Chapter 3: A Billion in Hand

Shu Xin suspected that the person she was looking for was Yan Mo, the second male lead in the novel.

According to the book’s description, Yan Mo’s appearance was on par with the male protagonist. Many readers even speculated that he would surpass the protagonist in strength.

Although he had never revealed his true power in front of others, the strength he displayed was already enough to rival the male lead.

Some readers even said that if he weren’t uninterested in women, the male lead’s position might have been replaced.

To Shu Xin, the fact that he didn’t like women was perfect.

That meant she could abduct him without any psychological burden, without competing with the female lead or getting hurt by the protagonist’s halo.

Most importantly, the author had once released an anime-style illustration of Yan Mo. That image had struck a chord in Shu Xin’s heart.

Although she hadn’t finished reading the novel before she transmigrated, what she had read already made her fall in love with Yan Mo’s gentle yet distant personality.

His combination of anime aesthetics and character traits made her adoration for him more than double.

If she could bring him to her side, she would not only gain a powerful backer but also obtain her ideal boyfriend. This deal was all profit, no loss.

Hehehe, as expected of me! I’m such a clever little fox!

Shu Xin silently gave herself a thumbs-up in her heart.

As soon as summer vacation ended and she returned to school, she would take action immediately. She had to win him over—anyone who dared to compete with her would have to face her wrath!

At this moment, Shu Xin had no idea that the person she was looking for was actually the hidden final boss of the novel.

It wasn’t until later, when she was left sprawled on the bed, massaging her sore waist, biting her pillow and sobbing, that she realized how naive she had been—and just how deep of a pit she had dug for herself.

For the next two days, Shu Xin stayed home without going out. She spent her time organizing all of her current assets and couldn’t help but be shocked.

The original host’s father had truly adored his daughter. She owned dozens of properties in her name. Even if she didn’t work, just the rent from these properties was enough to ensure a worry-free life.

Shu Xin didn’t plan to keep most of them. She intended to sell them all, except for two penthouses in a newly acquired building. Aside from her father and herself, no one else knew about these apartments.

Since no one was aware of their existence, that meant her dear uncle’s family wouldn’t be able to find her there, nor would any other troublesome acquaintances come knocking. This would help her avoid unnecessary complications.

Shu Xin planned to renovate these two apartments to serve as her safe haven in the early days of the apocalypse.

After organizing her assets, she searched online for various stockpiling strategies and referenced experiences from protagonists in post-apocalyptic novels.

She compiled a long list of supplies to gather over the next year. When printed, the list covered over ten pages of A4 paper.

To ensure she didn’t forget anything, Shu Xin also prepared a small notebook to carry with her. If she came across anything important that she hadn’t thought of, she would jot it down immediately to prevent any omissions.

After handling all of these matters, Shu Xin finally felt a little more at ease. Now, she just had to wait for her dear uncle to arrive with the money to buy her shares tomorrow.

One billion yuan. This was likely the absolute maximum her “good uncle” could scrape together.

He couldn’t touch his own company shares, and many of his other investments couldn’t be liquidated immediately. To gather this billion, he would likely have to sell off most of his personal assets and even take out loans using his existing properties as collateral.

Shu Xin wanted exactly this outcome. After all, much of the suffering the original host endured in the apocalypse was due to his family.

They had tricked the original host out of her shares and, once the apocalypse began, used their familial ties as an excuse to enslave her. In the end, they sold her to those beasts for food, leaving her to die in humiliation and agony.

With the terrible things they had done, Shu Xin had no guilt whatsoever about scamming them out of their money.

After a good night’s sleep, Shu Xin woke up early the next morning and soon received a call from Shu Liangjun, who informed her that he had gathered the money and would come over shortly to sign the transfer contract.

Shu Xin raised an eyebrow but didn’t say much. Her dear uncle was clearly desperate to ensure these shares didn’t fall into someone else’s hands.

And rightly so. Shu Corporation was a century-old enterprise, and its shares were highly sought after. If she put them on the open market, plenty of people would fight to buy them.

But she didn’t want to waste too much time on this matter. Time was limited, and gathering supplies as soon as possible was the priority.

Sure enough, Shu Liangjun arrived quickly. Less than half an hour after the call, Shu Xin heard the doorbell ring.

He had only brought his assistant with him. Both sides were eager to finalize the deal, so there was no unnecessary chatter.

Once Shu Xin received the transfer notification and signed the stock transfer agreement, everything was settled.

As the shares officially transferred, Shu Liangjun’s heartache from this financial hemorrhage was slightly eased, giving him the mood to feign concern.

“Xin’er, your parents passed away in a plane crash. I know your heart is heavy. Right now, our family is your only support. You can always rely on me. Come visit our home when you have time.”

“Han Yan is about your age. You two young people must have a lot in common. With her keeping you company, you’ll be able to move on from your grief. Living well is what your parents would have wanted.”

Shu Xin almost rolled her eyes to the heavens but maintained an expression of gratitude, as if deeply moved by her only remaining family’s concern.

“Uncle, I understand. I think my parents would want me to be happy. Since there’s still some time before school starts, I plan to go abroad for a while to relax and adjust my mindset.”

Shu Liangjun’s mouth snapped shut. His mood soured instantly. He couldn’t stop her from going abroad, which made things even worse.

What a wasteful girl! She’s going abroad to play? That’s my money she’s spending!

Shu Liangjun had come with a scowl and left with an even darker expression.

Watching his retreating figure, Shu Xin nearly laughed herself silly. Seeing her enemy suffer truly made her day.

Happiness was indeed built upon the pain of one’s enemies.

Shu Xin’s plan to go abroad was real, but not for leisure. She was going to stockpile supplies.

As a college freshman, summer break was her best opportunity to travel.

Though she would also have a winter break, she planned to use that time to travel across the country, gathering regional specialties to enrich her food reserves.

Surviving the apocalypse was already miserable enough—if she couldn’t even eat well to comfort her fragile soul, she’d surely break down.