Chapter 2
Chao Youqian imagined Lang Xin questioning him about his delusions, which only made him feel uncomfortable. He suddenly released the hand from his shoulder, climbed out of bed, and looked him in the eye. "Lang Xin, if I were to sell all my virtual currency and spend all my savings on random things, I might end up needing your help later. I can't even tell you why. Are you willing?"
Lang Xin was startled by his serious tone and said solemnly: "I am willing to do this no matter what the reason is. It was you who persuaded me to invest in virtual currency. Without you, I would not have my start-up capital, let alone the current company. Forget virtual currency, I would even give you all my assets to spend." What he didn't say was that it doesn't matter even if you mortgage me completely, I have already belonged to you wholeheartedly.
Chao Youqian's timid demeanor softened, and he waved his hand, saying, "I'm going to go wash my face and brush my teeth. Don't leave. I'm going to tell you something extremely important. Believe it or not, you have to listen."
Seeing Lang Xin nod obediently, Chao Youqian walked to the bathroom, where he found the toothbrush and toothpaste he always used. He and Lang Xin had been admitted to university in City B, and Lang Xin, busy starting a business, had bought an apartment near the university, and the guest bedroom was always stocked with his usual items.
Although Chao Youqian did not move out of the dormitory, he mostly just took a nap in the dormitory on campus, so this was the place where most people stayed.
While brushing his teeth, he recalled his acquaintance with Lang Xin. Lang Xin, like him, had a complicated family, but the difference was that Lang Xin had the memories of his past life as a foundation. Even without parents, he could rely on his intelligence and experience that were higher than his peers to get by and avoid the malicious intentions of other children.
Lang Xin wasn't parentless, but he had a playboy father who promiscuously took in any child he could find. His mother couldn't stand this life and remarried, leaving his father to live a more carefree life as a bachelor. A young man, unloved by his father and mother, was instead met with hostility and attacks from his illegitimate son and a host of other women.
The Lang and Chao families are old friends. Chao Youqian, who has been playing nice in the old house, is brought by his grandfather to a charity banquet. Unwilling to play childish games with children his own age, he unexpectedly sees a few older children in the corner, surrounding a sullen boy and making sarcastic remarks.
After listening for a while, he realized that this handsome yet stern-faced boy was Lang Xin, the legitimate young master, now being mocked by a group of illegitimate children who were inferior to him. Chao Youqian hadn't wanted to intervene at first; he had been self-reliant, relying on the little kindness his grandparents offered him. There were many pitiful children in the world who were being bullied.
But when Chao Youqian heard those people calling Lang Xin a "bad luck star," making dirty insinuations that the young master's title was just a false one, and even threatening to physically assault him, he couldn't sit still. If they were just verbally spitting filth, it would be fine. But if they ganged up on him, these underage brats wouldn't hold back. He was afraid someone might actually get killed.
He rushed over in displeasure, grabbed Lang Xin's hand, and said loudly with feigned innocence, "Why do you say Brother Lang Xin is doomed? Are Grandpa Lang and Uncle Lang both dead?"
At just six years old, Chao Youqian, with his rosy lips and white teeth, seemed innocent to outsiders. These nine- and ten-year-olds were simply petty and ill-mannered. His recent IQ of 146, having earned him admission to the Mensa club, had brought honor to his family. The Chao family elder was happy to defend him, saying, "Children are ignorant. Although Youqian has a high IQ, his social skills are still a bit immature."
This invisibly slapped the faces of these older children and their parents. The organizer of the party also came to ease the atmosphere, and this not-so-big-or-not incident just passed.
After this incident, he and Lang Xin came into contact, and Chao Youqian, frustrated with his failure to live up to his promise, taught him to learn to resist. After skipping a grade, they happened to be in the same class. Chao Youqian, who considered himself Lang Xin's older brother, couldn't help but spend more time with this seemingly cold and arrogant child. With time and sincerity, he touched Lang Xin's heart, and made him feel a little more down-to-earth. He was actually a kind-hearted child with a cold exterior.
Both of them had their own complicated family tragedies, but they supported each other through high school and decided to break away from their families and leave Hong Kong Island together. The friendship they had for more than ten years of knowing each other was definitely real.
Coincidentally, Lang Xin, frying eggs for Chao Youqian in the open kitchen, also thought back to their first encounter, when the little pink ball had sprung up to defend him. She couldn't quite recall the awkwardness of that moment, but instead remembered the warmth of being comforted and protected by someone younger than herself after meeting Chao Youqian.
In fact, he was not as passive as he seemed. If you dared to attack him, you had to be prepared for bloodshed. He held a dinner knife behind his back, ready to sharpen it at any time.
Chao Youqian's companionship soothed his anger and resentment. He no longer held any hope for his irresponsible father and indifferent mother, nor did he care about the family fortune coveted by his illegitimate children and stepmother—of course, more than one. The old man who truly held power had softened his temper in recent years and offered him considerable assets in an attempt to compensate, but compared to continuing to be with Chao Youqian, these assets were worthless.
Chao Youqian, who had acted mature and eloquent as a child, had become somewhat childish when he grew up. Remembering how furious he'd been just now, Lang Xin flipped the egg over and smiled a smile that was anything but innocent. It seemed his warm, boiling-frog-in-warm-water care had taken its toll. No matter what happened, Chao Youqian would never leave his side.
Chao Youqian washed up, put on the clothes Lang Xin had prepared for him and spread out beside his bed, and walked to the dining room in his slippers. Just as he was about to speak, a piece of carrot bread was stuffed into his mouth. He frowned and mumbled, "What are you talking about? I need to talk to you about something serious! You'll see how serious this is in a moment."
"Even if it's a big deal, you still have to eat breakfast first. You drank alcohol yesterday and you're still on an empty stomach. Do you want to go to the hospital?" Lang Xin knew Chao Youqian's temper very well and said slowly, "The milk is on the table. Drink it slowly to avoid getting burned."
After finishing a delicious breakfast prepared by Lang Xin as usual, Chao Youqian no longer felt as nervous as before. He walked to the living room in front of the French window, sat down, and said seriously, "Do you believe me?"
Lang Xin wanted to tear his heart out and show it to him. He said seriously, "Believe me! No matter what happens, you must believe me. I will never change."
Chao Youqian nodded and continued in a low voice, "I dreamt of the end of the world yesterday afternoon. The feeling of panic and despair was so real, as if I had already experienced it. In just one month, a virus will break out, followed by various natural and man-made disasters, and society will regress to a state of disorder. I dreamt that communication was cut off and you went abroad and there was no news. I returned to school temporarily for a random inspection of my thesis, but I was trapped in the dormitory and fell ill and died..."
Before he finished speaking, Lang Xin stepped forward, half-knelt, and held his hand tightly, his eyes already red: "I believe you, and I will fully support whatever you do next. If you die, I will never live alone." Over the years, what he has placed his trust in Chao Youqian is no longer a simple friendship. The possessiveness and protectiveness are buried deep inside. As the person who knows Chao Youqian best in the world, he dares to say that no one is first and there is no one second to him. This is true.
Seeing the pair of red rabbit eyes on Lang Xin's tough and handsome face, Chao Youqian, who had been sad and serious, couldn't help but laugh. "It's not that serious. There are so many variables in things that haven't happened yet. Just think of me as suddenly becoming a 'doomsday prepper.' Some doomsday preppers abroad dig bunkers and hide in the mountains, but I spend money like water, like I've added a hobby."
Chao Youqian wiped a tear from Lang Xin's face, and once he'd calmed down, they went into the study to plan. Since the possibility of the apocalypse was imminent, they had to spare no effort in preparation. Neither of them was one to spend their savings and be left with nothing. Chao Youqian held a stable position in the fund and stock market, and Lang Xin's gaming technology company would remain profitable as long as society remained stable.
Lang Xin pulled out all the documents from the safe. "If we sell all the virtual currency we have, we can quickly and legally raise around 800 million. Apart from the people we work with, the gaming technology company has 200 to 300 million that I can keep without attracting attention. Add to that our various investments and real estate holdings over the years, and we'll have a total of 1.5 billion."
Chao Youqian poked at the paper with his pen. "Don't touch your company, or it will make too much noise. Besides, you've put all your hard work from four years of college into it. Didn't I tell you to just treat me as a late-stage survivalist? Just use virtual currency and my money. It's more discreet. But I'll be relying on you for food and drink from now on, so be prepared for it to all be for nothing."
Lang Xin and Chao Youqian are from the same school and he is a leading figure in the computer department. When Chao Youqian dragged him to buy virtual currency in his early years, he keenly realized that intelligent technology would be the mainstream in the future. So he started his own business and opened a gaming technology company in his freshman year.
Hong Kong Island's reach cannot reach the heartland of the mainland, so it has developed in a low-key manner and made huge profits by riding the wave of mobile games. In addition, Chao Youqian's memory of the trend of games in his previous life supported it, and even with some cover-up, he was inevitably known as "Lang Ge".
But Chao Youqian never called him brother, he considered himself Lang Xin's elder brother. Lang Xin let him do what he wanted, but he only cared for him more attentively and diligently.
Lang Xin rubbed his fair cheeks with a mixture of love and hate. "Didn't I say that what's mine is yours? And I absolutely trust you. Then let's sell the virtual currency and unused real estate. I'll hire a manager to help run the company, and I'll focus on preparing with you for the next month. Even if things calm down after a month, we still have plenty of options."
Whimpering and dodging Lang Xin's hand, Chao Youqian, who was already familiar with this study, pulled out a map from a crack in the bookcase and asked, "Where do you think we'll live in the end times?"
Lang Xin took the map and spread it out. "We've lived in City B for four years. The capital is nice, but everything we do is easily discovered. If the apocalypse arrives and chaos reigns, the concentrated force and power here could become extreme. But moving to smaller cities or rural areas isn't an option either. They're xenophobic, and we stand out too much. It's better to go to neighboring City H. It's a first-tier city, easy to integrate into, a tourist destination with a comfortable climate and a small permanent population. The population density is much lower than City B."
Lang Xin occasionally goes on business trips to H City, and Chao Youqian has also gone on public-funded tours with him. This plan is very feasible.
After looking through the properties they owned, Chao Youqian and Lang Xin finally decided on the house they would keep: a 500-square-meter 26-story flat with two elevators and one household in H City, and a 800-square-meter villa with four floors above ground and two floors underground in the suburbs. Both were properties they had invested in previously.
He also didn't sell the apartment or suburban villa in City B, just in case he might come back. Chao Youqian, reflecting on a classic scene from apocalyptic movies, decided to keep the high-altitude house.
During the conversation, they also discussed finding some hidden warehouses in different cities to store some supplies for backup, and also finding a low-key way to purchase and transport the supplies.
They had never considered surviving alone, and their years of tacit understanding were now fully realized. If the end of the world came, as the most trusting people in the world, neither of them would leave each other.
It's been a while since the two of them spent a long time together. Lang Xin was busy with his own company and had not attended many classes in his senior year, while Chao Youqian was doing well in the stock market and was even planning a graduation trip.
Lang Xin looked at Chao Youqian, who was smiling proudly at his total assets like a cat, and thought tenderly that even if nothing happened after a month, it would be worth it to use all the money he had to exchange for these thirty days of companionship.
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