Daily Life of Being Turned Gay by the Male Lead After Transmigrating into an Apocalypse – CH66

Chapter 66: Teammates

This child… After enduring such heartbreak and terror yesterday, not only did he bury his grandfather entirely on his own, but he braved the freezing cold all morning just to harvest the crystal cores from every single rat in the yard?

Carrying a steaming dish from the stove, Su Mubai walked over. Seeing the cluster of tiny gems resting in Chu Yang’s palm and catching the anxious, expectant look in Little Yu’s eyes, a wave of deep heartache washed over him.

Chu Yang’s throat tightened. Swallowing the lump that had formed, he asked in a low, raspy voice, “Little Yu… did you pry these out one by one all by yourself?”

Little Yu nodded vigorously, his small face remarkably serious. “Mm! I counted them—twenty in total!”

“You’ve awakened an ability now, and these cores will be crucial for developing your power.” Chu Yang tried to press the crystals back into the boy’s small hands. “Since you’re the one who found them, you should keep them for yourself.”

At those words, Little Yu reacted as if he had been burned, quickly hiding his hands behind his back. Shaking his head frantically like a rattle drum, his face flushed red with panic. “No, no! Brother Chu, Brother Jiang, and Brother Lin Xiao were the ones who killed the monsters, so the cores should belong to you. I… I only dug them up. I didn’t actually do anything.”

“Listen to me, Little Yu,” Su Mubai said gently, setting the dish onto the table before crouching down beside the boy. “Brother Chu and Brother Jiang already shared plenty of crystal cores with us before—far more than this handful. We have more than enough. Keep these for yourself, absorb the energy properly, and focus on strengthening your power as early as you can. How does that sound?”

Lin Xiao leaned in as well, reaching out to give Little Yu’s hair a fond ruffle with a broad grin. “That’s right, little guy. We really aren’t hurting for this small batch. Use them to level up quickly, and you’ll be able to help us out even more down the road!”

Little Yu looked from one face to the next, his gaze finally settling back on Chu Yang. His clear, innocent eyes were filled with quiet questioning, silently confirming if they truly meant what they said.

Meeting the boy’s pure, stubborn gaze, Chu Yang’s heart softened completely.

He offered a warm smile, placing the small pile of crystals back into Little Yu’s palm. “These are yours. Later on, I’ll have Brother Little Bai teach you how to draw out the energy inside. Just remember: in this ruined world, only by becoming stronger can you truly protect yourself and survive. Do you understand?”

“Mm! I understand! Thank you, Brother Chu! Thank you, Brother Little Bai, thank you, Brother Lin Xiao!” Little Yu nodded repeatedly, carefully tucking the stones back into his inner pocket. A shy, bright smile—one that genuinely belonged to a child—finally broke across his small face.

Just then, the outer door creaked open. Jiang Jue stepped inside, bringing a gust of crisp, frigid morning air along with him.

“You’re back, Boss,” Su Mubai greeted him with a smile. “Breakfast is ready. Let’s eat.”

The group gathered around the simple wooden table in the center of the room.

Chu Yang pulled Little Yu over to sit beside him. Just as he picked up his chopsticks to dig in, his ears caught the sound of faint footsteps outside the front door.

The steps were light and hesitant, pacing back and forth across the threshold several times without ever knocking.

“Who’s out there? Why don’t you come in?” Chu Yang called out, raising his voice as he stood up to open the door.

Li Yu and Wang Qiang were standing awkwardly in the cold.

Caught off guard by the sudden swing of the door, both of them froze, visibly flustered and unsure of where to place their hands and feet.

“Oh, it’s you two. Come on inside,” Chu Yang said, stepping aside to clear the entrance.

Li Yu waved her hands hastily, a flush of embarrassment creeping up her neck. “No, it’s fine, Brother Chu! We… we just came by to see if you were awake and ask roughly when we’re setting off today.”

In truth, the two of them had seen Jiang Jue return earlier and had caught the mouthwatering fragrance of hot food drifting through the cracks in the door. Having only chewed on dry, chalky rations that morning, the savory scent had sent their stomachs growling uncontrollably. Still, they were far too proud and embarrassed to show up uninvited, terrified of looking like freeloaders begging for a meal. They had paced outside for several minutes, completely torn between knocking and walking away.

“We’ll hit the road as soon as we finish eating and pack up our gear,” Chu Yang said, noticing their lips were tinged with purple from the biting wind. He widened the doorway. “Don’t just stand out there freezing. Come inside.”

Li Yu and Wang Qiang traded a hesitant look before finally biting the bullet and stepping over the threshold.

Without a word, Su Mubai scooped two large, steaming portions from the pot into clean bowls and handed them over. “Sit down and eat with us. It just came off the flame, so it’s still piping hot.”

The bowls were filled with rich, savory braised meat and bright leafy greens over fluffy rice, glistening with a light layer of oil and smelling heavenly.

Wang Qiang stared down at the food, his Adam’s apple bobbing with a hard swallow. Even so, he raised a hand to decline out of courtesy: “This… this really isn’t necessary. We already ate earlier this morning.”

“Sit down and eat,” Chu Yang said firmly, pressing a hand onto Wang Qiang’s shoulder and guiding him onto a wooden stool. “Since you’ve joined our team, we share our meals together from now on. There’s no need to stand on ceremony with us.”

Hearing those words, a surge of warmth rushed through Li Yu and Wang Qiang’s chests.

Throughout their journey in the apocalypse, they had seen far too much cruelty, betrayal, and cutthroat selfishness. No one had ever spoken the word together to them with such casual sincerity.

Their eyes stung with unshed tears. Letting go of their reservations, they thanked the group with flushed, grateful smiles and took their seats, though their posture remained slightly stiff.

Jiang Jue set down a bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of Chu Yang, piling a generous portion of meat and vegetables onto his rice. Looking up at him, Jiang Jue spoke with concise calm: “Eat first.”

“Right, let’s all dig in,” Chu Yang said with a smile, picking up his chopsticks.

The group cast aside their formalities and began eating with hearty appetites. Cradling the warm ceramic bowls and savoring the hot, flavorful meal, Li Yu and Wang Qiang were moved nearly to tears. Ever since the outbreak began, they had lived like hunted animals—scavenging crumbs, starving one day and barely scraping by the next. It had been an eternity since they had enjoyed a hot, peaceful meal in safety.

As they ate, Chu Yang noticed Little Yu huddled quietly at the corner of the table. The child was clearly still shy, only daring to take small nibbles of plain rice while rarely reaching his chopsticks toward the main platter.

Chu Yang scooped two large pieces of tender meat and placed them directly into Little Yu’s bowl, his voice gentle: “Eat up, Little Yu. You need plenty of nourishment to grow strong.”

“Thank you, Brother Chu,” Little Yu murmured softly. He nibbled on the savory meat, a look of pure, quiet contentment spreading across his features.

When the meal was winding down, Chu Yang set his bowl and chopsticks onto the table. Glancing at the still-restrained Li Yu and Wang Qiang, and then at the well-behaved Little Yu beside him, he flashed a bright, easygoing smile to break the lingering tension.

“You guys really don’t need to be so nervous around us,” Chu Yang said warmly. “Now that we’re a squad, we’re brothers and partners—our own tight-knit unit navigating this apocalypse together. Walking on eggshells all day is going to wear you out, right?”

He paused, shifting his gaze toward Jiang Jue seated beside him. “By the way, let me make the formal introductions. Brother Jiang is our official Boss, and his word is law. Whenever major decisions need to be made or when the rest of us can’t agree on a path forward, Brother Jiang makes the final call.”

Li Yu, Wang Qiang, and young Little Yu immediately turned toward Jiang Jue, calling out in respectful, unison tones:

“Boss.”

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