Gu Shangse did not accept the apple. He shook his head at Su Ling and said, "It's not time yet."
If he had taken it, Xu Lin and the other two would have seen them when they returned.
There would be no way to explain it then.
He would rather tire himself out than have her questioned by Xu Lin and the others.
Su Ling looked at Gu Shangse and seemed to understand what he meant. She turned and left with the apple.
When she returned, she had a bottle of water in her hand. After handing it to him, she said nothing and continued to slice her pork belly.
Gu Shangse accepted the water without ceremony. He unscrewed the cap and drank it down in gulps.
After finishing the entire bottle, he soon felt a warmth spreading through his body.
His aching body, sore from using his powers to kill zombies, was bathed in a warm current, making him feel incredibly light and comfortable.
He even faintly sensed that his ability might be on the verge of an upgrade.
This water was not simple, just like that enticing large apple.
But Gu Shangse said nothing. This was Su Ling's secret, and she had not hidden it from him. He felt honored.
After Su Ling had sliced several large pieces of pork belly, she put them into the boiling pot and added cooking wine and ginger slices to remove the gamey smell.
After a few minutes of boiling, she was about to lift the pot to drain the water when Gu Shangse stepped forward and took the pot.
"Go sit down. I'll handle it." Gu Shangse looked at Su Ling, spoke, and then poured the drained pork belly into the pot, picking up a spatula to stir-fry the meat.
This excellent pork belly was perfect for making braised pork.
Gu Shangse prepared the ingredients needed for braised pork. He looked at the pork belly sizzling and rendering its fat in the pot, then left the makeshift stove and went to his backpack, unfastening a bulging bag.
He placed the bulging bag on the table and pushed it towards Su Ling. Gu Shangse said, "Count them slowly. I'm going to cook the dishes."
Su Ling was admiring the blue crystal core in her hand. Seeing the new bag before her, the corner of her lips curved slightly. She reached out, picked up the bag full of crystal cores, and opened it, revealing crystal cores of various colors.
When Xu Lin and the other three returned, they were greeted by the aroma of food wafting through the air.
Smelling the scent, the four of them knew that Su Ling and Gu Shangse were back.
Their return was timely. Gu Shangse was just placing the last dish, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, on the table.
Tonight's dinner was very rich, with a table full of dishes, abundant and tempting.
Xu Lin, Fatty, and Skinny washed their hands and came to the table to sit down, placing their respective bags of crystal cores towards Su Ling.
The meaning was clear: all crystal cores were to be given to Su Ling for safekeeping.
Because they collected and used crystal cores simultaneously, they didn't have many, far fewer than Gu Shangse's bag.
Su Ling's expression remained unchanged as Li Yunlong returned with the other three. She put away the several bags of crystal cores.
When she and Gu Shangse returned, they knew there were people on the rooftop, but she couldn't be bothered.
Seeing Li Yunlong now, she already had an answer.
"Su Ling." Li Yunlong did not sit down. He stood and looked at Su Ling, placing the results of his afternoon's work on the table. "I want to join you, along with Miaomiao."
The crystal cores in this bag were his sincerity.
Yangyang lay at Su Ling's feet, his head drooping. Gu Shangse was preparing its dinner, which had not yet been brought over.
Su Ling did not touch Li Yunlong's bag of crystal cores. She slowly raised her eyes and looked at him. "You can't."
This was a refusal, a straightforward refusal.
Li Yunlong's heart sank upon hearing this answer. He knew the outcome, yet his heart still trembled.
"However—" Su Ling looked at him, her voice extremely cold. "You can stay on the rooftop until the person I'm waiting for arrives. You can't stay for free. You need to give me crystal cores. Five each, how about it?"