Not Knowing the Meaning of Restraint

The three of them ate their late-night meal in the building's visitor area. Afterward, they didn't even have to clean up. Having eaten their food, the security guard eagerly offered to tidy up for them and told them to head straight home.

Huang Qian had driven herself and didn't need a ride. Jiang Nian took Cheng Jing straight back to the hotel, chattering nonstop all the way.

Cheng Jing listened attentively and discussed things with him in earnest. He was especially fond of the way Jiang Nian's eyes lit up when he talked.

One of Jiang Nian's most attractive qualities was the contrast between his gentle appearance and his bold, carefree personality. He could be quiet or energetic, and he had a rebellious streak. He could be very well-behaved, but he could also act the moment he made up his mind.

His peach blossom eyes could drown a person, and Cheng Jing certainly wasn't climbing back out.

"Brother Jing, I'm coming in~"

As soon as he spoke, the bathroom door swung open.

In front of Cheng Jing, Jiang Nian didn't know the meaning of restraint. He clung to him endlessly in the bathroom. They had been separated right after getting back together, and Jiang Nian was still caught up in the excitement, so there was no need to hold back.

Cheng Jing indulged him, and the two of them were like dry tinder and raging flames. They didn't go to sleep until well after midnight.

After a week of eating and sleeping well, the thin Jiang Nian had put on a little weight, Cheng Jing noticed. All that money hadn't been spent in vain.

Now that the important assignment was complete, Cheng Jing was on vacation, so the next day, neither of them got up until the sun was high in the sky.

"My waist is sore. I don't want to move..."

Jiang Nian supported his waist as he got up to wash his face and brush his teeth.

The man who had just returned from a business trip hadn't lost any stamina, and Jiang Nian had recklessly overdone it. Still, he'd had a great time.

"Ahem..."

Cheng Jing's expression was a little unnatural. After setting out breakfast, he walked over.

"After breakfast, let's go take a look at your safe house. Then you can rest there..."

"No."

Jiang Nian shook his head with his toothbrush in his mouth.

"We still have to pick up deliveries and buy things..."

Cheng Jing said naturally,

"I'll go shopping. You can stay home, rest, and unpack the deliveries."

"Hehe! Thanks, Brother Jing~"

That worked. Jiang Nian happily accepted the suggestion. He'd overdone it, so being useless for a day sounded pretty good.

He loved this version of Brother Jing, who had dropped his aloof heartthrob act and gone back to taking care of him like a dad.

The more Jiang Nian experienced, the more he appreciated having a partner with Cheng Jing's personality.

All the way to the safe house, Jiang Nian talked about how much he'd stockpiled over the past few days.

But even though he was prepared, Cheng Jing was still stunned when he saw the reinforced doors and windows and the three-bedroom apartment piled high with supplies.

Every curtain in the apartment was drawn, and the lights were on even though it was broad daylight. The air conditioning was set to its lowest temperature. Everything a supermarket carried was here, and so were things a supermarket didn't carry: food, drinks, and daily necessities. Jiang Nian had even prepared plenty of agricultural seeds.

The spacious front balcony was piled with water, mostly purified water in both bottles and large jugs, with relatively few drinks. It was stacked two or three layers high.

The living room held a fabric sofa, two yoga mats, a small table, and two stools. Near the dining area was a large chest freezer, packed with fresh meat.

The remaining space was piled with all kinds of batteries, lighting equipment, self-defense weapons, and a large number of unopened deliveries.

Besides pots, bowls, utensils, and a stove, the kitchen and utility balcony held several liquefied gas tanks on the floor. The cabinets were filled with seasonings and sauces, more than a supermarket display carried.

The small study held plenty of medicines, masks, alcohol, and other medical and protective supplies, as well as tissues, several large bags of edible salt and sugar, and plant seeds in sealed bags.

The guest room held food: staples, snacks, and all kinds of packaged foods. There was everything from meat to vegetables, raw to cooked to half-cooked, and even several boxes of powdered milk. It was enough to make anyone exclaim, "Good grief!"

The two-meter-wide bed in the bedroom was piled high with quilts and blankets. The wardrobe and other spaces were stuffed with clothes, shoes, socks, hats, scarves, and the like. There were even protective suits. Just looking at it all was enough to make a person sweat.

Even the bathroom was filled with a dazzling array of toiletries and skin-care products...

There were lots of supplies, covering just about everything, and they were stacked neatly enough to fit a great deal. Even so, none of the rooms were full yet, so they could keep buying more.

If they filled the place completely and disregarded expiration dates, these supplies could sustain Jiang Nian in isolation from the world for two or three years, given how much he ate.

It was excessive. Cheng Jing's first concern was whether the building could bear the weight, but after looking around and finding nothing wrong, he felt reassured.

"Brother... Brother Jing?"

Looking at the shocked expression on Cheng Jing's face, Jiang Nian felt uneasy. All of this had cost a lot of money!

He hadn't calculated exactly how much. After all, the payment notifications were sent to Cheng Jing's phone, and he destroyed the receipts and any other evidence every time. He'd been in too much of a hurry to bother keeping track; he'd just kept swiping the card.

"It's quite a sight. You must have worked hard to stockpile so much in a week."

Cheng Jing came to his senses and looked at the cautious Jiang Nian. Remembering what Huang Qian had said about a hamster spirit, he twitched his lips and couldn't help laughing aloud. All this stuff must have worn his hamster out.

Jiang Nian relaxed as soon as he laughed. He scratched his head helplessly and joked at his own expense,

"Isn't it a bit much? Do I look like there's something wrong with me?"

He had to admit, it was wonderful to have an emotionally stable boyfriend.

Cheng Jing patted him.

"I said I believe you, and I do. At worst, if we don't need it, we can donate it to Project Hope. The company can also use some of the necessities. All right, you stay home today and I'll go shopping. Make me a list of what we need."

One look made it clear that Jiang Nian had planned this long ago. Even if Cheng Jing hadn't lent him money or supported him, he would have found a way, and he might even have gone around pitifully begging people for help. Why make himself unhappy?

Jiang Nian thought as he spoke.

"Today, buy more clothes and shoes for yourself. I didn't buy many for you before because I was afraid you wouldn't like them. Get things for both winter and summer, because after the poisonous rain, there'll be extreme cold and extreme heat..."

Catching Cheng Jing staring at him, he felt a little guilty and explained,

"Um... I dreamed about it a couple of days ago..."

In his previous life, the power had gone out half a month after the apocalypse began. As a result, he hadn't been able to eat meat for a long time, and his eyes had practically glowed green with craving.

This time, he had bought a chest freezer and high-capacity batteries specifically so he could power the freezer and have meat to eat after the power went out and before the extreme cold began.

After the extreme cold arrived, he wouldn't have to worry.

Cheng Jing's expression shifted slightly, but he nodded.

"Mm."

Who would believe an explanation like that?

Oh, well, he did. After all, loving someone meant loving their nonsense too.

Jiang Nian cleared his throat twice and continued,

"As for the rest, just use your judgment. You work in security, so you should have your own ideas about relief supplies and survival in a crisis."

"All right."

After agreeing, Cheng Jing walked another circuit around the apartment and knew what he needed to buy.

Because of the nature of his work, he often dealt with certain special security clients, so he had some experience quietly stockpiling supplies.

The two doors opened and closed again as Cheng Jing went out shopping. Jiang Nian stayed in the air-conditioned apartment, unpacking, organizing, and sorting deliveries while searching for recent entertainment news and strange reports.

It was the twenty-fifth already. Some inconspicuous early signs should have appeared by now. If nothing unexpected happened, the evening weather forecast and mainstream news would report that heavy rain was expected over the next day or two.

After browsing for a while, he found several sensational news stories about people suddenly developing special abilities. Some had pictures, while others had only written descriptions.