Chapter 8: Fortifying the House
1125 Words
Lu Yi froze for a second, utterly stunned.
What did she just say?
“I didn’t do anything to you, did I? You look upset—did someone at your company piss you off that bad, to the point you’re quitting?”
“I said—we’re breaking up.”
Yu Duoduo enunciated every word clearly.
“You must be out of your mind! Early in the morning and already talking crazy. Cut the drama. Just hand me the car keys, I’m in a hurry to get to work,”
Lu Yi replied, growing visibly impatient.
He still had to pick up his white moonlight for her morning commute.
This woman must’ve lost it—talking about quitting her job, leaving his goddess stranded without a ride yesterday, sweating half to death waiting on the roadside.
Didn’t she know?
This was the city center—it was impossible to get a cab here!
“Get out of my house. Getting a taste for freeloading, huh?”
Yu Duoduo coldly ordered him out.
These two—Lu Yi and his goddess—were truly a match made in trash heaven.
So shameless, so in sync, so proudly dependent on others.
That single word—“Get out”—infuriated Lu Yi.
His face flushed red as he pointed a trembling finger at her, backing out of the apartment slowly.
“You gold-digging woman! Yeah, I’m broke. But how dare you humiliate me like this?! Fine, break up! But don’t come crawling back to me later!”
Yu Duoduo smirked.
In her past life, that was exactly what she did.
Every time he got mad, she groveled. Sent sneakers, watches—trying to win him back.
But that version of her… was already dead—killed by him.
Before Lu Yi could spit out another word, bang!—she slammed the door shut.
Even Maoku, the cat at her feet, jumped in fright.
She didn’t care what insults he was spewing on the other side.
Scooping up Maoku, Yu Duoduo headed upstairs to change.
She had errands to run—today’s mission: upgrade all doors and windows.
By the time she stepped out, the hallway was empty.
She drove straight to the building materials market.
Several suppliers here had long-term partnerships with her company—reliable quality, good discounts.
First stop: a door and window vendor.
The shop owner recognized her instantly and came out with a grin.
Yu Duoduo picked a top-grade inward-opening security door with a built-in vertical bolt lock and smart peephole equipped with video and audio.
She also ordered an external stainless steel gate for double security.
Her apartment’s floor-to-ceiling windows were massive.
She chose the thickest, most durable fireproof laminated soundproof glass, replacing all standard panels.
To top it off, she added interior security bars.
She gave the boss a special instruction:
Apply one-way mirror film to all glass. This way, she could see out clearly, but outsiders would only see a dark reflective surface.
She left her address.
The boss promised to send installers that very afternoon.
He didn’t know she’d quit her job.
As a lead designer from Party A, Yu Duoduo had final say over all materials in past projects—her choices meant business.
The boss merely took a symbolic 2,000 yuan installation fee, treating the rest as a favor.
Yu Duoduo paid quietly.
She knew the actual cost margins of these so-called “high-end” materials.
That 5,000-yuan security door? Probably cost the factory less than 500 to make.
The steel gate was even cheaper.
Next, she swung by another shop and bought 100 rolls of 50mm thick self-adhesive thermal insulation cotton.
When the extreme cold hit, she’d stick these on the interior walls and ceilings to retain warmth.
She also purchased 50 buckets of polyurethane asphalt coating, and the boss threw in 10 paint rollers for free.
With months of rainfall ahead and living on the top floor, she needed to patch potential leaks in advance.
Yu Duoduo had the staff carry all her purchases to her car parked in a quiet, blind-spot corner of the lot.
The moment they left, she blinked everything into her space—15㎡ worth of new materials, neatly stacked in the living room.
Still wandering the market, she passed a heating equipment store—and her eyes lit up.
From traditional fuel heaters to modern electric models, they had it all.
In the apocalypse, these were survival essentials.
When the system collapsed, don’t even think about state-provided electricity or heating.
At least in her previous life, she never saw it return for the two years she survived.
She already had coal and charcoal, so she went for low-profile, durable traditional fuel heaters.
She ordered ten table heaters and ten medium-sized home fireplaces—great for both heating and boiling water.
The boss tossed in two crates of solid alcohol and wood-wax fire starters.
She also got ten kerosene heaters, easily portable even while in use.
The shop owner said the neighboring convenience store had kerosene in stock.
She immediately ordered 200 barrels—50L each, totaling 10,000L.
For redundancy, she added ten diesel heaters.
The owner said he sold explosion-proof diesel drums too.
Yu Duoduo ordered fifty 500L barrels, plus ten portable electric pumps.
All goods were delivered to her hidden parking spot.
Once no one was looking, she instantly absorbed them into her space.
The kerosene heaters and fuel occupied 35㎡ in the living room.
The empty diesel drums were stacked neatly in the garden—once filled, she’d move them indoors.
Ding—
A message came in from the hardware store owner:
[The 100 shelving units you ordered have arrived. Delivery or pickup?]
Yu Duoduo quickly replied:
[Please deliver to: Sunshine Complex, underground parking, C28.]
She had to rush back—this place was way out in the suburbs, far from her apartment.
Driving along the city’s outer ring road, the traffic was light.
But the roadside was lined with parked semi-trucks—supply delays were already showing.
About half an hour later, she reached her complex and drove into the underground garage.
Sure enough, the delivery guy was already waiting—judging by the pile of cigarette butts, he’d been here a while.
“You’re finally here! These shelves are made of solid steel. If we leave them unattended here, some opportunist might haul them off for scrap—these are worth real money!”
“Thanks for the trouble.”
Yu Duoduo grabbed a few bottles of ice-cold cola from her car fridge and handed them over.
It was scorching in the garage. Waiting here couldn’t have been easy.
Once the man left, Yu Duoduo swept all the shelving into her space and headed upstairs.
- Writer
