Seducing and Flirting with Boss O While Stockpiling in the Apocalypse (GL) - Chapter 30

The three of them looked at each other. Nan Chu acted first, rolling off the sofa and walking quickly to the door. She pressed her eye to the peephole and saw… a strange woman?

Luo Sheng asked with her eyes, and Nan Chu shook her head, mouthing, “Don’t know her.”

Luo Sheng signaled for them to stay quiet, then went to the door to observe for herself. The woman outside had her hair half-tied up and was wrapped in a plush coat. Her gaze was a bit vacant, and her hand was still incessantly knocking on the door. Although her hairstyle and clothes had changed, Luo Sheng recognized who she was.

She had encountered her once in the elevator; she was the wife of that hawk-nosed man.

This household lived right below them. Luo Sheng was puzzled—why was this woman knocking on her door in the dead of night? Even if something was wrong, couldn’t it wait until broad daylight?

Luo Sheng signaled the other two to ignore it. She and Nan Chu tiptoed back to the sofa. After a few minutes, the person outside seemed to lose patience; assuming the residents were asleep, she silently walked away.

Luo Sheng and Nan Shuwan breathed a small sigh of relief. Nan Chu, however, didn’t take it seriously, even teasing them for being cowardly. Now, the three of them had lost the mood to continue playing in the living room. After a couple of yawns, Luo Sheng headed to her bedroom to sleep.

In the days that followed, everyone huddled in the apartment, living a quiet life. Occasionally, the power became unstable, leading to blackouts for a few hours, but the electricity was usually restored by the afternoon after emergency repairs.

The board games Nan Chu bought proved extremely useful. The three of them, being of similar age, spent their time chatting, binge-watching shows, and playing games in the warm, comfortable room. While the wind outside was bone-chilling and the rain was torrential, their lives remained stable and pleasant.

Occasionally, calls from unknown numbers came in. Luo Sheng could guess who it was, so she blocked those numbers on everyone’s phones.

Today, the rain seemed slightly lighter than previous days, and the wind wasn’t howling as fiercely. Luo Sheng took Nan Shuwan into the space to work the land. It was a pity Nan Chu couldn’t enter; if she were there, the efficiency would surely be much higher.

The soil in the villa’s back garden was truly miraculous. In just a few days, the vegetables they planted were nearly mature. It seemed the soil could accelerate growth. Luo Sheng and Nan Shuwan harvested them, categorized them in the corresponding areas, and then planted a new batch of seeds.

This time, Luo Sheng only planted a small amount. Given how fast things grew, the four of them couldn’t eat it all. She then took out some of the mature vegetables to prepare for tonight’s dinner.

The two were drenched in sweat. As they emerged from the space, they bumped into Nan Chu. She shot them a mock-reproachful look, her eyes full of ambiguity, and then blurted out another biting remark: “What exactly… are you two doing in that space?”

Nan Shuwan gave a “tsk” of disdain, while Luo Sheng ignored the comment entirely, handing her the vegetables. “I picked these for dinner. Go wash them.”

While showering, Luo Sheng checked the time. The duration from entering the space to coming out was still exactly three hours. Since the last upgrade, the time limit had remained at three hours; she had tested it every day to confirm. Could the maximum stay in the space be capped at three hours?

Luo Sheng frowned slightly at the thought. This added a layer of difficulty, but it didn’t matter much—three hours was more than enough for signing in, retrieving items, and gardening.

After her shower, Luo Sheng dried her hair with a hairdryer. Nan Shuwan had just finished as well. Luo Xiaoli, carrying various chopped ingredients, was arranging the table with Nan Chu. Seeing them, she waved. “Come sit! Mom’s making hotpot today. It’s going to be delicious!”

Luo Sheng smiled and sat down, drying her hair with a towel. On the table, the vegetables were on one side and the meat on the other, with dipping sauces already prepared.

Once the red oil began to bubble, Nan Chu impatiently dropped in a plate of beef rolls. In just over ten seconds, the thin slices were cooked. she dipped the red-soup-soaked beef into her sauce; one bite brought a mouth full of savory aroma.

The meat was firm, salty, and spicy. A hotpot meal in this weather truly warmed the body and the stomach. Luo Sheng put fresh shiitake mushrooms and green leaves into the bone-broth side of the pot. The split pot satisfied everyone’s needs. Nan Shuwan took a bite of tripe with sesame sauce; the texture was crisp and refreshing, and paired with chilled plum juice, it was incredibly soothing.

“One minute it’s spicy, the next it’s cold—stop eating like that! You young people need to think about your future health; you’ll regret it when you’re old!” Seeing them combine spicy food and cold drinks, Luo Xiaoli couldn’t help but bring out her well-worn lecture.

Luo Sheng and Nan Chu nodded repeatedly but didn’t stop eating. Only Nan Shuwan froze for a moment, then silently pushed her cold drink away. She was the typical “forgot the pain once the wound healed” type; her stomach wasn’t great to begin with, but once the cravings hit, she forgot everything. Reminded by Luo Xiaoli, she didn’t drink any more cold liquid.

Nan Chu found it funny. Eating a piece of potato, she joked, “This ‘daughter-in-law’ of yours is quite obedient.”

Luo Sheng remained silent, simply tapping Nan Chu on the head with her chopsticks.

After eating her fill, Luo Sheng wanted to take a nap, but a knock sounded at the door again. Since it was daytime, she wasn’t as afraid. She walked over and looked through the peephole—it was that woman from a few nights ago again?

Luo Sheng suddenly thought of something. She signaled Nan Shuwan and Nan Chu to go to the bedroom, then took out a few boxes of medicine and stuffed them haphazardly into a cabinet. Before opening the door, she checked the surveillance monitor, scanning the hallway and stairs. Seeing no one else, she slowly opened the door.

Feng Xi froze for a moment. Looking at the clear, pretty face in front of her, she felt inexplicably embarrassed. Perhaps it was because she looked so disheveled. She lowered her head slightly, her voice sounding hoarse. “Sorry to bother you…”

“Is there something you need?” Luo Sheng asked politely, noticing the woman’s heavy nasal congestion and a bruise on her temple.

“I… I came to borrow some medicine.” After a moment of hesitation, Feng Xi spoke up. “The water is everywhere outside these past few days, and it’s impossible to go out. I caught a cold two days ago, and we don’t have any supplies at home, so I wanted to…”

She paused, then immediately added, “I can pay for it, I’m not taking it for free!”

Luo Sheng didn’t speak, just stared at her. Feng Xi squeezed her fingers nervously. After a few seconds, she heard Luo Sheng chuckle. “I wondered what it was. But you’re right, the rain won’t stop and it’s dangerous outside; it’s understandable that you can’t go out. Only…” Luo Sheng pretended to scratch her head in frustration, then rummaged through the cabinet, eventually pulling out the few boxes of medicine she had prepared.

“Aiya, I only have a few boxes left. It’s quite a coincidence; I actually bought a lot of medicine before, but my uncle who lives in District C asked me to buy it for him. His leg is bad, and he stayed at my place for a day, so I gave it all to him. Who knew this would happen? I should have kept more for myself…” Luo Sheng looked quite regretful, then opened the bag to reveal four boxes of cold medicine. “My mom’s throat hasn’t been great lately, so I have to keep the rest for her. But I can give you one box; it’s only natural for neighbors to help each other out.”

Feng Xi listened and nodded immediately, but then shook her head. “Then this is too embarrassing, you only have this much left… I’ll pay you for it!” She moved as if to pull out cash, but after Luo Sheng’s repeated refusals, she finally accepted the box of cold medicine.

After saying “thank you” many times, her eyes glanced inside the apartment. Seeing only an elderly woman who looked to be in poor health, she prepared to leave. Just then, Luo Sheng asked with a smile, “I’m a bit curious though, how did you know I had medicine at home and come straight here to borrow it?”

At those words, Feng Xi clearly froze. She stammered her reply, “I… I didn’t know you had any. It’s just that our families live close, just one floor apart. I was planning to ask door-to-door. If you didn’t have any, I was going to keep asking downstairs to see if I could find some…”

“I see. Never mind, I was just asking. Take care.”

Luo Sheng watched her leave, then walked straight over to Luo Xiaoli, who was still pretending to cough. “Alright, Mom, stop acting.”

“How was it, daughter? Why did you do all that?” Luo Xiaoli was confused.

“Don’t worry about it.” Luo Sheng sat back on the sofa and called Nan Chu and Nan Shuwan out to continue watching TV.

By this time, the accumulated water had submerged the first floor. The trash cans downstairs were swallowed by the rain, and domestic waste floated in the water, some of it being washed into the lower hallways. Residents’ trash was bagged and left at their doors; an unbearable stench began to waft through the building.

The group chat began to fill with grievances. The drop in temperature caused many to catch colds, and since the garage was flooded, the submerged wiring caused some electrical leakage. Now, absolutely no one dared to step outside.

Despite the property management’s best efforts to soothe everyone, it was to no avail. They could say whatever they wanted, but as the weather grew more extreme, even they couldn’t leave. They could only wait for official rescue teams.

Since the first floor was submerged, those residents had to be moved to the second floor, hoping neighbors upstairs would take them in for a few nights. There were good people; two households had already been accepted by neighbors above.

However, on that day, no one was willing to let Wu Taohong from the first floor into their home. She ended up in a screaming match with Zhou Mei on the second floor. One pointed and cursed the other for being selfish, while the other jumped in anger, refusing to let her in, saying she could barely save herself—why should she provide relief?

The management stepped in for an emergency mediation, saying that if the rain didn’t stop, rescue teams would eventually come to move everyone. If the second floor flooded, they’d have to move higher and trouble those residents anyway, so helping others now was helping themselves!

Despite the earnest persuasion, Zhou Mei still didn’t agree. Finally, a household on the third floor let Wu Taohong and her family stay, but on the condition that they pay rent at hotel rates. With no other choice, Wu Taohong bit her tongue and agreed.

The rain didn’t stop, the water levels kept rising, and hearts grew more and more restless and uneasy. This was not a good sign; it meant that certain things were about to be broken very soon.