Tang said that anyone who could use this technique had spent a long time mastering it and had very strong legs. One punch or kick could knock someone out. If Shang You met someone like that, she had to strike first.
“There are stunt performers here who get into street fights, and bodyguards hired by rich people. You can’t tell by looking at them. Keep your distance from people outside… It’s best if you don’t go out at all.”
Shang You smiled. “Danqing, why are you always worried I’ll go outside?”
“If you’re cooped up for too long, you’ll get stir-crazy. I thought…” Tang Danqing searched for the words. “I thought you might be curious about the outside world. I can tell you’re happy that there are other people around now.”
That was true, but—
Shang You reassured her. “I won’t go out just because I’m bored.”
Tang nodded. “Mm. This afternoon, pick the gun you like best and practice with it. If you ever have to go outside, make sure you’re armed.”
The suite was on the twenty-second floor, and the hotel’s elevator shafts had grown too cold to work. Everyone was busy taking care of themselves. No one had climbed all the way up to the twenty-second floor to investigate.
Tang Danqing took advantage of the quiet and kept the two of them on a strict routine.
Little Red heard the noise in the gym and ran in. In a few bounds, she was perched high on a piece of equipment, pupils wide as she watched the two bipeds practice their hunting skills.
The bipeds are working hard. Looks like they’ll protect the territory. Good. That’s a relief.
Tang beckoned to the cat. Little Red sprang down onto her sturdy shoulder, and Tang happily tucked her into the crook of her arm and stroked her fur.
Little Red tipped her face up and gazed at Tang with wide pupils. Before long, she couldn’t help purring.
This place was better than outside. The human seemed… all right, too.
“Jelly, do you want to pet her?” Tang held Little Red out so Shang You could share the cat.
Shang You scratched the cat under the chin. Little Red’s eyes gradually narrowed.
The cat was living the good life.
Tang smiled at the cat, who looked ready to fall asleep, and set her back on the floor. Then she glanced at the wall clock.
“It’s three. I’m going to shower, then make a cup of coffee.”
The coffee machine was on the bar in the living room. Tang came out in a light, fresh shirt, still radiating heat from her workout. She used the smart panel to lower the room temperature by two degrees so the air would feel a little cooler.
She didn’t want to break into another sweat.
Tang sat behind the bar with a copy of the Complete Coffee Knowledge Handbook. She read while tinkering with the coffee machine and the beans in a bowl.
Without the crowded film set or the training base where she’d sweated through every session, she could get used to a quiet life indoors.
Before long, Shang You had taken a quick shower and changed into a robe. She came out of the main bedroom.
Her shoulders were level, her waist slender. A silk sash was tied around it, accentuating her graceful figure.
Her features were cool and lovely, her lips soft and fragrant.
Shang You walked over to the bar and sat on the other stool. The faint scent of jasmine body wash drifted from her.
“Danqing, what are you making today?” she asked in a sweet, smiling voice.
“A latte. Nothing complicated.” Tang showed her the page in the book and tucked the arm on Shang You’s side close against her shoulder.
Tang was becoming more and more aware that Jelly was a grown woman with a mind of her own.
“Can I have some?”
“If I’m having some, you can, too.” Tang said, “But just have half a cup today and see how you handle it.”
“This is my first time making one, so I’m keeping it simple. If you like it, I can try adding matcha, nuts, or milk foam next time.”
Watching Tang sit up straight and study the book like a scholar, Shang You felt the same unhurried calm she’d known in the game.
“Why not make black coffee?”
“I’m worried plain black coffee would upset your stomach,” Tang replied. “And it doesn’t taste very good. It’s bitter.”
She still spoke gently, with the same considerate smile as always.
It was as if nothing had come between them.
Shang You’s instincts kept swinging strangely between safe and dangerous. She still didn’t understand what Tang Danqing was really like beneath the surface.
Suddenly, the phone on the bar chimed and lit up.
It was a new post from the Yanyun Hotel account Tang had marked as a favorite.
She quickly picked up the phone and unlocked it. When she saw Shang You turn her head away, she propped the screen up and called to her.
“Jelly, come look. The hotel has posted something.”
The public account had posted a notice:
“Dear guests,
“Due to extreme weather, the hotel’s backup power system is under considerable strain. To extend our ability to provide essential services, we will be implementing a temporary power schedule. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
“Changes for February 26: After 6:00 p.m. today, all power and network service will be suspended. Beginning tomorrow, electricity and network service will be restored for one hour each day, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Please make good use of this window.
“Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. Let us get through it together. We wish you well.”
Tang Danqing read to the end, a little stunned. “The power’s going out…”
It hadn’t even been forty-eight hours. As expected, the hotel’s backup generators were already failing.
Shang You said calmly, “It was going to happen sooner or later.”
Tang pulled herself together and got to her feet.
“I’m going to check our electrical room again.”
Tang looked too worried to let it go, so Shang You went with her. They checked everything, then returned to the suite. Tang took one more look at the smart curtain system.
She was like a student who’d finished a test and kept checking it over, afraid she’d missed something.
Everything was ready.
Tang let out a long breath. Once the interruption was over, she sat back down on her barstool and pressed the coffee machine’s extraction button.
She handed her phone to Shang You. “Jelly, take a look at the group chats and feeds. I have a few friends staying in hotels, too. If you see anything unusual, show it to me.”
The coffee machine extracted a nut-brown stream of espresso, rich with fragrance. A reddish-brown layer of crema floated on top in the white mug.
Tang compared the coffee to the picture in her handbook.
Perfect espresso!
“It smells so good,” Shang You said beside her.
Tang smiled. “Looks like I got lucky.”
Tang started following the steps to steam the milk while Shang You scrolled through the posts. Fear and anger washed over her.
“On the first day, we lost water and power. Now we’re out of food, too. This disaster is real. Ordinary people have no way to deal with something like this. So we’re the ones who’ll die first, huh?”
“Hahahahahaha, at least the population problem’s getting solved! Hahahahaha, I’m one of the people getting ‘optimized’ out! Hahahahaha…”
“Does this rotten weather really want to freeze us to death?”
“It’s not fair. I’m only twenty-four. I just got an offer from a major company this year, and now everything’s about to end… This world is so unfair.”
“Fuck the property management company! You take all that money every month and what do we get? Where’s the power? Where’s the water? You can’t even last one day when something happens! Did you use my money to buy yourself a coffin?!”
“What’s the matter with you? We barely even say hello when we pass each other in the hallway. Why do you think you can come asking if I have food? If I open my door, you’ll probably break in and rob me. Disgusting. Go die. / smile / smile / smile”
“You’ve got several cases of instant noodles. You’ll never eat all of them. You won’t even share one pack? You’re a selfish bastard. Disgusting! This really shows you who people are when times get hard. I hope those noodles choke you! I hope you eat so much you throw up!”
“Seeking help in XX City, XX District, XX Complex, Building X, Unit X. We have an elderly person and a child at home. We need somewhere with power where we can keep warm, or a little food. The older person has a chronic illness, and we really can’t hold out much longer. Please, anyone who can help, we’ll pay generously. / folded hands”
“It’s so cold… Goodbye, everyone. I’m off to be reborn…”
Shang You saw something familiar in the posts. Four years ago, when the extreme cold and heavy snow had hit the old world, everyone had been the same.
Wailing. Anger. Despair. Pleas for help. Messages from people gradually losing their minds, becoming the final sounds the online world would ever hear.
Soon, there would be no more voices like these.
Looking at the number of people on Tang Danqing’s friends list, Shang You could see that half as many people had posted today as yesterday. Half of them had already gone silent.
She took a quick look at the film crew’s group chat and gave Tang a brief summary. “It’s all complaints. People are cursing out the director and the hotel. Some are offering a lot of money for food, but no one’s answering them.”
“Danqing, if this is upsetting you, you don’t have to read it.”
“Hm?” Tang turned her head, frothing milk in the pitcher.
Shang You said, “You had a nightmare last night. I was worried you might read this and end up dwelling on it. You might not sleep well again.”
“Don’t worry. I’m good at managing my emotions. Don’t treat me like I can’t handle anything, Jelly. I’m not going to fall apart.”
Tang knew that now it was just the two of them in the suite.
If she turned into a black hole, radiating fear and negativity every day, she’d be a burden and a torment to her roommate.
“I’m not as freaked out as I was yesterday. Maybe I just wasn’t used to it yet…” She smiled again.
Tang made one and a half lattes, one for herself and one for Shang You. As she savored the hot coffee, she saw posts about frozen water and people who had run out of drinking water. She quickly licked the last drop out of her cup.
“Jelly, don’t waste it. If you can’t finish yours, pour it into mine.”
Tang left her cup on the bar. But Shang You finished her half cup, too, then washed both mugs and put them away.
The coffee kept Tang full of energy that afternoon. She started taking stock of the supplies in her space and familiarizing herself with everything she had.
She felt like the manager of a gigantic supermarket warehouse.
Two hours later, she was dizzy from sorting through the contents of the space. Its endless expanse made her feel like a drop in the ocean. Little Jelly had stocked every kind of item she could need. The three hundred thousand yuan had been worth every cent.
How lucky am I?
After a ten-minute break, Tang closed her eyes and began practicing how to use her mental storage space.
The more familiar she became with it, the faster and more easily she could find what she needed and pull it out.
Later, Tang discovered the space had “pinned” and “frequently used” functions. She moved the weapons she needed for self-defense to the front and practiced taking them out over and over, until she could retrieve and use one in a single second.
Oh neat, seems like the frozen apocalypse had started on my birthday! I love it when that happens lmao