Chapter 1: Starting with Divorce

Jiang Yuan stared at the time on her phone: September 1st, 2:27 PM.

As absurd as it seemed, she had really been reborn.

If nothing went wrong, in about three minutes, Xia Chaoyang would show up again to talk about divorce.

She glanced at her sleeping daughter beside her and turned on her phone, staring at the screen without blinking. If he really came, it would prove this wasn’t a dream!

Those three minutes felt endlessly long, but as the numbers on the screen changed, the bedroom door creaked open.

Sure enough—he came!

“Jiang Yuan, stop being stubborn. This isn’t good for either of us!”

“Fine, I agree to the divorce—but I have conditions.”

Xia Chaoyang hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly. His mother was right. Jiang Yuan had no family here, and after skipping a couple of meals, she’d cave.

“What conditions? Say them.”

“You can have this house and the store. I want the property on Lushan Mountain as compensation, and I want ten million yuan from the bank account to be mine.”

“No problem. You can even take the car if you want!”

Jiang Yuan didn’t waste words. This three-story house was 300 square meters alone, worth tens of millions, not to mention the store, which could easily earn two to three million a year. Clearly, she was getting the short end of the stick!

“And also, I want three million in child support, paid all at once. If you agree, then let’s sign the agreement.”

She knew there was a pending payment of three million for goods in the store, just settled last night.

Sure enough, Xia Chaoyang gritted his teeth but still agreed.

Jiang Yuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. When she first saw him just now, she had wanted to take an axe to him!

They ran a home improvement and building materials store together, starting from scratch. During the marriage, he cheated with his ex and even had a son, born three months after their daughter, Xiao Nuan.

In her last life, she insisted on forcing him out with nothing. But then a natural disaster struck, and they all ended up trapped together.

First came the intense heat, then torrential rain, followed by unending cold.

When the food ran out, Xia Chaoyang’s family turned on her.

She vividly remembered that night—she was subjected to four hours of inhuman torture. When she made it home, she was still bleeding.

Xia Chaoyang had promised to take good care of Xiao Nuan. But when she returned, what awaited her was the small, lifeless body of her daughter, lying quietly there, long eyelashes dusted with ice crystals.

She had cried until her heart nearly burst. Meanwhile, that family was still fighting over the packet of instant noodles they had exchanged her body for.

In the apocalypse, society crumbled. Medical systems vanished. Still, Jiang Yuan clung to Xiao Nuan and tried to make it to a hospital—only to freeze to death on the road.

Even as her consciousness faded, she could still clearly feel someone stripping her clothes away.

Heh. That was the apocalypse—darkness and despair descending together.

It didn’t matter anymore. Xiao Nuan was gone. What was the point of her dragging out this miserable life?

Maybe the heavens pitied her. They had given her another chance—reborn half a month before the apocalypse. This time, she would survive no matter what.

Xia Chaoyang, Bai Mengmeng… I wonder what your fate will be without me this time!

Suppressing her hatred, Jiang Yuan began packing. She had lived in this house for three years. She wasn’t going to leave behind a single thing that belonged to her.

Even the garbage bags she had bought—she took them with her.

When Bai Mengmeng saw her calling a moving company, she sneered, thinking Jiang Yuan was just greedy for money.

Jiang Yuan didn’t bother responding. Let her laugh—she’d be crying soon enough.

The Lushan Elegant Residence was located in the eastern suburbs of Western River City, in a high-altitude area. When the torrential rains came, the low-lying buildings would be submerged—this place would be a natural advantage.

Her property was on the top floor of Building 13—180 square meters, with four bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. It had a massive balcony, a storage room, and a walk-in closet!

The rooftop also came with a 90-square-meter attic and a 90-square-meter terrace.

She had originally wanted to renovate the attic into a playroom for Xiao Nuan.

It was her first home—and their first home as a couple. She had carefully decorated it, choosing only the best materials. At least now, that effort wouldn’t go to waste.

As the movers came in and out, Jiang Yuan opened her phone to order takeout.

It had been so long since she’d had real food—her stomach was practically growling.

She ordered fried chicken, spicy duck neck, stir-fried dishes, rice—over 300 yuan worth before she stopped.

By the time the movers finished, Jiang Yuan was feeding Xiao Nuan congee with century egg and pork at the dining table.

Looking at her daughter’s smiling face, Jiang Yuan’s heart filled with determination. This time, they would live well.

She would protect herself, protect her family. No one would bully them again.

At 9 PM, after putting Xiao Nuan to sleep, Jiang Yuan sat alone in front of her vanity.

She wasn’t the impulsive type. Years of working in sales had taught her the importance of planning and structure.

If she remembered correctly, on September 15, temperatures in Western River City would soar to 45°C. Social media would be flooded with complaints about the scorching “autumn tiger.”

But that was just the beginning. On October 1, it would hit 50°C.

By mid-October, there would be a month of continuous rain, swelling rivers and completely collapsing the city’s drainage system.

Then, the ground would start to freeze. Temperatures would plummet to -30°C. Whether they would drop even lower, she didn’t know—because she hadn’t lived that long.

It was around that time that society changed. Humanity disappeared completely.

The law of the jungle returned—survival of the fittest.

So, Jiang Yuan had just 14 days. Two weeks. She had too many things to do and needed to plan wisely.

At 9:30 PM, she went to the living room and video-called her mom, asking her and her dad to come to Western River City first thing in the morning.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? Something happen?”

Something had happened—but Jiang Yuan didn’t know how to explain it.

“I divorced Xia Chaoyang.”

“What?! Divorce? Why?! Did he bully you? Don’t worry, sweetie. I’m coming tomorrow to stand up for you…”

After hanging up, she booked both a coach and high-speed rail ticket for her parents to leave early the next morning.

In her past life, they had also come to Western River City—but that was the first day of the apocalypse. Before they even arrived, the power and internet went out. Jiang Yuan never saw them again. They likely didn’t survive.

Their hometown was in a small county in Hebei Province, with no direct route. They had to take a coach to Beijing first, then the high-speed rail.

After arranging all that, she opened a video platform and started searching for apocalypse survival movies and documentaries.

In the apocalypse, too many uncertainties loomed—food shortages, lack of clean water, the distortion of human nature. Even using the toilet became a problem after the water and power went out.

She had to plan for everything—and do it fast.