Living with My Aloof Ex-Wife After the Apocalypse - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Xing He and Qing Meng Had an Amicable Split.

Xing He and Qing Meng had an amicable divorce.

Or rather, there was never much affection between them when they first married. It was all thanks to Xing He’s mentor, Qing Baishu, who acted as a matchmaker. They met a few times and the marriage was settled.

After the wedding, their relationship was as bland as plain water. Because Xing He was in the military year-round, they rarely saw each other more than a few times a year. Even when they did meet, they treated each other with the polite distance of formal guests.

When the time came to end the marriage, Qing Meng appeared very calm. It was a sunny afternoon; after collecting their divorce certificates from the Civil Affairs Bureau and preparing to go their separate ways, both parties even politely said “goodbye” to one another.

At this point in time, it had already been four years since their divorce. This was the first time Xing He had run into a familiar person since her rebirth. After all, this was her ex-wife and her mentor’s daughter. Xing He did not intend to stand by and watch Qing Meng get robbed on the street.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the traffic light still had thirty seconds left. This area happened to be a “no-parking” zone for motor vehicles. Xing He could only wait for the light to turn green, drive a short distance ahead, and then pull over.

Because of this delay, by the time she jogged back to the spot where the two had been arguing, the man had already successfully snatched Qing Meng’s handbag and run quite a distance away. Without stopping to talk to Qing Meng, Xing He chased after him immediately.

The man wasn’t a fast runner, and his physical stamina was naturally no match for Xing He, who had undergone years of military training. Seeing that Xing He was relentless and looked like someone not to be trifled with, he didn’t hold out for long before throwing the handbag on the ground and fleeing.

Xing He didn’t continue the chase. She jogged back and returned the bag to Qing Meng, who was still waiting anxiously at the original spot.

City C had recently launched a major project and invited researchers from all over the country to participate. Qing Meng was in City C representing City T as an outstanding young researcher to attend a forum for this project.

However, after getting off the plane and dropping off her luggage, she ran into trouble before she could even meet up with her colleagues.

The pickpocket had been observing Qing Meng for some time. Seeing the expensive watch on her wrist, he locked his sights on the computer she was carrying. When Qing Meng realized someone was trying to snatch her computer, she naturally refused to let go.

The man hadn’t expected this woman to be so stubborn. She refused to release the computer no matter what, and they struggled for a while as more and more onlookers gathered. Seeing that he wouldn’t succeed with the computer, the man switched targets and reached for her handbag.

Qing Meng’s attention was entirely on the computer; in a moment of oversight, he easily snatched the handbag. Once he had it, the man pushed through the crowd and ran.

Qing Meng was not good at social interaction and had rarely encountered such a scene. Surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, she was momentarily at a loss. She couldn’t bring herself to ask a stranger for a phone to call the police, and wearing high heels made it inconvenient to give chase. She could only stand there, watching the thief escape.

Seeing that the excitement was over, the crowd gradually dispersed. Qing Meng thought her handbag was gone for good today. Just then, a woman suddenly appeared and handed the bag back to her.

Seeing that someone had helped recover her bag, Qing Meng instinctively began to say “thank you.” But upon closer inspection, wasn’t this person Xing He?

Suddenly losing control of her body, Qing Meng froze on the spot. The word “thanks” got stuck halfway in her throat.

Xing He had a standard, exquisite beauty’s facial structure—a high, straight nose, arched brows, and thin lips. Her medium-length hair, which fell just past her collarbone, was layered; even without careful styling, it exuded a sense of casual, lazy elegance.

Her physique was well-proportioned with healthy, wheat-colored skin. At first glance, she didn’t possess the “fragile beauty” popular today, but instead carried a sense of strength throughout her body that was impossible to ignore. Even the simple motion of handing over the bag made the defined lines of her hand clearly visible.

Having someone she hadn’t seen in four years suddenly appear before her caused Qing Meng to feel her heart race to an unprecedented degree.

Everyone knew it. Xing He and Qing Meng had a peaceful divorce, and they hadn’t had much of a relationship when they were together.

When her father started acting as a matchmaker for her and Xing He, she had quietly accepted his actions. Thus, Qing Meng and Xing He were married.

Xing He simply treated her with the attitude a model wife should have, much like her father treated her mother. Clothing, food, housing, and transportation—she took great care of everything. No one would think Xing He was failing in her duties to Qing Meng, but Qing Meng could never see any special feelings beyond that.

It was obvious that Xing He didn’t love her.

Xing He was in the army year-round, and Qing Meng was almost always in the laboratory. They spent little time together and rarely met. As a researcher, emotional stability and high rationality were essential traits. Qing Meng felt that such a marriage was meaningless, but she didn’t want to throw a tantrum. She simply had a very calm conversation with Xing He, and the two ultimately agreed to a peaceful split.

Qing Meng didn’t know what Xing He thought—did she feel that it didn’t matter either way, or did she slightly dislike this woman who had suddenly brought up the issue? Regardless, ever since the divorce, the two had never met again.

After four years, Xing He hadn’t changed much; compared to back then, her hair was simply a bit longer.

At this moment, Qing Meng was deliberating over what she should say. Should she act as if nothing happened and greet her casually, or should she sincerely express her gratitude and invite her for a meal?

The person in question, Xing He, seemed not to care at all and didn’t notice Qing Meng’s awkwardness. She handed the bag to Qing Meng, said “goodbye,” turned around, and left.

Seeing Xing He leave just like that, a rare look of shock appeared on Qing Meng’s usually indifferent face. She stood frozen in place. Does Xing He no longer recognize her? Or does she simply not care about the status of an ex-wife at all?

It made it seem as if she was the only one brooding over it, as if she had some unspeakable little thoughts in her heart. Watching Xing He’s retreating back, Qing Meng’s hands clenched and then released. Ultimately, she said nothing, turned around, and left as well.

Xing He had no idea that because of this small episode, someone over there was feeling conflicted. However, she wasn’t intentionally pretending not to recognize Qing Meng.

After so long, seeing the person she once lived with stirred up many complex emotions in Xing He’s heart, tangled together like threads that couldn’t be straightened or separated. Even she didn’t know why she eventually chose not to say a single word, fleeing as soon as she returned the bag. It wasn’t as if the other woman was some man-eating monster.

After walking away, the initial shock faded, and Xing He began to think about more realistic issues. Qing Meng clearly lived in City N, so why did she suddenly appear in City C today?

After the apocalypse broke out in her previous life, Xing He never saw Qing Meng again. During that time, she worried about Qing Meng’s safety and asked people to look for her, but she never received any definitive news. It wasn’t until many years later that she learned from a superior that Qing Meng was also at the “Dawn Settlement.” Thinking that her life was probably going well, Xing He didn’t disturb her further.

After being reborn, Xing He had wondered if she should go look for Qing Meng. But considering that City N was heavily guarded by the military, Qing Meng’s safety wouldn’t face a major threat immediately. Once she joined the Dawn Settlement later on, she could lead a stable life for a long time. Therefore, Xing He finally decided not to let Qing Meng take risks with her.

But now, Qing Meng was in City C. At this moment, there were only seven days left before the apocalypse broke out.

When the apocalypse begins, transportation will be paralyzed. If Qing Meng does not leave City C within seven days, then she…

Xing He rubbed her temples, trying to shake off those negative thoughts. After her rebirth, she had intentionally reduced her influence on the outside world and hadn’t contacted her old friends. Therefore, the world line shouldn’t have changed yet, and the memories of her past life were still temporarily valuable. She could only hope that Qing Meng was just staying in City C for a couple of days and would be able to leave before the outbreak.

For Xing He, the problem that needed to be solved first was transportation. Her “Jeep Wrangler” was the model under the Jeep brand with the most outstanding adaptability to harsh terrain. She also loved the four-wheel-drive system, so she hadn’t considered changing cars.

However, ordinary vehicles are like wet paper in front of zombies; they not only provide no protection but can actually become an obstacle to escape. Therefore, if she wanted this Wrangler to be effective, the car had to be modified.

Vehicle modification is a sensitive issue domestically, and the application review process takes months, but there were other ways.

Xing He set her sights on a young punk named Du Hua. Du Hua was a new lackey of the “Qinghai Gang,” and the Qinghai Gang was the largest underworld organization in the west district of the city.

The Qinghai Gang had “routine activities” every night. Though called routine, it was actually going to bars and casinos controlled by other gangs to cause trouble. This was to gauge the strength of various organizations and to unify the underground forces of the west district as soon as possible. The vehicles they used for every outing were exactly the modified cars Xing He currently needed.

Du Hua was deeply influenced by gangster movies. Although he was penniless, he was still very enthusiastic about dedicating himself to the triad cause. Besides the routine activities at night, Du Hua spent most of his time patrolling the streets. Even if he sometimes couldn’t even afford one meal a day, he felt he was contributing to the gang, dreaming every day of becoming a triad boss, never tiring of it.

Xing He simply treated Du Hua to a meal, expressing her admiration for him and subtly indicating that she had a good deal she wanted to make with the Qinghai Gang. Du Hua’s eyes immediately lit up. He excitedly said he would handle it and then hurried back to find his boss.

The two parties arranged to meet at an abandoned factory. Since this deal wasn’t very large, only Du Hua’s superior—Dong Biwu, the leader of the “Yanyue Group”—showed up.

Xing He told Dong Biwu her requirements. The car had to be modified with a full steel structure covering, an increased-capacity fuel tank, and all the glass had to be replaced with bulletproof glass. She needed it by tomorrow.

The other party knew the rules of the trade well; he didn’t ask Xing He what the purpose of the modified vehicle was, but simply quoted a price. The price was slightly higher than Xing He’s mental estimate, but she didn’t haggle. The deal was struck pleasantly.

Next was the stockpiling of supplies. Xing He made a categorized list of supplies: daily necessities, survival supplies, and self-defense equipment. The range of supplies was vast, and the time required for procurement would not be short. Although supplies were still abundant everywhere right now, a long delay would bring trouble.

She made a snap decision not to go to the hotel yet. She would rest only after purchasing the supplies on the list.

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