Chapter 2: Scumbag Man and Shameless Woman
September 2 – 13 Days Before the Apocalypse

In the morning, Jiang Yuan reheated the leftover takeout from yesterday and filled her stomach with a simple meal. Then, she took Xiao Nuan and headed out.

The movies she watched last night were mostly about zombies. Though she hadn’t encountered any yet, later in the apocalypse, looting and robbery were rampant—those people were even scarier than zombies.

Driving the Maybach she got from the divorce, Jiang Yuan sped to the building materials market to find a fellow townsman who specialized in glass doors and windows.

She planned to reinforce all the doors and windows at home: replace all the glass with four-layer one-way bulletproof glass, and install two layers of burglar-proof grills on the outside.

She wanted four layers of doors: on top of the existing security door, two bulletproof high-security doors that were waterproof, insulated, and fire-resistant, and finally, a massive outer burglar-proof door with no holes at all.

After thinking a bit, she decided to replace the stairwell door too. Since her building, Lushan Elegant Garden, had two units per floor and the adjacent unit seemed long unoccupied—and hers was the top floor—no one would likely notice, giving her another layer of protection.

All locks would be upgraded to the highest anti-theft grade—money was no issue.

She also wanted 360° surveillance cameras installed, solar-powered with battery backup in case sunlight wasn’t available.

Every access point—entrance, corridor, stairwell—would be under her tight control.

No need for soundproofing; the apartment was already built with sound-insulating materials.

She had measured everything herself, so no need for a technician to come. Normally it would take seven days for a custom order, but she used facial recognition payment and added ¥8,000 (~$1,100) for rush service.

Installation was confirmed in three days!

She swiped Xia Chaoyang’s credit card mercilessly—a total of ¥118,000 (~$16,000).

Yes, she not only took his credit card, but also his ID card.

Right now, his family was probably still rejoicing over discarding his “burden of a wife.” But how long would the laughter last? She wasn’t sure.

During lunch break, Jiang Yuan decided to go all in. Using Xia Chaoyang’s ID, she took out online loans from more than 30 platforms.

She only had ¥10 million from the divorce, but there were too many supplies to stockpile—she wasn’t sure if it would be enough.

Based on the “take it if you can” principle, she scraped together another ¥2 million (~$270,000) in loans.

Not bad. Xia Chaoyang had a business license, so his loan limits were higher than average. And since her phone was registered with his ID, the process was much easier.

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“Daddy~”

“Xiao Nuan, what’s wrong?”

“Daddy~”

Following her daughter’s gaze, Jiang Yuan saw Xia Chaoyang and Bai Mengmeng, along with their illegitimate son.

Of course—they were near the building materials market, so eating here wasn’t surprising.

Jiang Yuan picked up Xiao Nuan and prepared to leave. Seeing this pair of scumbags would just ruin her appetite.

“Jiang Yuan, what are you doing? Even if we’re divorced, I’m still Xiao Nuan’s father. You can’t be this selfish!”

Heh. Seriously?

“Me, selfish? You’ve got some nerve saying that. If you knew you were her father, why did you cheat on me while I was pregnant? Shameless!”

“Jiang Yuan, I know you’re upset, but this isn’t good for Xiao Nuan. A child without a father’s love might grow up emotionally stunted.”

Jiang Yuan glared hard at Bai Mengmeng. This btch was doing it on purpose.*

“You’re stunted. Your whole family’s stunted. A mistress climbing the ranks and still so arrogant? Careful, or I’ll print those naked pics of yours and pass them out like flyers!”

“You…” Bai Mengmeng was furious—but what Jiang Yuan said was true.

In the previous life, Bai Mengmeng had confessed it to her. Back then, when Jiang Yuan refused to leave, Bai Mengmeng purposely moved in next door and made loud love with Xia Chaoyang every night. Even with two doors in between, Jiang Yuan could hear her shameless moaning.

“Xia Chaoyang, your parents prefer sons, don’t they? But your illegitimate son is only three months younger than Xiao Nuan. You might want to get a paternity test. Imagine throwing away your wife and daughter just to raise someone else’s kid—now that would be entertaining.”

Yes, she said that on purpose. As long as they were unhappy, Jiang Yuan was satisfied.

She heard Bai Mengmeng trying to explain and cursing under her breath. Jiang Yuan just smiled coldly—soon, everything will be over.

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“Mama~”

Holding her daughter tightly, Jiang Yuan cried for the first time since her rebirth.

Her Xiao Nuan was only 18 months old—barely able to talk. How could a mother explain such things to her?

“Don’t be scared, Xiao Nuan. Mama will protect you. You’re a good girl~”

Yes, Mama would protect her. This time, no one would hurt her again.

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Her parents’ high-speed train would arrive at 8:10 PM. It was now almost 4:00 PM. Jiang Yuan took Xiao Nuan to a clothing megastore near the station.

She told the manager she was buying clothes to donate to left-behind children and elderly folks in remote mountain areas. In today’s tough retail market, this was a huge order, and Jiang Yuan was treated like royalty.

Four employees followed her with carts. She mainly focused on children’s clothing—autumn wear was in season, summer clothes were on clearance, and prices were dirt cheap.

Little dresses, tank tops, T-shirts, sets, thin pants, fleece hoodies, hats, jackets—she bought every size.

Kids grow fast. To avoid outgrowing clothes before wearing them, she capped each type and size at 10 pieces.

She also got socks, shoes, hats, backpacks, and even children’s underwear.

Who knew how long the apocalypse would last? If natural disasters dragged on, all these things would be lifesaving.

She also bought plenty of clothing for herself and her parents—jackets, pants, down coats, thermal wear.

She didn’t skip summer clothes either—picked lightweight, breathable sets. Skirts were out of the question. After all, the apocalypse could turn into a battlefield at any moment.

In the end, she filled four large carts. The store manager personally had people help load everything into her car—and even gifted her two boxes of laundry detergent.

Still with time to spare, Jiang Yuan repeated the process at another department store before rushing to the train station.

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In her past life, this place was once a survivor base. She hadn’t gone there because it was too far and the roads were dangerous.

But many from her residential complex had gone. She had been tempted to go with Xiao Nuan, at least for food and safety.

But she had been naive. It was overcrowded, filthy, food was poor—and where there were people, there was conflict.

Many who went ended up returning. The hardship? Unimaginable.

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Jiang Yuan waited at the train station, holding Xiao Nuan. There were fewer people at night.

As her parents came down the escalator, she saw them right away and waved excitedly:
“Dad! Mom! Over here!”