The new era of mankind with destiny in hand at the end of the world

Today is An Ning’s birthday!

I looked at my watch. Fortunately, it wasn't too late. There should still be time for An Ning to blow out the candle.

Xuanyuan Zunqi walked quickly to the door of An Ning's room, calmed his breath, tried to make himself look natural, and then gently rang the doorbell.

The door opened, and An Ning's beautiful face appeared in front of him. Her eyes were as bright as stars, and there was a faint smile on the corners of her mouth, which made people feel extremely warm.

"Sorry, I'm a little late. Happy birthday!" Xuanyuan Zunqi said as he opened a box in his hand, carefully took out the roses inside and handed it to An Ning.

"Thank you, it's beautiful." The roses are gorgeous, with bright and charming colors, and the petals are stacked and tightly clustered together. The dew on the leaves is crystal clear, shining like pearls, adding a freshness and vitality to this bouquet of roses.

This was the first time An Ning received a rose, whether before or after the apocalypse.

And this bouquet of roses against the backdrop of the end of the world seems even more precious.

"Come in quickly." An Ning stepped aside to let Xuanyuan Zunqi enter the house, and she found a vase to put flowers in.

An Ning placed the flowers on the table and smelled the sweet fragrance that filled her nose. She asked curiously, "How did you know today is my birthday?" No one in the team knew her birthday, and since her parents passed away, she was alone and had never celebrated her birthday on purpose.

"I asked Yang Ziling." Xuanyuan Zunqi did not hide anything. He stood quietly by the side, looking at An Ning gently, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, with a faint smile.

Zhu Neng took great pains to make Xuanyuan Zunqi's iron tree bloom and bear fruit.

Recently, he would run to Yang Ziling's residence whenever he had time, just to get more important information from her about An Ning's preferences, birthday, etc.

Although I don’t know whether these details will be useful to Xuanyuan Zunqi who is pursuing love, it would be more reassuring if I knew more.

This bouquet of roses was hard to come by. Ever since he accidentally learned from his elder sister that women have the strongest affinity for roses, Xuanyuan Zunqi has been looking for them everywhere, and finally got precious rose seeds from a supernatural being who had just arrived at the base.

Then, he asked the wood-type mutants in the team for help, and with the help of their abilities, he made the rose seeds grow quickly and bloom into gorgeous flowers.

In order to ensure that these beautiful flowers would not wilt due to the hot weather, he specially prepared an exquisite box, carefully placed the roses in it, and put ice cubes at the bottom of the box to keep it low.

Watching An Ning arrange the roses, Xuanyuan Zunqi placed another box on the table, his lips slightly raised, and he said gently: "I have another gift for you."

An Ning opened the box curiously and was surprised to find a cake inside.

It’s just that the appearance of this cake is not perfect. Its workmanship is a little rough. The cake is decorated with pink cream flowers of different sizes, and the sliced ​​fresh fruits are some as thin as a cicada’s wing, while others are extremely thick.

Xuanyuan Zunqi said in a low voice, a little embarrassed, "This is a cake I made myself, but it doesn't look very good." In fact, this is already the best he has ever made. In order to make this cake, he practiced a lot at home these days, and was even teased by his sister and parents.

An Ning looked at the cake and said softly, "How could that be? It looks delicious!" Even though the cake's appearance was not perfect, it could not conceal the true feelings contained in it.

"Every year on your birthday from now on, I will make a cake for you personally. Come on, make a wish quickly and then blow out the candles." As he said that, Xuanyuan Zunqi lit a candle with the number 1, representing the first birthday he spent with An Ning.

An Jing looked at the serious man quietly, but the decision she made in the past two days kept coming to her mind. She pursed her lips and decided to speak: "Xuanyuan Zunqi, let's continue to be..." However, the word "friend" was not spoken yet.

Xuanyuan Zunqi quickly picked up a birthday hat and gently put it on An Ning's head. He seemed to have anticipated what An Ning was going to say next, and a trace of loneliness flashed in his eyes. He said softly: "If you have anything to say, let's talk about it after we finish eating the cake, okay?"

An Ning was slightly startled, then nodded and said, "Okay."

Xuanyuan Zunqi lit the candles, and the warm and soft candlelight shone on their faces, as if covering the entire room with a layer of warm gauze.

An Ning closed her eyes slightly, her beautiful eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. In this quiet atmosphere, she silently made a wish in her heart and blew out the candle.

When An Ning opened her eyes again, Xuanyuan Zunqi said softly: "No matter what wish you made, I will do my best to help you realize it."

However, he silently added in his heart: "Except for the wish that I stay away from you."

He cut off a piece of cake and handed it to An Ning: "Try it, I specially picked the flavor you like."

An Ning took the cake, took a bite, put it in her mouth and chewed it slowly, savoring it carefully. Although the appearance of this cake was not exquisite, the taste was unexpectedly good, sweet and delicious, with a delicate taste. "Well, it is really delicious."

For a moment, neither of them spoke, but just ate the cake in their hands silently. However, the atmosphere at this moment was no longer as relaxed and happy as before, but became a little solemn.

An Ning took a deep breath and slowly said what she had not finished: "I hope the team has now stabilized in the base. I think I may leave here in a few days. As for us... let's continue to be friends." Her voice was very light and soft, but every word hit Xuanyuan Zunqi's heart like a hammer, causing his breathing to suddenly stagnate.

In fact, An Ning was not without feelings for Xuanyuan Zunqi, but she really didn't want to be bound here, and Xuanyuan Zunqi would never abandon the responsibilities on his shoulders. In this case, it would be better not to start this relationship.

Xuanyuan Zunqi looked at An Ning silently, feeling a pang of pain in his heart.

He originally thought that she simply rejected him, but he never thought that she would actually leave here.

There was a flash of pain in his eyes that was difficult to conceal, but he soon pulled himself together and smiled, "Okay. If this is your choice, I respect you. However, if you encounter danger outside, you must come back to me."

Although Xuanyuan Zunqi was reluctant in his heart and wanted her to stay by his side, he didn't want to see her sad.

In the next few days, Xuanyuan Zunqi was still the same as usual. Whenever he had free time, he would immediately go to find An Ning, as if An Ning's rejection of him had never happened.

They chatted and walked together, enjoying this rare quiet time.

However, beneath this calm appearance, lies the helplessness of both of them.