Chapter 3 All My Assets

Hearing Chu Qiang's words, Jiang Rong couldn't hold back any longer. He silently got up, walked to the door, grasped the doorknob, and closed the door to the private room. The noisy construction sounds outside could be faintly heard, only making the room seem even quieter. For a moment, Chu Qiang could only hear Jiang Rong's heavy breathing.

Jiang Rong stared down at his hand gripping the doorknob. He desperately wanted to tell the whole story, but the rationality honed by three years of struggle after the major crisis prevented him from doing so.

Chu Qiang can be trusted, but his friends are unreliable, especially since some of them are of questionable character and come from all walks of life. Chu Qiang is honest and straightforward, making him easily manipulated. This means that what Jiang Rong is saying to Chu Qiang now could easily be tricked into revealing information. They might think it's nonsense and funny now, but when a major crisis arrives, they'll know what kind of preparations Jiang Rong has made.

Jiang Rong was a refined and gentle man, utterly weak and frail. His child was only three years old, walking with a limp and unsteady gait. After the great crisis, not only were the mutated plants and animals dangerous, but people's hearts were also tested. If any of them remembered Jiang Rong, then Jiang Rong and his son, guarding their vast stockpiles of goods and their sturdy house, would be easy prey…

There's no need to think about how it will end.

Jiang Rong couldn't afford the risk; he couldn't gamble on the possibility of something going wrong. He wiped his face and tentatively asked in a hoarse voice, "Would you believe me if I said there really would be an apocalypse?"

Chu Qiang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Hahaha, have you been watching too many movies lately? Don't overthink it, there's no apocalypse here."

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Rong's heart sank, and he gave up trying to probe him. Clearly, even if he told Chu Qiang the truth, Chu Qiang wouldn't believe him.

But could he really say nothing to Chu Qiang? He was just told to reinforce the house to stockpile goods, without giving him a reason. Who could believe such a flimsy statement?

A fire seemed to be burning inside Jiang Rong, causing his eyes to redden once again. His shoulders slumped involuntarily, and although he was clearly anxious and agitated, his words were unusually calm: "Brother Chu Qiang."

Chu Qiang's vest hairs stood on end. Every time Jiang Rong called him by his full name and then added a title, it meant that Jiang Rong was not someone to be trifled with.

Jiang Rong took a deep breath: "I know what I'm doing now seems crazy to you. I sold my house, built a house in my hometown, and then I'm going to stock up on goods... I know this seems very strange, but please believe me, I have my reasons for doing this. I can't tell you the specific reasons."

Chu Qiang scratched his cheek and muttered, "Why are you so serious? I didn't say you were crazy..."

Jiang Rong released the doorknob and looked up directly into Chu Qiang's eyes. There were faint bloodshot veins in his eyes, and although his expression was calm, his eyes revealed seriousness: "Trust me, I have no debts and have not done anything illegal or criminal. I am very clear about what I am doing. I hope you can help me, and I also hope you can listen to my advice. Brother Chu Qiang, reinforce the house and stock up on more goods. I won't harm you."

Chu Qiang's confusion gradually gave way to seriousness. If it were anyone else standing before him, he would have thought they were crazy. But the person before him was Jiang Rong, his childhood friend. He didn't understand others, but he understood his childhood friend.

Jiang Rong was the perfect child from a young age. He had a good temper, good grades, and was calm and organized. He could always spot the oversights of others, which was completely different from someone like me who was easily impulsive.

Jiang Rong was incredibly devoted to him. If there was anyone in the world who was truly sincere to him, besides his parents, it was only Jiang Rong. Sometimes he and Jiang Rong would disagree on certain things, but every time, Jiang Rong always proved to be right.

Seeing the emotions flashing in Jiang Rong's eyes that he couldn't understand, Chu Qiang nodded solemnly: "I understand, Xiao Jiang, I will listen to you."

Jiang Rong said seriously, "Don't tell anyone what I just said to you."

Chu Qiang replied, "Okay, don't worry, I won't tell my parents."

Jiang Rong remained unfazed: "Also, you absolutely must stockpile supplies—medicines, food, everything you can think of… Got it?"

After pondering for a moment, Chu Qiang nodded: "Okay."

Jiang Rong breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious. If Chu Qiang's family hadn't rebuilt their house in the countryside just two years ago, he would have even asked Chu Qiang to build another one. He had visited Chu Qiang's house and found that it was made with very solid materials; if the doors and windows were replaced, it would be no worse than the house he wanted to build.

After having lunch with Chu Qiang, it was already 3 PM when Jiang Rong returned to Aijia Real Estate Agency. Xiao Zhou was already waiting for him there. As soon as Jiang Rong entered, Xiao Zhou greeted him warmly: "Mr. Jiang, the money is ready, all that's left is for you to sign."

Jiang Rong nodded slowly, took the tablet handed to her by Xiao Zhou, opened the contract, scrolled up and down, and then signed her name with a flourish.

In the past, buying and selling a house was a very complicated process, requiring people to queue up to register and transfer ownership. Now, as long as the contract is in effect, the relevant procedures can be completed online.

Shortly after the contract was signed, a notification came through on his phone that the payment had been deposited into his account. Xiao Zhou happily took back his tablet: "Mr. Jiang, thank you for choosing Aijia Real Estate to sell your house."

Jiang Rong lowered her eyes and slowly nodded. "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

After leaving the real estate agency, Jiang Rong checked the amount on his phone. With the proceeds from the sale of the house plus all his savings, his total assets now amounted to 21.65 million yuan.

After considering for a moment, Jiang Rong grasped the keys and walked towards his car. Sensing the keys approaching, the car lights flashed twice. Jiang Rong stood in front of the car door, stroking the window, and after a while, opened the door. "Let's go pick up your little master."

Jiang Rong is usually busy with work, and by the time she picks her son up from school, it's often past six in the evening. But today, they got home at just past four. Jiang Xiaoheng, carrying his Beetle backpack, was skipping and jumping with Jiang Rong by the hand. He wanted to tell his dad all the fun things that happened at the daycare.

As the father and son entered the elevator lobby, they bumped into their neighbor on the ninth floor. To be precise, it was their neighbor's nanny. Most residents in the complex are quite busy, and many families have live-in nannies.

The nanny was in her early forties. Every time she saw Jiang Xiaoheng, she would smile and praise him a few times, and this time was no exception.

Seeing the nanny carrying a lunchbox, Jiang Rong casually asked, "Is Auntie going to deliver food?"

The nanny sighed helplessly: "Yes, the old lady from the family was hospitalized again a couple of days ago. The couple has been so worried about this that her hair has turned white. I hope she can be discharged safely."

Jiang Rong's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained perfectly calm: "The old lady is blessed by heaven and will definitely be discharged from the hospital safely."

He was telling the truth; the old lady on the ninth floor will be discharged soon, but the family of five next door on the ninth floor hasn't woken up since their major crisis. Meeting the caregiver from the ninth floor today made him realize that something just as important as stockpiling goods and building a house is having good health.

In the aftermath of the crisis, many people died mysteriously. Those who survived included men, women, and children, so Jiang Rong remained unclear about what kind of people could survive, and even less about what kind of people could possess supernatural abilities.

He wasn't the only one with this question; the survivors did too. The experts and scholars at the base never gave up searching for the answer, and three years after the crisis, they finally solved the mystery.

Those who survived the crisis were all perfectly healthy, with no underlying medical conditions. Whether or not they mutated depended on the quality of their genes. The more superior their genes, the greater their probability of mutation.

That is, after scientists solved the mystery, the day of the great crisis was called "Awakening Day" by those who gained superpowers.

In short: Health is the foundation of everything.

Realizing this, Jiang Rong looked down at his thin arms and legs, and his heart, which had relaxed slightly because the payment for the house had arrived, tightened again. In his previous life, he and his son did indeed open their eyes after the Awakening Day, but neither of them had awakened any supernatural abilities.

As an ordinary person, he just wanted to live a peaceful life. However, he and his son were too physically weak. Let alone facing people with superpowers or mutated plants and animals, they might not even have a chance of winning against people without superpowers.

How can someone with such a small frame fight to the death against an ordinary person with a muscular build?

No, he absolutely has to train; he wants to become a muscular hunk that everyone fears.

After the elevator doors closed, Jiang Xiaoheng looked up at Jiang Rong in confusion, "Dad, what's wrong?"

Jiang Rong patted her son's head. "Xiao Heng, do you want to exercise with Dad and become a real man?"

Jiang Xiaoheng didn't understand, but still nodded obediently, "Okay~ Xiaoheng will exercise with Dad."

Looking at his son's innocent face, Jiang Rong made up his mind. After dinner, he would find a reliable gym and start working out. He would become a strong man first, and then teach his son. In their past life, they were defenseless and became pitiful little creatures who could be bullied by others. In this life, with strong bodies, let's see who dares to bully them, father and son.

Author's Note:

Jiang Rong's little notebook:

Exercise to become a tough guy that everyone fears.

Three months later, Jiang Rong crossed out the six characters "feared by everyone" and added the character "person" after the character "male".