Chapter 199: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (4)

The garden in front of the villa was spacious, and the flowers, plants, and trees were lush and vibrant under the care of professional gardeners. Even in the sweltering heat of summer, their beauty remained undiminished.

A gentle breeze swept through, bringing a hint of coolness to the hot season.

Both of them narrowed their eyes in comfort, looking perfectly in sync.

If no one said otherwise, anyone who saw them might think they were an old married couple who had been together for over a decade. How else could they be so in tune with each other?

Su Mingyue took in the floral fragrance wafting through the courtyard and asked, trying to sound calm, “Why are you home so early today? Are you still going to be as busy as before?”

So busy he barely had time for her. So busy that in the two months since their wedding, he could count on one hand the number of times he’d come home.

She had often wondered over the past two months whether this marriage had been a mistake.

Why was she so unhappy after getting married?

It was almost laughable—since the wedding, they had been sleeping in separate rooms. How was she any different from a widow?

If Shen Xiuyan didn’t love her anymore, he shouldn’t have married her in the first place.

Now that he had, they were even more distant than before…

The man standing before Su Mingyue at this moment was Shen Xiuyan, not the original version.

He immediately noticed her low spirits and quickly shook his head to reassure her. “No, I won’t be that busy anymore. Nothing is more important than being with you.”

Su Mingyue suddenly looked up, surprised, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she’d just heard.

“Really?”

“Really!”

Su Mingyue didn’t know what had caused this change in him, but she still smiled with satisfaction, her eyes narrowing in delight.

“That’s wonderful.”

Shen Xiuyan sighed inwardly. A beautiful and kind-hearted fairy like her was so easy to please.

Seeing that she was in a much better mood, he rubbed his fingers together nervously and asked, a little embarrassed, “So, um, Mingyue… how much money do you have left?”

“Hmm?” Su Mingyue’s eyes widened slightly as she stared at him in disbelief, as if seeing him clearly for the first time.

So that was it. No wonder Shen Xiuyan was acting so differently today.

His change in behavior was all to butter her up—for money.

It had all been calculated.

Su Mingyue’s heart turned cold. She realized she needed to cut her losses while she still could. She might be sweet and naive, but she wasn’t stupid. She couldn’t spend her life with someone who didn’t love her.

Shen Xiuyan noticed the obvious change in her expression and grew a little nervous. He had no idea that the warm, affectionate wife he had just won over was already slipping through his fingers.

Fortunately, he still had his mouth. As soon as he saw her face darken, he rushed to explain, his words tumbling out in a stream of flattery.

“Let me explain. It’s not what you think. Please don’t be mad. If you get upset and make yourself sick, what am I supposed to do?”

He scratched his head awkwardly as he spoke, grinning sheepishly. He knew that bringing up money in that moment had been a terrible mistake.

It made it seem like he was only willing to spend time with her because he wanted her money.

But the Apocalypse was just around the corner. There was no time left for romance.

Instead of wasting time on sweet nothings, it was better to take action now.

Stockpiling supplies was the key.

Only by surviving could they have time later to enjoy each other’s company.

His intentions were good—practical and necessary—but seeing Su Mingyue so clearly hurt made him want to slap himself.

He should have phrased it more gently. Or waited until tomorrow. Anything but ruining the mood like this.

But Su Mingyue clearly didn’t want to hear his explanation. She pulled her hand away and turned to leave.

Shen Xiuyan panicked. If they didn’t talk this out, he was definitely going to lose his wife.

He gritted his teeth, grabbed her hand, and led her toward a more secluded spot.

“Come with me. I need to tell you something. I know it sounds crazy, but please, you have to believe me.”

Seeing how determined he was, Su Mingyue let out a long sigh.

Fine. Let him say his piece.

After all, their two-month marriage was already on the verge of collapse.

If he didn’t speak now, he might never get the chance again.

Under the shade of a quiet tree, the light was dim. Cicadas chirped incessantly from the branches above, their calls blending with the rustling of the leaves in the stifling heat, creating an atmosphere of oppressive irritation.

Su Mingyue pressed her lips together, waiting for Shen Xiuyan’s final words.

He took a deep breath and said, “What I’m about to say might sound insane, but it’s all true!”

“In a couple of days, the world is going to end. People will start turning into zombies. Anyone bitten or scratched by them will mutate too. So, to stay safe, we need to start stockpiling supplies now to make sure we can survive the Apocalypse.”

“That’s why I asked how much money you have. I wanted to use it to buy supplies. Please don’t be mad. We don’t have much time left. We need to start planning what we need to buy right away.”

Su Mingyue: “…”

A strange silence fell over the garden. Maybe Shen Xiuyan’s words were so outrageous that even the cicadas on the tree stopped chirping.

Su Mingyue no longer suspected he was trying to scam her for money.

Now she wondered if he had gone insane.

She took a few steps forward unconsciously and reached out to touch his forehead. “Do you have a fever?”

Otherwise, why would he be spouting such nonsense?

But the temperature under her hand told her he didn’t have a fever.

Then… was he really mentally ill?

Could it be the stress of work over the past two months had pushed him over the edge?

He was clearly under so much pressure, and she hadn’t noticed at all. She’d even been thinking about divorcing him…

Ugh, she really wasn’t a good wife.

Su Mingyue quickly grabbed both of Shen Xiuyan’s hands. “Come on, let’s go.”

Shen Xiuyan looked confused. “Go where?”

He was trying to talk about something serious here.

Su Mingyue’s eyes welled up with tears. “To the hospital. Don’t be afraid. If you’re sick, we’ll treat it. I’ll stay by your side.”

Shen Xiuyan: “…”

She really thought he was mentally ill.

Okay, sure, what he said did sound crazy. But what about basic trust between people?

Couldn’t she believe him just a little?

Fine. It really was a lot to take in…

If someone had come up to him on a normal day and said the world would end the day after tomorrow, he probably would’ve helpfully called a psychiatric hospital on their behalf—just to prevent them from doing something dangerous.

Shen Xiuyan sighed and gave a bitter smile as he held onto Su Mingyue’s hand. “No need to go to the hospital. I can prove to you that everything I said is true.”

Su Mingyue looked a little lost. “Prove? Prove what?”

Shen Xiuyan snapped his fingers, and a small flame slowly rose from the palm of his hand.

“Gasp—” Su Mingyue covered her mouth in disbelief, then examined his hand from top to bottom, but couldn’t find any trick.

Still, she didn’t believe it was real. Instead, she mumbled, “When did you learn to do magic tricks?”

Shen Xiuyan: “…”

She really didn’t want to accept reality, did she?