From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 101 - 94: The Heart is Naturally Biased

Li Ming gazed at the young woman on the screen, a perfect picture of her younger self, and let out a long sigh.

The young woman he had practically raised still looked the same, but he had already grown old.

Li Ming lowered his gaze, and out of the camera’s view, pressed down hard on his legs, which had long since lost all feeling.

A moment later.

"Xiaoxi," he said, looking up seriously. "This time, if Lu Chenyuan hadn’t happened to find you and run around getting into trouble with you, I wouldn’t have contacted you at all."

Gu Xi subconsciously defended him. "Don’t blame him. Even if he hadn’t shown up, I was already caught up in the matter in South City..."

"I know about that." Li Ming nodded. "But don’t you worry. These are all minor things, and I’ll take care of them. The South City Restaurant incident, the matter with No. 176, and the situation over at the NX1984 ruin area..."

Gu Xi suddenly cut him off. "So, who else is involved in this?"

’She wasn’t asking about just anyone. She meant... one of their former teammates? Or maybe... several of them?’

Li Ming looked at her with a helpless expression. "Xiaoxi, why must you do this?"

Gu Xi remained silent.

She was just like that same stubborn little girl he had watched grow up.

"Xiaoxi, stop making things so hard on yourself." Li Ming looked at her, his expression unusually serene. "Go live the life you want."

"As for the rest, just leave it to me," he said in earnest. "You know that schemes and plots like these have always been my specialty."

Gu Xi frowned slightly. "Are you asking me to be a deserter?"

"Of course not. Xiaoxi, why would you think that? I just..." Li Ming suddenly let out a few stifled coughs.

Gu Xi’s brow furrowed even more deeply.

’What on earth happened to Li Ming’s ability? What could make him age so quickly and leave him looking so listless, like he was at death’s door?’

’What in the world happened all these years!’

Li Ming coughed raggedly for a good while. Once he’d recovered, he gave Gu Xi a gentle smile. "Did I scare you, Xiaoxi? Really, I’m fine. I just..."

He suddenly sighed. "It’s just... I really didn’t want you to see me like this..."

Li Ming had his pride, of course.

Gu Xi understood.

To Gu Xi, Li Ming was more than just a teammate and a partner. He had always been an older brother and a teacher to her—the person she relied on most.

But now... looking at the old man in his twilight years on the screen, an indescribably complex emotion silently spread through Gu Xi’s heart. It was a mix of sorrow, pain, anger, and even a hint of bewilderment.

But Li Ming suddenly changed the subject. "Xiaoxi, whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.

I just feel that you don’t have to carry so much on your shoulders anymore... Xiaoxi, over the past years, you’ve done more than enough, and you’ve done it well. Now, you can go live the life you want for yourself."

When Gu Xi didn’t respond, Li Ming sighed bitterly again. "Xiaoxi, don’t overthink it." He pointed to his head. "Even though I can’t use my ability anymore, my mind is still here, isn’t it?"

Gu Xi stared at him, her expression grave. "None of that is urgent. Ming, right now, I’m most worried about your health."

Ming... The name, one he hadn’t heard in so long, made Li Ming freeze for a moment.

Li Ming was suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia. It had been many years since he’d heard Xiaoxi call him that.

Of course, it wasn’t Xiaoxi’s fault.

It was his own doing. After she became captain at the age of twelve, he had forbidden her from calling him that anymore.

As captain, she had to establish her authority, and a young girl who called everyone "big brother" or "big sister" would never be able to command absolute respect!

And Xiaoxi had always listened to him. She was an excellent student, always learning well whatever he taught her...

Li Ming snapped out of his reverie and smiled. "Xiaoxi, don’t worry. I’ll be fine..."

’He’d managed to survive for so many years, dragging this broken body along. Now that Xiaoxi was back, it was time for him to pull himself together and return to his old line of work.’

Li Ming sighed.

Back then, he thought Xiaoxi was... gone. So he turned a blind eye to the actions of the other survivors, as a nod to the bond they had all forged growing up and fighting side-by-side. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Later, when Ye Xin brought back that person’s memento, he simply gave up on everything, just dragging his broken body along to eke out a meager existence.

But deep down, he could never accept it. He couldn’t believe that Xiaoxi was really gone, just like that...

Fortunately, the faintest sliver of hope in his heart kept him going, and he had finally made it to this day.

Now, his Xiaoxi was back. Their captain had returned!