For the four of them, ¥1.86 million was already a considerable amount of money.
“Wanning, you know the apocalypse better than any of us. Tell us what supplies we need and make a list. My family owns a chain of supermarkets, so I can have our suppliers prepare everything.”
As a local of Beijing, Lu Zhiyu had one thing in abundance—supply channels.
Xu Wanning leaned forward.
“Zhiyu, if we quietly emptied out all the stock from your family’s supermarkets and warehouses ahead of time, would your parents beat you up?”
Lu Zhiyu shuddered.
“I don’t know about my parents, but my brother definitely would!”
At the mention of Lu Chengyue, Xu Wanning couldn’t help smiling.
He only looked a little fierce. He was only a little bigger, a little more muscular, a little stronger.
There was no way he’d actually hit anyone.
Patting her chest confidently, she said, “Don’t worry. If your brother tries to hit you, I’ll protect you. We need to clear out those supermarket supplies at least a month in advance. I’m worried the apocalypse might come early.”
Lu Zhiyu looked at her with blatant disdain.
“You? My brother could slap you into a wall so hard nobody could peel you off.”
Song Yunqing and Wen Shuyao burst out laughing.
The image was far too vivid.
Xu Wanning winked at Lu Zhiyu.
“Relax. I have my ways.”
Lu Zhiyu dismissed it as a joke.
“Let’s focus on stockpiling first. In two months, we’ll secretly move the supermarket supplies. If my brother beats me up, I’ll just cry.”
Song Yunqing and Wen Shuyao immediately gave her thumbs-up.
“Our future survival depends on you, sister.”
Time was running short, and the four girls hurried off to class.
After not attending lectures for three years, Xu Wanning couldn’t absorb a single word.
Instead, she sat there with a notebook, drafting supply lists.
Two million yuan sounded like a lot, but when it came to stockpiling for the apocalypse, it was nowhere near enough.
She had no reliable way to make more money.
Should she exploit online loans?
Or head overseas for some “zero-dollar shopping”?
That was the real question.
Her pen flew across the page as she divided everything into four categories: food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
Food took up the largest portion of the budget, including medicine and seeds.
She allocated one million yuan for:
The remaining funds would go toward other necessities. She planned to find time later for a massive overseas shopping spree.
When she finished, she slid the notebook over.
“Zhiyu, take a look. Did I miss anything?”
Lu Zhiyu carefully reviewed the list.
Food and water were easy enough—the suppliers could deliver them.
But weapons and medicine were another matter. Those would have to be acquired personally.
Before learning the apocalypse was coming, they had been able to sit through classes normally.
Now none of them could focus.
All they wanted was to leave.
The moment class finally ended, Lu Zhiyu sent the purchasing list to her family’s supermarket procurement department.
“We don’t have classes this afternoon. Come with me to the fire station first so I can deliver something to my brother. After that, we’ll buy seeds, weapons, and medicine. I’ll also see if I can squeeze some money out of my brother.”
“Sounds good.”
Wen Shuyao and Song Yunqing had no better ideas.
They had unanimously decided to follow the leadership of Wanning and Zhiyu.
After returning their things to the dormitory, the girls changed clothes and put on makeup.
Xu Wanning chose a creamy-white sweater.
She deliberately tugged the collar lower, revealing a delicate stretch of collarbone.
Her long hair flowed loose in soft waves.
Two coats of mascara made her eyes look innocent and effortlessly beautiful, as though she hadn’t put any special effort into her appearance at all.
Once everyone was ready, the four left campus.
The fire station where Lu Chengyue worked was located near the university district. A taxi ride took only ten minutes.
None of them owned a car, so they hailed a cab.
The entire ride there, Xu Wanning felt nervous.
Would the current Lu Chengyue like her?
She wasn’t the sweet, pure student type.
On the contrary, she’d always been strikingly beautiful.
Combined with her curvy figure and slender waist, even Lu Zhiyu and the others often called her a bombshell.
Because of her appearance, people had gossiped about her behind her back throughout her school years.
For a long time, she had lacked confidence, hiding herself in oversized clothing, never taking off her school uniform jacket, and walking with her shoulders hunched.
It wasn’t until university that her roommates discovered the figure hidden beneath those baggy clothes and dragged her shopping for outfits that actually suited her.
Her first public appearance afterward had stunned everyone.
She became the university’s new campus beauty and held the title for three consecutive years.
In her previous life, she and Lu Chengyue had gone through countless hardships before finally getting together.
The day they died happened to be the one-hundredth day of their relationship.
A day that should have been worth celebrating.
Instead, it became the anniversary of their deaths.
“Look.”
Lu Zhiyu held up her phone.
“This is the post my brother made this morning. He worked the night shift yesterday, so he’s probably not even awake yet.”
Xu Wanning glanced over casually.
It was a photo of a small white dog tied beside a fire hydrant, stretching lazily.
The caption consisted of only one word:
Morning.
At the edge of the photo, part of a training uniform sleeve was visible.
Mud stains dotted the fabric.
The veins on the back of the hand were clearly defined.
Xu Wanning’s heart immediately started racing.
For a moment, those large hands felt as though they were already resting against her waist, sending tingles through her body.
The taxi stopped outside the fire station.
Familiar with the place, Lu Zhiyu walked straight to the registration desk.
“Brother Jiang, I brought something for my brother.”
The gate guard, Jiang Yishen, handed her the visitor logbook.
His gaze drifted toward the three girls standing nearby.
Then it settled on Xu Wanning.
For a brief moment, he was stunned.
How could a woman be so breathtakingly beautiful?
His heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
Thinking he was suspicious of her roommates, Lu Zhiyu quickly explained,
“They’re my roommates. We’re going shopping afterward, so they came with me. Don’t worry—they’re not bad people. I guarantee it.”
As she spoke, she added all of their names to the registration sheet.
Jiang Yishen merely nodded with his usual cold expression and let them pass.
After all, Lu Zhiyu was a regular visitor.
Once inside, everyone except Lu Zhiyu couldn’t resist looking around.
It was their first time entering a fire station.
A fire engine was parked nearby.
From a distance it had never seemed particularly large, but standing beside it now, they realized just how massive it really was.
The bright red vehicle radiated a solemn, imposing presence.
Over at the training grounds, several firefighters were rolling up water hoses.
One of them whistled in their direction.
The firefighter beside him immediately smacked him on the back of the head.
The whistler rubbed his head sheepishly and grinned.
“Zhiyu, your brother’s in the equipment room on the third floor.”
“Got it, Brother Li.”
Lu Zhiyu waved and grabbed Xu Wanning’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
They ran inside.
Xu Wanning jogged after her, the hem of her sweater swaying with every step.
They hurried up to the third floor.
The equipment room door was open, and sounds of someone organizing gear drifted out.
“Brother!” Lu Zhiyu called.
A low response came from inside.
“Mm.”
The voice was magnetic and husky, carrying the distinctive texture of someone who had stayed awake all night.
Thump.
Thump, thump.
Xu Wanning stared at the doorway.
Then Lu Chengyue stepped out.
He was tall—1.89 meters barefoot, over 1.92 meters in shoes.
His training jacket hung open.
Underneath was a green workout shirt soaked through with sweat, the fabric several shades darker than usual.
His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms.
A long, old scar stretched across one muscular arm, the veins and tendons sharply defined beneath tanned skin.
His short hair was neat and clean around the temples.
The hair at his forehead was damp with sweat, falling lazily over his brow.
His jawline was sharp and well-defined.
His wheat-colored skin carried the healthy glow of someone who trained constantly.
His slightly lowered eyelids held traces of fatigue and casual indifference.
Looking at them, he asked simply,
“Need something?”