Down payment??!!
Hadn't the Jiang family always bought villas with full cash payments in one go?
Du Ziteng's heart skipped a beat.
He had actually wanted to ask Jiang Yan something for a while but felt it might be inappropriate.
Now seeing her driving a used small truck and urgently selling off their several-hundred-square-meter villa to move into a penthouse—a choice most ordinary people would rarely make—his curiosity could no longer be contained.
Gritting his teeth and taking a deep breath, he finally spoke up:
"Sis Yan, you're selling the villa so urgently and even changed cars—are you facing some difficulties? If there's anything I can help with, just say the word. Though my finances can't compare to yours, I've saved up a bit over the years. If you need—" Du Ziteng abruptly stopped mid-sentence when he saw Jiang Yan smiling at him, stumbling over his words:
"S-Sis Yan, wh-what's wrong? I didn't mean anything by it. It's just... when my father had cancer, General Jiang and General Li organized company-wide donations for my family and even personally covered many medical expenses. Though my father ultimately passed, I'll never forget the Jiang family's tremendous kindness."
What he didn't mention was that his real estate agency had actually benefited greatly from Mother Jiang's patronage.
After all, when Mother Jiang previously handled those property transactions, she had entrusted all the business to his company—that was essentially his first pot of gold after quitting his job to start the business.
Seeing Jiang Yan like this now, he couldn't help wondering if this was like those TV dramas where the wealthy heiress's assets get frozen or something.
Noticing his earnest and sincere expression, Jiang Yan said, "Du Ziteng, do you trust me?"
Without hesitation, Du Ziteng nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice: "Absolutely!"
"A wise man told me the Apocalypse will come in three months. So I'm telling only you—use these next two months to stock up on as much rice, flour, oil and other staples as possible at home. Get some common medicines too. That's all I can tell you."
Truthfully, Jiang Yan didn't expect him to believe such words.
Before her own rebirth, hadn't she also heard all those Mayan prophecies about the world ending in certain years?
Yet looking back now, those predicted dates were already a decade or more in the past.
Sure enough, Du Ziteng let out a soft "ah," his eyes filled with disbelief and even a trace of barely detectable pity:
Poor Miss Jiang.
General Li's death must have hit her so hard that she's developed mental issues.
Ah, rich or poor, every family has its own troubles!
But being quick-witted, though inwardly sighing, he swiftly lightened the awkwardly serious mood:
"Ah, Sis Yan, stock up again? To be honest, I still have loads of ibuprofen left from hoarding during the mask period, plus all that salt I stocked before. My wife was just teasing me yesterday, asking when my 'salt-baked ibuprofen' would be ready hahaha."
Du Ziteng deliberately avoided the "Apocalypse in three months" topic.
To him, with the sunny skies and gentle breeze outside, talk of apocalypse seemed absurd—but he couldn't bear to rub salt in Jiang Yan's wounds either.
Listening to his lame joke, Jiang Yan didn't laugh. Instead, she sobered up and looked at him earnestly, saying:
"Old Du, this time, listen to me."
Some things were better left unsaid.
Seeing her unusually serious expression, Du Ziteng scratched his head sheepishly and replied, "Sister Yan, I'll follow your advice. I'll have my wife stock up on some supplies when I get back. We'll need rice, flour, oil, and those common medicines sooner or later anyway."
Jiang Yan gave a noncommittal "Hmm" and said nothing more.
Building A soon came into view.
The five buildings of Shallow Water Bay were arranged in a pyramid shape, with Building A positioned right at the apex.
At that moment, a moving truck was parked at the entrance, and workers in blue uniforms were busily unloading a leather sofa.
Not far away stood a strikingly beautiful young woman dressed in black, holding the hand of a seven or eight-year-old boy as she directed the movers.
The woman's eyes were red-rimmed, and both her right arm and the boy's left arm bore mourning armbands.
Jiang Yan instinctively glanced at the woman's face, and a surge of anger instantly flared within her.
The beautiful woman was none other than Zhang Qiqi.
The mistress that the despicable stepfather Song Deming had kept hidden in the shadows.
If not for the fact that after the Apocalypse descended in her previous life, Song Deming had brought Zhang Qiqi and her son to that hillside villa, she would have remained in the dark like her mother until death.
However, in her past life, Zhang Qiqi had always lived in the villa Song Deming rented for her.
For some reason, she had now moved into this ordinary residential complex as well.
This was truly finding something by sheer luck after searching everywhere for it!
The thought of her mother who had perished at sea without a complete corpse and the miserable fate she herself had suffered in her previous life made Jiang Yan's heart ache as if being gnawed by thousands of ants.
She could hardly restrain herself from stepping forward and ending this shameless woman's life with a single stroke.
But now, she didn't have the same conditions as when she killed Song Deming and Zhang Kai.
In a society governed by law, she had to endure for now.
Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fists tightly and took several deep breaths to suppress the vengeful impulse within her.
Since they were in the same building, she wouldn't even need to seek her out.
Just endure a little longer. Once the Apocalypse arrives, she could deal with her slowly.
Moreover, a strange thought occurred to her:
Could it be that because of her rebirth and Song Deming's death, Zhang Qiqi's life trajectory had also changed?
As if the wheels of fate had been set in motion.
If that were the case, might the timing of the impending disasters also be affected?
It seemed all her preparations needed to be completed as early as possible.
"Hey! Be careful with that sofa! It's made of imported calfskin and costs tens of thousands! You can't afford to pay for it if it's damaged!!" The moment Zhang Qiqi opened her mouth, her true colors were instantly revealed.
Du Ziteng shot her a disdainful glance. As he pressed the elevator button, he muttered in defense of the movers, "I can't stand people like her. No idea where they get their sense of superiority from."
Jiang Yan remained silent, her expression grave.
Her hat and mask concealed her face completely.
Naturally, Zhang Qiqi didn't recognize her.
Not that she was afraid of being recognized anyway.
Zhang Qiqi soon led the movers into the freight elevator.
Jiang Yan walked over to take a look and also glanced at the stairwell.
After the Apocalypse arrived, with water and electricity cut off, the elevators would become useless, leaving everyone to rely on the stairs.
Although she was prepared to stay holed up in the room until the last possible moment, she still needed to have a backup plan ready.
The stairwell was right next to the freight elevator, dimly lit with cigarette butts and trash scattered in the corners. A faint stench of urine lingered in the air.
Jiang Yan frowned and quickly turned back.
Meanwhile, the freight elevator slowly came to a stop on the 7th floor.
"Yan-jie, what's wrong?" Du Ziteng was puzzled when he saw her suddenly head toward the freight elevator.
(End of Chapter)