“Why are you treating me to a meal again? I feel so bad always eating at your expense—let me treat you this time!” Ding Manman picked up the menu, glanced at it, and nervously put it back down. What kind of restaurant was this? Beef cost 199 yuan per serving—was that something a regular person like her could afford?
“Manman, what are you saying? When I was at my poorest, you often treated me to meals and helped me out. Treating you to a few meals is nothing—don’t worry about it.”
Qin Muxue, operating on the principle that the apocalypse was imminent and if she didn’t enjoy herself now, she never would, ordered a large pile of premium wagyu beef and pork belly.
“Are you sure you can eat all that?” Ding Manman asked in a low voice.
“Don’t worry! If we can’t finish it, I’ll pack it up and take it home. I’ve got two little beasts at home waiting to be fed!”
“Actually, I’m really curious—why did you move out to rent a place on your own…”
In the upscale barbecue restaurant, a server was dedicated to attending to the two of them. Qin Muxue pondered for a moment before speaking: “Now that I have Baozhu and I’ve also adopted a cat, living in the dormitory is out of the question. My father treats me decently on the surface, but in reality, he does whatever my stepmother says. The only reason he’s nice to me is because of the inheritance my mother left me, and that house too. Living there just makes me feel uncomfortable all over.”
Ding Manman had met Qin Muxue’s younger sister before. Although the girl was around the same age as them, her personality wasn’t as easygoing and lively as Qin Muxue’s. If it hadn’t been for Qin Muxue’s stubbornness in the past—obsessed with figuring out how to please Yan Xu—they wouldn’t have had their falling out.
But now that Qin Muxue was suddenly so warm toward her, she felt a little unaccustomed to it at first.
Qin Muxue chewed on the premium grilled beef, feeling a wave of emotion inside. This was what living truly meant—the delicacies of the world could put a person in a better state of mind.
“So, Xiao Xue, are you still in contact with Yan Xu?”
Qin Muxue frowned. “Don’t mention him. I’ve already seen what a scumbag he really is. Don’t worry, Manman—you’re my true friend. I’m not going to be anyone’s backup plan anymore!”
Ding Manman smiled freely, feeling as though the old Qin Muxue had returned. “Mm, that’s good to hear.”
“Hurry up—with all this delicious food in front of us, let’s eat as much barbecue as we can. We might not get the chance to come here again.”
Watching the sizzling, smoking grilled meat, Qin Muxue couldn’t help but devour several more plates, her stomach already so full she could barely move!
But her cravings got the better of her, and she couldn’t resist eating a few more pieces. After all, in the apocalypse, everyone went hungry. Since her rebirth, she’d spent every day eating, eating, and eating—this time, she was going to eat her fill.
Thinking of how her so-called teammates in the apocalypse had shared and devoured her companion Baozhu, a surge of hatred rose in her heart. Yan Xu, Sang Xi, and that burly man—she wouldn’t let a single one of them get away.
“Oh, right, Manman, I want to take up archery again!”
Even though she’d given it up halfway before, she still had ten years of training under her belt. With another six months, she could regain her feel for it.
“That’s great! You were always ranked first in competitions back then. If it weren’t for your stepmother’s meddling, you could’ve been competing in world championships by now.”
At the mention of the past, Qin Muxue grew melancholy. There was another important reason she had given up archery.
She had already passed the selection round and was supposed to compete, but her stepmother Xia Qiaoyun couldn’t stand seeing her outshine her own daughter Qin Jia. She schemed to make Qin Muxue fall down the stairs, then stepped on her arm with high heels, claiming it was an accident.
Her arm was fractured, yet Xia Qiaoyun wept before her father, insisting it was unintentional and promising to find the best doctor for her treatment. In the end, the delay caused permanent damage—her arm never regained full strength.
Reborn, some things could be changed, but others couldn’t. Qin Muxue looked at her injured arm and sighed silently. But now she had money and a way to heal it.
Ding Manman comforted her, “Technology is advancing rapidly now, and medical treatments have improved too. Xiao Xue, your arm will definitely get better.”
“Mm, don’t worry. I won’t wallow in self-pity. I’ll work hard on my treatment.”
“Manman, I have a great idea!” Qin Muxue’s eyes lit up. “Why don’t you move in with me?” They had once promised each other as best friends to live together—Manman would cook, and she would clean. There were spare rooms in the house, and if Manman moved in, there would be plenty of space.
Ding Manman hesitated. “But I don’t have money for rent. I’m still living under my uncle’s roof. How could I afford extra rent?”
“Silly Manman, do we really need to talk about money between us?”
Given that Ding Manman had risked her life to save her in the past, this life, she would protect her with everything she had.
“Even so, I still feel embarrassed…”
“It’s fine. Think it over first, and tell me once you’ve decided!”
She had other matters to attend to now—she needed to start stocking up on supplies.
Qin Muxue opened her phone and searched for apocalypse survival gear.
Surprisingly, there were indeed people online who believed the apocalypse was coming, though their numbers were small and they couldn’t stir up much of a stir.
She recorded the supplies she needed to purchase in a document—a full page, so densely written it made her eyes blur.
The most important items were medicine and food, since all sorts of diseases would run rampant in the apocalypse and medicine would be scarce. Some of the medications she listed couldn’t even be bought at pharmacies and required connections elsewhere.
Fortunately, Qin Muxue had a classmate at a medical university who had ways to obtain large quantities of drugs. She gave her a call, and the other party was puzzled as to why Qin Muxue needed so much medicine.
“I do have a way, but I’ll need to pull some strings.” Qin Muxue didn’t waste words and transferred her 200,000 yuan. “Is that enough?”
“Enough. But what do you need all this medicine for?”
“My dad’s company wants to give out special benefits in the form of medicine to employees, so we need a large quantity.”
“Alright, leave it to me.”
For the everyday medicines that were commonly available, Qin Muxue went to pharmacies and bought anti-inflammatory drugs, fever reducers, stomach medicine, traditional Chinese patent medicines, and anti-diarrheal medication—a portion of each. The pharmacy staff found it odd because these drugs had large stockpiles and usually only a few people bought them sporadically, yet this girl bought half of everything. Still, her sales target was met, so she didn’t ask further questions.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Qin Muxue only bought a portion from each pharmacy rather than clearing them all out.
She also bought various vitamins—maintaining a balanced vitamin intake during the Apocalypse was equally important.
Then she went to a traditional Chinese medicine shop and had the pharmacist prescribe several herbal formulas, targeting colds, stomach ailments, and general nourishment.
Thinking back on how all her allowance had been wasted on that man Yan Xu, and how Yan Xu had then wasted it on Sang Xi, Qin Muxue felt an ache of resentment. That dog of a man and that slut—she wouldn’t let them off easy this time.
Back then, she had even stockpiled some supplies, only to have Yan Xu secretly give them to Sang Xi. This time, she would never give that man anything again.
What did she need a man for anyway? They were all just money-draining trash.
The next day, that friend delivered the medications, and the efficiency was so impressive that even she was taken aback.
It turned out the friend sensed there was profit to be made and worked faster than usual. Money really did make things happen.
Qin Muxue stored all the medications in her Space—these would be lifesavers in the future.
With the medications stocked up, she naturally needed to stock up on some self-defense items as well. She knew how to shoot a bow, and she had also signed up for a martial arts class to learn combat techniques—it would both strengthen her body and serve as protection, killing two birds with one stone.
Huaguo’s martial arts were profound and extensive, but unfortunately, she was already in her twenties. It was too late to build a proper foundation now; she could only start by learning some basic moves.
After running through a set of routines, she was left with soreness all over her back and waist, and a dull ache in her arms.
It seemed her first priority now was to strengthen her physique. There was no way to rush it—she could only gradually build up her stamina and physical strength over this period.
She started by regulating her daily routine, getting up every morning at dawn for a jog, fixing her biological clock, and taking the dog along for the run—two birds with one stone.
Every day, just as the sky began to lighten, she would get up and go for her morning run. The morning air was fresher, and since this area was by the lake, running along the shore was refreshing and invigorating. Occasionally, a few elderly people doing their morning exercises would pass by.
Qin Muxue sensed that a man had been following her from behind, and she couldn’t help but become more cautious.
She ducked into a small grove of trees nearby, and sure enough, before long, a man in sunglasses walked out, looking annoyed that he had lost track of her.
“Are you following me?”
The man in sunglasses was startled. He had only noticed a woman living alone and thought she’d be an easy target, so he had trailed behind her. But he never expected the girl to come out on her own.
A knife was tucked into the man’s waistband. Even facing Baozhu, who was barking fiercely, he showed no fear—he had a weapon on him.
“I suggest you hand over your valuables, and I might spare your life!” For some reason, he felt a twinge of guilt as he said those words.
The look in that dog’s eyes as it stared at him filled him with dread.
Qin Muxue hadn’t expected that even in this day and age, there were people bold enough to rob in broad daylight. But thinking of the news stories on TV—there were plenty of cases of women living alone being harmed.
“You want something? Come take it yourself!” Qin Muxue smiled provocatively, which irritated the man in sunglasses.
She released the leash in her hand, letting Baozhu charge forward. Baozhu bit down on the man’s pant leg, and he winced in pain, raising his knife to stab at the dog.
Seizing the moment while he was distracted, Qin Muxue rushed forward, snatched the knife from his hand, and subdued him with a grappling hold—all in an instant, so fast that even she was surprised by her own speed.
The man howled in pain as Qin Muxue held him down with one hand while dialing the police with the other.
It turned out the man was a repeat offender—he was responsible for a string of recent robberies targeting young women. For her role in the capture, Qin Muxue even received a commendation.
Thinking about the coming cold weather, Qin Muxue realized she needed to stock up on wilderness survival gear. These were things she couldn’t skimp on, as they could mean the difference between life and death at any moment.
She went to the largest mall in the area and headed to the clothing section.
It was still the height of summer, so down jackets were mostly on clearance. She took the opportunity to pick out over a dozen thick, warm, windproof, and waterproof down jackets—not just for herself, but several sized for Manman as well. She bought all kinds of cold-weather gear: fleece jackets, hats, thermal underwear, snow boots, hiking boots, and sneakers. She purchased hundreds of outfits in total, plus underwear—all the essential undergarments, all in pure cotton.
Down comforters and similar items were all on clearance too, so she bought over a hundred thick, warm goose-down quilts.
Next, she hit the outdoor sports section, where she bought several sets of high-quality wilderness survival tents, sleeping bags, portable camping stoves, pots, and barbecue grills—she practically cleaned out the entire store.
Of course, she also grabbed all kinds of mosquito coils, flashlights, insect repellent, compasses, raincoats, and various other wilderness survival supplies.
Space heaters and portable stoves were also essential, and she needed to stockpile a large amount of charcoal.
Kettles, cooking pots, hotpot pots, spatulas, bowls and chopsticks, drinking cups—she needed to prepare all her everyday cooking and dining essentials too.
She also picked up daily toiletries, thinking about how in the Apocalypse, even these basic items would be gone, leaving everyone stinking to high heaven.
Qin Muxue then went to the supermarket and bought soap, laundry detergent, toothpaste, toothbrushes, laundry powder, and large quantities of paper towels, wet wipes, and toilet paper. She had no intention of using leaves to wipe her butt again.
She also stocked up on cooking seasonings: salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, beef sauce, chili sauce, pickled mustard greens, and various spices. If she ever got the chance, she wanted to cook for herself.
She went to the snack section and bought some of her favorite treats: potato chips, crackers, cookies, sunflower seeds, peanuts, plus carbonated drinks, juice, milk, and all sorts of beverages.
She also bought plenty of noodles, dumplings, wontons, tangyuan, and nuts. She basically bought out the entire supermarket.
From the dried goods section: various dried wood ear mushrooms, seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, red dates, cinnamon bark, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, fennel seeds, black pepper, goji berries, longan, peanuts, dried tangerine peel, raisins, and more.
Instant noodles: braised beef flavor, pickled pepper beef flavor, red-oil chili beef flavor, pickled cabbage beef flavor, spicy beef flavor, crispy red pepper beef flavor, shrimp and fish board flavor, mushroom chicken flavor, fire chicken noodles, and more.
She bought hotpot essentials: fatty beef slices, fatty lamb slices, hotpot base, fish balls, tripe, aorta, and more.
She also bought some fertilized eggs meant for hatching—who knew, maybe she could actually hatch them in the Apocalypse someday?
Then she ordered online: small space heaters, electric fans, hand warmers, and hot water bottles.
Finally, she stocked up on essential disinfectant, alcohol, floral water, and insecticide.
She went to her favorite snack stalls and ordered five thousand portions of various treats: youtiao, preserved egg and lean pork congee, spicy soup, xiaolongbao, spicy vermicelli buns, tofu buns, beef patties, grilled cold noodles, scallion pancakes, savory sauce pancakes, and hand-pulled flatbreads.
She also went to noodle shops and bought ten thousand portions of noodles, including pork chop noodles, spare rib noodles, braised intestine noodles, vegetarian chicken noodles, Zhenjiang pot-lid noodles, Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, and many more.
Originally, she wanted to purchase some inflatable boats, but those were hard to keep balanced in rough waves, so she steeled herself and went to inquire about private yachts.
Yachts like these were typically only purchased by the ultra-wealthy. When she showed up at a private yacht sales center with a bare face and simple clothes, the salespeople could hardly be bothered with her.
“Little sister, you’re here to buy a yacht?”
“I’m just taking a look.” Qin Muxue smiled slightly, and the salespeople around her knew right away that she was just another looker.
“Could I see the yacht with the best performance you have here?”
She touched the yacht’s materials. Since she was bringing her cats and dogs, she’d need a larger space, and most of the ones here didn’t satisfy her.
The salespeople thought she was overreaching, and only a young newcomer attended to her, seriously introducing the product’s features and even taking her to see the best-performing yacht.
Qin Muxue examined it in person and was very pleased, ready to put down a deposit on the spot.
The young man was quite surprised. “Miss Qin, you’re really going to buy a yacht?”
“Yes, is that strange?”
“No, no, it’s just that this price is so high. I know of a second-hand yacht with great value for money and superb quality—it’s half the price of a new one.”
“Then take me to see it!”
That second-hand yacht, though called second-hand, only had a scratch on the hull; everything else was no different from brand new, and it saved her half the money. Qin Muxue bought it on the spot.
“In a few days, I’ll send someone to pick it up.”
The yacht also needed fuel. She found quite a few people and paid a premium to have them purchase gasoline and diesel for her—1,000 liters in total, all stored in her Space. Not only could the yacht use it, but her car could too.
With that in mind, she went to the auto expo center and started picking out a car.
As luck would have it, she ran into her stepmother Xia Qiaoyun, who had brought Qin Jia to buy a car. Well, well—her father hadn’t even offered to buy her one, but he’d already gotten one for Qin Jia. She wasn’t surprised by this at all; with her stepmother around, her father would never think of her for anything good.
Xia Qiaoyun was being extremely picky, planning to buy Qin Jia a luxury car worth around three million yuan. She was parading around the luxury car section in high spirits until she spotted Qin Muxue.
“Muxue, you’re looking at cars too?” On the surface, she was all smiles, but in reality, she was starting to brag about how outstanding Qin Jia was.
“Our Qin Jia did exceptionally well on her exams this time, so I’m here to buy her a car for getting around. Muxue, are you also looking at cars? Which one have you got your eye on?”
“Oh, I think that car over there is really nice. I like it a lot.”
Qin Muxue pointed at a flashy red sports car not far away, admiring it with a longing gaze for quite a while, and even asked for a test drive.
“I’m sorry, miss, but we don’t offer test drives for our sports cars,” the salesperson replied politely.
In truth, that thing was only good-looking on the outside; when it came to practicality, it was just for showing off.
“Do you like that one, sister?” Qin Jia asked deliberately.
She feigned regret and said, “I do like it—I spotted it at first glance, but it’s too expensive.”
“Mom, I want that one!”
Sure enough, Qin Jia could never stand to see her like something. Qin Muxue sneered inwardly. Buy it, go ahead and buy it—this is actually the worst value-for-money car here, and it’s had recurring quality issues over the past few years. She was only pretending to like it; that was the only way to get Qin Jia hooked.
Sure enough, no matter how much Xia Qiaoyun tried to persuade her not to buy that car, she stubbornly insisted on that sports car. Qin Muxue shrugged with an air of indifference and headed over to the RV section.
Her goal was actually very clear—she wanted to buy an RV.
She found one with great value for money, a well-planned interior layout, and the ability to run on fuel while also having built-in solar charging. It could comfortably accommodate two or three people, plus a dog and a cat.
Qin Jia had already put down a deposit on the sports car. Seeing Qin Muxue buy an RV as well, she said, “Sister, why would you buy an RV? Why not get a sports car? Oh, I forgot—there’s only one sports car left, and you can’t buy it anymore.”
Qin Muxue crossed her arms and sneered. “Yeah, I really wanted it, but since you bought it, little sister, I have to settle for second best. As for the RV, I naturally want it for traveling—to see all the beautiful landscapes of our great country.”
Without giving her a chance to speak, Qin Muxue bought the RV and quickly rushed off to the next location.
That’s right—it was the largest farmers’ market in the entire city. She still needed to stock up on grains and vegetables.
But after arriving, Qin Muxue began to regret it a little. She wanted to buy a large quantity of rice, but the vendor was cheating customers by passing off inferior goods as quality ones, mixing old aged rice in with the new. She couldn’t actually tell the difference in taste, but this kind of practice was utterly despicable.
Moreover, the vegetables here were priced exorbitantly high and weren’t very fresh either.
So Qin Muxue started searching online for ways to support farmers directly—she could buy fresh, low-priced agricultural products straight from ordinary people, and in doing so, also help those in impoverished areas.
The next day, Qin Muxue took three days off work, asked Ding Manman to look after her cats and dogs, and went out to stock up on food supplies.
In a village in the neighboring city, there was a farmer who had contracted farmland. Because he urgently needed money to treat his daughter who had cancer, he was preparing to sell off all the grain in his granary.
“Harvests have been getting harder and harder these past few years. I really have no choice but to sell this grain at a low price—otherwise, I couldn’t bear to part with it.”
Qin Muxue not only took a liking to his rice but also to the various vegetables in his greenhouse. “Are these vegetables for sale?”
“They are.” In fact, they had already been reserved by a previous business partner, but just as the vegetables were about to be harvested, that party backed out. He was just worrying about what to do with all these vegetables.
“These are all naturally grown, pollution-free organic vegetables, young lady. You definitely won’t regret buying them.”
Qin Muxue looked at the fresh, dewy tomatoes and asked, “May I try one?”
“Of course.” The farmer picked one and handed it to Qin Muxue. She took a bite and immediately tasted its tender, juicy flesh—sweet and fragrant, with top-notch flavor and texture.
This saved her the trouble of looking for other farmers. “I’ll take all of these vegetables.”