June 16, 3018! Seven months until the apocalypse. It was also the third day since Han Ying’s rebirth.
“Ying-jie, the afternoon bubble tea order is ready: 40 cups each of Taro Cream, Mango Pomelo, and Cheese Milk Green Tea. I’ve put them in the trunk for you.”
The shop assistant, Ding Xiaowei, carried three large baskets of bubble tea—one by one—over to the trunk of the white SUV parked in front of the shop. He slammed the trunk shut before turning to the girl who had walked out of the store.
“Alright, thanks for your hard work! Go home early today; I can see your girlfriend’s been waiting for you,” Han Ying patted Ding Xiaowei on the shoulder, then winked at a small girl sitting in the corner of the shop.
“Hehe, thanks, Ying-jie,” Ding Xiaowei said, scratching his head awkwardly.
After driving away from the bubble tea shop, Han Ying parked under a tree. She got out from the driver’s seat, opened the back door, and leaned inside the car. The moment her hand touched the basket holding the bubble tea, the three baskets—120 cups in total—vanished from the trunk!
Bubble tea is best enjoyed fresh, so she had to store it in her space as quickly as possible to preserve its flavor. Thinking of the tea she had just stored, Han Ying smacked her lips and retrieved a cup of Mango Pomelo from her space.
She took a sip. The cool sago pearls were soft and springy, the fruit pulp thick and delicate, and a touch of cream doubled the sweetness, instantly making her feel refreshed all over.
Han Ying was a dancer. In her previous life, she never dared indulge in sugary drinks or desserts—or even high-calorie foods—because she needed to maintain her figure. But now, the words “maintain my figure” had been erased from her life dictionary!
Her only goal in this life was to survive well in the apocalypse and enjoy everything she could while she was alive. Everything else could go to hell.
Although Ding Xiaowei called her “Ying-jie,” Han Ying was actually two years younger than him. She was only 21, a sophomore in college.
The bubble tea shop belonged to Han Ying herself and had been running for nearly a year. She opened it in the second semester of her freshman year, near the university city. Business was decent.
Han Ying opened the shop partly because it was easy to manage and required no special skills. Being in a university area meant there was no shortage of customers, so earning her living expenses during college wasn’t a problem. She also had a substantial inheritance from her parents, so using it to make some extra money ensured she wouldn’t run out of funds.
After her rebirth, Han Ying not only kept the shop open but also hired four more part-time college students; otherwise, she couldn’t manage it all herself.
The shop still served walk-in customers but had closed all delivery channels. Besides attending to customers, the six employees spent their downtime preparing various bubble tea drinks. There were batches in the morning, afternoon, and sometimes at night, with the daily quantity decided by the time available. Usually, they made at least four or five hundred cups a day. With seven months left until the apocalypse, even if she couldn’t stock up every day, the total number was still considerable.
Han Ying drove over to pick up all the bubble tea, without even needing a reason—she was the shop owner. She paid her employees double, and they happily kept quiet, assuming she was serving a VIP customer herself.
Earlier, when leaving the shop, Han Ying had reminded the other employees to prepare extra bubble tea in the evening, as she would come to pick it up.
It was almost evening now. In the morning, her aunt had called, saying it was Sunday and that Han Ying should come home for dinner. Han Ying remembered that in her previous life, her aunt had also called around this time asking her to return. She had agreed, and the price of that dinner had been buying her cousin Wang Mingliang a tablet. Want a tablet? In dreams, anything is possible!
Han Ying drove steadily, and traffic was smooth, so in half an hour she arrived at Yujing Residential Complex. She parked in the underground garage.
Sitting in the car for two minutes, Han Ying suppressed all the hatred and murderous intent she held for Zhao Meihua and her family. Only then did she open the door and get out.
Her home was in Building 6, Apartment 503. From the underground garage, she went straight to the elevator and pressed the button for the 5th floor. Her mood had already calmed, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
In front of Apartment 503, Han Ying used her key to unlock the security door. The door swung open, revealing Wang Shiqi and Wang Mingliang, her cousin siblings, sprawled on the living room sofa with no regard for appearances, eating chips and watching TV while tossing trash everywhere. Clearly, this was their home!
“Cousin, you’re back! Mom’s been talking about you all this time, saying you’re on break but haven’t come home!” Wang Mingliang jumped off the sofa the moment he saw Han Ying and ran over to greet her obediently.
Hearing the noise, Zhao Meihua also poked her head out from the kitchen. “This kid, why didn’t you ring the doorbell? Opening it yourself, don’t you find that troublesome?”
“Why ring the doorbell in my own home? Or does my aunt still think I’m a guest?” Han Ying smiled lightly, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes—there was a trace of coldness hidden beneath it.
Zhao Meihua was momentarily stunned by Han Ying’s words, not replying immediately.
Her uncle, Wang Jianye, who had just come out of the restroom, heard her and, for some unknown reason, directly confronted her: “Han Ying, how are you talking to your aunt? She’s always busy for you, isn’t she better to you than Shiqi and Mingliang? Or did someone whisper in your ear to make you speak to her like this?”
Whispering? You haven’t wronged me, so why fear whispers? Moreover, the way he said it made it seem like Han Ying had no place to live and had come to them, when actually, they were just freeloading in her home! In her previous life, how had she been so foolish? She could see the family’s ambition in many subtle signs, but after losing her parents, she had been blinded by her aunt’s warmth.
Looking at Wang Jianye, Han Ying clenched her hand deep in her pocket until her nails dug into her palm, unaware of the pain.
“Uncle, it’s been a long time. What have you been busy with lately?” Han Ying’s face still held a smile, and her tone was gentle, seemingly no different from usual.
But Wang Jianye felt strangely unsettled by the way Han Ying looked at him.
“I’ve been on a business trip, haven’t been home for a while. Don’t change the subject. Han Ying, did someone whisper in your ear to make you talk to your aunt like that? Apologize to her now!” Wang Jianye walked toward Han Ying, his tone making it seem as if she had done something against the family.
Zhao Meihua tugged at Wang Jianye’s sleeve, saying, “It’s fine, we’re family,” while giving Han Ying a look that seemed to say she really had wronged her.