The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

Lou Ling turned off the alarm on her phone and climbed out of bed with her hair a mess, looking like a ghost.

It was the weekend, she didn't have class, and she actually got to sleep in. She remembered not setting an alarm before going to bed, but... Holding the phone, Lou Ling pursed her lips, gathered her messy hair, and decided to get up anyway.

After going to the bathroom to relieve herself, brush her teeth, and wash her face, Lou Ling changed into a mid-sleeved sporty casual outfit, tied her long hair into a ponytail, grabbed her wallet, opened the door, and went downstairs.

As soon as she reached the hall, she saw the person who had just returned from outside changing into indoor slippers at the entrance.

Hearing the sound, the man looked up, his handsome face like a noble young master from a comic book. He had bright eyes, fair skin, a clean temperament, and a gentle and warm smile. Even though he was wearing black, it seemed to accentuate his extraordinary temperament, making him look pure and flawless. Lou Ling remembered what her roommate Lin Baobao had told her, that many girls in school secretly called him "Male God."

At this moment, the Male God had changed into his indoor slippers and was holding breakfast he had bought outside. He said in a gentle voice, "Xiao Ling, you're up. Come and have breakfast."

Lou Ling looked at him, her eyes darkening. She wanted to refuse, but then she thought about the consequences of refusing. She could only swallow her words and obediently sit down at the table. She let the Male God personally wait on her, but she didn't feel the slightest bit happy, only a sense of horror.

"What's wrong, Xiao Ling? Are you daydreaming so early in the morning?"

A slender hand gently touched her face, his fingertips brushing her lips as if unintentionally. Lou Ling's body stiffened, and she turned her face away, forcing a smile. "It's nothing, Brother. Why are you up so early today?" She paused, and in order to prevent him from getting closer, she quickly said, "You probably haven't had breakfast either. Let's eat together." Looking at his clothes, it seemed he hadn't been home all night. Lou Ling looked closely but didn't see any dark circles. Although she didn't know why he had been staying out all night recently, he was a grown man, and she couldn't say much, so she pretended not to notice.

Lou Dian looked at her and sat down beside her with a smile, his shoulder touching hers.

The corner of Lou Ling's eye twitched, pretending not to see.

Breakfast was very ordinary: soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns. Lou Ling took a bite of the steamed bun and realized that it was made by the shop she loved at the corner of Old Street. The buns had thin skin and lots of filling, and they had a special taste that was very delicious. When Lou Ling didn't have class, she loved to go there and order a basket of steamed buns with porridge and pickles for breakfast.

Eating the delicious steamed buns and feeling the burning and undisguised gaze of the man beside her, Lou Ling's hand holding the chopsticks tightened. She felt that if this continued, she would get indigestion.

"Eat more, Xiao Ling. Good health is very important," the clean male voice said softly.

His tone was gentle, but his actions were overbearing. Under his intense gaze and unquestionable eyes, Lou Ling ate a whole basket of steamed buns, a fried dough stick, and a bowl of soy milk. She was completely stuffed. She usually only liked to eat until she was eighty percent full, and her family knew her habits. But for the past month, for some reason, whenever she was at home, this man suddenly liked to stare at her during every meal, making sure she ate until she was completely full.

After breakfast, Lou Ling wiped her mouth with a napkin and said to the man beside her, "Brother, I have class tomorrow morning. I'll go back to school first."

"Class? You don't have anything on your schedule," Lou Dian said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Lou Ling knew that this man had a strong desire for control, and he probably remembered her class schedule better than she did. She calmly lied, "The class monitor notified us in the group chat last night. The teacher changed the class schedule."

Even if she didn't have class, she didn't want to stay in this house anymore, especially after this man's increasingly blatant looks and suggestive actions over the past month. Lou Ling felt horrified and just wanted to escape. Now she was just glad that she was a junior and the school was a fifty-minute drive from home. For convenience, she and her classmates rented an apartment near the school.

"No need to rush back. I'll drive you to school tomorrow morning!" Lou Dian put his arm around her shoulder, as if he didn't notice her sudden stiffness. He said softly, "Be good, listen to your brother."

After a while, Lou Ling gave in under his gaze and nodded stiffly. After he let go of her, she quickly grabbed her wallet and said, "I made plans with my classmates to go shopping for clothes today. I'll be back later."

This time, Lou Dian didn't stop her. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and said while cleaning up the table, "Okay. I heard that the security has not been good recently. There have been incidents of people eating people. You have to be careful. Come back early, I'll cook dinner and wait for you."

Although Lou Ling had seen news about the horrifying cannibalism, it felt too far away, separated by a screen, and she didn't feel any sense of crisis. Lou Ling nodded randomly, said goodbye to him, and ran to the entrance to put on her shoes.

She didn't actually have plans with her classmates today, but she didn't want to stay home with him. Who knew what excuse he would use to get close to her again? It was enough! Even if they weren't related by blood, their household registration still listed them as siblings! Every time he got close, seeing that Male God face, she would feel sorry for her deceased stepfather, Lou Ran.

Lou Ling wasn't originally surnamed Lou. Her mother had remarried and brought her along as a burden. After marrying into the Lou family, she took her stepfather's surname and changed her name to Lou Ling.

Her stepfather, Lou Ran, was a handsome but emotionally sensitive man. His first wife had been in poor health and passed away after giving birth to Lou Dian. He had remained single until he met her mother. Her mother was a nurse, and their meeting was quite ordinary. When Lou Ling was ten years old, Lou Dian was hospitalized, and her mother was his nurse. As they interacted, Lou Ran and her mother fell in love. By the time Lou Dian was discharged, they were already talking about marriage.

Lou Ling remembered the first time she met Lou Dian. Both families had decided to form a family and let the children get to know each other. They met at a fancy restaurant, and both sides were dressed formally. Lou Ling, a tomboy, was even spanked by her mother and forced to wear a pink lace dress and a pair of pink princess sandals. With her tanned skin and short, boyish hair, wearing the princess dress was like a little boy stealing a girl's clothes. At that time, she thought it was ridiculous. But her mother spanked her a few more times before she reluctantly maintained the quiet demeanor of a girl, trying to make a good impression on her future stepfather and stepbrother.

The first time she saw Lou Dian, Lou Ling thought she had seen an angel. The slender, fair thirteen-year-old boy, dressed in a white suit, sat there quietly, a stark contrast to the ornate surroundings. Lou Ling almost thought he was a beautiful, quiet, but fragile and delicate girl.

Of course, what happened later made Lou Ling understand what it meant for an angel to instantly transform into a devil. When Lou Ran introduced Lou Ling and her mother to his only son, Lou Dian suddenly flew into a rage, overturning the table and expressing his opposition to the marriage. His handsome face was flushed red, like a child whose toy had been snatched away, both sad and angry. After she moved into the Lou family with her mother, Lou Dian's endless tricks and pranks made her realize that this man was a textbook case of an angel's face with a devil's heart. However, Lou Ling felt that she was like a tenacious weed. No matter how much the chuunibyou kid tossed around, she remained unmoved. It was also because of the addition of this chuunibyou kid to the family that Lou Ling never went through a rebellious phase during her adolescence, thanks to Lou Dian's years of torment.

In fact, she knew that Lou Dian's initial opposition to his father's remarriage stemmed from his insecurity. As her mother put it, the father and son were too fragile; they needed someone strong to take care of them. That's why the handsome and wealthy Lou Ran was attracted to her mother's strong and optimistic personality and wanted to form a family again. Lou Dian had grown up without a mother, and his father was busy with work, which made him sensitive, fragile, and insecure. He had always depended on his father, and suddenly one day, a woman appeared and took away the father he relied on. It was only natural that he would react so strongly.

Walking on the bustling street, Lou Ling looked at the LED billboard above the city's central square and couldn't help but sigh. She scratched her head in distress, really not knowing how things had become like this.

Lou Dian used to be like a chuunibyou kid who took pleasure in bullying her, his stepsister. But at some point, the sensitive, fragile, and delicate Lou Dian suddenly grew up and became a responsible older brother, which made her very happy. Even though she was a tomboy, she still wanted an older brother she could rely on. But then, at some point, Lou Dian's eyes changed when he looked at her. Until a month ago, when she went home for the weekend, Lou Dian suddenly hugged her tightly and then expressed his feelings for her. That undisguised desire was obvious, and the terrifying look in his eyes, as if he wanted to strip her naked and devour her, made her heart jump and almost made her not want to go home.

It seemed like it was during her high school years, after her stepfather and mother died in a car accident, that Lou Dian had to shoulder the responsibility of supporting the family. After taking over the company his stepfather left behind, he began to force himself to grow up.

He had developed different feelings for her, his stepsister. Although they were not related by blood, they were siblings, and Lou Dian's twisted and intense feelings made her scalp tingle, not knowing what to do.

Thinking of this, Lou Ling sighed and decided to go home less often in the future. After graduation, she would find a job in a coastal city in the south and wait until Lou Dian came to his senses and found a wife before returning.

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