If M Country had provided the essentials—grain, medicine, daily necessities, and medical equipment—then K Country was all about one thing: oil.
He intended to prepare for every possible scenario, collecting everything they might ever need.
He could endure hardship.
But Mumu never would.
As the Shang family’s overseas businesses already operated in the energy sector, purchasing massive quantities of petroleum didn’t attract suspicion. It was simply another large commercial transaction.
As for the tight schedule…
Money solved almost everything.
The oil deal took only three hours.
Just as it was completed, Shen Muyan woke up.
Still half asleep, she instinctively called out,
“Ah Qi…”
“Mumu.”
The moment Shang Qi picked her up, his expression changed.
She was burning with fever.
Holding her close, he gently patted her back while instructing his assistant to drive straight to the nearest hospital.
“Go back to sleep,” he murmured softly. “We’ll be at the hospital soon.”
Shen Muyan leaned weakly against his chest, her delicate face pale despite the fever.
The scorching heat outside followed by the freezing air conditioning had simply been too much for her fragile body.
Her poor health wasn’t caused by a single illness.
It was the result of years of neglect.
She couldn’t tolerate cold.
She couldn’t tolerate heat.
Rainy, damp weather was especially dangerous—bad enough that it could cost her life.
Shang Qi had searched for countless specialists over the years.
None of them had been able to cure her.
She had been born prematurely, and when she was a child, repeated bouts of illness and fever had gone untreated. By the time anyone cared enough to help, the damage had already become permanent.
No amount of anxiety could change that.
All he could do was patiently nurse her health little by little.
Nothing frightened him more than seeing her sick.
Her body had already developed resistance to many medications.
No matter how much money he possessed…
He couldn’t buy her a healthy body.
Fortunately, the hospital wasn’t far away, and its facilities were more than adequate.
As Shen Muyan received an IV drip, Shang Qi stayed beside her the entire time, replying to messages whenever he had a spare moment.
Most of the overseas supply operation was already complete.
The oil shipment had been secured.
Another batch of meat and weapons was still waiting in M Country.
In R Country, enormous quantities of seafood had already been purchased.
Back home, Du Ming was collecting seasonings, vegetables, fruit, seeds, and young saplings.
As for women’s necessities and various snacks, Shang Qi had arranged for his business partners to transport them to the harbor.
Cold-weather supplies and vehicles would arrive in another two days.
The remaining machinery and industrial equipment would all be delivered tomorrow.
Once everything was collected the day after tomorrow, they would immediately return home.
They would spend two days gathering the remaining domestic supplies before taking Mumu back to Qinglan Mountain.
If everything stayed on schedule…
They would arrive just in time.
Holding Shen Muyan’s hand, Shang Qi lifted it to his lips and kissed it gently.
“Mumu…”
“I’ve prepared everything.”
“So you have to stay safe.”
As if hearing him even in her sleep, her fingers tightened around his hand.
At three o’clock that afternoon, Shen Muyan finally woke up.
Shang Qi wasn’t in the room.
Instead, a giant of a man sat in the small sitting area outside the hospital room.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dark-skinned, and built like a mountain.
His appearance wasn’t particularly handsome, but his sheer size made him impossible to ignore.
On the bedside table lay a note written in Shang Qi’s handwriting.
The moment she read it, her heart settled.
Shang Qi had gone to R Country and would return the following morning.
The large man outside was named Jiang Hao.
There was also a young doctor named Xie Rao.
If Shang Qi trusted them enough to leave her in their care, they had earned both his confidence and respect.
“Sister-in-law.”
Jiang Hao knocked gently on the door.
Despite his intimidating build, his voice was surprisingly gentle.
“Brother Qi asked me to bring you lunch.”
“Thank you.”
Carrying the insulated lunch box to the sofa, Shen Muyan opened it.
Inside were braised beef with tomatoes and potatoes, corn and pork rib soup, garlic shrimp…
Her two favorite dishes, along with shrimp.
While she was eating, the young doctor came in.
After checking her pulse, Xie Rao frowned deeply.
“You’re doing alright.”
He smiled politely.
“I won’t disturb your meal.”
She nodded.
After quietly leaving the room, Xie Rao grabbed Jiang Hao by the arm and pulled him farther down the hallway.
Their voices were barely audible.
“So you’ve really decided?”
“You’re giving all this up?”
Jiang Hao’s expression remained firm.
“Brother Qi brought me up from nothing.”
“If he needs me, I’ll stake my life on helping him.”
Remembering the unusually serious way Shang Qi had entrusted Shen Muyan to him, Xie Rao sighed.
“Fine.”
“I’ll hand in my resignation.”
Looking back toward the hospital room, he couldn’t help shaking his head.
With Sister-in-law’s condition…
No wonder Shang Qi had rarely taken her outside these past few years.
No wonder he never stayed away from her for long.
Even an ordinary illness could become fatal for her.
He had heard Shen Muyan came from one of Huajing’s wealthiest families.
How could people treat their own daughter with such cruelty from childhood?
The Shen family truly deserved the fate that had befallen them.
Late that night, Shen Muyan vaguely felt someone kissing her.
She didn’t even need to guess who it was.
Without opening her eyes, she nestled deeper into the familiar embrace.
“So sleepy…”
“Ah Qi…”
“Go back to sleep.”
He stopped teasing her and simply held her while she slept.
The following afternoon, after confirming that Shen Muyan had completely recovered, Shang Qi took her to the border of a neighboring country.
Although he had made unusually large purchases over the past few days, his reputation alone was enough to silence most questions.
No one dared interfere.
Before leaving, Shen Muyan spotted a puppy wandering by the roadside.
It was a silver-gray Czechoslovakian Wolfdog.
Shang Qi had no interest in keeping it.
Unfortunately for him, Shen Muyan only had to pout and act spoiled for a few minutes before he surrendered.
He instructed someone to bathe the puppy and send it ahead to Qinglan Mountain.
Watching the puppy disappear made Shen Muyan a little sad.
“I didn’t even get to pet it enough.”
She looked hopefully at him.
“Should we raise two more?”
“It won’t be so lonely on the mountain.”
Shang Qi fastened her seatbelt before pinching her nose lightly.
“Raise what?”
“I only plan on raising one.”
“And that’s you.”
“I’m not taking responsibility for anything else.”
“…Fine.”
Thinking about how much effort it already took him to care for her, Shen Muyan wisely let the matter drop.
Instead, she watched the setting sun outside the window.
Without realizing it, four days had already passed.
Tomorrow they would collect the final shipment in D Country before returning home.
Except for the one night she had spent in the hospital, they had spent almost every day traveling between airports.
Finally…
On the morning of the tenth, they returned to Huajing.
The overseas operation had been remarkably successful.
Staple foods.
Rice and flour.
Meat.
Beverages.
Medicine.
Household supplies.
Clothing.
Winter gear.
Rainproof equipment.
Heavy machinery.
Engines.
Petroleum.
Armored vehicles.
Even weapons.
In a single trip, Shang Qi had effectively emptied the stockpiles of three different countries.
The moment they stepped off the plane, Shen Muyan felt the heat hit her.
Huajing had reached forty-five degrees Celsius.
The internet was filled with complaints.
People wondered when it would finally rain.
Others said the bizarre weather felt like the beginning of the apocalypse.
Many mocked those theories.
Yet whether they believed it or not…
Almost everyone had quietly started stocking up on supplies.
It was simply too hot to spend time outdoors.
Traffic had become noticeably lighter.
Some schools had switched entirely to online classes.
Many companies had begun allowing employees to work from home.
Their first stop after landing was a warehouse by the river.
Even from a distance, they could smell the sweet fragrance of fresh fruit.
The warehouse had been divided into three sections.
Half of it contained seasonings.
One and a half sections were stacked with fruit.
The remaining section was packed with vegetables.
Du Ming had purchased greenhouse-grown produce, following Shang Qi’s instructions to buy roughly two-thirds of each supplier’s inventory rather than clearing them out completely.
The same went for fruit.
Seeds and saplings were collected in much smaller quantities—just enough as a precaution.
Once Shang Qi arrived, Du Ming handed over the warehouse keys before leaving to finish packing for Qinglan Mountain.
Their second stop was Liangang Harbor.
A massive cargo ship waited offshore.
This time, Shang Qi didn’t bring Shen Muyan aboard.
After settling the remaining payment and speaking briefly with the person in charge, they moved on.
The third stop was a large bottled water factory.
Shang Qi emptied the entire facility into his storage space.
By noon on the eleventh, they finally returned to their hotel.
At three o’clock that afternoon, Shang Qi drove Shen Muyan back toward Qinglan Mountain.
Passing a large shopping mall, he suddenly pulled into the parking lot.
The supermarket was packed.
Most people weren’t even shopping—they were simply hiding inside to enjoy the air conditioning.
Shen Muyan couldn’t understand why they had come.
She had seen Shang Qi’s storage space.
There were enough supplies inside to last her ten lifetimes.
Standing behind her with one arm resting on the shopping cart, Shang Qi casually picked items from the shelves while speaking quietly beside her ear.
“This place will be underwater.”
“A lot of these supplies will be lost.”
“The government will organize relief later.”
“But we should still buy what we can.”
She nodded.
“Then let me choose for myself.”
Everywhere they went, Shang Qi either carried her or held her hand.
The moment she looked at something, he bought it before she could even touch it.
Finally, he released the arm around her waist but continued holding her hand.
“Go ahead.”
“Pick whatever you want.”
Naturally…
She headed straight for the snacks.
Instant noodles—ten packs of every flavor.
Self-heating hotpots.
Self-heating rice meals.
Various breads.
Candy.
Chocolate.
Jelly.
Eight-treasure porridge.
Milk.
Yogurt.
Cookies.
Dried fruit.
Cereal.
Jerky.
Preserved fruit.
Potato chips…
Her shopping cart quickly overflowed.
Then came the drinks.
Cola.
Sprite.
Fanta.
Orange soda.
Several cases of fruit wine.
After that came tissues, sanitary pads, towels, toothbrushes, razors, facial cleansers, skincare products…
She bought everything she could think of.
Finally, they reached the clothing section.
She completely emptied an underwear store, buying for both men and women.
She adored pretty dresses and practically bought out an entire boutique.
For Shang Qi, she selected dozens of sets of T-shirts and shorts in his size.
By the time they reached the register, the cashier’s smile had almost frozen in place.
Shang Qi wasn’t finished.
He bought dozens of cases of bottled water.
Then they visited several more supermarkets, purchasing every remaining bottle of drinking water, milk, and juice in stock.
Just the beverages alone filled two entire rooms at the mountain lodge.
They bought crates of every seasonal fruit available.
Beef.
Pork.
Chicken.
Steaks.
Lamb chops.
Ribs.
Frozen dumplings.
Tangyuan.
Steamed buns.
Various frozen foods.
And finally…
Ten cases of ice cream.
It was the first time Shen Muyan had ever seen one of Shang Qi’s bank cards drop below four digits.
Even after using seven or eight different cards, he couldn’t scrape together another thirty thousand yuan.
The remaining money disappeared into truck rentals and labor costs to transport everything.
By the time they arrived back at Qinglan Mountain, it was already nine o’clock that evening.
Exhausted, Shen Muyan collapsed onto the sofa.
The moment she saw Shang Qi, she reached out pitifully.
“Ah Qi…”
“I want ice cream.”
“It’s too late.”
He firmly refused.
“Mumu, no ice cream tonight.”
Closing the door to the storage room on the first floor, he tossed the keys to Du Ming, who had just finished organizing supplies next door.
“Lock every window and door.”
“I’ll make dinner.”
“…Cook?”
Du Ming froze.
When had Master Qi learned how to cook?
Shen Muyan was equally curious.
She happily followed him into the kitchen.
After confirming Du Ming had walked away, she quietly hugged him from behind.
“Ah Qi…”
“You learned in our previous life, didn’t you?”
“…Mm.”
Turning around, Shang Qi handed her an apron before kissing her forehead.
“Help me tie it.”
He bent down obediently.
She slipped the apron over his head, wrapped the straps around his waist, and tied them into a neat bow.
He rubbed the corner of his lips against hers, smiling warmly.
“Perfect.”
“Go rest for a while.”
She pouted.
“Then give me a piece of candy.”
“My mouth tastes bitter.”
“Mumu.”
He placed a milk candy in her palm.
Seeing how pale she had become, he gently took her hand.
Hidden deep in his eyes was unmistakable fear.
“Go lie down for a bit.”
“Be good.”
She squeezed his hand instead.
“I’m fine.”
Standing on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek.
“I’ll be in the bedroom.”
“Remember to wake me when dinner’s ready.”
The mountain lodge had only three floors.
The first floor contained the living room, kitchen, and two storage rooms.
The second floor held five guest rooms.
The third floor had only two bedrooms.
Shang Qi had chosen the east-facing room.
As Shen Muyan pushed open the bedroom door, her knees suddenly gave way.
She collapsed onto the thick carpet without warning.
Fortunately, the soft rug muffled the sound.
Pressing a hand against her chest, she struggled to suppress the metallic taste of blood rising into her throat.
Then she grabbed at the jade bracelet around her wrist.
It had suddenly become scorching hot.
No matter how hard she pulled…
It wouldn’t come off.
Panic surged through her.
A mouthful of blood spilled from her lips.
Several crimson drops landed directly on the bracelet.
Before she could even register what had happened, darkness swallowed her vision.
She lost consciousness completely.
She never saw the faint crimson glow that slowly began radiating from the bracelet.