RIACMET chapter 11

 

 

“…”

 

Yang Kai looked at him calmly for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

 

“All right, I understand. Good luck working together, and congratulations on your reunion.”

 

Feelings can’t be forced. He knew how destructive Bai Yueguang could be.

 

“Thank you. It was nice working with you.”

 

Cheng Jing nodded, took the remote, turned off the TV, and went back to his room.

 

Cheng Jing couldn’t sleep, so he checked his chat history with Jiang Nian on his phone. There wasn’t much, but he couldn’t help reading it again and again.

 

…

 

The next day, Cheng Jing and Yang Kai went to Taipei City. Meanwhile, Jiang Nian was lying in bed with a sore back, having entered “crazy hamster mode.”

 

When buying supplies online, he timed his orders and asked the sellers to send the goods according to his schedule.

 

To be safe, he wrote half of the delivery address as a self-service station near the community and Cheng Jing’s phone number and the other half as a door-to-door delivery with his phone number. He also mentioned some courier companies far from the community.

 

Jiang Nian didn’t leave until sunset, visiting nearby supermarkets and markets.

 

Many items could be bought online or offline, and buying from the same place would easily draw attention.

 

During the apocalypse, the mortality rate among outside workers like couriers would be the highest, but it’s better to prevent than to cure.

 

He was determined to survive until the end.

 

He specifically bought several large-capacity mobile hard drives and tablets to download movies, TV shows, and variety shows to pass the time after the apocalypse, as well as encyclopedias covering food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

 

Many official survival guides for disasters make assumptions about the end of the world.

 

Having experienced the end of the world and combined that experience with theory, he knew he had to prepare himself as well as possible.

 

I can’t buy enough supplies. I really can’t. I’m spending my boyfriend’s money and driving his car. I’m drunk with temptation, having a gigolo[mfn]a man who is paid by another man for romantic or sexual companionship.[/mfn] like that!

 

Since he gave the spare key to the man renovating the doors and windows yesterday, he didn’t need to rent a place for three days. He only had to wait until the third day, when the work was finished, to inspect it and pay the rest.

 

Three days passed quickly. On the night of August 18, after confirming that the renovation of the doors and windows of the hideout house had been completed according to requirements, Jiang Nian immediately paid the remaining balance and the taxi fare for the workers.

 

He also called a locksmith from dozens of kilometers away at a high price to replace the locks with the most expensive mechanical locks on the market. In his opinion, mechanical locks were always the best!

 

The next day, August 19th, he started stockpiling supplies by buying from supermarkets and ordering online deliveries, all while driving Cheng Jing’s Hummer.

 

Sometimes he bought more at large supermarkets and asked them to deliver to the basement elevator entrance. As long as it wasn’t excessive, it wouldn’t attract attention.

 

Far away in Taipei, Cheng Jing was lost in thought as he looked at the continuous text notifications and the car GPS system cutting into his funds.

 

Besides supermarkets and shopping centers of all sizes, there were also express delivery stations, pharmacies, and farmers’ markets. It was clear that Jiang Nian was buying a wide variety of supplies.

 

The next few days went like this: He guessed that the amount of money spent each day was probably related to Jiang Nian’s physical strength when it came to moving the goods. He stopped buying when he couldn’t buy any more and continued the next day.

 

Cheng Jing wasn’t stingy with money; he transferred another 500,000 yuan from a different card. After all, goods in supermarkets and shopping centers aren’t cheap, and it would be embarrassing if he bought too much and the payment failed.

 

However, he was curious about what Jiang Nian was buying. Judging by the route of the car, he wasn’t going to luxury stores. He bought so many ordinary items that he could open a small supermarket.

 

On August 22, Cheng Jing couldn’t resist. He called Huang Qian, his most trusted friend, and asked her to secretly check on Jiang Nian.

 

That night, Huang Qian sent a message to Cheng Jing after successfully completing his task:

 

“Your boyfriend is hoarding supplies like a hamster. He’s excited and happy buying stuff, but he looks like a cult member.”

 

Then, she sent two sets of photos. One set showed the door of the house Jiang Nian rented, which had three layers of shiny iron walls inside and out.

 

Those working in the security industry were familiar with this kind of transformation. It was a complete safe house that looked sturdier than the one they had modified.

 

The other set of photos showed Jiang Nian wearing a mask, changing clothes, and picking up and buying goods at various express delivery stations and supermarkets.

 

Renovating the house was fine. Changing clothes several times a day to shop was fine. Wearing a mask on a hot day when you don’t want anyone to know you’re out is also fine.

 

However, when all these things came together, it became problematic because it seemed like an embarrassing secret activity was going on.

 

Intuitively, Cheng Jing felt that Jiang Nian’s behavior was abnormal. However, he chose to believe that his boyfriend wouldn’t do anything illegal. Therefore, he called Huang Qian and specifically reminded him:

 

“Huang Qian, don’t tell anyone about this. Don’t let anyone know. If necessary, help him cover it up. I’ll be back and handle it.”

 

Before he reconciled with Jiang Nian and went on a business trip, he told Huang Qian the truth. He felt relieved to have someone he trusted who could keep an eye on Jiang Nian.

 

Huang Qian put aside his usual unreasonable attitude and said seriously,

 

“Don’t worry. I know, but you have to come back soon and tell me why he’s stockpiling supplies. I’m really curious. It’s strange that he would come back to you two years after breaking up just to spend your money.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Cheng Jing didn’t say much. He hung up and thought hard.

 

He knew Jiang Nian’s character well. He could be mischievous at times, but he wasn’t the type to do anything improper.

 

Since that person called to say he was coming to visit, Jiang Nian’s behavior had been strange. He always wanted to be with him. He refused to stay in a hotel. Even though Jiang Nian had misunderstood and thought he was with Yang Kai, he still wanted to rent the house next door. After they reconciled, he insisted on renting the house and converted it into a safe house.

 

Just because he was happy to be chased by Jiang Nian again didn’t mean he couldn’t see anything.

 

Jiang Nian looked very insecure.

 

That’s right—a sense of security!

 

Cheng Jing suddenly remembered that Jiang Nian had told him several times that he had been having nightmares ever since his mother passed away.

 

At first, he thought it was just the man’s deep sorrow over losing a loved one. Now, however, he felt the problem was more complicated than that.

 

“…”

 

Within seconds, a feeling of worry surged through his heart. Cheng Jing took out his phone and called Jiang Nian. After a while, he hung up and switched to video.

 

How could nightmares alone be enough to make someone afraid and turn their safe house into a storage facility?

 

He was really reckless!

 

Perhaps Jiang Nian was afraid that he was being targeted by someone or some organization and didn’t dare tell him. Just like last time, when he unilaterally decided to break up, he wanted to handle everything himself!

 

The video connected immediately, and the screen trembled as the phone was placed on a stand. Jiang Nian was eating lobster and fried skewers at a hotel table. He put his phone away, put on disposable gloves, took a shrimp, and greeted him.

 

“Brother Jing, let’s have some midnight snacks…”

 

Seeing the man with a red mouth from eating, Cheng Jing felt relieved.

 

“I thought you were sleeping.”

 

“No, I’m having midnight snacks and buying something online.”

 

Jiang Nian sucked the shrimp head with a faint sound and quickly and neatly peeled the shrimp.

 

Cheng Jing smiled lovingly and asked,

 

“Have you been sleeping well lately? Are you still having nightmares?”