Qin family so quickly. Chen Dong and Fang Minglei's betrayal of the Qin family was also likely orchestrated by Lou Dian. Thinking of this, she felt a surge of gratitude towards the Lou siblings. If it weren't for them, they would have continued to believe that the Sage had died saving the oasis and entrusted it to Qin You, allowing her to become the next Sage.

Kur, Alimu, and the other original inhabitants of the oasis genuinely supported Anqiya. They believed that only she was worthy of the title "Sage." They were furious and disgusted by the Qin family's imprisonment of Anqiya and their usurpation of power. They wished they could kill the Qin family on the spot.

After sorting out the situation, Anqiya gave instructions to various people to handle the aftermath and comfort the survivors. After a moment of thought, she rose and walked out of the wooden house to inspect the oasis with everyone else.

Daybreak.

Lou Ling woke up groggily. As soon as she moved, she felt a burning pain in several parts of her body. Even ability users needed a few days to recover from injuries, and they still felt pain. It was summer, and as the sun rose, the air became hot, making the wounds even more uncomfortable.

"Here, drink some water."

A hand holding a transparent glass was offered to her. Lou Ling gulped down a large glass of water from the hand, feeling slightly better. Opening her eyes, she saw the man sitting by the bed. She yawned, greeted him, and slowly sat up, leaning against the wall.

Due to limited resources, the so-called "bed" was just a mat on the floor. Sitting up allowed her to lean against the wall. The cool wall felt comfortable against her skin. When it warmed up, she shifted to lean against a different part of the wall.

She was drowsy, almost forgetting the man who was glaring at her, but since she was currently injured, he couldn't do anything even if he wanted to. Emboldened by her special circumstances, Lou Ling grew a little bolder, unafraid of his foul mood, and completely ignored him.

One squinted, the other glared. They sat like this for a long time until sweat beaded on Lou Ling's forehead. The sweat trickled into her wounds, causing a burning pain. Finally, Lou Dian moved, taking ice from his spatial storage and placing it in the room to lower the temperature. The ice had been collected from a snowy mountain during the winter and stored in his space, making it convenient for cooling down in the summer.

The cool air revived her spirits. She reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said with a smile, "Are you angry?"

"How could I be angry?" he said with a forced smile, lying through his teeth. "I'm happy that I have a brave sister who serves the people. I'm so happy! I saw such a capable sister for the first time last night. I guess soon, my sister will be fighting for all mankind, sacrificing her own small family for everyone else. I understand."

"…" Right, the sarcastic and dramatic side of him had resurfaced. He said he wasn't angry, huh?

Lou Ling pouted, but her arms tightened around him. Finally, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. She couldn't help but smile.

Lou Dian didn't dare hold her too tightly. She had many burns and cuts, which looked terrifying. Even though he knew they were only flesh wounds, they still made his heart race and were difficult to accept. If these injuries were on him, he would consider them minor, not even painful, but when they were on her, it was a different story, even unacceptable.

After the urge to let her experience and grow subsided, nothing was more distressing than seeing her injured. He understood her desire to not always be under his protection, and he knew she wanted to grow, but knowing was one thing, letting go was impossible.

"It's the apocalypse. Who hasn't been injured? Besides, these are badges of honor!" Lou Ling boasted, truly feeling both pain and joy. She had done what she wanted to do, hadn't held him back, and didn't need his constant protection. Proving that she wasn't weak made her extremely happy.

Lou Dian looked down at her for a moment. Gradually, her face, which still held a trace of youthful innocence, overlapped with the resolute face forged by the apocalypse in her past life. It seemed that even if he kept her caged like a bird, he still couldn't clip her wings. Even if it was slower, she would still become the person she was in her past life.

His—Lou Ling!

He couldn't help but lower his head and gently kiss her upturned lips. It's okay. No matter how the world changes, he wouldn't let go in this life! No matter how far she went, he would follow, never leaving her alone again.

Startled by his sudden tenderness, Lou Ling stared blankly at him for a moment, then carefully moved away, thinking that he was going to become perverse again because of her injuries. Who knew he would just smile at her gently, his dark eyes no longer filled with darkness but reflecting her slightly flushed cheeks.

However, the rare warm atmosphere was quickly broken by a knock on the door. Lou Dian frowned slightly, glanced at Lou Ling, and reluctantly went to open the door.

When Anqiya and the others outside saw the man's gentle smile, they felt a chill run down their spines. They thought there was some danger nearby and carefully looked around, but found nothing unusual.

"I came to see you," Anqiya said, her hands tucked into her wide sleeves, with a calm smile. "Is Miss Lou alright?"

"She's okay," Lou Dian replied indifferently.

Anqiya had Kur and the others wait outside and, lifting her trailing robe, entered the wooden house.

Lou Ling wanted to get up when she saw the guests, but Anqiya stopped her. Lou Dian also looked as if she should remain seated, so she continued to lean against the wall.

Apart from the mat serving as a bed, there was no other furniture in the room. Anqiya simply lifted her robe and sat on the floor. Her every move exuded an extreme femininity, making people overlook her thin and gaunt face.

Lou Ling stared again until Lou Dian coughed, and she quickly averted her gaze, looking at him instead, giving him an appeasing smile.

Anqiya felt the coolness in the room and looked up to see the basins of ice. She didn't think the ability users, who were busy rebuilding the oasis, would have the time to bring them ice to cool down. Anqiya's eyes flashed, and a smile appeared on her face. She said warmly, "How are your injuries, Miss Lou? Thank you so much for your help. I'm so sorry you got hurt…"

"Glad you know," Lou Dian said calmly.

Lou Ling: "…Hehe, it's nothing."

Ignoring the sarcastic man, Anqiya chatted warmly with Lou Ling. Her voice was slightly hoarse but not unpleasantly so. It was a sensual voice, unhurried and comfortable to listen to. Combined with her bright amber eyes, it was captivating.

Lou Ling was only momentarily lost in thought before she regained her focus, resisting the subtle charm.

Seeing her recover so quickly, Anqiya was a little surprised, but her purpose wasn't to charm Lou Ling or test Lou Dian's patience. She slightly withdrew her ability, her attitude becoming more sincere.

"Before the apocalypse, Qin You and I were very good friends. When the apocalypse arrived, she was traveling in the desert. When the global disaster struck, I invited her to the oasis for refuge. She was worried that the Qin family wouldn't survive this sudden disaster, so I offered the oasis as her safety net, allowing her to build her own power base here. I tried to satisfy all her requests, but who knew…" A wistful expression appeared on Anqiya's face, and her bright amber eyes dimmed.

Who knew that Qin You would be so greedy that she would want to occupy the entire oasis and turn it into one of the Qin family's bases? So, Qin You disregarded their friendship, plotted against Anqiya, and ultimately imprisoned her in an underground cellar. Fortunately, Anqiya's abilities were purification and charm. Qin You needed Anqiya's abilities, so she didn't kill her immediately.

It wasn't that she wasn't heartbroken. Was there anything more despairing than being betrayed by a friend you thought you could trust with your life?

Lou Ling listened quietly. Although Anqiya sounded pitiful and looked sad, she felt that Anqiya's state was like that of someone betrayed by a lover, as if she had suddenly lost the meaning of life…

"Um… what about Qin You?" Lou Ling asked.

Anqiya recovered from her sadness and said calmly, "Naturally, I killed her! Eliminated the root of the problem to prevent her from escaping and turning the tables!"

"…" Alright, that was her own imagination running wild.

Anqiya acted like a kind elder towards a younger generation, carefully instructing Lou Ling to rest well, promising to send some supplements later, and telling her to treat this place as her own home… and so on. She was so gentle, considerate, and thoughtful that Lou Ling felt uncomfortable again.

Finally, after Anqiya left, Lou Ling breathed a sigh of relief and said to the man beside her, "Brother, don't you think she's a little strange?"

Lou Dian patted her head and said, "Not strange. She's old and sees you as a daughter!" Then he sighed. "Who made my little sister so lovable? It's only natural for her to act like that!"

Goosebumps rose on her arms again. Lou Ling looked at him with some alarm, wanting to tell him to stop being so sarcastic. She would be obedient, wouldn't she?

Anqiya kept her word. An hour later, someone delivered a pile of things, including pots, pans, and desert specialties.

When Lou Ling learned from Lou Dian that Anqiya was already in her forties and that her special ability had caused her to appear younger, she finally calmed down. So, Anqiya and Qin You's love transcended gender and age—okay, her imagination was running wild again!

Lou Dian looked down on the things Anqiya sent, but it was a gesture of goodwill, treating them as benefactors of the oasis. This kindness was valuable. After pushing those things into a corner, Lou Dian took out a pot and gas stove from his spatial storage and went to the kitchen to cook bird's nest porridge for her, along with some side dishes.

Life as an injured person was truly enjoyable.

In the heat of summer, Lou Ling enjoyed the cool air—the coolness emanating from the ice—and ate the nourishing bird's nest porridge, feeling content.

"When are we leaving the oasis?" she asked while eating. Before her injuries healed, she didn't have to worry about him tormenting her. She suddenly felt that these injuries were worth it. Usually, she would inevitably be made to cry.

Lou Dian raised an eyebrow, squinted at her, and said with a smile, "If you want to leave today, I have no objections."

"…No, let's stay a few more days."

Lou Dian didn't object. After she finished eating, he cleaned up, closed the doors and windows of the wooden house in broad daylight, and lay down with her to sleep.

"I'm not sleepy," Lou Ling pushed him away slightly, carefully moving his hand—that beautifully shaped hand was wandering around her waist, ready to do something mischievous. Had he become so perverse that he wouldn't even spare her while she was injured?

Lou Dian's hand slid up her pajamas, touching the bandages on her back, gliding over her spine, making her whole body go soft before he finally let go. He just bit her neck resentfully and said, "I'm sleepy. Sleep with me."

"Oh."

Author's Note:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Try to appease the perverse man who's about to explode!

Lou Dian's goal: Try to pin her down on the bed and make her cry until she doesn't dare anymore!

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