Chapter 12 Stepmother's Lover

Down payment??!!

The Jiang Family has always been known for purchasing villas outright with a single payment.

Du Ziteng's heart skipped a beat.

He had always had a question he wanted to ask Jiang Yan, but felt it was inappropriate.

Now, seeing her driving a second-hand minivan and eagerly selling off her spacious villa to move into a penthouse that few regular people would buy, he could no longer suppress the doubts in his heart.

He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and asked,

"Sister Yan, you're in such a hurry to sell the villa and even changed your car. Have you run into some difficulties? If there's anything I can help with, I might not be as wealthy as you, but I've still saved some money over the years. If you need it, just say the word..." Du Ziteng's words trailed off as he saw Jiang Yan grinning at him, and he stumbled over his words,

"Yan, Sister Yan, what's wrong? I don't mean anything by this. It's just that when my father had cancer, President Jiang and President Li organized donations from the whole company for my family and even covered a lot of medical expenses. My father might not have made it in the end, but I will never forget the great kindness the Jiang Family showed us."

What he didn't mention was that his real estate agency also benefited a lot from Mother Jiang.

After all, when Mother Jiang dealt with those properties in the past, she assigned all the business to his company, which was also the first bucket of gold he earned after quitting his job and starting his own business.

Jiang Yan's current situation wasn't like those TV dramas, where the rich daughter's assets get frozen.

Seeing Du Ziteng's earnest and simple expression, Jiang Yan said, "Du Ziteng, do you believe in me?"

Without a thought, Du Ziteng nodded like a pecking chick, "Of course!"

"A wise person told me that in three months, the apocalypse will come. So, I'm only telling you this: stock up on as much rice, flour, grain, and oil as you can at home in the next two months, and buy some common medications as well. That's all I can tell you."

Actually, Jiang Yan thought he wouldn't believe these words.

Before her rebirth, hadn't she also heard about some Mayan prophecy foretelling the apocalypse on a certain year?

Just like that, those predicted times had passed a decade ago.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Du Ziteng let out a small "Ah," and looked at Jiang Yan unbelievably, even with a hint of barely detectable sympathy:

Miss Jiang is a bit pitiful.

It must be President Li's death that has caused her such a mental disturbance.

Alas, regardless of wealth or poverty, every family has its own hard times to endure!

But he was quick-witted. Although he felt melancholy inside, he quickly diffused the slightly awkward and serious topic,

"Ah, Sister Yan, are we stockpiling again? Not to hide it from you, my family still has a lot of Ibuprofen left from the last time we hoarded goods, and we also have a mountain of salt stored up. Even yesterday, my wife teased me, asking when my brined Ibuprofen would be ready to serve... haha."

Du Ziteng purposefully avoided discussing the "apocalypse coming in three months."

To him, it seemed far-fetched to talk about an apocalypse on such a sunny and breezy day, but he couldn't bear to add insult to injury for Jiang Yan.

Listening to his lame joke, Jiang Yan didn't laugh but instead looked at him with a serious and solemn expression,

"Old Du, this time, listen to me."

Some things are better left unsaid.

Seeing her earnest and serious demeanor, Du Ziteng scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Sister Yan, I'll listen to you. I'll get my wife to buy some when I get back; after all, we'll have to buy grains, oils, and common medicines sooner or later."

Jiang Yan responded with a "hm," and said nothing more.

Building A quickly arrived.

The five houses in Shallow Bay were arranged in a pyramid shape, with Building A at the very tip of the pyramid.

At the moment, a moving company truck was parked at the entrance of the building, with workers in blue uniforms busily moving a leather sofa.

Not far off, a beautiful young woman in black, holding the hand of a seven or eight-year-old boy, stood by, directing the workers.

The young woman's eyes were red, and she and the little boy each wore a black mourning band on their right and left arms, respectively.

Jiang Yan subconsciously took a glance at the woman's face, and her heart surged with anger.

The beautiful woman was Zhang Qiqi.

Song Deming's mistress, who had always lurked in the shadows.

If it weren't for her experience during the last apocalypse, when Song Deming brought her and her son to Half Mountain Villa, she would have remained as oblivious as her mother until her death.

However, in the last life, Zhang Qiqi had always lived in a villa rented by Song Deming.

Somehow, now she had also moved into this ordinary community.

It really felt like after an exhaustive search, the thing she sought came to her without effort!

Just thinking about her mother's body lost at sea and her own tragic experiences from her previous life made Jiang Yan feel blocked and agitated, as if her heart was being gnawed at by thousands of ants.

She wished she could go up to that shameless villain and end her with a single stroke.

But for now, she didn't have the means to kill people like Song Deming and Zhang Kai.

In a society governed by law, she would have to endure for a little while longer.

She clenched her molars and squeezed her fingers tight, taking deep breaths to suppress her vengeful urges for the moment.

Since they were in the same building, she would not have to seek her out.

Just a little longer, once the apocalypse came, she would take her time with her.

Additionally, an odd thought emerged in her mind:

Could it be because of her rebirth that Song Deming's death altered Zhang Qiqi's life trajectory as well?

The wheels of fate had been turned.

With that thought, would the arrival of the disaster also be affected?

It seemed that she must complete all her preparations as soon as possible.

"Hey! Be careful with that, the sofa is made of imported calf leather, it costs tens of thousands! You can't afford to break it!!" Zhang Qiqi's real personality revealed itself the instant she spoke.

Du Ziteng gave her a look and pressed the elevator button while muttering in discontent for the moving company, "I can't stand people like her; I don't know where she gets her sense of superiority."

Jiang Yan remained silent with a grave look on her face.

Her hat and mask snugly concealed her identity.

Zhang Qiqi obviously couldn't recognize her.

But of course, Jiang Yan wasn't afraid of being recognized.

Zhang Qiqi quickly led the movers into the freight elevator.

Jiang Yan followed and glanced around, also checking the stairwell.

Once the disaster struck, with no water or electricity, elevators would be useless, and everyone would have to use the stairs.

Although she planned to hold out in her room as long as possible before venturing out, it was still necessary to have a backup plan.

The stairwell was next to the freight elevator, dimly lit, with cigarette butts and trash scattered in the corners, and a faint smell of urine.

Jiang Yan frowned and quickly turned back.

Meanwhile, the freight elevator slowly stopped on the seventh floor.

"Sister Yan, what's wrong?" Du Ziteng saw her suddenly divert towards the elevator and paused in confusion.