TFRLTOP Chapter 79 Part 1

Chapter 79 — The Commander’s Little Widow 

◎ Mingming’s Mushroom Omelet ◎

Mingming had put up a fierce fight with Guan Yi — only to lose miserably. Instead of winning, she’d ended up tangled in his arms, kissed and pinned down until she was completely out of strength. By the time it was over, she lay sprawled on the bed, too exhausted to lift a finger.

“Commander,” she muttered weakly, “this is the apocalypse. As the leader of the base, shouldn’t you be getting up to save humanity instead of… this?”

Guan Yi, looking far too pleased with himself, had no intention of moving. He wrapped an arm around her and mumbled, “Just give me a minute…” though what he really thought was: If I drop dead now and she runs off with someone else, I’ll haunt her.

They stayed like that for a long while, limbs tangled, neither of them in any hurry to face the world.

Mingming rested her head on his chest, tracing lazy circles across his abs with one finger.

A shiver ran through him; before she could push things further, he caught her hand and toyed with her fingers, occasionally brushing her knuckles with soft kisses.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“Mm?” Mingming barely stirred, her gaze fixed on the messy evidence of their earlier chaos at the edge of the bed.

After a pause, she mumbled in confusion, “I just don’t get it… How did it fall out? I could’ve sworn I was holding it together last night.”

Guan Yi froze mid-motion. Remembering last night, he couldn’t help but let out a low laugh that rumbled through his chest.

“Oh, you were holding it together, all right,” he said dryly. “You just… squeezed the wrong place. I almost didn’t survive it.”

Mingming blinked, utterly lost.

Propping herself up, she stared down at him, their eyes locking. His face stayed perfectly calm, while hers went from indignant disbelief to dawning horror — Wait, did I really…?

She snuck a glance under the blanket.

Guan Yi immediately yanked the covers back and smirked. “What? Want a visual reminder?”

“Nope! Absolutely not!” Mingming rolled off him in a hurry, wrapping herself up in the blanket like a burrito.

Guan Yi chuckled behind her and slid closer, looping an arm around her again.

“Baby,” he murmured against her ear, “you know I like you, right? And you like me too… don’t you?”

“Put your hands back where they belong,” she warned, elbowing him through the blanket.

He sighed, pulling his hand away obediently.

When she didn’t answer, he didn’t push. He knew she still thought about her late husband — and honestly, silence was better than hearing her say, I can’t forget him; he died for me.

But still… was a living man really supposed to lose to a dead one?

No way.

That guy was gone. Mingming would eventually move on. He’d make sure she did. Because Guan Yi wasn’t just her present — he intended to be her future too.

If humanity somehow survived the apocalypse, he’d give her a peaceful, happy life. And if they didn’t… well, he’d still keep her safe, do everything he could to make what was left of the world feel worth living in.

No matter what, he swore, he’d treat her better than her late husband ever could.

Mingming, meanwhile, couldn’t sleep. Her mind was clear, racing with thoughts about how to “clear” this world.

As expected, she’d gotten tangled up with the male lead again.

Even though he couldn’t see her face, she hid her flushed cheeks under the blanket. He’s… surprisingly decent, she thought. Reliable, even. Though, honestly, once they get to bed, all these guys act the same — total animals.

Still… he hadn’t used any of his mutation powers on her. That had to count for something.

I’m too kind for my own good, she told herself.

But back to business — how was she supposed to complete this world’s mission?

The key was definitely the female lead, An Ning. She’d mentioned researching a way to reverse mutant evolution, which could reduce the threat from altered species. There were also projects on zombie elimination and hybrid gene separation… all way above Mingming’s pay grade.

She sighed softly. Sister, I want to help you, but science isn’t exactly my strong suit. I’ll just cheer for you from the sidelines, okay?

Guan Yi, holding her close, noticed the sigh. His chest tightened, but he said nothing.

He reminded himself of something he’d read online before the world fell apart — that sometimes the smartest thing a man can do is stay quiet and let a woman have her thoughts. That silence makes her miss you more.

Right, he thought grimly. When she’s thinking about her dead husband, I’ll just pretend I don’t notice. Be understanding. Be calm. Be…

He paused, scowling. Who even came up with this advice?

Still, somehow, it worked — even if he had completely misunderstood the point.

The next few days at the base passed peacefully.

Well, “peacefully” for the apocalypse. The field teams got a rare break, but everyone else stayed busy helping around the compound.

The WK Ability Base had grown huge — nearly the size of two football fields. As their numbers expanded, so did their territory. Now, the place was practically self-sustaining, powered by a mix of elemental abilities and shielded from detection by zombies and mutants.

As the commander, Guan Yi was constantly in motion — leading raids, securing resources, keeping the base running. Between the workload and the lack of time with Mingming, he was perpetually on edge.

Mingming, meanwhile, spent her days hovering around An Ning’s lab, trying to get a peek at the heroine’s scientific secrets. She’d assumed everything was top-secret, but An Ning’s lab turned out to be more like a bustling café — people coming and going, data sheets piled everywhere.

“Can I look at these?” Mingming asked.

“Go ahead,” An Ning said casually.

Ten minutes later, Mingming’s head was spinning. “Why is the ceiling spinning? And why is Guan Yi dancing?”

Right on cue, the commander himself arrived — clearly sneaking away from his duties again — and caught her before she toppled over. He steadied her and sent a sharp glare at An Ning.

“Really? You let her read this stuff? She’s not built for this kind of brain damage!”

An Ning shrugged. “I just wanted to show her that scientific data feels the same to normal people as computer code does to me — completely unreadable.”

“You can’t just let her look at that stuff! What if her brain overloads—how am I supposed to cool her down then?”

Ming Ming: “…”

She chased after Guan Yi, swinging her fists. “What’s that supposed to mean? Huh? What do you mean by that?!”

Finally catching his chance, Guan Yi let her hit and scold him all she wanted, then spread his arms wide, pulling his wife into his embrace and leading her away.

An Ning rubbed her chin as she watched them go, then shook her head and muttered, “Men… acting all pathetic won’t get you the girl. Idiot.”

Every time Guan Yi saw Ming Ming, it was like holding a piece of candy in his heart—he couldn’t get enough of being close to her. Ming Ming, however, didn’t want any public displays of affection. She walked briskly ahead, while Guan Yi followed closely behind.

It wasn’t entirely her fault. Guan Yi was being impossible—when they first started walking together, he couldn’t resist sneaking out a tentacle to wrap around her waist. Even after getting smacked several times, he still wouldn’t learn his lesson.

As a well-read woman who’d seen her fair share of spicy romance scenes, Ming Ming only had to see that tentacle, and her mind went places. She was terrified he’d suddenly “figure things out”—she honestly couldn’t handle it.

Guan Yi’s tentacle wound around her waist again, keeping her from moving forward. “Stay with me a bit,” he murmured. “I’m heading out on a long trip in a few days—won’t be back for quite a while. I’m already missing you.”

That got her attention. “Where are you going? Is it dangerous?”

If it wasn’t too dangerous, she wanted to go too.

But Guan Yi thought she was worried about him, and the warmth in his chest grew.

As a man, he couldn’t let his woman worry.

Dangerous or not, he wasn’t about to tell her the truth.

“It’s not dangerous,” he said softly.

Her eyes immediately lit up. “Then I want to go too!”