Seducing and Flirting with Boss O While Stockpiling in the Apocalypse (GL) - Chapter 22

Luo Sheng placed the mashed pumpkin into the air fryer to roast. Simultaneously, she chopped some green peppers and ham to stir-fry over medium heat—a simple dish that took only minutes. She finished the meal by whipping up a quick tomato and egg soup.

When the cheese-baked pumpkin came out of the fryer, Luo Sheng served it into two separate bowls, specifically using her chopsticks to trace a smiley face into the topping of one.

She used her usual dedicated bowl for her own rice and brought a bowl over for Nan Shuwan as well. Once the dishes were set on the dining table, the woman at the computer didn’t need to be called; she sat down instinctively.

Staring at the smiling cheese pumpkin in front of her, Nan Shuwan dazed for a moment. “This is…”

“They say sweets make people feel better.” Luo Sheng handed her a spoon with a small smile. “In my eyes, unless the sky is literally falling, nothing else in this world is a big deal.”

These words were nothing but the truth. Having experienced death once, Luo Sheng now saw everything as insignificant compared to life itself. Relationships, good or bad, held little meaning at a time like this; surviving well was the only objective.

Nan Shuwan took the spoon and scooped a small bite into her mouth. The sweetness of the pumpkin blended with the rich aroma of the cheese. A “calorie bomb” that many would fear became a perfect balm at this moment. As the milky flavor coated her tongue, she felt like a child who achieved ultimate satisfaction from a single sweet treat.

“I didn’t expect you to be so good at comforting people.” The smile drawn on the dessert gradually mirrored itself on Nan Shuwan’s face. she bowed her head, piling food onto her rice, feeling much better. “You’re right. There’s no hurdle that can’t be cleared—it’s not like the sky is falling.”

Luo Sheng ate a piece of ham. “It’s good that you think so.”

“Sorry for letting you see that side of me today…” Nan Shuwan mentioned casually, then slowly added an apologetic explanation. “There’s some conflict between my sister and me. Her refusal to help caused you a wasted trip.”

Luo Sheng waved it off. “It’s fine. I know you’re doing your best.” She used a napkin to wipe a drop of soup that had spilled onto the table. “The fact that she let you in shows she still cares.”

At those words, Nan Shuwan clearly bit down hard on her chopsticks before smiling and shaking her head. “Perhaps.”

The meal was very satisfying. Despite being simple home cooking, everything paired perfectly with the rice. Luo Sheng picked up the empty dishes and rose to wash them in the kitchen.

The sound of the running water hitting the oily plates masked most of the noise. While scrubbing with the cloth, she thought she heard Nan Shuwan saying something, but she couldn’t make it out.

Luo Sheng turned off the faucet and asked, “What did you say?”

Nan Shuwan repeated what she read in a message on her phone: “Mhm. You’ll have to accompany me out of town the day after tomorrow. Liu Xue just messaged me saying she’s in City B and wants us to go there to sign the contract.”

Nan Shuwan felt quite helpless herself. City B was far away; there were no direct flights from here, requiring a layover. The two flights combined would take six or seven hours of travel.

And since this was sudden, they had to buy tickets immediately. If they couldn’t grab a seat, it would be trouble, as taking the high-speed rail would take twice as long as flying.

While Nan Shuwan anxiously checked flight routes online, Luo Sheng stood in silence. Her grip on the dishcloth tightened abruptly, her knuckles turning white. After a long pause, she asked in a low voice, “How long will we be gone?”

“Not sure yet.” Nan Shuwan pondered while checking her phone. “Maybe five or six days? At least four, I’d imagine…”

Hearing this, Luo Sheng nearly broke down. She wanted to take back everything she had just said to comfort Nan Shuwan. What “no hurdle that can’t be cleared”? This was a hurdle she couldn’t jump!

Five or six days??

With travel time included, that was a whole week. If she went on this trip, there truly would be no turning back.

Luo Sheng’s mind was a mess, feeling as though every miserable complication was piling up at once. She gave Nan Shuwan a perfunctory reply and returned to her own apartment, heavy-hearted.

The sudden business trip, her mother’s flight the day after tomorrow… one thing after another left Luo Sheng’s mind in turmoil. In that state of extreme agitation, she didn’t even know how she eventually fell asleep.

In her dreams, she seemed to return to that cold apocalypse. Half her body was soaked in freezing rain, and that massive boulder was pinned firmly against her chest. Luo Sheng coughed weakly, choking on the water.

She struggled desperately to escape her predicament, but her arms were useless in the water. In her despair, she saw Lin Fu again. The woman stood before her with a grim face, half of her cheek obscured by hair, looking like a vengeful spirit crawled out of hell.

Luo Sheng wanted to scream, to beg for help, but her throat felt frozen, too parched to make a sound. Another bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating Lin Fu’s menacing face. Suddenly, a bizarre smile spread across Lin Fu’s lips. In the next second, she raised a sharp stone high and smashed it down toward Luo Sheng—Bang!

No—don’t…

Luo Sheng jolted awake. Sunlight flooded the bedroom. She instinctively touched her chest, her heart racing, before letting out a long sigh of relief.

The nightmare was a terrible experience, leaving her throat feeling exceptionally dry and raw. Dizzily, she got out of bed and drank a glass of room-temperature water. Only after washing up did the sense of unease finally begin to dissipate.

She picked up her phone; it was already 9:30 AM.

The sleep had been deep but exhausting. Looking at the messages Nan Shuwan had sent twenty minutes ago, Luo Sheng sighed softly. She changed her clothes, gathered herself, and headed to 1502.

As soon as she opened the door, Nan Shuwan anxiously pulled Luo Sheng inside, chattering non-stop. “What happened to you today, waking up so late? I checked the flights again; I’m buying the ones for tomorrow morning. Hurry, give me your ID and phone number so I can buy them now before they’re gone.”

After speaking, she pulled out a suitcase, already planning the next steps. “We’ll be away for about a week. We can start preparing now, put the essentials in the suitcase so we aren’t in a rush tomorrow…” Nan Shuwan rubbed her chin and suddenly looked at Luo Sheng. “By the way, you have a suitcase, right? I only have one. If you don’t have a large one, just go to the big supermarket downstairs and buy one at random.”

Listening to the detailed instructions, the irritation in Luo Sheng’s heart grew heavier. Furthermore, the voice messages she had sent to her mother before bed still hadn’t been replied to. Her mind was like a jumbled mess of paste.

Already in a terrible mood, Luo Sheng reached her limit with Nan Shuwan’s nagging about company nonsense. The impatience hidden in her eyes was almost overflowing.

Seeing Luo Sheng standing motionless with a stern, silent face, Nan Shuwan felt her own anger rising. She waved her hand in front of Luo Sheng’s eyes. “Did you hear what I said? Stop dazing and go—”

“Enough!” Luo Sheng’s sharp shout cut her off, and the noise that had been driving her mad stopped instantly. In the next moment, she grabbed Nan Shuwan’s waving wrist and looked at her with an extremely complex expression. Her voice trembled. “There’s no need to buy tickets, no need for a business trip, and there’s no need to do anything related to work ever again…”

The apocalypse was only a few days away. These things could no longer be hidden; what was the point in concealing it further? Time was tight, and lying any longer was meaningless. She couldn’t afford to waste another second on this.

Now was the best time. She had to say it. She had to confess everything to her.

Under Nan Shuwan’s angry yet bewildered gaze, Luo Sheng suddenly looked at her solemnly. She pressed her thin lips into a long line and then spoke, one word at a time:

“Nan Shuwan, a natural disaster is coming. The apocalypse is here.”

The moment the words landed, Nan Shuwan—who had been fuming at Luo Sheng’s attitude—felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her. She fell silent instantly. Her expression was stunned and confused, seriously wondering if she had misheard. After a long silence, she asked, “What did you say?”

So, Luo Sheng obliged and repeated herself.

This time, Nan Shuwan was 100% certain she hadn’t misheard, but that the other person truly said something so absurd. She opened her mouth, lost for words for a moment, before tapping her forehead and letting out a stunned laugh. “I really didn’t expect you to be… so childish. The apocalypse? I don’t quite understand. Is it the meaning I’m thinking of?”

With that, she let out a helpless sigh and softened her tone as much as possible. “Luo Sheng, I know you’ve worked hard lately. This is the last step. Once we settle this project, money won’t be an issue. You don’t want all your previous effort to go to waste, right?”

Nan Shuwan assumed Luo Sheng found the business trip troublesome and wanted to quit halfway, so she made up such a ridiculous excuse. She tried to persuade her with kind words, hoping she would see things through; as long as the project was done, they could negotiate whatever commission she wanted later.

But to Luo Sheng’s ears, it was all nonsense. However, she had expected that the other woman wouldn’t believe her so easily. At this moment, she didn’t want to and couldn’t be bothered to continue parleying. Further explanation was just a waste of breath; it was better to put the facts right in front of her.

Luo Sheng stopped arguing. Instead, she silently removed the ring from her hand and placed it in the center of her palm. “Give me your hand. You will understand everything.”

What does this mean?

The confusion in Nan Shuwan’s heart deepened, but the scene reminded her of Luo Sheng’s repeated insistence that she close her eyes over the past few days. Something was about to break through, as if placing her hand there would truly reveal some world-shaking truth.

Her heart pounded—she wasn’t sure if it was from nervousness or fear. Under the woman’s certain gaze, Nan Shuwan, as if possessed, actually did as Luo Sheng said and placed her hand into her palm.

This time, Nan Shuwan did not close her eyes. She watched, wide-eyed, as Luo Sheng vanished into thin air right where she stood.