“Muxue, what are you spacing out about?” Her best friend Ding Manman nudged her with her elbow. “Stop daydreaming—the professor is calling your name.”
“Qin Muxue! Qin Muxue! If you’re not here, you’ll lose the credit for this course!”
“Professor! Professor, I’m here!” Qin Muxue raised both hands high, still feeling a bit dazed.
The professor nodded. “Since everyone’s here, I’ll begin the new lesson.”
Qin Muxue whispered to Ding Manman, “Manman, are you really real?”
Three lines appeared above Ding Manman’s head. “Did you sleep yourself stupid? If I’m not real, am I dead or something?”
At the mention of death, Qin Muxue remembered that Ding Manman had died saving her. Watching her best friend die right before her eyes, she had felt overwhelming guilt, powerless to do anything at the time. Even now, she understood who had been sincere and who had been false.
Qin Muxue pinched her wrist, and Ding Manman winced in pain. “Why are you pinching me?”
“Does it hurt?”
“No duh, of course it hurts. You’ve pinched it red.”
Qin Muxue looked at the red mark on her hand and touched her warm skin, her heart surging with indescribable excitement.
“Manman, I’m back!” She threw her arms around Ding Manman, wiping her tears and snot all over her.
She, Qin Muxue, had been reborn!
“Smack!” A piece of chalk flew straight at her head.
The old professor said disapprovingly, “If you’re not going to pay attention, don’t disturb others.”
The sting on her forehead was real—this wasn’t a dream, nor a life flashing before her eyes! She had truly been reborn back to her university days.
Ding Manman found it strange because Qin Muxue didn’t eat with Yan Xu today. Instead, she went with her to the small cafeteria, and even while eating, she seemed distracted.
Little did she know, Qin Muxue was trying to recall the current time. “Manman, what year and date is it now?”
It seemed the professor’s chalk had really knocked her silly—she didn’t even know what year it was.
“January 15, 2024. It’s noon, 12 o’clock.” Ding Manman glanced at her phone and replied.
Qin Muxue looked up, trying to remember what she had been doing at this time back then.
Back then, because her best friend Ding Manman had developed feelings for Yan Xu, she had deliberately cold-shouldered Manman, and their friendship had fallen apart.
But afterward, Ding Manman had still secretly slipped her snacks, trying to make amends, and she had pretended not to see it, letting that friendship slip away.
Now, with more than half a year still remaining before the Cataclysm, she had enough time to prepare.
“Good Manman, I’m really sorry for neglecting you all this time. Let me treat you to lunch to make it up to you.”
“Do you even have money now? Didn’t your family cut off your allowance?”
Only then did she remember—after falling out with her father, her family had cut off her living expenses for months. Checking the balance on her phone’s payment app, Qin Muxue sighed. “Looks like I can only afford steamed buns today.”
“Ah, forget it. I’ll treat you!” A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Ding Manman’s mouth.
“Manman, you’re the absolute best!”
As soon as they entered the cafeteria, Qin Muxue’s mouth watered at the array of dishes on display. Living through the Apocalypse, going hungry one moment and eating the next was the norm—compressed biscuits, cockroaches, rats—those had all been delicacies of the highest order back then.
“This one, this one, and this one too! I want them all!” Qin Muxue pointed at the potato beef and tomato eggs, and even ordered a serving of the stir-fried onions with meat she normally disliked.
A plate piled high with food, Ding Manman stared in disbelief as she watched her eat everything.
“What’s wrong, Manman? Why are you staring at me? Aren’t you going to eat the rest?”
“Uh… yeah.”
Qin Muxue immediately grabbed her leftovers, dumped them into her own bowl, and savored the joy of eating.
Not a single bite could be wasted—where would you find food this good in the Apocalypse! Qin Muxue was almost moved to tears, her stomach stuffed to the brim.
Right now, her top priority was to make a phone call and apologize to that scumbag father of hers! So she could go home and inherit his estate.
Her father was about to die soon—that was an unchangeable fact. In a few days, he would be diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
Qin Muxue’s father, Qin Shou, was a womanizing playboy. Her mother had been literally angered to death by him. Now, he’d brought back some middle-aged woman from who knows where, along with a girl about her age, claiming she was his biological daughter.
Counting the time, the girl was a few months younger than her—wasn’t that right around when her mother was pregnant?
Her scumbag father had been out fooling around, and he had the nerve to bring his old mistress home as if it were perfectly legitimate. Qin Muxue was so furious she could burst, which was why she’d argued with him and cut ties—and that’s how she’d lost her allowance.
But now, she needed money! Lots of money! Better yet, let the scumbag die quickly! And leave all his inheritance to her!
In her previous life, it was because of so-called pride and face that her family’s vast fortune had all gone to that illegitimate daughter.
This time, she would take back everything that belonged to her, and make that mother-daughter pair leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
“Dad, I know I was wrong.” Qin Muxue said pitifully, “I shouldn’t have lost my temper at Auntie. Jiajia is my sister no matter what, and I should try to accept her instead of bullying her.”
There was silence on the other end. This daughter’s temperament was exactly like his deceased first wife—stubborn. And now she was humbling herself to apologize?
But after all, she was his daughter of over twenty years. Seeing her admit her mistake, Qin Shou gave her a way out, “Xiao Xue, since you’ve admitted your mistake, I won’t hold what you did against you. Come back tonight and have a meal with your Auntie and Jiajia, apologize, and we’ll be one happy family.”
“Okay, I’ll come back tonight.”
That was exactly what she’d been waiting to hear. Qin Muxue hung up the phone. The most important thing now was to get back quickly and secure the assets. She needed money to stock up on supplies and prepare for the coming Apocalypse.
Qin Muxue’s home was in Xuanwu City, the same city as her university. She used the last dozen or so yuan in her Alipay balance to take a cab and hurried home.
Having been away for days, the house had actually changed. The decorations her mother had loved in her lifetime, the things she’d used—all had been taken down by that woman.
Jiajia sat at the piano, playing the instrument she’d begged her father to buy for a long time. The out-of-tune notes grated harshly on her ears. To her, it was a bitter sight.
A table full of dishes, perfectly avoiding all the foods she liked. But they didn’t know—after being reborn from the Apocalypse, she was no longer a picky eater.
“Dad! I’m home!” Qin Muxue called out loudly.
“Xiao Xue’s back! Come sit down and eat. I specially had the maid make you a whole table of dishes. You haven’t been home in so long.” Xia Qiaoyun greeted her with feigned enthusiasm.
Of course she could see what this stepmother was trying to do.
She carefully surveyed the table full of dishes—not only were they foods she disliked, but some would trigger her allergies. Whoever had prepared this had clearly done their research, hitting every single landmine with precision.
Qin Muxue sat down at the table without changing her expression and began eating the baked lobster with cheese.
Beside her, Qin Jia’s face darkened. “Mom, look—big sister took my favorite lobster.”
So the cheese-baked lobster was Qin Jia’s favorite dish.
Qin Muxue ate with even more relish. In the Apocalypse, she’d been lucky not to be devoured by Mutated Lobsters, and she was allergic to lobster—this was her first time trying the dish, and it tasted surprisingly good.
“Slow down. Look at you wolfing down your food—not a trace of a proper young lady.”
“Dad, I’m truly sorry. You don’t give me any allowance, so I can’t eat my fill at school. It’s rare for me to come home and see so much delicious food—I just couldn’t help myself.”
Qin Shou was momentarily taken aback. It was his fault, after all—a child’s stomach needed to be filled.
He handed her a tissue, scolding her for her lack of manners while starting to praise Qin Jia. “Look how refined Jiajia is. Why can’t you learn from her? By the way, don’t forget the purpose of your visit today.”
Qin Muxue sneered inwardly. He hadn’t even said a few sentences before he started singing Qin Jia’s praises.
She looked up and saw Qin Jia sizing her up at the same time. With her long black hair, watery eyes, and cherry lips pressed lightly together, she had the look of someone fragile and easy to bully.
How exquisite—wasn’t this the classic “little white flower” act?
Qin Muxue cleared her throat. “Auntie, Jiajia, I was too much in the past. I didn’t pay attention to your feelings… I—” Before she could finish her apology, she clutched her throat, seeming unable to breathe. “Dad, I feel terrible.”
She collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily, fine beads of sweat covering her forehead. “Call an ambulance…”
At the hospital, Qin Muxue lay on the hospital bed. She knew exactly how much lobster would trigger her allergy and had precisely measured the amount.
This move both earned her sympathy and put her stepmother in a difficult position.
“Dad, I’m sorry for making you worry.”
Qin Shou looked at Xia Qiaoyun with a hint of anger. “How could you not know that the child is allergic to lobster? You nearly scared me to death just now.”
No matter how useless she was, Qin Muxue was still his only daughter. Moreover, her mother had left her a secret inheritance before dying—if this daughter died, the whereabouts of that inheritance would be lost forever.
Xia Qiaoyun swallowed her grievance and said nothing, only casting a glance at Qin Muxue on the hospital bed.
Qin Jia, meanwhile, tugged pitifully at Qin Shou’s sleeve. “Dad, Mom didn’t mean it. She wanted to cook for big sister—who knew she’d be allergic? Please don’t blame Mom. Big sister, next time I’ll take you to a fancy restaurant and order whatever you like—nothing you’re allergic to—to make it up to you.”
Qin Jia’s acting was a perfect match for her mother’s. Qin Shou’s heart softened quickly. “Jiajia, you’re the sensible one!”
Qin Muxue ignored her and suddenly sighed. “Dad, I just saw Mom. She told me to take good care of you. I regret always fighting with you in the past.”
Qin Shou’s heart grew heavy. “Your mother used to take meticulous care of me. Not like your auntie here—she didn’t even know you were allergic to lobster.”
Taking advantage of her illness, Qin Muxue began to complain, even pointing out the holes in her clothes. She mentioned casually, “Dad, do you still remember those shares Mom left me? I’m an adult now. Can they be transferred to my name?”
It was true that her late mother had held fifteen percent of the Qin family’s shares. Somehow, this daughter had suddenly become sharp enough to remember this, and he had been putting off the transfer procedures all along.
Qin Shou understood what Qin Muxue meant. He took out a card and said, “There’s some money in here. Take it and spend it slowly.”
Just as she had hoped. A faint smile curled at the corners of Qin Muxue’s lips.
After the IV drip, she returned home and silently opened the long-sealed storage room. Seeing her mother’s belongings covered in dust, her eyes brimmed with tears.
“Mom, I’m back. That mistress won’t have it easy from now on.”
She took out her mother’s keepsakes, among which was an emerald gemstone necklace placed in a box that only she had the key to open.
Qin Muxue pulled out the small key hanging around her neck, opened the box, and gazed at the large necklace, her heart filled with longing for her mother.
Tears fell, drop by drop, onto the jade necklace. Suddenly, the necklace began to emit a strange blue glow…
A sudden dizziness hit Qin Muxue’s mind, and a blinding light appeared before her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a vast, empty place that stretched beyond the horizon.
When she closed her eyes and opened them once more, she was back in reality.
Qin Muxue quickly realized that all of this was because of the emerald her mother had left her—it contained a massive space within it.
She couldn’t even begin to estimate the size of the space, but she knew it could hold many things—enough for her to stockpile food and essential supplies.
A hint of surprise crossed her face. In her previous life, she had no Special Ability, but in this life, she had obtained a Space. Her mother must be blessing her from above.
Now, she could begin stockpiling supplies.