After leaving the dimly lit shop, Tang Tang was somewhat dazed by the glaring sunlight.
The bustling crowd before her suddenly turned into a group of zombies. They all looked toward her in unison, baring mouths full of sharp teeth and grinning coldly at her.
Tang Tang shook her head and threw the absurd thought out of her mind.
Most of the food wholesalers in the market were direct-operated stores run by manufacturers.
Tang Tang skillfully entered each shop and bought everything they had.
“Vegetables, fruits, meat and eggs, seasonings, pickled foods, prepared foods, poultry, seafood, grains and cooking oil, canned goods, household chemicals…”
She counted on her fingers, trying to figure out what she had missed.
She had bought enough chicken, lamb, pork, beef, and fish.
She had bought them already slaughtered and processed. Although live animals could reproduce continuously, she hated cleaning and taking care of them. Raising animals was too troublesome.
“Right, I haven’t bought the things from the shopping mall yet.”
She had forgotten about them because of the old man who had tried to scam her earlier.
Tang Tang entered a wholesale shop and bought everything she could, while also continuing to add items to her order on her phone.
If she saw pretty clothes, she bought them!
Stylish windbreakers, bought!
Quilts that looked comfortable to sleep under, bought!
She filled in the gaps in her clothing and daily necessities through the mini program.
She also bought plenty of hardware and electrical appliances that were not commonly used from the wholesale stores. She even bought solar panels and agricultural harvesters.
Although she had no idea what she would use them for, it did not matter.
Her Space Cheat Ability could hold them all.
As for those luxurious leather goods that looked good but were useless, as well as shoes that were more delicate and expensive than she was, Tang Tang could not even be bothered to look at them.
After spending the entire afternoon walking around the general goods market, Tang Tang felt as though her shoes were about to start smoking.
Still, she was quite satisfied with what she had accomplished.
None of these things seemed particularly expensive, but after adding up all the little purchases, she had spent a quarter of her remaining balance.
Tang Tang found a milk tea shop and sat down.
There were not many customers at the milk tea shop in the general goods market. She found a seat in the corner and plugged in her phone to charge.
She casually ordered a drink, then began placing takeout orders from her seat.
She did not order ordinary meals. Instead, she specifically ordered complicated specialty dishes and local snacks.
After the Apocalypse broke out, these snacks would become extremely rare.
For one thing, they required specific machines. For another, they required specific raw materials.
So whether she liked them or not, Tang Tang ordered two hundred portions of each.
Considering that the shops would need time to prepare the food and gather the ingredients, and because she wanted to return as soon as possible, Tang Tang placed orders at different shops.
She also ordered signature milk teas from various major brands.
Sweets were her favorite.
It was hard to imagine how bleak life would be without sweets.
Thinking of sweets reminded Tang Tang of her favorite chocolate brand.
She had asked the owner of the instant noodle shop and learned that there was a branch of that brand in the market.
But when she arrived, the manager told her that someone had already bought everything.
Who could be so bored?
Could there be someone else who had been reborn besides her?
“Your mango sundae is ready.”
Tang Tang’s attention shifted to the ice cream machine.
“Maybe… do you sell the machine too?”
The part-time girl looked somewhat incredulous when she received double her monthly salary.
It was her first day at work.
Then the shop where she worked was transferred to someone else.
The new owner, no, her former employer, gave her twice her salary.
Then she was fired.
“Bye-bye!”
Tang Tang ate her ice cream and waved at the former employee.
Then she pulled down the rolling shutter and collected all the equipment and raw materials from the shop into her Space Cheat Ability.
Although she had paid twice the money and acquired an entire milk tea shop, she had also obtained a delivery address.
Tang Tang changed the delivery address for all her takeout orders to the milk tea shop.
While waiting for the takeout, she ran around the nearby shops to collect supplies.
Only after all the takeout had been delivered did Tang Tang close the shop and leave the general goods market.
After leaving the general goods market, she took a taxi back to the warehouse.
The goods she had purchased from the general goods market had almost filled the entire 30-mu warehouse.
Collecting all the supplies left Tang Tang completely exhausted.
It was already close to six o’clock.
Tang Tang dragged her exhausted body into a taxi and returned to the hotel.
Fortunately, Pei Xianzhi still had not returned.
The hot spring inside her Space Cheat Ability made her so comfortable that she became drowsy.
Warm steam rushed toward her, enveloping Tang Tang in a soft atmosphere. The water flowed gently over her skin, as smooth as silk.
The fatigue of the entire day instantly relaxed and eased.
Tang Tang opened her hazy, sleepy eyes, her cheeks flushed from the steam.
Her beautiful long, curly hair was damp from the hot spring water, partially covering her delicate body.
Tang Tang rested against the edge of the hot spring and looked at the supplies packed all around her. She was so pleased with herself that she practically had a little tail wagging behind her.
With so many things, they would never have to worry about food and drink in the future.
All the sunburn she had suffered today had been worth it.
Tang Tang raised her arm to see whether her skin had begun peeling.
But she discovered that instead of becoming dark red as she expected, her arm had not only failed to peel, it had actually become a shade fairer!
“Does this space have a beauty filter?”
Tang Tang turned her hand over and over, feeling that the change was a little ridiculous.
She put on her clothes and left her Space Cheat Ability. Under the bright indoor lights, she looked into the mirror.
Her skin was as white as snow with a rosy glow, looking delicate enough to break with a touch.
Tang Tang dried her hair and looked somewhat troubled.
“I want to improve my physical strength so I can fight, not enter a beauty pageant.”
Tang Tang puffed out her cheeks and sighed.
She knew all too well how troublesome it was to be beautiful.
Normally, it was not too bad. At most, people would stare at her.
She could tolerate the occasional offensive gaze she noticed.
But in the Apocalypse, a beautiful woman without any particular skills was destined to become the first target everyone would prey upon.
The hot spring really was good at relieving fatigue. As for cleansing and strengthening her body, she had not noticed anything.
But after soaking in it a few more times, she might even end up looking like a different species.
It seemed she should soak in the hot spring less often.
She really did not want to stand out so much.
Tang Tang yawned and admired herself in the mirror.
Her facial features had been inherited from her mother. They were delicate and well-defined, with every feature proportioned just right.
With a little effort, she could normally be considered a great beauty.
Now that her skin had become a shade fairer, even wearing an ordinary long-sleeved pajama set made her look as though she had carefully dressed up.
“It’s quite pretty.”
Tang Tang pinched her cheek.
Hmm, it felt nice.
She pinched it again.
The fatigue washed away by the hot spring was replaced by sleepiness.
Tang Tang curled up under the quilt, staring blankly at the ceiling with a distant look in her eyes. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
She rubbed her eyes and immediately sat up in bed.
Seven-thirty!
“Thank goodness, I didn’t oversleep.”
She patted her chest, slipped on her slippers, and walked toward the door.
“Who is it?”
Because she was sleepy, her voice sounded soft and slightly drowsy.
“It’s me.”
A warm male voice came from outside the door.
Tang Tang ran her fingers through her messy hair. Only after making sure it was presentable did she open the door.
The first thing she saw was a face with slightly sharp features. A pair of silver rectangular glasses rested on his tall nose.
The cold silver gleam of the glasses happened to soften his sharp appearance, instead giving him an air of aloofness and distance.
Tang Tang was more familiar with him than anyone.
Pei Xianzhi.
She silently repeated his name in her heart.
This was the first time she had ever felt flustered when facing him.
Her heart was beating rapidly, and her breathing had become slightly hurried.
The calmness she had shown when dealing with the old man who had tried to scam her earlier had all been an act.
Now that she had finally seen someone she could rely on, Tang Tang could no longer suppress the grievances and fear in her heart.
A wave of bitterness filled her nose. Tears gathered in her watery eyes, and warm droplets rolled one after another down her fair cheeks.
She tried to suppress her sobs.
She did not want to look this miserable in front of Pei Xianzhi.
Even less did she want him to worry about her.
But her tears simply would not stop. The tip of her small nose and the rims of her eyes turned pink from crying. Her lips trembled slightly, and soon her entire body began to shake.
She looked utterly pitiful.
Pei Xianzhi pulled her into his arms. His long fingers gently patted her thin back, trying to comfort her.
The slender figure in his arms trembled continuously from crying.
Every tremor made his heart ache as well.
Pei Xianzhi said nothing. He simply held her quietly, his warm and steady hand gently patting her back in a rhythmic motion.