Chapter 18 — She Wanted Him on Her Side

After leaving the space and stepping out of the garage, Tang Xiaoman had just settled into her car when her phone rang.

“Finally managed to reach you. So you really did change your number,” said the familiar voice of the young police officer.

Tang Xiaoman asked leisurely, “Did you call to tell me the people who tried to harm me have finally gotten what they deserve?”

“Uh… no, that’s not it.”

The officer quickly denied it. Realizing he’d responded a little too quickly, he sounded slightly embarrassed and added awkwardly, “Your Good Samaritan reward has been approved. The government awarded you thirty thousand, and Sunshine Castle Kindergarten is giving you another hundred thousand. That’s a total of one hundred thirty thousand. When you have time, just come sign the paperwork and we’ll transfer the money to your account.”

Tang Xiaoman did need money at the moment, but a hundred thousand or so wouldn’t solve any real problems.

She pressed further. “Then what’s the situation with those three people? Can you at least give me a hint?”

After hesitating for a moment, the officer decided to tell her the truth.

“Shu Jia’s case has already been settled. Thirty days of detention and a fifty-thousand fine. Su Ke was released on medical bail because of his injuries, so there’s no final decision yet. As for Gu Heng… this is his second offense, so the charges are heavier. His case is a bit complicated—probably at least half a month before the investigation results are announced.”

Tang Xiaoman blinked and smiled faintly.

“That’s good to hear.”

Shu Jia would be detained for thirty days, which meant she’d likely still be locked up when the apocalypse arrived.
Gu Heng, already a repeat offender, wouldn’t be getting out of detention anytime soon no matter how hard he tried to wriggle free.

As long as he was still inside when the disaster struck, he wouldn’t be able to organize a private rescue team like he had in her previous life.

More importantly, the detention center wasn’t located anywhere near as high as Tianlai Mountain Villa.

There was a real chance it would be flooded.

As for that spoiled brat Su Ke… she’d let him off for now. There would be time to deal with him later.

Anyone who had harmed her—whether in her past life or this one—would eventually pay the price.

Now that she had reliable insider information, Tang Xiaoman felt reassured.

As a gesture of gratitude, she said generously, “Use the thirty thousand from the government to buy life jackets. Use the hundred thousand from the kindergarten to purchase inflatable assault boats and kayaks. Donate everything to the police station under my name.”

In her previous life, the flood had arrived without warning. Not only ordinary citizens suffered heavy casualties—many officials had died as well.

The raging floodwaters had swept away homes and submerged high-rise buildings. Even the police station hadn’t escaped the disaster.

Much of their rescue equipment had been lost in the flood, leaving them short of critical supplies and causing countless needless deaths.

Having been given a second chance at life, Tang Xiaoman couldn’t change the coming catastrophe.

But she wanted to do what little she could to warn the authorities—even if they probably wouldn’t believe her.

The young officer sounded puzzled. “Why are you suddenly donating this stuff to the police?”

“I have a friend who works at the meteorological bureau. He predicts a severe flood in about twenty days. The supplies I’m donating should be stored at the police headquarters on the highest ground, just in case everything else gets flooded.”

The officer couldn’t help laughing.

“If the meteorological bureau really had that kind of forecast, we’d have already been notified.”

Even though he didn’t believe her, he still promised to report both the donation and her storage request to his superiors.

Just before hanging up, Tang Xiaoman added one more thing.

“Take five life jackets, one assault boat, and one kayak from the supplies I’m donating and keep them for yourself. Store them at home as a backup.”

They had crossed paths several times. If she could help him a little, she might as well—consider it planting a good seed of karma.

After declining several times without success, the young officer finally accepted her goodwill, though he still believed those items would never be needed at home.

—

No sooner had Tang Xiaoman finished arranging the donation than Lu Jingming called.

“The medical equipment, drugs, and vaccines you ordered have all arrived.”

Her eyes lit up. “Bring them to my garage.”

Lu Jingming personally supervised the movers as they unloaded an entire truck of medical supplies, stacking them inside until the garage was nearly full.

Tang Xiaoman thanked him. “I appreciate you taking leave from work just to help deliver everything.”

Lu Jingming seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words and simply smiled lightly.

“It’s nothing.”

Seeing that he was about to leave, Tang Xiaoman stopped him.

“You know Gu Heng’s been arrested again, right?”

Lu Jingming froze. “When did that happen?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re his personal doctor, and you didn’t know?”

He told the truth. “Mr. Gu suddenly gave me a few days off. Didn’t explain why.”

Nor had he told him when to return to work.

Realization dawned on Tang Xiaoman.

“That’s because I saved Shanshan. He’s afraid you’ll side with me, so he temporarily sent you away. He’s worried you’ll leak information to me.”

Typical petty villain behavior.

When Lu Jingming asked why, she recounted in detail how Gu Heng and the Su family had conspired multiple times to harm her.

He listened, stunned.

Several times he wanted to interrupt, but seeing how indignant she looked, he swallowed his words each time.

When she finally finished, Tang Xiaoman folded her arms and glared at him.

“So what do you think of your boss?”

Lu Jingming fell silent.

“To tell you the truth, they sent more than a dozen people after me again today. They even threatened to break my arms and legs in broad daylight. They failed, of course—but Gu Heng and I are mortal enemies now.”

Lu Jingming composed himself and finally said, “If Mr. Gu truly did those things… then he’s gone too far.”

“And you’re still working for him?” she asked.

The apocalypse was coming soon. Without the protection of a team, surviving alone would be incredibly difficult.

If Gu and Su families abandoned Lu Jingming, the fate of him and little Shanshan would be miserable—perhaps they wouldn’t survive long at all.

Tang Xiaoman’s rebirth had already changed many events.

She didn’t want the Lu father and daughter to become victims of the butterfly effect.

In her previous life, Lu Jingming had been expelled from Gu Heng’s team—and ultimately died—simply because he refused to harvest Tang Xiaoman’s organs for transplant into Su Rou.

Tang Xiaoman owed him a debt of gratitude.

She also respected his integrity.

And she wanted him on her side.

After thinking for a long time, Lu Jingming finally replied, “I’ll look into it. If things really are as you say… I won’t be an accomplice.”

—

After he left, Tang Xiaoman closed the garage door and swept all the medical supplies into her space.

The metal surgical instruments without expiration dates were piled into the room inside the space. Disposable medical equipment with limited shelf lives went into the preservation storage.

Various medicines, vaccines, and even twenty boxes of condoms of different sizes were stored inside as well.

The virtual panel showed **110 cubic meters of remaining space**.

Tang Xiaoman looked at the vast empty area and rubbed her hands eagerly, itching to fill every last inch with supplies.

Unfortunately…

She was nearly out of money.

Just as she was worrying about how to get more funds for stockpiling, the Real Estate Bureau called.

Her **property deed was ready**.

—

After receiving the deed, Tang Xiaoman was invited into the Tianlai Mountain Villa owners’ group chat, officially becoming part of the community.

She immediately called Huo Kai to thank him and used the occasion as an excuse to invite him out for a meal.

Recently, Huo Kai had been riding high in the business world.

He had snapped up several major projects from the Gu Corporation, while Gu Heng remained stuck in detention with no way to fight back.

With profits pouring in, his mood was naturally excellent.

So when Tang Xiaoman called, he answered almost immediately.

“Hey there, my sweet little darling!”

Huo Kai’s voice carried a teasing edge, clearly a bit smug.

“Missing me already? I thought you’d forgotten all about me.”