Zhang Zhongyong's face was ugly, and he remained silent. He had thought that by grabbing onto Su Meimei's weakness, he could do whatever he pleased. As a man, being cheated on was already unbearable, and he had been itching to torment Su Meimei every day just to vent his hatred. But who would have thought that this vicious woman would expose the matter of his biological son and even threaten to report him?
If she really reported it, both he and his son's lives would be completely ruined. His end would be even more miserable than Sun Yinrui's. "This damned woman!"
The eldest uncle continued tapping the table and said, "So, Meimei, what do you two intend to do? Divorce and go your separate ways, or…"
Su Meimei bit her fingernails with smug confidence. "That depends on him." Before the divorce, she would certainly make sure to expose him publicly and ruin his name.
The eldest uncle looked toward Zhang Zhongyong. Zhang Zhongyong instantly panicked. "Of course we cannot divorce. I will cut ties with her immediately. When the Dark Days are over, I will send them far, far away."
Su Meimei snorted. "Still waiting until the Dark Days are over? What about the house and the car?"
Zhang Zhongyong narrowed his eyes and glared at Su Meimei for a long while before finally spitting out his words. "Send them away immediately. The house and the car both return to me."
Only then was Su Meimei satisfied and stopped speaking. The eldest uncle admired Zhang Zhongyong's quick compliance, so he said a few soft words, hoping that in the future the family could live peacefully. He warned Zhang Zhongyong that if he were to cut ties, he must cut them cleanly, otherwise the rest of his life would be ruined. He also told Su Meimei to apologize to Su Lanzhi. Su Lanzhi only gave a faint acknowledgment, and the eldest uncle said no more.
Of course, Zhang Zhongyong would never really cut ties. Su Meimei thought she had him in her grasp, but the suffering was still ahead.
Zhang Hanhan stared at Jing Shu with gritted teeth. Whether or not her parents divorced, what difference did it make? Her father's heart was all with his mistress, leaving her mother consumed with pain and hatred. Her mother's mind was all on how to profit from it. Who had ever considered her feelings? No one! She clenched her fists tightly and swore in her heart, "Never give me a chance. If I get one, none of you will have a good end. Especially you, Jing Shu!"
When the matter was finished, according to custom everyone was supposed to stay the night. But Su Lanzhi was freezing and, thinking of the clean, odorless, temperature-controlled villa, she was eager to return home and excused herself.
Su Meimei found it difficult to say the words. "That vixen drove the car before. I won't touch it again. Sister, take the car back."
Not mentioning the car was fine, but once the car was brought up, Su Lanzhi's heart ached faintly.
"Auntie, the car is still as good as new. At that time you said we had bought it too cheap, and we felt guilty. Why don't we all just return it to the original owners and act as if the sale never happened?" Zhang Hanhan decided to stand united with her mother.
Su Meimei gave Zhang Hanhan an approving glance. "That car could sell for two hundred thousand now. But wasn't that your favorite ride, Sister? Just return me the money I paid back then, and the car is yours again."
"At that time you insisted on buying it, and now you insist on selling it back. If it can really fetch two hundred thousand, then hurry and sell it. My mother won't want a car that someone else has touched."
Jing Shu paused for a moment, then added with a mocking tone, "Instead of thinking about how to squeeze money, perhaps you should worry about how to deal with Sun Yinrui's wife after she gets out of prison. She will definitely vent all her resentment from the past month onto you."
Su Meimei's face turned pale instantly. How had she forgotten about that?
Jing Shu's family and Wang Gang's family were preparing to leave, so the eldest uncle escorted them downstairs.
"It's so late, and the weather is cold. The buses have stopped, and there are no black-market taxis. Better to stay the night," the eldest uncle suggested, looking out at the pitch-dark city. There was no moon, no stars, not even streetlights. One could not see their own hand in front of their face.
"We drove an energy car. We can give Old Jing's family a ride," Wang Gang said, pulling out his car keys.
"We also drove an energy car. We'll each go our own way." Jing An politely declined the offer, then got into the car with Su Lanzhi and Jing Shu, turned on the heater, and drove away.
As they watched Jing Shu's family disappear into the distance, Wang Can, who had not spoken all night, finally said, "I get the feeling their family is rather mysterious. They don't seem like what Zhang Hanhan described, so fragile and pitiful."
"Exactly. A family who can grow such fresh vegetables, whose hands are all so clean that not even their nails have dirt, and who still wash their clothes with detergent. They don't look like people lacking water. And most importantly, they didn't bring any heavy clothes."
"What's strange about that?" Wang Can asked curiously.
"It means they are not used to wearing thick clothes. They must be living under constant air conditioning at a set temperature. That is very interesting. Maybe my political achievements next month will depend on them."
"When will the Dark Days finally end?"
"Who knows?"
…
A few days after the Lantern Festival, Wu City's electricity supply time was shortened again, now from 14:00 to 20:00, only six hours.
To save energy output, working hours were shifted to 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., avoiding the hottest period of the day. But even so, there were still hundreds of cases daily where elderly people and children died of heatstroke despite emergency rescue attempts.
In the apocalypse, the first to be eliminated were always the frail elderly and the weak children. Hospitals, the only places with uninterrupted power and air conditioning, were operating far beyond capacity. Now, they could no longer admit new patients, when suddenly another disaster struck.
"According to reports, this is a new mutated insect born from the combination of high temperatures and darkness. It has been named the Black Fungus Beetle. It carries bacteria and spreads them recklessly. Like other flying insects, it is drawn to light. About the size of a jujube, it likes to dive-bomb from high places, flying chaotically. While it does not bite or directly harm humans, it spreads numerous bacteria upon contact."
"The bacteria it carries lowers immunity, making even normally healthy people extremely prone to illness. Most cases of the current viral flu are traced back to this insect."
"The Black Fungus Beetle's weakness is its heightened sense of smell, a hundred times stronger than similar bugs. As long as mosquito repellent, medicated oils, floral water, or mosquito coils are used, it can be effectively driven away."
"The state plans to exterminate this insect species within one week and to produce an epidemic-prevention vaccine within three days. Please remain calm."
Outside Jing Shu's villa, countless insects buzzed, drawn by the light. The loud thuds of Black Fungus Beetles dive-bombing against the reinforced shell could be heard.
Jing An wore a full-body beekeeping suit and carried a sprayer filled with water mixed with medicated oil. He climbed a ladder and began spraying the outer shell. As soon as he sprayed, swaths of insects fell to the ground with a buzz, while others scattered in a rush. But the villa was large, and the work was considerable.
When Jing An first received the equipment, he had been utterly baffled. Why did it feel like his daughter had a Doraemon-style treasure pouch, pulling out whatever was needed at the right moment?
"They really are spreading fast. Just ten days ago, there weren't this many yet." Jing Shu remembered that during the first water distribution, the insects had not yet carried viruses.
[Wang Qiqi, No. 13]: "@Everyone, if you have mosquito spray, floral water, or medicated oil, make sure to spray it on your windowsills and door gaps. Absolutely do not touch these black flying insects! If anyone has accidentally caught the viral flu, get to a hospital immediately. When going outside, cover up completely and do not expose skin!"
[Wang Xuemei, No. 2]: "What do we do? I've gone to every supermarket, store, and pharmacy that might sell medicated oil or floral water. Everything is sold out!"