Hamster Mode Activated

"..."

Yang Kai watched him quietly for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"All right, I understand. Glad we're working together, and congratulations on getting back together."

Feelings couldn't be forced, and he knew full well how powerful a white moonlight could be.

"Thanks. Glad we're working together."

Cheng Jing nodded and picked up the remote to turn off the TV, and they went back to their respective rooms.

Lying in bed, Cheng Jing couldn't sleep. He took out his phone and looked through his chat history with Jiang Nian. There wasn't much, but he couldn't help reading it over and over.

The next day, Cheng Jing and Yang Kai went to North City, while Jiang Nian lay in the hotel with an aching back and waist, activating "crazy hamster" mode.

He bought supplies online, calculating the timing and having the sellers ship them according to his instructions.

Just in case, he had half the orders sent to self-service pickup stations near the residential complex, using Cheng Jing's phone number. He had the other half delivered to his door, using his own number, and tried to choose courier companies relatively far from the complex.

He waited until sunset to drive out and scout the nearby supermarkets and wholesale markets.

There was a lot to buy both online and offline, and always buying from the same place would attract attention.

Although people in jobs that kept them out and about, such as couriers, had the highest death rates when the apocalypse arrived, it was better to be safe than sorry.

He had one rule: lie low. He would stick to it until the end.

Besides that, he bought several high-capacity portable hard drives and tablets and downloaded all kinds of movies, shows, and variety programs to pass the time after the apocalypse, along with encyclopedic resources covering food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

Many authoritative disaster survival guides included hypothetical apocalypse scenarios.

Having lived through the apocalypse, he would combine experience with theory and prepare as thoroughly as he could.

There was no end to the buying, none at all. Spending his boyfriend's money and driving his boyfriend's car, living off him felt unbelievably good!

Since he had already given a spare key to the workers renovating the doors and windows yesterday, he didn't need to visit the rental for those three days. He only needed to inspect the work and pay the balance when they finished on the third day.

The three days passed quickly. On the evening of August 18, Jiang Nian inspected the safe house's renovated doors and windows. After confirming that everything had been completed to his specifications, he readily paid the balance and the workers' taxi fares.

He also paid a high price to call in a locksmith from dozens of kilometers away and had the most expensive mechanical lock on the market installed. In his heart, mechanical locks would always be the best!

The day after everything was finished, August 19, he started stockpiling, buying from supermarkets while accepting his online deliveries and driving Cheng Jing's Hummer nonstop.

Occasionally, when he bought more at a large supermarket, he had it delivered to the basement elevator entrance. As long as he didn't go overboard, it wouldn't attract attention.

Far away in North City, Cheng Jing fell into thought as he looked at the constant payment notifications and the car's tracking system.

Aside from supermarkets, malls, purchasing and wholesale businesses of all sizes, there were courier pickup points. Oh, and pharmacies and farmers' markets. Jiang Nian really was buying things, and it was clear he was buying a wide assortment.

The next few days were the same. He suspected that how much Jiang Nian spent each day depended on how much energy he had to carry things. When he couldn't carry any more, he stopped and continued the next day.

Cheng Jing wasn't worried about the money. He even transferred another 500,000 from other cards, since things in supermarkets and malls weren't cheap, and it would be embarrassing if a payment failed because Jiang Nian bought too much.

But he really was curious about what Jiang Nian had bought. Judging by the car's route, he hadn't gone to any luxury stores. With that many ordinary goods, he could have opened a small supermarket...

So, on August 22, Cheng Jing finally couldn't hold back. He called Huang Qian, the person he trusted most, and asked her to take a discreet look at what Jiang Nian was doing.

That evening, Huang Qian, having successfully completed the task as instructed, sent Cheng Jing a message:

[Your wife is stockpiling supplies like a hamster. He's in good spirits and having a great time shopping, but he looks like some kind of weirdo.]

She then sent him two sets of photos. The first showed the entrance to the place Jiang Nian had rented, gleaming with three layers of ironclad fortification inside and out.

That kind of renovation was familiar to them as people in the security business. It was definitely a safe house, and it looked even sturdier than the ones they built.

The other set showed Jiang Nian wearing a mask and changing into different clothes as he picked up packages and bought things at various courier stations, supermarkets, and malls.

Renovating a home was fine. Changing clothes several times a day to shop was fine too. Going out in a mask in the middle of summer because he didn't want people to know was also fine.

But all of those things together were a big problem. No matter how one looked at it, he seemed to be engaged in some kind of shady secret activity.

His instincts told him Jiang Nian's behavior wasn't normal, but Cheng Jing chose to believe the man he loved wouldn't do anything illegal. So he called Huang Qian and gave her specific instructions:

"Huang Qian, don't tell anyone about this. Don't let anyone find out. If necessary, help cover for him or something. Wait until I get back to deal with it."

After making up with Jiang Nian and before leaving on his business trip, he had told Huang Qian the truth. Having someone he trusted help keep an eye on Jiang Nian put his mind at ease.

Huang Qian set aside her usual habit of talking nonsense and said seriously:

"Don't worry, I know. But you need to hurry back and then tell me what he's stockpiling supplies for. I'm dying of curiosity. Getting back together after two years apart just to spend your money playing hamster would be too ridiculous."

"Mm."

Cheng Jing didn't say much more. He hung up and sank into thought.

He knew Jiang Nian's personality. He could be mischievous at times, but he wasn't someone who acted recklessly.

Ever since Jiang Nian had called to say he was coming to see him, his behavior had been a little strange. He always wanted to stick close to him and refused to stay at a hotel. Even when he mistakenly thought Cheng Jing and Yang Kai were together, he still wanted to rent a place next door. After they reconciled, he had insisted on renting a place, and then turned it into a safe house...

Although it felt great to have Jiang Nian pursuing him again, that didn't mean he couldn't see anything.

Jiang Nian seemed... deeply insecure.

Right! Insecure!

Cheng Jing suddenly remembered that Jiang Nian had said he'd been having nightmares ever since his mother died. He had mentioned it several times...

He had originally thought it was simply caused by Jiang Nian's grief over losing his mother, but now that he thought about it, things weren't that simple.

"..."

In just a few seconds, worry surged up in him. Cheng Jing took out his phone and called Jiang Nian, then hung up after a moment and switched to a video call.

How could they be ordinary nightmares if they frightened someone enough to renovate a safe house and stockpile supplies?

He really had been too careless!

Perhaps Jiang Nian was being targeted by someone or some organization and didn't dare tell him. Just like when he had unilaterally chosen to break up last time, he wanted to shoulder everything alone!

The video call connected quickly. The picture shook as the phone was placed on a stand. Jiang Nian was eating crayfish and fried skewers at a table in the hotel. After setting up the phone, he put his disposable gloves back on, picked up a crayfish, and greeted him:

"Brother Jing, I'm having a late-night snack..."

Seeing the man with his mouth stained red from eating, Cheng Jing felt a sudden rush of relief.

"I thought you'd be asleep."

"Not yet. I'm having a snack and shopping online while I'm at it..."

Jiang Nian sucked the juices from a crayfish head, his voice muffled as he peeled the shell with quick, deft movements.

Cheng Jing smiled indulgently, then asked:

"Have you been sleeping well these past few days? Are you still having nightmares?"