Chapter 28: Turning the Tables

Zhou Yichen closed his mouth and studied her for a long moment.

“…No.” The word came out soft, but unshakably firm.

There *had* been people, once. But they were all gone now.

Tang Xiaoman broke into a rather shameless grin. *Good.* The fewer attachments, the better.

She rubbed her hands together, then gave his shoulder a friendly pat.

“As long as you stick with me and work sincerely, I guarantee you’ll be living the good life—good food, good drinks, money, women, whatever you want.”

Zhou Yichen: “…”

Here it comes again.

A fresh “pie in the sky” every day—whether you’re hungry or not, you’re expected to swallow it.

But Tang Xiaoman wasn’t just about empty promises. She followed it up with her usual mix of carrot and stick.

“And if anyone tries to get clever with me—well, they’re dead. Dead, dead.”

Zhou Yichen looked at her calmly and nodded, his expression steady.

Just as she thought the conversation was over, he spoke again, his tone cool.

“I don’t trouble others unless they trouble me. But if someone tries to silence me… I’ll make sure they don’t even get the chance to act before they drop.”

Tang Xiaoman: “…”

Well, well.

He’d just turned that warning right back on her.

So it wasn’t just her guarding against him leaking her secret—he was guarding against her killing him to keep it buried.

—

The next day, the outdoor temperature skyrocketed to fifty degrees Celsius.

Government broadcasts announced continued suspension of work and school, urging residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary to avoid heatstroke.

Tang Xiaoman waited until the AC inside her pickup had cooled the interior before getting in with Fubao.

Then she drove straight toward Tianlai Estate.

Twenty minutes later, the car entered the estate, passing Sunshine Castle Kindergarten along the way.

The gates were shut tight. The courtyard was silent—completely deserted.

With the extreme heat, all schools and kindergartens had been closed.

Tang Xiaoman thought of Shanshan and frowned.

She’d been too busy these past two days to contact Lu Jingming.

The sudden early arrival of the heatwave meant the storms, typhoons, and floods would follow sooner than expected.

If disaster struck while Lu Jingming was still on leave, his home could very well be swallowed by floodwaters.

She pulled up in front of Villa No. 98. After the license plate was scanned, the heavy iron gate slowly opened.

The pickup rolled into the courtyard. The gate shut behind her.

As soon as she stepped out, the difference was immediate.

The courtyard was cool and pleasant. The thermometer read twenty-seven degrees.

The powerful ventilation system filtered out the humid heat, while the central air conditioning maintained a steady indoor temperature of twenty-five degrees.

Only a two-degree difference between indoors and outdoors—it felt comfortable even standing in the yard.

Tang Xiaoman was thoroughly satisfied with her new home.

Fubao clearly approved too.

She opened one of the standalone warehouses and began unloading supplies from her space: two barrels of diesel, one barrel of gasoline, twenty gas tanks. Then twenty diesel generators, ten backup solar generators, and stacks of foldable solar panels.

The villa’s roof was already fitted with solar panels for backup power, so the extra generators weren’t needed immediately. They were more for future bartering.

In the apocalypse, currency would collapse. Barter would become the only viable system.

After locking the warehouse, she went into the storage room inside the villa.

She placed ten large freezers inside, still in their packaging. Then ten air-cooling units. Finally, she took out all the military tactical gear Zhou Yichen had stockpiled.

These were the supplies she was willing to leave out in the open.

Everything else stayed safely hidden in her space.

—

Tang Xiaoman pulled out a stack of business cards she’d collected during her shopping spree.

Each shop owner had sworn that if she needed anything, she could call them anytime—they’d do their best to help.

She decided to test that promise.

Dialing the liquor store owner, she introduced herself.

The moment he realized she was the big spender who had dropped millions at his shop days ago, his tone turned instantly respectful. “Miss Tang, what can I get for you this time—”

“No need for alcohol right now. I need coal. A lot of it.” She paused, then added her incentive. “I’ll pay an extra three thousand per ton as your commission.”

“Coal?!” The man was stunned. “You mean… right now?”

It was fifty degrees outside. Who in their right mind was buying coal?

“Yes. Urgently. If you can deliver today, I want two hundred tons of high-grade anthracite, plus one ton of premium charcoal for personal use.” Her voice was unhurried. “If you can’t manage it, I’ll find someone else.”

The owner did a quick calculation and nearly vibrated with excitement. “I can! I absolutely can!”

Three thousand extra per ton—that was six hundred thousand in profit.

He’d walk through fire for a deal like this.

After hanging up, Tang Xiaoman called the outdoor equipment store owner next.

The man immediately greeted her like a财神—God of Wealth incarnate.

“Miss Tang, what do you need this time?”

“The same order—two hundred tons of high-grade coal, one ton of premium charcoal. Three thousand extra per ton. Can you arrange it today?”

Unlike the previous owner, this one didn’t question her sanity.

“I’ll make some calls right away. I’ll get back to you as soon as I have news.”

Tang Xiaoman ended the call, then pulled up Lu Jingming’s contact and dialed.

The phone rang for a long while before he answered, his voice weak. “Miss Tang?”

“Are you sick?” she asked, a bad feeling settling in.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly. “It’s just the heat. Shanshan had heatstroke—she’s just out of danger.”

Tang Xiaoman frowned. Just as she feared.

“Which hospital are you at?”

He gave her the address, then added, “It’s too hot outside. Don’t come—you could get heatstroke.”

“I’m coming to pick you up.”

She hung up, called Fubao, and got back into the car.

The engine roared to life as she drove toward the hospital.

—

Shanshan lay on the hospital bed, her little face pale.

When Tang Xiaoman handed her a plush toy, the girl smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Sister Xiaoman.”

“You should call her Aunt,” Lu Jingming corrected awkwardly, adjusting his glasses.

Tang Xiaoman waved it off. “Let her call me whatever she likes.”

The ward was crammed with three beds, and the air conditioning barely worked. The heat was suffocating.

The hospital was overflowing—patients with heatstroke kept pouring in. There weren’t enough beds.

Lu Jingming had bought ice, wrapping it in a towel and placing it under Shanshan’s arms to help cool her down.

“Shanshan’s too weak. Staying here will only make things worse,” Tang Xiaoman said bluntly.

He nodded. “I’ll discharge her this afternoon. We’ll head home after dark…”

“No need to wait until dark.” Tang Xiaoman made the call instantly. “I’ll take Shanshan now. You handle the discharge and come straight to my place.”

She sent him the address and villa number.

Lu Jingming glanced at his phone, surprised. “You moved to Tianlai Estate?”

“I’m taking Shanshan. Hurry up with the paperwork,” she urged, too busy to explain.

His expression turned uneasy. “This… isn’t appropriate. You’re living alone, and I’m a single man with a child—moving in with you…”

She was Gu Heng’s fiancée. He was just a single father. It wasn’t proper.

Watching his face flush red, Tang Xiaoman sighed. “I’ve already broken up with Gu Heng. And weren’t you planning to resign? Why are you still worried about your former boss’s opinion?”

“You broke up with him?” He blinked, startled—then flushed even deeper. “I… I did resign. But still… me and Shanshan staying with you—it’s not right. And where did you even get the money to buy a villa there?”

Had Gu Heng given her a breakup settlement?

No matter the reason, it didn’t sit right.

“Oh, stop overthinking it.” Tang Xiaoman clicked her tongue.

She scooped Shanshan into her arms and smiled. “Shanshan, want to come with me?”

The little girl shyly answered, “Yes!”

And just like that, Tang Xiaoman carried her out.

After all, Shanshan was Lu Jingming’s whole world.

He wouldn’t dare refuse.

Lu Jingming opened his mouth—but in the end, said nothing.

Fine.

He’d sort it out after finishing the discharge and going to her place.