Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Once the office door closed, Cheng Jing picked up his phone and replied to Jiang Nian:

"I should be away on a business trip in a couple of days—probably about a week before I'm back. You should stay at the hotel."

After a while, Jiang Nian responded with just three words:

"Oh, thanks."

Glancing at the chat screen, Cheng Jing guessed the other might be annoyed. But given his own situation, he figured they could talk properly once he returned from the trip.

Besides, they’d only just reunited—it wouldn’t hurt to let the brat sweat a little, right?

With that thought, he used his authority to coordinate with the hotel, asking them to keep a closer eye on Jiang Nian.

Once everything was arranged, he stood and left the office. Yang Kai had just sent a message saying he was downstairs waiting.

...

Cheng Jing had figured Jiang Nian would behave and rest, giving himself time to unwind so they could sort out their past and present issues after his return.

But the next day at noon, during an online meeting at his residence, he received a message from the hotel:

Jiang Nian had checked out but left his luggage there for safekeeping, saying he'd come back to retrieve it that evening.

That little shit!

Cheng Jing clenched his jaw, frustrated. As soon as the meeting ended, he called Jiang Nian, only for the brat to mumble something about contacting him once settled and then going dead silent.

Seething, Cheng Jing slammed his fist on the desk. They’d agreed to wait until he got back from his trip—what a little shit!

"Cheng, what's wrong?"

The door opened, and Yang Kai stood at the entrance, wearing a white shirt and black slacks. Tall and well-built, with a pair of non-prescription gold-rimmed glasses that made him look polished, he nailed the secretary-and-boyfriend act flawlessly.

"Nothing. Let's go. We'll wrap up the remaining tasks, and you can head back tomorrow."

Biting back his annoyance, Cheng Jing tucked his phone away and left the study.

He’d handle that brat in the afternoon—after finishing work as quickly as possible.

"Actually, I was thinking of delaying my return by a few days."

Yang Kai smiled, his gaze loaded with suggestion.

Cheng Jing cut him off with a glance.

"You might not be busy, but I am. Your presence here means my mission isn't complete, which will delay my plans."

"Alright."

Yang Kai shrugged, resigned. Well, there was always time—he'd come back in a private capacity after reporting in Beishi.

Still in a foul mood, Cheng Jing headed to the underground garage with Yang Kai. But as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, he spotted Jiang Nian and a middle-aged man getting out of a parked taxi not far away.

The two were walking toward them, chatting as they went.

Just as Cheng Jing was wondering how to avoid them, Jiang Nian noticed them. His face flashed surprise for a moment before he quickly smiled and greeted him:

"Brother Jing—cough—Cheng Jing!"

The switch in names was lightning-fast, and the tone and expression were spot-on. But Cheng Jing wasn't happy at all.

When Yang Kai heard the voice, he casually hooked his arm through Cheng Jing’s and whispered:

"Someone you know, Cheng?"

"Mhm."

Fighting the urge to yank his arm away, Cheng Jing nodded, forcing himself to stay composed.

"No way, you live here too?"

The middle-aged man waited nearby as Jiang Nian strode over and greeted Yang Kai naturally:

"Hello, I'm Jiang Nian, Cheng Jing's childhood friend."

Yang Kai extended his hand as well.

"Hello, I'm Yang Kai, Cheng Jing's boyfriend."

"Damn, you really kept that under wraps..."

Jiang Nian chuckled and patted Cheng Jing’s shoulder. The latter, barely holding back his irritation, feigned calm and asked:

"What are you doing here?"

Of all places to bump into each other—was fate screwing with them?

Jiang Nian pointed behind him at the waiting man:

"I’m looking to rent a place here. Had I known you lived here, I’d have asked you first."

Nice try—not saying a word earlier, now he’s busted!

This was the neighborhood they'd shared during their relationship, partly why Jiang Nian had chosen to look here.

Of course, the main reason was that it was an older residential area. Most landlords were original residents, and with the development of newer districts, many had moved out, leaving mostly elderly singles or vacant units for rent.

Even though the rent wasn’t cheap, tenants were sparse—a sleepy, retiree-heavy area.

Take his building, for instance: only 22 floors, two elevators for three apartments per floor, yet nearly every level was half-empty. His whole 10th floor was vacant and up for grabs, while the rest housed mainly lonely old folks and migrant workers.

Still, the landlord had agreed to let him renovate the space.

With barely anyone around and close to downtown, it was an ideal shelter for the apocalypse.

After all, densely populated areas—high-rises, schools, hospitals, hotels, large factory dorms—were zombie central.

He never thought his ex who’d made it big would be here, of all places.

Jiang Nian mused silently:

Could Cheng Jing and Yang Kai actually be living in the same apartment we used to rent? Like some messed-up replacement fantasy come to life?

But Yang Kai didn’t look anything like me...

His brain was running a full soap opera, but Cheng Jing just gave a flat "Oh," leaving it at that.

"Fine, you guys handle your stuff. I'm gonna go look at the place and catch up with you later."

Jiang Nian was feeling sour too and didn't want to keep pretending, so he used the apartment viewing as an excuse to say goodbye.

Only after watching him and his uncle step into the elevator did Cheng Jing tear his gaze away and get in the car. Despite trying to hide it, Yang Kai noticed something was off but didn’t push it.

...

Renting went smoothly. The three-bedroom apartment was nearly 150 square meters—spotless but eerily empty. Except for a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom, there was only a bed in the master bedroom and built-in closets. Everything else would have to be bought separately.

Most people might hate it, but it worked perfectly for Jiang Nian. Without any clutter, it would be easier for him to modify and stockpile supplies.

When the apocalypse hit, made worse by brutal cold, the first few months were uncontrollably chaotic—many would be infected or die, left to rely solely on themselves and whatever basic aid local authorities could provide, assuming any rescue plans were even carried out.

Areas where officials responded quickly fared slightly better, while places with slow responses saw the first deaths, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

Only after surviving the initial chaos and enduring the extreme cold would rescue teams from post-apocalyptic bases begin sending out crews to help survivors based on distress signals. From then on, humanity entered a long period of wandering and barely surviving.

Using a mix of persistence and playing up being a broke college student, Jiang Nian managed to sign a lease with one month’s rent upfront and monthly payments after that. But that hardly mattered—cash would be trash in two weeks, and the landlord might not even be around.

After the landlord handed over the keys and left, Jiang Nian immediately contacted the property management office to arrange cleaning services. After a professional deep clean, doing maintenance himself would be much easier.

At the same time, he scheduled a window and door renovation specialist from far outside the neighborhood—far enough that once the apocalypse came, no one would be able to reach him.

All windows were reinforced, and an extra-thick stainless steel security door was added in the hallway outside the main entrance, designed to withstand earthquakes and break-ins.

Because he paid well and knew how to talk nicely, even though his requests sounded a bit crazy, the workers still promised to finish everything within three days, even if it meant working overtime.

Still, just paying the rent and half the deposit for the renovations wiped out most of Jiang Nian’s bank balance. Once he paid the final installment for the doors and windows, he’d have almost nothing left to buy supplies.

After the cleaning was done and the cleaning lady left, the guy who came to measure the windows and doors also left. Staring at the empty "doomsday bunker" before him, Jiang Nian worked up the nerve to call Cheng Jing.

It was already six in the evening, and the sun was still blazing. He wondered whether his ex-boyfriend had finished work yet—maybe they could talk about borrowing some money.

The call connected quickly, and before he could speak, Cheng Jing asked first:

"Where are you?"

"At the rental place. I'm about to go to the hotel to pick up my stuff."

Jiang Nian answered honestly, then asked hesitantly:

"So, uh... Cheng Jing, could you lend me some money?"

Cheng Jing gritted through his teeth:

"Using my whole name like that? Why don’t you just ask me to kneel down!"

Jiang Nian quickly corrected himself:

"Brother, my bad, dude! Sorry, sorry, I was too loud just now..."

"Brother Jing" was a term he used when they were dating—it was lovey-dovey and intimate. He thought they were totally done, so he should change how he addressed him, but the other man seemed used to it. Tch, men.

Only then did Cheng Jing ask:

"How much? What for?"

Jiang Nian paused before answering:

"Any amount is fine—from ten thousand to over a hundred thousand. The more, the better! I'll repay you, guaranteed—you won't lose out or get scammed..."

"How exactly will you repay me?"

Cheng Jing was amused by his huckster-like pitch.

A twinge of bitterness shot through Jiang Nian’s heart, but he replied evasively in a deliberately flippant tone:

"Giving myself to you isn't happening—I’m afraid your boyfriend would kick my ass. But I’ll thank you in other ways. You'll see—it'll be way more than you bargained for."

Nobody usually borrowed money like this, but he really didn’t know how else to ask, so he made up for it with pure shamelessness.

After a pause, Cheng Jing replied:

"I’ve got the money, but we’re talking in person. Later, I’ll wait for you at the hotel—same room as before."

This shameless little punk, running wild and borrowing money without a single damn care for old debts or new ones—what a heartless brat!

"Roger that, thanks, Bro Jing~"

Jiang Nian nodded. Based on his understanding of Cheng Jing, he figured he could scrounge up at least something.