Chapter 29: This Place Is Very Safe

Tang Xiaoman brought Shanshan back to Tianlai Villa.

The moment they stepped out of the car, the cool air revived the little girl instantly.

“Xiaoman-jiejie, your home is so big, so pretty, and so cool!” Shanshan bounced around happily.

She was like a wilted seedling finally given water—life returning to her in an instant.

Fubao dashed around just as excitedly.

It had been unbearably hot outside; the villa felt like paradise.

Tang Xiaoman led Shanshan inside and up to the third floor, letting her pick whichever room she liked.

“I can choose my own room?” Shanshan blinked her long lashes, thrilled.

“Of course. Any room on this floor is yours to pick.”

Tang Xiaoman guided her to the best master suite on the third floor.

The second floor was reserved for the bodyguards—she didn’t want Lu Jingming and his daughter to feel awkward, so she’d arranged for them to stay upstairs.

“The master suite has two rooms. You can take the inner one, and your dad can sleep in the outer room,” Tang Xiaoman suggested.

Shanshan’s eyes lit up even brighter. “Daddy can stay here too?”

“Of course he can.”

“Thank you, Xiaoman-jiejie!” Shanshan beamed, then suddenly remembered something important. “Which room do you stay in?”

“I’m on the second floor,” Tang Xiaoman said with a playful blink. “But you can come sleep in my room anytime—I’ll tell you bedtime stories.”

“Yay!” The little girl flashed a cheerful V-sign.

Tang Xiaoman smiled faintly.

Win over the child, and the father would follow.

In her previous life, Lu Jingming had been Gu Heng’s most trusted private physician. This time, he would become hers.

In the apocalypse, a skilled doctor was worth more than mountains of supplies.

Lu Jingming’s medical ability and character had both stood the test—she had to keep him.

—

After completing the discharge paperwork, Lu Jingming hurried over using the address Tang Xiaoman had sent him.

She had already registered his license plate in the villa’s system, so his car could come and go freely.

“It’s so cool in here…” The moment he stepped out of the car, he was stunned. It felt like stepping into a different world compared to the scorching heat outside.

Tang Xiaoman smiled. “Shanshan loves it here. For her health, it’s best if you stay for now.”

For now.

Once his home was swallowed by floodwaters, “for now” would become permanent.

Thinking of how weak and feverish his daughter had looked after heatstroke, Lu Jingming stopped hesitating.

“…Alright. I guess we’ll be troubling you.”

He rubbed his hands awkwardly, then asked hesitantly, “Is it just… the three of us here?”

“Woof!” Fubao barked, asserting its presence.

Tang Xiaoman answered plainly, “There are also eleven bodyguards. It’s very safe here.”

“E-eleven bodyguards?!” Lu Jingming was stunned again.

Why would she need so many?

Tang Xiaoman didn’t elaborate. Instead, she assigned him a task immediately.

“I have to go out again, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Watch the house for me. If coal deliveries arrive, help receive them.”

“There are two suppliers. Each will deliver two hundred tons of anthracite coal and one ton of premium charcoal. Have them unloaded into two separate warehouses.”

“Your car’s already registered in the system, so you can move freely. Here are the keys, and this is the gate remote.”

She handed him the keys and remote.

Lu Jingming swallowed his questions and accepted them silently.

She seemed incredibly busy—maybe staying here, he could actually help.

—

Tang Xiaoman contacted Huo Kai again.

He picked up quickly, but his tone carried a hint of suspicion. “Borrowing money again?”

“Relax, not this time.” She soothed him before getting to the point. “Can you introduce me to a reliable jade dealer? I want to buy some jadeite.”

Retail jewelry stores marked prices too high. If she wanted large quantities of quality jade at reasonable prices, she needed a middleman.

The jade market was deep and treacherous—outsiders could get fleeced blind.

If Huo Kai made the introduction personally, the other party wouldn’t dare push too far.

Huo Kai sounded surprised. “Since when are you into jade?”

“Because I like it.” Tang Xiaoman idly rubbed the jade bracelet on her wrist. Its luster had grown clearer, almost reaching an icy translucence.

Though he didn’t understand her motive, the request was harmless. He agreed readily.

Soon, he sent her a contact—a dealer named “Jade Master.”

When adding him, Tang Xiaoman specifically noted: *Introduced by Young Master Huo.*

The request was accepted instantly.

“Hi, beauty. What are you looking for?” came the enthusiastic greeting.

“I want good jade—large quantities, at reasonable prices.”

There was a pause.

“Large and cheap usually doesn’t mean good,” the dealer replied honestly.

Fair enough.

“What kind of stock do you have? And at what price range?”

He sent over photos—some stones fully cut open, others with just a small “window” polished to reveal the interior.

“Fully opened stones are priced according to market value. Windowed ones are cheaper, but riskier.”

Tang Xiaoman knew a little. “Those are gambling stones, right?”

“Smart lady. Exactly. Interested?”

Interest wasn’t the issue—she simply didn’t understand enough.

But she couldn’t show that. She kept up appearances.

“I’m not worried about saving a little money. I want quality. Huo Kai recommended you personally—don’t disappoint me.”

“Don’t worry,” he replied smoothly. “I run an honest business. Mr. Huo knows that. Since you’re his friend, I won’t even take profit—just helping out.”

Nice words—but she only half believed him.

Time was short. Disaster was approaching. She didn’t have the luxury to haggle.

“Pick out ten million worth of top-grade jade and deliver it to me first. If you’re as reliable as you say, I’ll order more.”

The dealer didn’t even blink at the figure.

“Thank you for your trust. Send me the time and location—I’ll deliver it personally.”

—

Tang Xiaoman forwarded the dealer’s contact to Lu Jingming, then headed back to the club with Fubao.

Zhou Yichen had already completed the selection process and finalized the team.

All eight male bodyguards were retained. Of the seven female candidates, five were eliminated, leaving two.

The ten selected members were reassigned numbers based on their performance.

Tang Xiaoman gave them a quick once-over. 01 was still 01, but the former 02 had dropped to 04. One of the female guards ranked as 05—unexpected.

She glanced at her more closely.

Well… looks like having curves didn’t mean lacking capability.

Zhou Yichen continued his report. “The five who were eliminated have been paid and sent back to Blazing Shield by Manager Zhang.”

“Good work,” Tang Xiaoman said, wiping sweat from her brow. “Thanks for the effort.”

“As expected,” Zhou Yichen replied, handing her a bottle of water.

She twisted it open and downed more than half in one go.

Then she set it aside, scanned the group, and gave the order:

“Pack up immediately. We’re moving.”