servants, pretending to be a distant relative there to offer condolences. By this time, the Wu family's small courtyard was surrounded by government officials. Corpses were being carried out one after...Before leaving, Yuan Chongming directly reminded Lianyi, which could be considered a veiled hint.

"I know, I'll go out and buy some more food when the wind dies down."

"OK, if you need help, feel free to come find me."

Yuan Chongming immediately spoke up, saying that if they wanted to have a meal together, there had to be some sincerity.

"Okay, I won't be shy if I need anything."

Ripples knew Yuan Chongming's identity; the other party's sources of information were definitely more extensive than his own, as a former student.

"Please wait a moment."

Ripple called out to the big and small one, offering them some frozen wontons as a return gift for the information they had given her.

"You can cook it in a pot until it's done, or you can pan-fry it if you like."

Thank you!

Yuan Chongming knew that Lian Yi was doing this to avoid owing favors, so he readily accepted.

Little did she know, the ripples were a way for her to repay the original owner's kindness. In that sense, she was quite progressive.

The previous night was dreamless, and the next day the wind gradually subsided. However, it started to rain lightly. At first, it was just a drizzle, and many people saw that the rain was light so they rushed out of their houses with umbrellas—those going to work, those going to school, those buying food. Everyone found life difficult, even in the rain; life had to go on. Meanwhile, Lianyi continued to stay at home, safely indoors and not venturing out.

Then, Wei Zi called.

Ripples, where did you go

Where did it go

"The wind has died down, aren't you going to school"

Wei Zi asked in surprise.

I'm not going. It's raining so hard, I don't want to go out.

You're really something, aren't you Not afraid of getting in trouble with the boss for skipping class

"I advise you not to go out today, just stay home."

Why

"In a while, the light rain will turn into a downpour. When that happens, you won't be able to go home."

"Really"

"Listen to me, I'm telling you, the new guy next door is a total hottie. He looks like either a soldier or a cop. He told me he has inside information!"

"Who are they to tell you"

"Look how pretty I am!"

Ripples said something insincere.

"After seeing through Dong Ziqing's true colors, haven't you become a bit extreme in your thinking!"

"To be honest with you, you still don't believe me. You're wasting your time arguing with me. Just stock up on food and drinks, and get some cold medicine too. Listen to me this time, you won't regret it."

Ripples smiled and said.

"Okay, I'm heading to the supermarket now."

Wei Zi decided to listen to Lian Yi's words.

An hour after hanging up the phone, the drizzle turned into a downpour. It was as if the sky had been ripped open, and the rain wasn't falling but pouring straight down. In an instant, the entire city was shrouded in a hazy veil of water vapor.

Pedestrians scrambled to find shelter from the downpour. Many were soaked through, and several accidents had already occurred on the road, completely blocking traffic. Horns blared incessantly, and curses echoed through the air, mingling with the sound of the rain.

Ripples received the message from Wei Zi:

"Ripple, you were right! I'm so glad I listened to you and bought instant noodles and hot pot. Two minutes after I got in the door, it started pouring rain outside!!!"

Three exclamation marks perfectly expressed her current state of mind.

"So listen to me and stay home! Don't open the door to strangers, and ignore your neighbors if they ask you for food or drink."

The ripples sent another message, reminding the other party to at least be worthy of the half bag of rice that had been given to the original owner.

"Right then!"

Wei Zi replied immediately.

From this day on, the rain has not stopped, just sometimes big and sometimes small, making it unpredictable. The group chat was still lively at first, discussing the arrival of this heavy rain, allowing everyone to stay home and relax, finally having the opportunity for paid leave.

In the internet age, everything is published in real time. On social media platforms like朋友圈, 圍脖, and Facebook, people either share photos of damage caused by storms or their leisurely lives at home. Some even post pictures of themselves drinking tea, listening to the rain, and playing the guqin, creating a poetic atmosphere that earns them likes and imitations from others.

A month later, the internet went down and the world fell silent. The low-lying areas were completely flooded. While Shanshui Huating's location is higher and its buildings haven't been submerged yet, the underground parking lot has been inundated. The property management can only notify owners to move their cars individually, otherwise, they won't be responsible if their cars are flooded.

The ripples had already gone to the underground parking lot ahead of time and collected several cars she liked. They were all cars that had been parked for a long time and hadn't moved much. At a glance, you could tell the owners weren't there, so they were cheap.

The day after the underground parking garage flooded, Yuan Chongming came knocking again. His face was very serious this time. After entrusting Xiao Yao to her, he went out in the rain.

"Ripple Sister, my uncle went out to pick someone up, please take care of me."

Jaya acts like a little adult, explaining things to her uncle.

"Well, the person who goes to pick him up at this time must be your uncle's good friend."

Liàn Yī smiled and said, "Clearly, Jiā Yào doesn't understand. He just shook his head, indicating he didn't know."

Not until the afternoon of the third day did Yuan Chongming return to his residence with two men and a woman. He immediately took Jia Yao away, and also gave Lianyi a handheld crossbow with twenty arrows. Lianyi didn't ask any questions, she directly took the things, glanced at the three strangers, then closed the door.

Liàn Yī knew these three people were not simple. Their auras were steady, their eyes clear yet sharp. She just found it strange that since they were Yuan Chongming's friends, why weren't they with him in his previous life If the three of them had been there, she estimated that Dong Zicheng wouldn't have kidnapped Jiā Yào and ultimately harmed her original self and Yuan Chongming.

In their past lives, they missed each other because he was alone with his child and couldn't meet friends. The two sides missed each other. All three were very capable and were carrying out special missions here. As a result of the heavy rain, they were trapped here. Because there was no one to pick them up, they were all killed in the end.

The mortar made a timely appearance, instantly making its presence known.

"Are they nationals"

Ripples understood with just a little thought.

"Well, remember to build good relationships with them. That might lower the difficulty of the mission a bit."

"Got it!"

Ripple knew that in this situation, if she didn't band together, she would easily become someone else's target. Although she didn't mind, it was still troublesome and it would be best to avoid it.

When the heavy rain lasted until the second month, the power went out, plunging the entire city into darkness at night. Darkness breeds evil, and some finally reached the fifteenth floor. However, before Ripple could make a move, those people were knocked unconscious by Yuan Chongming and his friends and thrown directly from the fifteenth floor.

People hadn't died because the heavy rain had flooded up to the fifth floor. After falling into the water, they woke up and desperately swam back, not daring to utter a complaint.

These people were all displaced after their homes were flooded. They couldn't find shelter and started climbing upwards, looking for empty houses. Some people also took advantage of the chaos to loot.

It had rained for two months, and their household supplies were almost gone. To avoid going hungry, they started looking for ways to survive. The quickest way was to plunder the weak, but unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong target.

After daybreak, Lian Yi finally stepped out and brought a pot of cooked soup dumplings to the next door.

"Ripple classmate, the situation is special now. We need to ration our food. Why did you bring such a large pot"

Yuan Chongming frowned, the other three people did not come forward, but all of them were listening with their ears perked up.

"Brother Yuan, I know that you guys scared away the looters last night, indirectly protecting me. This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."ll have nothing to do with each other. As your mother-in-law, I'll give you one last piece of advice, as a final favor to you and my son's marriage."Ripples looked at Yu Meifeng and said."Mom, you sai...