Two kilometers wasn't far; within minutes, they arrived at the entrance of the residential complex.
Jiang Ning handed over 2,000 yuan, thanking the man for saving her and for his willingness to break traffic rules.
The man's voice was cold. "No need. It was on the way."
Seeing that he refused, Jiang Ning didn't insist. As she got out of the car, she reminded him, "The typhoon might cause power and water outages. While you still have time, you should stock up on rice, flour, and oil."
Pushing the door open, she braced against the wind, clutching her package as she ran into the complex.
Large raindrops pelted down like bullets. Jiang Ning wiped her drenched face as she stepped out of the elevator, only to see Yang Weicong and Su Mengyao standing at her apartment door.
They must have been waiting for a long time. Yang Weicong looked impatient, while school beauty Su Mengyao maintained a sweet and charming smile. Dressed in a pure white dress, she exuded an air of innocence and elegance.
"Why did you come back so late?" Yang Weicong asked, his tone irritated. "We've been waiting for a long time."
Seeing them, Jiang Ning was instantly reminded of her past life—the humiliation she had endured, the way they had stood by as she was slaughtered by demons. Her mood darkened with fury.
In her past life, her own foolishness was to blame, but in this life, if they wanted to leech off her and steal her golden opportunity, they could dream on!
She had suffered despair before, but this time, she would make sure they suffered even more.
Jiang Ning's expression was cold. "What do you want?"
She had always been warm and enthusiastic toward him, but now she was completely indifferent. Yang Weicong was stunned for a moment, then instinctively questioned, "Why didn't you come to my birthday party?"
"We're not close. Why should I go?"
"You…" She had been pursuing him and had even promised to get him the gift he wanted.
Of course, he wasn't interested in the gift—Su Mengyao had wanted to get to know her.
Su Mengyao studied Jiang Ning with a smile. "Junior."
Jiang Ning's voice was cold. "I don't know you. Don't call me that."
Su Mengyao's smile stiffened slightly, but she quickly recovered. "Today is the senior's birthday. Since we're all classmates, we just wanted to get together."
His birthday had already passed at noon. They were only inviting her to the eighth floor to take her golden opportunity.
"Are you deaf?" Jiang Ning mocked. "Didn't you hear me say we're not close? What does his birthday have to do with me?"
She was unexpectedly harsh. Yang Weicong's face darkened. "Jiang Ning, what's your problem?"
"You're wearing couple rings with her, yet you keep inviting me to your place. Trying to play both sides?"
"Don't flatter yourself! I never had that kind of interest in you!" Yang Weicong was furious, embarrassed beyond words. "Mengyao, let's go."
Su Mengyao, however, was unwilling to leave. "Ah Ning, actually, we just came to celebrate his birthday, but with the typhoon, we can't go back. Could I stay at your place for the night?"
"Are you insane? I already said we're not close!"
Yang Weicong's face turned black. "Ah Ning, watch your words."
"That's just how I talk. If you don't like it, don't bother me."
Yang Weicong pulled Su Mengyao away, but she refused to leave. She gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "Ah Ning, your pendant is really pretty. Where did you buy it?"
Jiang Ning took off the pendant. "Do you want it?"
Su Mengyao's eyes lit up. "Can you sell it to me? I really like it."
Jiang Ning let go of the pendant, letting it drop to the ground.
Then she stomped on it several times until it shattered into pieces.
After binding with her space, the pendant had lost its luster and become useless.
People could be treacherous. If she didn't destroy it in front of Su Mengyao, who knew what schemes she might come up with?
"Your interest in it disgusts me!"
Seeing the pendant destroyed, Su Mengyao was stunned and let out a frightened gasp.
Seeing his girlfriend humiliated, Yang Weicong was livid and lashed out at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning's expression turned fierce. "Get lost. Don't let me see you again."
Yang Weicong's face turned ashen. He grabbed Su Mengyao and stormed off in fury.
Only then did Jiang Ning unlock her steel door and rush inside to unpack her delivery.
The arctic survival suit was thick, soft, and warm. The mummy-style sleeping bag, made of multiple layers of down, was top-quality. It would be her lifeline in extreme cold.
Outside, the wind howled, and the sky was as dark as night.
She secured the doors and windows, then filled large white plastic buckets with water, making sure to store several in her space's bathroom.
With the typhoon and heavy rain, power and water outages were imminent.
While the storm raged outside, Jiang Ning busied herself in the kitchen, constantly cooking rice, washing vegetables, and stir-frying dishes.
Braised pork, mushroom-braised chicken, boiled fish, and radish beef stew—all cooked in large portions and stored in prepared stainless steel containers, steaming hot before being stashed in her space.
While people still had their supplies, it was best to cook all the flavorful dishes now. Later, she wouldn't dare to light a fire freely, lest she attract attention.
She steamed buns, dumplings, flower rolls, and shumai, working both the gas stove and induction cooker at full blast until midnight.
Finally, she changed out of her greasy clothes, took a hot shower, and collapsed into bed.
She was half-asleep when she was startled awake by the sound of an electric drill.
Jiang Ning pulled open the curtains. Outside, the sky remained gloomy, with the typhoon and heavy rain howling fiercely.
She thought it was still nighttime, but when she checked her phone, it was already past nine in the morning.
Her WeChat was flooded with messages. Both the residential group and her class group had over 99+ unread messages. Many people were celebrating Typhoon "Cleaver's" arrival—office workers finally got a break from 996, and students could go home for the holidays.
People were posting disaster photos and videos—uprooted trees, luxury cars crushed, tornadoes slicing tin-roofed factories in half...
Some began to panic, realizing they hadn't stocked up on food. Many complained that when they rushed to the supermarket after work, the shelves were empty, with only pickled mustard-flavored instant noodles left.
The drilling sound continued, seemingly coming from next door.
Jiang Ning was puzzled. Her building had three apartments per floor, and the other two units had always been empty.
In her past life, when the flood reached the second floor, residents forced out of their homes broke into the vacant apartments, claiming them as shelter.
At first, they coexisted peacefully, but as food supplies dwindled, their gazes turned dark with greed. They had tried multiple times to pry open Jiang Ning's door at night.
This time, she had bought a fire axe. If they dared to break in, she wouldn't hesitate to swing it.
She could hear not only the drill but also a child's voice.
Jiang Ning stepped outside and saw that Apartment 1801's door was wide open. A brand-new stainless steel door leaned against the wall, while a young man in light-colored casual clothes was drilling into the wall.
Hearing the door open, he turned to look at her.
Jiang Ning was stunned. "It's you?"