Chapter 4: The New Neighbor

Driving the company car, she returned to her rented apartment.

Lin Buwan had no intention of leaving. For one, she was running low on money; for another, after the super typhoon hit, this apartment building would be relatively safe.

During that typhoon, many high-rises and low houses were either submerged or sliced in half by the wind—a terrifying sight. Lin Buwan remembered that at the highest water level, the flood reached the fifth floor.

She took the elevator to the twentieth floor and, just as she was about to unlock her door, the neighboring door swung open.

Strange. If memory served, that apartment was supposed to be empty. No one had moved in yet.

All the units on this floor were apartments—some with two bedrooms and a living room, others, like hers, with just one bedroom. Each floor had ten units. She lived in the second-to-last unit down the corridor.

The very last unit had never been rented out. People nowadays were superstitious; just as hotels avoided placing guests in the last room, renters avoided those as well.

Before she could dwell on it, a tall man stepped out from inside. At that moment, the corridor’s motion sensor light flickered off, plunging everything into darkness.

The man clapped his hands twice. The light flared back to life. He smiled at Lin Buwan and then walked away.

Lin Buwan was taken aback.

Had someone moved in today? In her previous life, that apartment had always remained vacant until the floodwaters reached downstairs and someone broke in. Was this life starting to diverge? Unease crept over Lin Buwan. If the apocalypse didn’t come, how would she repay all the money she’d borrowed from the platform…?

She didn’t dare think about it. Not at all.

Forcing herself to clear her mind, she consoled herself: if the apocalypse never arrived, she could always tighten her belt, scrape by, and eventually pay back the debt. But in the apocalypse, a careless misstep could cost her life.

Just as she stepped inside, her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Hua Xiao, whom she’d been meaning to call.

“Are you off work already?” Lin Buwan asked.

“Are you kidding? It’s way too early for that,” Hua Xiao chuckled. “I told them I was meeting a client and slipped out. I’ve been worrying about you all day—what’s really going on?”

“I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about,” Lin Buwan brushed her off and quickly changed the subject. “Didn’t you say you were looking for a place? Why not rent the unit next to mine? The landlord left the key with me. You can live there for free until the end of the month.”

“Really?” Hua Xiao paused, then sighed. “Still, I can’t. The rent there is too expensive—fifteen hundred a month. I can’t afford it. I’d better just find a place in the old part of town and muddle through.”

Lin Buwan clicked her tongue inwardly. “Just get your boyfriend, Yu Su, to split the rent with you.”

If she lived in the old part of town, she wouldn’t last long before being swept away by the flood. Lin Buwan didn’t want her best friend to become another victim of the typhoon.

“Yu Su! His name is Yu Su, Lin Buwan! Can’t you remember anything?” Hua Xiao grumbled, then said, “Honestly, I’d like to move somewhere nicer, but the two of us are trying to save up to buy a place and get married.”

Lin Buwan didn’t argue further and instead invited them both over for hotpot on the day the super typhoon was due.

She’d met Yu Su before—many times, in fact. He treated Hua Xiao well enough. In the apocalypse, having them live next door would mean mutual support, not total isolation. Still, she’d have to find a way to get them to bring some supplies along. Otherwise, she couldn’t support everyone by herself.

After making dinner plans and hanging up, Lin Buwan slipped into her space to take inventory of her supplies.

The rice and flour were stacked in one corner, taking up most of the room. Bedding and clothes occupied another large chunk. Then there were miscellaneous items, all sorted and organized. It looked like a lot, but once arranged, it wasn’t as much as she’d thought.

She exited the space, grabbed the keys, and opened the door to the apartment on her right.

The landlord’s key really was with her. The landlord was frequently busy, so when prospective tenants wanted to view the place in the evening, she’d have Lin Buwan open the door for them. For this, the rent was a hundred less—a little compensation for her trouble.

Counting up the tenants on this floor, including the newcomer, there were ten units in total.

Now, with the person who’d just moved into the last unit, there were seven households on this floor—some single tenants, some couples. She recalled an elderly couple who’d left a deep impression on her. They were in their sixties and, seeing how badly Lin Buwan had been bullied, had once secretly slipped her a rice ball.

Thinking of them, Lin Buwan glanced at their door. One good turn deserves another. She decided she’d quietly buy them some supplies.

She shut the door behind her.

This apartment was also a one-bedroom, one-living-room unit, with basic furniture and curtains—all newly purchased by the landlord for rental purposes. It was perfectly move-in ready. Arranging for Hua Xiao to stay here would prevent someone else from taking it.

There wasn’t much to see, just a quick circuit, and Lin Buwan left.

Standing in the corridor, she looked around thoughtfully. If only she could use an iron gate to block off these three apartments. But now, with a new neighbor, it was too late. And even if she had the gate, she wouldn’t know how to install it, nor was there time left—the typhoon would be here in two days.

Just then, her food delivery arrived. Opening the door, she saw the new neighbor—carrying several large shopping bags—walking past.

She glanced at the bags and saw the name of the supermarket downstairs printed on them. Clearly, he’d been out shopping for essentials. Noticing her gaze, he nodded and offered a polite smile. She smiled back and closed her door.

He was good-looking, she had to admit. But after her experience with Ji Dong, Lin Buwan had lost all interest in men. Even if he looked like a god, she wouldn’t be tempted.

After eating, she checked her deliveries—most packages would arrive tomorrow, or the day after at the latest. She’d spent over a hundred thousand in a single day, leaving just over twenty thousand in her account. Money disappeared fast. Tomorrow, she’d buy all sorts of vegetables and meat. Her portable apartment had refrigeration, so she could store food for a long time.

The apartment also had water and electricity. She didn’t need to stockpile water, but for power, she’d bought plenty of power banks. She’d wanted to get a storage battery, but that was out of her reach for now. Maybe she’d get lucky and find one for free when things fell apart.

After planning everything out, she’d filled two more pages of notes.

Stretching, Lin Buwan stood up and headed for the shower.

Her phone vibrated—it was a WeChat message. She opened it and rolled her eyes.

Ji Dong: “We’re having a get-together the day after tomorrow. Are you coming?”

She didn’t reply and locked her phone. Just as she was about to leave, the screen lit up again.

Ji Dong: “There’s nothing between Qin Wei and me. Can you not overthink it? I only see her as a little sister.”

“Idiot,” Lin Buwan muttered, blocking him without a second thought.

Downstairs.

“So? Will Buwan come?” Qin Wei asked, tilting her head and drying her hair with a towel.

“She blocked me,” Ji Dong replied, fuming. “Forget it, Weiwei. Tomorrow I’ll take you shopping. Whatever you like, I’ll buy it for you.”

Qin Wei sighed and slumped into a chair, looking aggrieved. “But I just want what Buwan has.”