Ruan Zhe: “……”
She had completely forgotten about this.
She hadn’t farmed in a long time, but the knowledge was basically engraved in her brain—she could say it instinctively without thinking.
She had not expected him to question her at all.
Ruan Zhe looked up.
Even wearing those “auntie-style” pants, he still had long legs. His eyes were lowered, giving off an oppressive sense of presence.
As expected of a CEO-type male lead.
But it was the apocalypse—so what if she lied?
It took Ruan Zhe less than three seconds to justify herself.
She said casually, “From novels. Post-apocalyptic farming novels all say it like that. Don’t you read them?”
Fu Yinli stared at her. “No.”
Come to think of it, in Ruan Zhe’s impression, Fu Yinli was extremely busy in his original setting—endless meetings, projects, events, documents, and frequent international travel.
But in the novel, after meeting the female lead, his work life basically disappeared from the narrative, as if he suddenly became very idle.
Even so, she still couldn’t imagine his ice-cold face calmly opening a reading app and seeing lines like: At first, everyone thought it was just an ordinary heavy rain…
The more she thought about it, the more confident she became.
So modern novel knowledge really is this rich? You can even learn farming from it?
Fu Yinli was slightly confused, but still said, “Then let’s start planting.”
“You’re too impatient,” Ruan Zhe said. “These two crops need seedling cultivation first. Heat some water for me, there’s potassium permanganate under the cabinet, and bring two plates from where the bowls are kept.”
She gave instructions quickly.
Eggplants and chilies have long seedling cycles. Both require hot-water treatment at about 55°C for 15 minutes for sterilization, then soaking once the temperature drops to around 30°C for about eight hours.
She also wanted to eat fresh vegetables quickly—but farming was never that simple.
Patience was necessary; rushing would only lead to failure.
Fortunately, they had food in the RV, plus what Fu Yinli had scavenged—they could last about a week.
While she handled the seeds, she also had him expand another small patch of farmland beside the existing one.
Fu Yinli was strong and fast. As long as she instructed him, he could complete anything quickly—and well.
Without his suit, wielding a hoe in that outfit, he surprisingly looked like a hardworking laborer rather than a cold capitalist.
Truly—the “flower on the high peak descending into the mortal world.”
Ruan Zhe smiled as she watched, her gaze openly drifting across his arms and waist.
Fu Yinli inevitably thought of their earlier conversation… about that kind of thing, and a young woman’s curiosity…
After everything was done, the 2 hours and 5 minutes quickly passed.
They changed clothes, strapped weapons around their waists and legs, ate bread, drank water, and sat in the driver’s and passenger seats waiting for the countdown to end.
No one knew where the RV would stop next. If they opened their eyes surrounded by zombies, they would become instant fresh delivery.
This time, Ruan Zhe carefully sensed it.
It felt as if fog suddenly formed around the RV. As the vehicle jolted, the fog dispersed—and through the window, everything changed.
Outside the glass was a gray, misty rain. The downpour seemed lighter.
They had stopped at a service station.
“So this is the ‘human-friendly’ feature—it prevents us from immediately facing danger upon arrival,” Ruan Zhe said, scanning the surroundings.
“Or it could just as easily be a new danger. Go down and test it,” Fu Yinli replied.
This had been their plan.
They needed to test the RV’s condition. Ruan Zhe was worried that anyone might be able to drive it away.
She pulled out the key and stepped out.
Cold wind mixed with rain hit her face. Standing in puddles, she inserted the key and turned it—smooth, effortless.
She repeated it several times.
Then she asked Fu Yinli to try.
He inserted the key. It wouldn’t turn.
He applied more force. Still nothing.
Ruan Zhe got back into the RV and asked him to try again. Still no response.
Fu Yinli returned the key.
“This RV has chosen you,” he said. “That’s good news. At least on this vehicle, your safety is somewhat guaranteed.”
His expression was sincere—he genuinely seemed happy for her.
In apocalypse novels, she knew well that even the closest people couldn’t be fully trusted, and human nature should never be tested.
But even if she didn’t admit it, in this world Fu Yinli had become closer to her than her own family. He had never mistreated her, and even after divorce, she would have received a generous settlement.
Perhaps it was precisely their polite, restrained coexistence that made her trust his character a little.
Or maybe there was no choice at all—since the apocalypse began, the two of them were strangely bound together.
“Then you’d better treat me well. I’m the owner of this car,” Ruan Zhe said, taking the reassuring key.
“Alright,” he replied.
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the iceberg-faced CEO from the novel seemed to smile faintly.
“Let’s go see what we can take.”
They drove into the service station, each carrying a backpack.
The buildings had already collapsed. Glass doors were shattered. The gas station canopy had fallen halfway, metal sheets clanging in the rain.
Carefully checking for danger, they crossed rain-filled cracks and entered the supermarket.
It wasn’t completely collapsed. Most shelves had fallen, and supplies were scattered everywhere—biscuits, instant noodles, bottled water, tissues, sanitary pads…
They didn’t have time to choose—everything went straight into the backpacks.
Fu Yinli even carried four large water barrels back to the RV.
“Take the empty containers too. They might be useful,” he said, holding a 40-liter plastic water tank.
Ruan Zhe suddenly realized something.
“Fu Yinli… where is the gasoline stored at a gas station?”
“Underground.”
They exchanged a look.
Then they immediately sped up packing—ham, chili sauce, bottled water, anything useful.
Outside, they quickly checked the surroundings and moved to the back of the gas station.
Cracks split open the ground, revealing underground fuel tanks.
“So big… how are we supposed to take it?” Ruan Zhe muttered.
Fu Yinli thought for a moment, then lay down and used a claw hammer to pry open the cover.
The smell of diesel surged upward.
He handed her the empty water container.
“Hold it.”