novelraw Chapter 274 - 263: Another Possibility
Chapter 274 - 263: Another Possibility
Gu Xi remembered June 28th because Li Ming had once told her it was likely her mother’s birthday.
According to Li Ming, when he first found her, he had searched the dead woman’s body. Among her belongings was an ID card.
But at the time, he hadn’t been concerned with Gu Xi; he’d only taken her with him to survive, so he hadn’t bothered to bury the body or collect her belongings.
However, Li Ming had always had a good memory, so even though he’d only glanced at it, he remembered the date.
And September 1, 3308, was the day the apocalypse began.
Gu Xi lowered her eyes, fiddling with the small green sprout on her fingertip. ’Is the date on this photo, or even the photo itself, just a coincidence? Or is it another trap designed for me by someone with ulterior motives?’
Just then, Zhao Li shone his light on the photograph. He sighed, looking at the heavily pregnant woman.
In the early days of the apocalypse, pregnant women were undoubtedly the ones who had it the hardest.
’This woman in the photo, and her unborn child... I fear...’
Gu Xi walked over, her expression neutral. "What photo? Let me see."
Zhao Li quickly handed her the photo, wiping the dust off with the back of his hand. But it hadn’t been well-preserved. Not only was a corner missing, but it had started to fade in places. There were also some yellowish-brown stains blurring the image.
Still, you could clearly see it was a photo of a man and a woman. The man, handsome and dressed in a white suit, bore some resemblance to 039.
The woman beside him, who had delicate features and looked slightly older, was wearing a matching long dress. Her hair was in a bun, and she was holding the man’s arm. Her belly was conspicuously large.
She was clearly pregnant.
In the photo, both of them were smiling happily, and there was a faint resemblance in their features.
Liou He shone his light on the photo. Gu Xi squinted at the faded writing and slowly read it aloud, "June 28th, 3308, at the Seven-color Canyon... Wishing my sister a..."
A section in the middle was too blurry to read, and a corner of the photo was missing...
Even without the full message, the surviving fragments suggested it was a photo of a brother and sister.
The people in the photo looked so happy.
It was a shame. Back then, no one could have known that just two short months later, the apocalypse would suddenly begin...
"I’ll hold on to this photo for now." Gu Xi took the photo.
Neither Zhao Li nor Liou He noticed anything amiss. After all, considering 039’s appearance, this was clearly a setup targeting Gu Xi.
Gu Xi stared at the woman in the photo. ’Since they went to such great lengths to lay this trap, this pregnant woman in the picture must be connected to me in some way.’
’So... could this woman be my mother?’
The word "mother" was, in truth, a foreign concept in Gu Xi’s life.
In the early days of the apocalypse, more than half the children at the base were orphans. Having grown up in that environment, Gu Xi was used to it; she never thought there was anything strange about being an orphan.
For a child of the apocalypse, the word "mother" was an extravagance.
But now... As her thumb slowly caressed the woman’s image in the photo, Gu Xi’s mind couldn’t help but drift.
’If the woman in this photo really is my mother... then it’s very likely no accident that the two Chens from the research institute targeted me out of all the apocalypse babies.’
As a possibility occurred to her, she dug her thumbnail into her index finger, took a deep breath, and then abruptly let go. A distinct, crescent-shaped mark remained.
Her gaze slowly swept across the posters on the wall. Knowing they were fake, Gu Xi hadn’t paid them any mind before; she’d only given them a casual glance upon entering.
But now...
’If this is a trap meticulously woven just for me, then who is the one pulling the strings? And what is their goal?’
"Take all the posters here," Gu Xi said suddenly.
Zhao Li and Liou He paused for a second, stunned, then got up and began peeling the posters off the wall.
Two minutes later, after confirming they hadn’t missed anything, the three of them walked out of the dilapidated little shop.
Gu Xi, walking last, glanced back for one last, deep look.
...
When the three of them returned, 039 had already finished making lunch.
Eight dishes and a soup—a veritable feast in the apocalypse.
Gu Xi glanced at the man and sat down at the table.
"Gu Xi, find anything interesting?" Qi Xiang asked curiously, scooting closer with her bowl of rice.
"Let’s eat first." Gu Xi picked up some greens with her chopsticks and looked up at the man across from her, who was watching her with an expectant expression. "I thought you were a celebrity. I didn’t expect you to be a cook."
She paused before adding, "Being a cook is fine, too. It’s just that these greens are a bit salty."
"..." 039 froze, at a loss for words.
They had anticipated many possible ways his identity might be revealed, but they had never expected Gu Xi to be so blunt.
She hadn’t even brought up the posters; she’d just stated his identity outright. This skipped so many of the intermediate steps that, for a moment, he had no idea how to react.
Fortunately, he was a professional, and his training kicked in. The man quickly recovered.
"Miss Gu," the man said, a bit stiffly, glancing at the greens she had just taken. "I didn’t cook that dish."
"Oh." Gu Xi took the chicken soup from Qi Xiang and blew on it lightly. She gave him a noncommittal glance. "Did you make the chicken soup? It’s good."
The man was a bit baffled. "Thank you..." he said instinctively.
’Weren’t we talking about my identity? How did we end up on the topic of the food?’
’This conversation is moving way too fast.’
The man thought for a moment and decided to take the initiative. Feigning curiosity, he asked Gu Xi, "Miss Gu, why would you think I’m a celebrity?"
Gu Xi took a sip of her soup. Beside her, Liou He pulled a large, neatly folded stack of posters from his bag.
"This is...?" The man was about to feign a moment of reserved hesitation when he saw Qi Xiang and the others already crowding around with looks of great interest.
Lin Jin was even gnawing on a large chicken leg, and a drop of grease fell directly onto the topmost poster, landing squarely on the handsome face of the man in the center.
The group began chattering and making comments about the man on the poster. 039, pushed to the edge of the crowd, had to use every ounce of his strength to keep his expression from cracking.
"Miss Gu, this is..." the man said, his expression reset, looking up at Gu Xi.
Gu Xi gave him an indifferent glance. "Isn’t that you on the poster?"
The man felt the script was going off the rails. He opened his mouth, about to say something.
"Do you sing or act?" Qi Xiang suddenly turned her head to ask.
Before the man could figure out how to answer, Qin Yi muttered under her breath, "Is there a difference? Before the apocalypse, they were all just called celebrities, weren’t they?" A little uncertain, she looked up at Qin Shi. "Sis, people who are chosen out of a huge crowd like this, they’re called celebrities, right?"
Qin Shi nodded.
039, who had also been "chosen out of a huge crowd," felt vaguely insulted.
Nearby, Zhao Li and the others were in a heated discussion. Eventually, even the normally composed Wei Heng joined in. The man felt things were going wrong; something seemed to be derailing...
He took a deep breath. Just as he was about to say something, Gu Xi, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly looked up. "Why did they choose you?" she asked.