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Li Yan took Li Ming to their usual dining place, Meiyuan, but the little guy stubbornly refused to eat anything. He insisted that the food was not clean, pouting and nearly crying in protest. Li Yan felt a lot of pressure and sympathy; the child's eyesight was now as sharp as his own, and he could see the tiny stains all over the restaurant, which indeed affected one's appetite. Additionally, there were many "floating objects" in the dishes that even Li Yan found somewhat unappetizing.
As a regular customer, Li Yan noticed the manager was worried about Li Ming's tantrum and kept apologizing to him. However, the manager felt wronged too; how could perfectly good food suddenly be deemed unclean?
Feeling awkward, Li Yan smiled and took the child home. It wasn't fair to blame the manager for this situation. Unable to do anything else, Li Yan drove home and harvested some fresh vegetables from his space. He also quickly cooked some stir-fried meat with mushrooms, making sure to wash everything thoroughly with water from his space. The plates were rinsed directly with water; he didn't dare use a "clean" cloth to wipe them dry for fear of leaving behind tiny fibers.
As expected, although he wasn't entirely satisfied, the child happily finished a bowl of rice and even ate all the vegetables and quite a bit of meat, mainly because he was really hungry. In the afternoon, Li Yan didn't go to work but instead checked on the items he had purchased recently in his space. To his surprise, it was almost like a small supermarket.
The water and soil in his space were fundamentally different from those outside. Li Yan thought it might be because this place had never been polluted, and being a spiritual land made it incomparable to the outside world.
After lunch, Li Ming's little friend excitedly took his special water bottle to water the flowers, bringing along his Winnie the Pooh for company. Li Yan shook his head with a smile and tried calling Zhou Miao. Since their last conversation, he hadn't been able to get through again. The call still indicated that the user was out of service area. Li Yan no longer doubted Zhou Miao's words.
Although Zhou Miao often spoke in a disorganized manner, he had never gone this long without contact. The only explanation was that when he called before, it had been an urgent situation, so he could only convey some critical information in a few short minutes.
Moreover, as Li Yan spent more time in his space, his sensitivity heightened. Recently, he had felt an unsettling presence in the air that seemed to be changing rapidly; he couldn't quite put his finger on it but sensed that something was about to happen.
"Brother, the flowers are dead," Li Ming's little cat slippers echoed as he rushed over. "Brother!"
Li Yan followed Li Ming into the glass greenhouse and saw that all the flowers inside were indeed wilted as Li Ming had said. The greenhouse had always been cared for by Li Ming; this child was very diligent about watering them daily without fail.
How could this happen? These flowers were specifically chosen by Li Yan for their hardiness. They were nourished with quality fertilizer; under normal circumstances, they shouldn't have died unless there was a major disaster. Now all these flowers had withered away, clearly sunburned. Li Ming bit his lip and squatted in front of the flowerbed, curiously touching them.
The temperature inside the greenhouse was quite high; although Li Yan's physique had improved significantly, he still found it unbearable after staying there for too long. Squinting at the flowers lost in thought, he suddenly realized that living on the top floor made them most susceptible to sunlight. They had chosen this place for its abundant sunlight and good air quality; however, if this weather continued, it could turn into a disaster. In case of an earthquake or any other emergency, those living on the top floor would be at greater risk.
"Brother, why did the flowers die?" Li Ming didn't understand; he had watered them! Although they seemed lethargic yesterday, could they be sick too? Just like that sick old lady?
"Minmin, since Xiaohua is getting older, how about I buy you some new flowers?" Li Yan gently patted Li Ming's little head. It had only been a short while, and the child's face was already flushed with sweat.
In truth, if one were to say that Mingming relied on him, it would be more accurate to say that he viewed Mingming as his life's goal and support. Without this support, he feared he would lose motivation himself.
"Brother, you're lying." Li Ming sighed. He wanted to pat Li Yan's head too, but the child was only 1.72 meters tall while Li Yan was already 1.81 meters. Although height wasn't an issue, there was still a noticeable difference. Li Ming stood on his tiptoes and patted Li Yan's spirited soldier-like head, subtly saying, "Brother, you're actually not stupid."
"Huh?" Li Yan was momentarily taken aback.
"Brother, flowers don't age. Flowers need water and nutrients; without them, they will wilt and die. Brother, you lack education." Li Ming shook his head and went inside with a small water bottle; the child was feeling uncomfortable in the heat.
Li Yan stood frozen with a stiff expression. Had he just been looked down upon by Mingming? Had he just been scorned by a child? It was hard for Li Yan to accept; after all, he was a graduate from B University with a degree in finance—quite educated indeed.
A week passed, during which there were two power outages. Each time, Li Yan kept Li Ming in the space. Li Ming had been raised with care; although he had suffered some hardships in childhood, now that he was grown up, Li Yan cherished him dearly.
As the weather grew hotter, there were fewer people or cars on the streets. Aside from buses that still appeared at scheduled times every day, people were hiding indoors or in supermarkets and malls equipped with air conditioning to escape the heat. The television constantly broadcast emergency measures for heatstroke prevention; yet even so, the mortality rate continued to rise. Panic spread everywhere; some even conducted experiments by cracking an egg on the road, only to find it cooked after just a few seconds. This video went viral online and became known as "Egg Gate."
Li Ming emerged from the space drenched in sweat; Li Yan could only set the air conditioning to 23 degrees Celsius. Before long, the glass in their home became foggy due to the significant temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. Li Yan even heard the glass creaking and worried it might shatter under such pressure.
He took out his computer to check online forums buzzing with activity; it was so hot that just stepping outside for a moment could result in sunburn. Many companies had closed for the day, making computers a common consumer item.
The forums were filled with posts about apocalyptic scenarios; some even compiled tables of past earthquakes, tsunamis, and nuclear radiation incidents. After flipping through a few pages, Li Yan stopped reading; this information would likely be deleted by the government soon enough. He also checked major websites like Tencent and Sina, which reported water shortages across various regions. Many crops had died due to lack of irrigation, and droughts had caused land to crack open—photos that sent chills down one's spine.
Li Yan could almost foresee that if this continued, not only rural areas but urban drinking water supplies would also become strained. He wasn't particularly worried about water shortages; the pond in his space would be sufficient for both him and Li Ming's needs. Moreover, since the space was fertile land where anything grew quickly, even rice had already borne fruit—harvest time wouldn't be far off.
Sure enough, a month later, the water shortage triggered panic throughout the city. Supermarkets ran out of bottled water and beverages. The price of mineral water that used to cost 1.5 yuan per bottle skyrocketed to 5 yuan per bottle. Although the government repeatedly assured that they would resolve the issue, reports of droughts from various places made people increasingly frantic. Protests erupted against supermarkets for their high prices; yet every day long lines formed as people queued for water—an unfortunate and anxious situation during these extraordinary times.
Standing in line for water under such conditions was tough; those inside the supermarket could enjoy air conditioning while those outside suffered in the heat. Consequently, what began as elderly individuals queuing quickly became dominated by younger people. The supermarket had no choice but to limit purchases to five bottles per person. This regulation dissatisfied many customers; however, this time the supermarket maintained a firm stance: if you don't want to buy? Please leave.
When Li Yan and Li Ming went downstairs, they saw many people bringing in water. Tian Xin was wearing high heels that were at least eight centimeters tall, her face adorned with delicate nude makeup, and she strutted in wearing a pink dress, completely devoid of the weariness from that day. Behind her was a man who looked like a second-generation heir, followed by a middle-aged man who was panting while carrying two buckets of water. The heat made his face appear quite pale.
"Hurry up, damn it! I didn't pay for you to just carry water around," the second-generation heir shouted rudely. When he turned to look at Tian Xin, his demeanor became much more flattering. "Xin Xin, drink these two bottles first. Let me know when they're finished, and I'll bring you more right away."
"Okay." Tian Xin seemed impatient, walking particularly fast despite her high heels. Li Ming tilted his head to look at her heels and tugged at Li Yan's arm.
"What's wrong?" Li Yan lowered his body slightly; every time the child wanted to whisper something, they would first tug at his sleeve and then place their small hand by their mouth, making an expression as if it were a secret.
"Brother, will Sister Tian Xin fall because she's wearing such high heels?" The child was very curious.
"No, sisters are women." And women are magical beings; just like Eva, they have a special obsession with high heels.
Clearly, Li Ming misunderstood; it seemed that women were all skilled martial artists.
Due to ongoing power outages in the industrial area, many companies went bankrupt, leading to a significant drop in the stock market. The financial market experienced unprecedented chaos, forcing the government to intervene and allow some factories to resume operations. However, this did not address the root problem. The only thing the government could do was encourage everyone to remain calm and assure them that they would resolve any issues.
The protesting crowd grew larger as power shortages led to massive layoffs; unemployment meant no money, and no money meant an inability to sustain life. This created a vicious cycle. It wasn't until October when the weather gradually cooled down that electricity finally returned, allowing Li Yan's company to survive the winter of the business world.
Li Yan's company had also suffered due to the power outages but had not reached the point of bankruptcy compared to other industries. He adjusted the overall direction of work and significantly reduced order quantities. Until stability was confirmed, he still dared not make any major moves.
But just as everyone joyfully celebrated being able to drink water freely, real disaster was creeping closer step by step. While there were no signs of trouble domestically, an infectious disease was slowly spreading internationally.
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