Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 212: Chapter 202: Ranking Refresh

When Qin Ling came out of the bathroom after his shower, his hair was already dry. He fiddled with the perfectly-fitting tracksuit, looking displeased.

"I don’t want to wear this," Qin Ling frowned.

"Then what do you want to wear?" Tang Mo was confused. The clothes were brand new, the color was simple and looked good, and the size was perfect. ’What in the world is he complaining about?’

"I want to wear pajamas."

Since the clothes were new, Qin Ling plopped right down on Tang Mo’s bed, then let himself sink back and lie down comfortably.

’A girl’s bed is so soft. Momo’s bed smells so good.’

Qin Ling couldn’t help but sigh in contentment. He never wanted to get up again.

"In your dreams!"

Tang Mo kicked out at him. If he had just come up in the dead of night to sit for a bit before slipping away unnoticed, that would have been fine.

But if he stayed the night, left in the morning, and someone found out, she’d have no way to explain herself.

"I’m not leaving. It was hard enough to get here. I don’t have the energy to go back down."

Committed to his shameless act, Qin Ling simply threw back the covers and slid into bed, leaving Tang Mo stunned.

It was the first time she had ever seen Qin Ling act so bratty and shameless. For a moment, she really had no idea what to do with him.

The two of them, one standing and one lying down, stared at each other in a standoff, neither willing to back down.

In the end, it was Tang Mo who surrendered. She was simply too exhausted today—so tired she just wanted to lie down, lacking the energy to even stand for another moment. ’Let Qin Ling stay where he is,’ she thought. ’I’m too tired to keep fighting with him.’

In truth, Tang Mo knew Qin Ling was only here because he was worried about her, having climbed the building in the rain to see her. Ultimately, her heart softened.

It had been a long time since they graduated from college, and they were both twenty-four years old now—bona fide adults.

Plus, after spending all those days together in the cave and the rainforest, they weren’t particularly shy about the issues between men and women. Such things were a natural progression.

But clearly, the Wen Family’s home was not a suitable place for any of that.

’If Qin Ling behaves himself, that’s fine,’ Tang Mo decided. ’But if he dares to get fresh, I’ll kick him straight off the bed.’

Having settled on her plan, Tang Mo simply turned off the lights and climbed into bed.

Qin Ling’s arm scooped her up, and Tang Mo found herself nestled in his embrace, her head resting perfectly on his shoulder.

In the darkness, neither of them spoke. They just held each other quietly, the atmosphere wonderfully serene.

Curled up in Qin Ling’s arms, Tang Mo suddenly didn’t feel sleepy anymore. She closed her eyes, savoring the quiet moment.

"If I wake up tomorrow morning and find you’re still here, you’re dead meat. Got it?"

Indeed, such warm moments were always fleeting.

"You won’t leave me, right?"

Qin Ling ignored Tang Mo’s threat and asked a question out of the blue.

Tang Mo was quiet for a long time.

"Well, will you leave me?" she asked in return.

"I won’t. Unless I die."

Compared to Tang Mo, Qin Ling’s answer was much more resolute, without a hint of hesitation.

"What if I weren’t like this? I mean, what if I wasn’t as strong as I am now? What if I were weak and didn’t have Uncle Wen to back me up?"

Tang Mo hadn’t wanted to say any of this, but since Qin Ling had brought it up, she couldn’t help but ask.

"My love for you has nothing to do with who you are. Because I love you, I will love you no matter what. I don’t need you to have anything; I love you just for existing. I love you because you are you. Do you understand?"

Qin Ling used his free hand to take hers, speaking with heartfelt sincerity.

He had always felt that there was a corner of Tang Mo’s heart that she hadn’t opened to him.

But he wasn’t in a hurry. He could wait.

"Mm."

Tang Mo hummed in agreement, her eyes closed. It was unclear what she was thinking.

’Maybe in my past life, I was just too cowardly. It had nothing to do with Qin Ling. It was my ridiculous pride that led to a lifetime of misery.’

’I have to let myself off the hook.’

Lost in thought, Tang Mo fell asleep in Qin Ling’s arms before she even realized it.

At midnight, Qin Ling carefully extracted his arm, then opened his ID Watch to check the latest rankings for the day.

The ID Watch was now largely free of the Alliance’s technical control. As the leader of the Alliance, he might seem like a slacker who was always out on missions, but in reality, every matter in the base, big or small, was under his control.

The ranking board, in particular, was something he checked daily.

Opening the ranking page on his ID Watch, Qin Ling habitually scanned the names from top to bottom.

Ever since the ranking board was created, Qin Ling had always been number one. That had never changed.

So, his habit was to give it a quick glance before looking further down.

This time, however, his gaze remained fixed on the first line, not moving down for a long, long time.

After the name on the first line, there was a cute, golden cursor.

Everyone in the Alliance knew that was Tang Mo’s unique symbol. She was the only person in the Alliance with a golden cursor after her name.

Those who were familiar with Tang Mo had gradually guessed that the cursor represented the Little Fox that was always by her side.

But the matter of an "exotic pet" was just too fantastical and unimaginable. Since Tang Mo never brought it up, and no one had ever seen Jingjing participate in any battles, nobody asked. It became an unspoken agreement.

Tang Mo had too many secrets.

Qin Ling’s gaze shifted from the ranking board to the peaceful, sleeping face of the person beside him.

’Yesterday she was about to fall off the rankings, and today she’s number one.’

’How many more things are there about her that I don’t know?’

Qin Ling’s hand caressed Tang Mo’s cheek.

’So what if she’s full of secrets? It doesn’t matter.’

Whether she was weak or powerful, he loved her, unwaveringly.

In fact, Qin Ling found the question Tang Mo had just asked a little amusing. Before today, she had merely been at the bottom of the rankings. Qin Ling had plenty of subordinates who were stronger than her.

And he himself was the current head of the Qin Family; he’d never even given the Wen Family a second thought.

’How could my little treasure think I love her because of those things?’

’She’s so cute when she worries.’

’She just needs to do whatever she wants. I’m her backer. I’m the source of her confidence.’

’Although, it seems like my backing isn’t quite as solid anymore...’

Qin Ling’s gaze shifted back to his own name. "Qin Ling" was now in second place, beneath Tang Mo.

’Looks like I’ll have to work harder. Otherwise, I won’t even be able to protect my own wife in the future.’

Qin Ling turned off his ID Watch and lay back down. Leaning against Tang Mo, he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep. It was the most peaceful sleep he’d had in a long time.

The next morning, when Tang Mo woke up, Qin Ling was already gone.

It seemed his warning last night had been effective. The guy had snuck away before she even opened her eyes.