Chapter Two: Using a Scoundrel’s Money to Buy a Car—Surprisingly Satisfying

As Fang Jun spoke, he reached out to grab her hand, but Jiang Huan instinctively dodged away.

"I'm really selling the house. This is not the time for jokes. Never mind, I thought you might know an agent and it would be more convenient, but it looks like I’ll have to run around myself. It's late, you should head back." Realizing his test wasn't working, Fang Jun could only try to appease Jiang Huan.

"Wait, let me think of something. Don't rush."

"If I don't hear from you tomorrow, I'll just find a random agent. At this price, it's practically a giveaway, so there should be plenty of buyers."

"No, no, no! I promise I'll figure something out by tomorrow." Fang Jun hurried off, not even bothering with a proper goodbye.

Jiang Huan sat back down with a half-smile. She knew Fang Jun's family owned an old house in the urban village, which could easily be mortgaged for five million. If he borrowed a bit more, he would almost have enough. As for the rest, it depended on what kind of tricks Fang Jun could pull.

Given what she knew about him, he would do everything possible to scrape together the money. All she had to do was wait patiently.

The next morning, Jiang Huan took her brother to school as usual, and while she was out, she bought a load of rice, grains, and cooking oil to donate to the school—a small token of her appreciation for how well her brother was treated there.

Next, she turned her attention to hotels, selecting the top-rated one and booking two hundred banquet tables, choosing dishes both she and her brother enjoyed.

The cold dish platter included red-cooked duck, smoked fish, jellyfish strips, colored eggs, fragrant mushrooms, celery, roasted bones, and oil-brushed chicken.

Main courses and staples were: golden corn crab, auspicious braised sea cucumber and abalone, lamb ribs with mushrooms, garlic scallops, fried pork ribs in spicy salt, black pepper veal ribs, salt-and-pepper prawns, Bashu-style pork knuckle, Cantonese roast duck, steamed grouper, lotus chicken mousse, three-flavor seafood balls, and Minnan seafood noodles.

Desserts included blueberry yam, foie gras ice cream, celebration cake, and red bean buns. The two hundred tables cost six hundred thousand, and booking for three consecutive days totaled just two million. The banquet hall manager, eager to please such a big client, threw in complimentary stuffed candies and sugar-roasted chestnuts.

With food, napkins, and toys all sorted, Jiang Huan moved on to water, hardware, clothing, and more—shopping while avoiding crowds, using the cover of a truck’s cargo hold to secretly stash everything in her personal space.

At noon, after lunch with her brother, she took advantage of the break to receive deliveries at the warehouse, and after dark, retreated to her space to organize everything.

After sorting the day's haul, Jiang Huan made a list of items to restock. While society was still functioning, she needed to stockpile ready-made hot meals, soups, and rice for herself and her brother.

"Can’t skip snack street either—grilled cold noodles, stinky tofu, spicy potato wedges, skewers, mala mix, takoyaki, savory pancakes, pan-fried buns, barbecued skewers, steamed and fried dumplings, teppanyaki snacks, cold noodles and jelly, all sorts of fried treats, rice cake egg waffles, crayfish, grilled fish, jianbing, seaweed rolls, clay pot dishes, noodle bowls..."

On the third day after her rebirth, Fang Jun finally scraped together the money, though it was only seven million.

"Huanhuan, we’re so close, and I do feel for all your hard work. Since we’re getting married anyway, why not settle for seven million?" Fang Jun even gave what he thought was a charming eyebrow raise.

Jiang Huan almost gagged from his greasy demeanor.

"Three million is no small sum. Even if we are getting married, I’m still the one at a loss."

Fang Jun grew anxious. Jiang Huan had always said yes to him before—perhaps he’d overestimated his place in her heart.

"Huanhuan, I know seven million is less, but it’s cash in hand. Selling through an agent takes ages."

Jiang Huan curled her lip; she’d only made things difficult for him on purpose to avoid arousing suspicion.

"Fine, but you need to transfer the seven million to me now. I need the money for my brother’s treatment. Five days later, I’ll finish packing, and you can come for the transfer and the keys."

Fang Jun hesitated, feeling this was all too sudden and suspecting she might run off.

"I’m already giving you a three-million discount. If you think my staying five more days is too much, I’ll just find another buyer."

Catching his concern, Jiang Huan’s tone turned mocking.

Fang Jun swallowed hard and finally agreed. "Alright, it’s a deal!"

After sending Fang Jun off, Jiang Huan saw the extra seven million in her account and immediately called an agent in F City, two cities away, to rent an apartment.

As a live-stream host, she knew that building in F City had an accident during handover, and she had once spent the night there for a donation challenge. In reality, nothing had happened; it was all in people’s minds.

The developer there prioritized safety, using high-density, bulletproof windows and new wall materials for insulation—perfect for her and her brother during a deep freeze.

That afternoon, her brother came home with cheeks flushed with excitement. Everyone had treated him kindly, and even the classmate who liked to pick fights was pulled away by the teacher before getting near him.

Listening to his stories, Jiang Huan placed orders for pork knuckle rice, roast goose, and salted pork soup—all his favorites, choosing the maximum portions allowed per order.

They ate until their stomachs were bursting, Jiang Huan lying on the sofa, rubbing her belly and savoring the feeling of being full.

After a while, she ordered a freezer’s worth of drinks and ice cream, then contacted a dealership for RVs, off-road vehicles, and high-chassis cars.

After receiving her deliveries, she put on a disguise—mask and hat—and used the seven million to buy a trailer RV, a luxury RV, and an off-road vehicle, all delivered to her warehouse.

Having spent that jerk’s money, Jiang Huan bought several backup vehicles and secured as much fuel as possible through her connections.

Next, she made a sweep of the agricultural market, buying seeds and every kind of vegetable, seafood, meat, eggs, greens, and even bought out two wholesalers’ freezers full of hotpot ingredients and chicken wings. She spent over three million, with most going to seafood and meat. If anyone asked, she’d just say she was hosting a big country banquet.

She booked out all the beef and lamb stalls, spending millions more, leaving the owners so happy they closed early to drink and celebrate finding new sources.

Because there were too many people around, Jiang Huan couldn’t collect everything on the spot, so she had the two biggest shop owners load their goods and follow her in their trucks.

She stopped near a strawberry farm on the outskirts. "Unload here. Someone will come to pick it up later."

The owners took the money, and their workers got right to unloading. Afterward, Jiang Huan gave each worker five hundred as a tip. Once the trucks’ taillights disappeared into the distance, Jiang Huan made sure no one was around and prepared to stash all the supplies.

Just as she opened her space, a burst of light blinded her.

Not good—someone's here!

Jiang Huan quickly closed her space and turned toward the light.

A young man was approaching, holding a flashlight. He had a strong, angular face and walked toward her, shirtless, his tall frame—nearly 1.9 meters—towering over her. From her height, her eyes were level with his well-defined chest muscles.

Her mind went blank for a moment, but she forced herself to stay calm.

"Did you… just see something?"