novelraw Chapter 332: (Extra 6)
Chapter 332: (Extra 6)
Yu Xi naturally didn’t let Tianbao go next door to call Xing Min over for dinner.
They’d only known each other for a few days, and he had his own life. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford to eat. Calling him over for a meal once or twice was understandable, but you couldn’t invite him every time. Tianbao couldn’t understand why her pretty big brother couldn’t come eat with them, but since her mom and aunt both said no, she gave up on the idea without fuss. She wasn’t a willful or bratty child, especially after being raised by Yu Zhenzhen.
The three of them gathered around the table and ate dinner, polishing off a big pot of seafood glass noodle stew. Tianbao especially loved yellow clams, but she couldn’t tell the difference between clams, surf clams, and yellow clams, so she kept asking Yu Xi to pick out the shells for her. Yu Xi got a new bowl and filled it with more than half a bowl of yellow clams, poured some broth over them, and placed it in front of her.
Tianbao still wasn’t good with chopsticks, and after struggling for a bit, gave up and started peeling with her chubby little hands, popping one clam after another into her mouth. In no time, she had eaten nearly half the bowl.
“Eat some rice too,” Yu Xi said as she added some lettuce and a piece of duck leg to her rice bowl. When Tianbao pouted and mumbled that she didn’t like duck, Yu Xi explained, “It wasn’t easy for Auntie to get that duck and the veggies today. It rained super hard last night, and the wind was fierce. The roads were a mess with broken branches everywhere. Driving was really difficult. Auntie had to take a lot of detours just to get to the supermarket and buy your milk powder, along with the vegetables and fruit we eat every day…”
It was rare for Yu Xi to speak in such a serious tone, so Tianbao listened intently.
Once the hail stopped during the day and the rain turned to a drizzle, Yu Xi had opened all the stainless-steel shutters in the house. While they were good for protection, they were even better at blocking out light. When fully shut, the house felt like nighttime. Thinking it’d be good to air things out while the rain was light, she opened all three shutters and cracked a glass window in the living room, reminding Yu Zhenzhen to close it if the rain picked up—and to shut the shutters if things got bad.
Luckily, the rain stayed light all afternoon. With nothing to do and no way to play outside, Tianbao sat with Yu Zhenzhen on the balcony, looking out at the view.
Yu Zhenzhen, like Yu Xi, had no intention of hiding the disaster from Tianbao. When the little girl saw the chaotic streets and busy neighbors below, she kept asking questions, and Yu Zhenzhen patiently explained everything. Later, she even turned on the news for her.
So when Yu Xi mentioned what it had been like outside, Tianbao’s eyes widened: “Mama said a lot of people’s windows got smashed, and some people were bleeding and had to get shots at the hospital. But Auntie is amazing, so our house is okay. But Tianbao, Mama, and Auntie still need to eat, and the food at home will run out fast. If it rains hard again, we’ll get hungry… Tianbao doesn’t want to be hungry, so Auntie went out to buy groceries…” She was only four years old—her vocabulary was decent, but her logic was still a bit wobbly. Still, she got her point across.
“Yes,” Yu Xi said, “Auntie went out to buy groceries so Tianbao wouldn’t go hungry. A lot of other people have babies too, but their homes are damaged and people are hurt. They don’t even have time to shop for food. Some are still in the hospital, probably haven’t even eaten, cold and hungry and in pain.”
“Tianbao isn’t cold! Tianbao doesn’t hurt! Tianbao isn’t hungry either!”
“That’s because you have a good Auntie,” Yu Zhenzhen quickly added in a teachable moment. “It wasn’t easy for Auntie to get that food. So you must not waste it, okay? Lots of people outside are still hungry.”
Tianbao squinted as she imagined herself hungry, cold, hurting, and stuck in a hospital getting a shot. She immediately quieted down, stuffed a piece of duck into her mouth, and shoveled in a big spoonful of rice, chewing loudly as if to show off how well she was eating.
Yu Zhenzhen nodded. “That’s how you should eat every meal.”
“Good girl,” Yu Xi said, patting her head and pouring a bit of broth from the seafood stew over her rice to make it tastier.
**
After dinner, Yu Zhenzhen went to bathe Tianbao while Yu Xi cleaned up. Just as she placed the dishes in the sink, the doorbell rang. She checked the peephole—it was Xing Min.
She opened the door. He smiled and handed her a bag.
“What is it?” Yu Xi asked.
“One of the pastry shops at the intersection had its glass wall shattered. The owner had something going on at home and decided to close temporarily. But since all the pastries have expiration dates, he put everything on clearance. I happened to be driving by and picked up a few…”
He opened the bag: inside were box-packed desserts—cream puff ice cream, crystal mung bean cakes, chocolate and matcha Swiss rolls, cheese mochi, cheese finger biscuits, seaweed pork floss mini cakes, taro mochi, and Oreo layered cake boxes. Each item had two large boxes—sixteen in total.
Yu Xi stared at the contents, then at him, dumbfounded: “This is a few?”
He smiled at her under her gaze, his long, upturned eyes slightly narrowing, lips curving in the perfect arc. But he didn’t answer her question. “Do you like them?”
“…?” Yu Xi paused. Was she imagining it, or did it always feel like he was flirting with her every time he spoke?
She instinctively touched her face. Sure, she was good-looking—had always been the prettiest girl in class—but if it was just about looks, couldn’t he just look in a mirror?
This man’s face was ridiculously pretty, better than any idol on TV. They’d only just met—why would he be interested in her?
“There’s too much. We won’t be able to finish it all.” Of course, she could just store it in her space, but she still had to respond outwardly.
“It’s fine. What we don’t finish can go in the freezer. Just move it to the fridge the night before you want to eat it. The taste might not be as good, but it’ll keep longer. I really bought a lot—this is just part of it. You take it.”
Yu Xi took the bag from him but still looked a little puzzled. “If you bought too much, you didn’t have to give it to me. You could’ve given it to your family or friends. Handing it all over to me like this… feels a bit much.”
His gaze dimmed slightly. “I don’t have any family. Or friends. So… really, there’s no need to be polite with me.”
Yu Xi paused again. How could someone have no family or friends at all? But when she saw the dim light in his eyes, she instinctively didn’t ask further.
She stopped being polite, told him to wait a moment, and brought the bag inside. A little while later, she came back with a new bag filled with fresh vegetables, fruit, and some braised dishes as a return gift. “I bought all this today. It’ll keep for a few days in the fridge. Don’t be polite either.”
He didn’t act polite at all. He took the bag and thanked her. Before leaving, he reminded her to watch out for the weather, to keep the door locked, and that if she ever needed help, she could call on him anytime.
Yu Xi understood why he said that. After the hail and rainstorm at dawn, buildings all across H City had taken significant damage. The hotel building where Yu Zhenzhen’s ex, Yu Jun, was staying was no exception. The large windows in the rooms were severely damaged.
Earlier that afternoon, when Yu Xi passed by that area, she had seen the hotel’s high-rise from afar—it looked like a block of Swiss cheese gnawed on by rats. Windows were missing chunks everywhere, with hardly a single room left intact.
Although Xing Min had said that Yu Jun would be stopped by the community guards if he showed up again, the current state of the gate area was a mess. Everyone was overwhelmed, so it was entirely possible their guard duty wouldn’t be airtight.
So, there was a chance Yu Jun, unable to stay at the hotel due to damage, might come back here to harass Yu Zhenzhen again.
Yu Xi nodded at Xing Min. “Thanks. You be careful too.”
**
In truth, things really weren’t going well for Yu Jun.
He’d had a fight with Chen Yang as soon as he got back that day. If it hadn’t been for her coming to H City and staying with him, their affair wouldn’t have been discovered by Yu Zhenzhen.
He had met Yu Zhenzhen’s younger sister before—she’d always seemed quiet and gentle. He hadn’t expected her to be so terrifying when she exploded.
Now that it was clear Yu Zhenzhen had no intention of getting back together, once the divorce went through, half of his assets and property would be gone. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He scolded Chen Yang so harshly her face turned grim.
Sure, she had approached him at work, but it hadn’t been all on her. He’d chased her too. It takes two to tango. Back when he was coaxing her into bed, he was all gentle words and sweet talk about true love and losing control. When she came to H City, he had been delighted—he didn’t tell her to stay away then.
So why was everything suddenly her fault now that Yu Zhenzhen had found out? And was he angry purely over the money… or because Yu Zhenzhen refused to reconcile?
If he really cared so much about Yu Zhenzhen, then what did that make her? Just a homewrecker? What about all his so-called words of true love?
Chen Yang wasn’t one to back down easily either. They had a huge fight. But after all the arguing, things hadn’t reached rock bottom yet, and the two eventually calmed down and began discussing their next moves. They weren’t completely ignorant of the law—there was still some wiggle room when it came to the divorce and division of assets.
For example, if Yu Jun could gain custody of their daughter, it was very likely he would get to keep the house. He could offer Yu Zhenzhen money instead, but even then, he could pay it in installments. He could claim to be broke, make their daughter cry and act pitiful… With Yu Zhenzhen’s income, maybe she wouldn’t press too hard.
The two of them leaned against the headboard, scheming away, completely unaware that Yu Zhenzhen and Yu Xi had already uploaded edited videos and photos of them, along with explanatory captions, to the internet—and sent it all to their company’s higher-ups.
Only after colleagues who received the emails started forwarding them around did someone who had a good relationship with Yu Jun privately notify him. That was when he and Chen Yang found out their affair had spread like wildfire at work.
Now it really felt like the sky was falling. Their company had a strict policy—no office romances—and this wasn’t even a regular office fling. It was a full-blown affair.
When it had just been the two of them, they could say all the lovey-dovey things they wanted. But now that they’d been dragged into the spotlight, publicly exposed, they both knew those “true love” excuses sounded hollow. They could already imagine how much hate and ridicule they’d face.
If there had only been photos, maybe they could’ve spun it. But now there were videos too—videos of them practically glued to each other, hugging and kissing like they didn’t fear being recognized in a different city. There was no room left for denial.
Under the online posts on forums and websites, the flood of angry comments—calling them scumbag, mistress, shameless—came wave after wave. The language was harsh and merciless. Even though Chen Yang had known all along what she was doing, after reading those comments, she still felt mortified and flustered, wishing she could dig a hole and bury herself.
She kept trying to report the posts, but since the videos and photos weren’t explicit in nature, and because so many people were watching and saving copies, even if one post got successfully taken down, ten more would pop up soon after. All of them claimed to be “doing a public service,” saying that scumbags and homewreckers deserved to be exposed and that for every deleted post, ten more would follow—no thanks necessary!
In the end, people began doxxing them. Their home addresses and workplace information were leaked and spreading fast.
It was just before 10 p.m., and most people were still awake when both of them received a call from their department head: their leave was canceled, and they were to report to the office first thing in the morning.
Both Yu Jun and Chen Yang panicked. They weren’t just afraid of losing their jobs—they were terrified of total social ruin. They quickly booked high-speed rail tickets for the next day. Yu Jun, flustered and furious, thought about trying to get Yu Zhenzhen to speak up. As long as she publicly stated that the photos were doctored and took everything down, the situation might die down.
But after several calls all went to voicemail, he realized he had been blocked.
He rushed over to her residential complex, but couldn’t get through to her, and the gate guards wouldn’t let him in. The heavy rain continued pouring down, leaving him standing outside, drenched and disheveled. He eventually had to return to the hotel in frustration.
And as if that weren’t enough, disaster struck again in the middle of the night. Half-asleep, they were suddenly jolted awake by the sound of crashing and breaking—ice-cold rain mixed with stone-like debris smashed through the air and struck them hard.
Panicked, Yu Jun jumped out of bed only to step on shattered glass that cut his foot open.
Chen Yang, equally shaken, turned on the lights. To their horror, the large south-facing window in their room had been blown wide open by the storm. The wind and rain were flooding in, and the remaining window panes were being pelted by who-knew-what, spiderweb cracks spreading across the glass.
As they screamed, the rest of the window gave out. Shards of glass rained down on them, slicing open their arms and legs—blood everywhere.
While Yu Xi and Yu Zhenzhen were safely at home, dry and warm, reading online news updates about the disaster, Yu Jun and Chen Yang were struggling to get to the hospital.
While Zhenzhen was holding Sweetie on the balcony, explaining the situation outside, the two of them were trapped in the chaos of an overcrowded emergency room, aimless and agitated, unable to find an available doctor for wound care.
While Zhenzhen and her family were eating a hot dinner, Yu Jun and Chen Yang—who hadn’t eaten all day—were completely out of patience.
By the time they finally had their wounds treated, got their medication, and figured out a way back to the hotel, it was already the early hours of the morning.
The hotel wasn’t much better than the hospital. Even though it wasn’t peak season, many guests had been forced out of their damaged rooms and were now crowded into less-affected areas—chess rooms, swimming pools, spa rooms, children’s playrooms.
The lobby was packed too. Though the glass wall at the front had been damaged, it had already been repaired and reinforced since it was the hotel’s storefront. But the atmosphere was still tense, and people were arguing over seats. Many had brought their luggage and belongings with them, some still injured. Those with minor wounds had resorted to first aid using the hotel’s emergency kit.
No one could go about their planned activities. Many guests were hoping to go home, but when they opened their phones to book tickets, they discovered everything was sold out. The previous night’s extreme weather had caused multiple transit accidents, and all flights and high-speed trains were canceled—long-distance buses, too.
There were still some gutsy private drivers and taxi services trying to cash in, but the prices were absurdly high.
Yu Jun and Chen Yang had initially been relieved they’d bought train tickets in advance, but soon discovered their tickets had been canceled. They saw others negotiating with private drivers, but when they inquired about prices, they were stunned—the cost of one trip could pay for ten round trips by high-speed rail!
With their jobs on the line, neither of them was willing to drop that much money just to get back right away. Besides, S City was only experiencing heavy rain, not hail, and the situation was far better than in H City. If they went back now, they’d be walking right into termination.
So they decided to play the victim. Each sent their boss photos of their bandaged, bloodied limbs, begging for a delay. Their plan was to wait out the worst of the public outrage. Meanwhile, the hotel, in an effort to retain guests after the hailstorm, was offering free meals and working to find everyone new accommodations.
After discussing it, they agreed to stay a few extra days. Once the disaster eased and trains and buses resumed, they’d go back to S City.
What they didn’t expect was—after missing this brief window of calm—they would never get another chance to leave H City.
**
The light, drizzling rain only lasted two more days. During those days, the temperature plummeted from 18–19°C to below 10°C.
In this rainy end-of-summer September, the chill in the wind felt more like the onset of December.
The next day, Yu Xi took advantage of the lighter rain to go out again—this time to buy warm clothing.
She didn’t go to the supermarket, since the selection there was limited. Instead, she went straight to a shopping center. The clothing stores inside hadn’t taken a direct hit from the hail and were still in good condition.
She had already bought a wide range of year-round clothing online for Yu Zhenzhen, Sweetie, and herself—from underwear to wool sweaters to jackets, from T-shirts and shorts to thermal wear, from indoor slippers and sandals to sneakers and insulated boots. Each person had about five to six sets for different uses, and she had also stocked up on scarves, hats, and gloves.
This time, however, she went out specifically to buy some high-grade cold-weather protective clothing.
Upon entering the mall and checking the directory, she was delighted to discover a polar gear store and immediately took the elevator up. The store was fairly large and carried professional-grade clothing designed for trips to the Arctic and Antarctic—thermal sweat-wicking clothes (tops and bottoms), fleece sets, down coats, insulated wind- and waterproof outerwear. She bought about five sets of each type based on functionality.
There were no protective outfits for children, so she selected the smallest adult size and picked out three sets.
The store also carried a wide variety of survival equipment for polar conditions: windproof tents, goggles, windproof hats and gloves, waterproof snow boots, compasses, portable heaters, and more. She practically cleared the shelves, and it took the store staff two or three trips to help carry everything down and pack it all into her car.
On the drive back, Yu Xi saw many utility vehicles braving the rain to clear building debris and broken branches from the roads. While water had receded from many streets, low-lying areas were still submerged in murky floodwaters.
Residents in those areas were struggling to get in and out. The filthy rainwater reached past their knees, and they couldn’t see the ground. The cold weather made things worse. Some tried to tough it out in rain boots with bare feet but quickly gave up, left to queue for assistance from inflatable rescue boats.
Many homes on ground floors had been flooded. Heartbroken residents stared at their submerged furniture, but with encouragement from neighbors or rescue workers, they reluctantly packed up essentials and relocated temporarily to nearby hotels.
The disaster in H City and surrounding regions had already spread across the news and internet. Other cities were mobilizing in response—sending people, supplies, and medical aid. But with most regions in Huaguo also experiencing heavy rain, transportation was difficult, and some cities hadn’t yet recovered from earlier disasters. It was a crisis compounding upon crisis.
By this point, many citizens realized the gravity of the situation. Despite the poor travel conditions, they flocked to supermarkets. People began panic-buying rice, flour, cooking oil, vegetables, meat, and fruit—fresh or not, anything they could grab. Instant noodles were hauled away by the box, bottled and barreled water filled entire shopping carts.
The once calm supermarket atmosphere turned tense and heavy. Videos began to circulate online of people arguing—or even fighting—over supplies.
Naturally, Yu Xi didn’t join in the rush for food and water. She had already stocked up on nearly everything they needed. Besides, her smartwatch allowed her to draw a lottery every night at midnight—three chances daily. One of those usually granted her supplies.
Even the least valuable third-prize options were bulk quantities of prepared food, fresh ingredients, household essentials, all kinds of medications, and even appliances like heaters, water heaters, and dryers. Occasionally, she’d win military rations, protective suits, or gas masks—things ordinary people could never buy.
In short, her household had more than enough to last for a while. There was no need to fight for scraps.
That evening, while the three of them were eating dinner, the rain started pouring again, heavy as falling water columns.
The relentless pounding on the bulletproof glass windows made Yu Xi momentarily think hail had returned. She quickly put down her chopsticks and went to the balcony to check. Once she confirmed it was just rain, she relaxed—at least halfway.
She shut and locked all the small ventilation gaps in the bulletproof glass. She didn’t close the exterior steel shutters this time. The double-layered glass was sturdy enough to withstand even hailstorms—she had only been extra cautious before.
Because of past lessons, the weather bureau had been working around the clock, issuing forecasts nonstop. They warned that the typhoon’s residual force hadn’t passed, and severe storms and hail could strike again at any time. Citizens were urged to take early precautions.
Still, despite the public’s mental preparedness, the global downpour that followed exceeded everyone’s expectations.
**
It rained nonstop for five full days and nights—not a single minute of reprieve. It was as if the sky had ruptured. Rain fell in defiance of natural patterns, blanketing sixty percent of the planet’s cities.
Some cities were lucky and only experienced rainfall—no hail or strong winds—so buildings weren’t too badly damaged. Others weren’t so fortunate and were hit by massive hail and violent gusts.
Coastal cities and those near rivers and lakes even suffered from rare waterspouts.
Meteorologists suspected that hurricanes had transformed into tornadoes, and coupled with torrential rain, these spawned waterspouts that tore through entire shoreline communities, reducing homes to rubble.
Residents of high-rise buildings farther from the water captured footage of the terrifying scene. The videos soon flooded the internet. Many were from foreign countries—well-known tourist destinations—with lovely wooden cottages dotting the lakefront. But after the waterspouts swept through, only wreckage remained… along with the bodies of people who hadn’t escaped in time.
Meanwhile, many seaside cities were struck by tsunamis of various scales.
Yu Zhenzhen watched the disaster footage on the news with chills creeping through her heart. She was grateful that H City was an inland city, with no large lakes nearby, and thankful that most cities in Huaguo were only facing extreme torrential rain for now.
While floods were certainly not to be underestimated, these sudden, violent disasters were far more terrifying—calamities so destructive that no human effort could withstand them. If she were living in one of the cities shown in the news footage, if she had died during the catastrophe… what would happen to Sweetie?
Yu Zhenzhen was lost in such thoughts when Sweetie woke up from her midday nap and called out in her sweet, childish voice for “Mama.” It was like waking from a nightmare—Yu Zhenzhen bolted into the room and scooped her soft little girl into her arms.
Yu Xi was startled by how suddenly Yu Zhenzhen rushed into the room. She quickly followed and stood at the doorway, watching her sister holding Sweetie and slowly calming down. Only then did Yu Xi let out a breath of relief.
The world was on the verge of dramatic change—once this understanding sat clearly in front of someone, emotional shifts were inevitable.
Yu Zhenzhen’s reaction was perfectly normal. As long as she could pull herself together, there was no need for concern.
What puzzled Yu Xi more was herself. Despite seeing so many scenes of natural disasters and shattered families these past few days, her emotions barely stirred. She did sympathize with those cities and their people—but it was as if she had seen too many disasters, too much blood and death, too much silence and darkness in the past… These images only made her sigh, but didn’t move her emotionally.
She could go from watching tragic news clips one second to thinking about dinner the next—like how to discreetly replenish the vegetables and fruit in the fridge, or how to cheer up Sweetie, who hadn’t left the house in days.
Just like now. Seeing that Yu Zhenzhen had calmed down, Yu Xi walked up and stroked Sweetie’s head, asking if she was hungry and wanted some taro-filled crystal dumplings.
Yu Zhenzhen gave her a knowing look and laughed. “Why even ask her? It’s obviously you who want to eat them—you were going on about boiling that bag of dumplings all morning…”
Half an hour later, the three of them were sitting around the dining table, each with a bowl of crystal dumplings. A box of matcha cookies sat in the middle. It had turned into their afternoon tea.
“Purple, orange, white, red… so pretty…” Sweetie murmured between bites.
Yu Zhenzhen patted her daughter’s head and looked at Yu Xi. “No one can leave their homes these days, but we’ve got plenty stored. Xing Min lives alone, his food supplies must be running low by now. Should we invite him over for dinner tonight?”
“Jie, you just said no one can go out and people are nearly starving. If you invite someone over for dinner, isn’t that basically telling everyone we’ve got loads of food?” Yu Xi teased.
“Oh, don’t be dumb. Didn’t you add him on WeChat? Just send him a message and tell him to come quietly.”
“And how are you so sure Xing Min isn’t a bad guy?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t think I don’t know he’s been quietly dropping stuff off for you every day. With everything we’ve stockpiled, you really have the nerve to accept his things? Anyone who’d share supplies in a time like this—how could I not tell whether he’s good or bad?”
As Yu Zhenzhen was speaking, their doorbell rang. She looked over at Yu Xi, who was staring at her phone. “You messaged him? That fast?”
“I haven’t even sent anything yet.” Yu Xi showed her the screen—she was reading the news.
“Then who could it be?” Yu Zhenzhen turned to look toward the door.