Watching her available funds steadily decrease, she organized and utilized her storage space by category.
One grid was dedicated to rice and flour; even after packing in hundreds of thousands of pounds, it still wasn't full.
The same went for all her other miscellaneous items. Fortunately, she had perfect control over the space. With a simple thought, whatever she needed would appear on the empty floor of the hall, making it incredibly convenient to access.
Uncertain about what the future held, she relentlessly ordered takeout day after day.
Through her experiments over the past few days, she discovered that while the space could store objects, living animals couldn't be brought inside at all.
As for bringing in other people, Jin Qianqian wouldn't dare risk trying.
By the time she had gradually stored all these supplies away, her visa to go abroad had been approved.
After paying her respects to her great-aunt's grave, she quickly contacted a local real estate agent and sold the inherited property within days.
With the cash in hand, the only thing left was the most crucial part: weapons. As an ordinary person, she had no access to such things. Her only option was to contact an old classmate living abroad. With his help, she managed to acquire a few handguns and a scattering of bullets from a fellow countryman in the U.S..
To persuade her classmate, she had to play coy and act mysterious, intentionally leading his imagination astray before he finally agreed to help.
It was rare for her to travel abroad, so she couldn't let the trip go to waste. Before her newly acquired cash could even burn a hole in her pocket, she traded it for another massive batch of supplies to enrich her spatial storage.
Using the last bit of her funds to buy a return ticket, Jin Qianqian finally dragged her suitcase onto the plane.
Sitting in her seat with her eyes closed to rest, her heart was already pounding. If the coming days remained peaceful, she figured she'd have to sell her remaining properties back home and open a supermarket. That way, she could slowly accumulate wealth.
Immersing her consciousness into the space, she looked at the fully stocked cabinets and the supplies piled high in the bedroom and living room. A profound sense of security washed over Jin Qianqian.
"Excuse me, my seat is on the inside." A gentle voice broke through her meditation.
The man possessed a tall, straight build, and his handsome, gentle face exuded a steady, aristocratic aura. Long, fine bangs fell over his eyes, complementing his thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a high-bridged nose that gave him a distinctly masculine charm.
Jin Qianqian froze, then hastily stood up. "Senior Gu?"
"Oh, you still remember me? I thought after graduation, you'd forgotten about the rest of us, keeping in touch with no one but that tomboy Li Tian'ai," Gu Wenheng said with a mock-pained expression, lightly flicking her forehead.
Jin Qianqian's right hand clenched tightly by her leg. Pursing her lips, she replied, "Not at all. It's just that everyone got busy after graduation, so we lost touch a bit. Are you heading back, Senior Gu?"
Gu Wenheng was about to speak, but the passengers behind them were already impatiently urging them on. He could only motion for Jin Qianqian to move to the inner seat.
Since it was just the two of them in the row anyway, shifting seats wasn't a problem.
Jin Qianqian scrambled to grab her handbag and phone, shuffling into the inner seat. Once they were both settled, she peeked cautiously at Gu Wenheng.
To her, Senior Gu could only ever be a cherished but unattainable figure hidden in the deepest corner of her heart. The gap between them was simply too wide, and she had never harbored any delusions.
"Haven't you always hidden away in your own little corner? What made you travel abroad this time?" Gu Wenheng asked casually.
Jin Qianqian, however, felt a surge of panic at the question. Senior Gu was not as easy to fool as her other classmate. She gave a simplified explanation about an inheritance left by her great-aunt, saying she had come over to handle it and decided to tour the area while she was at it.
"Is that so? Just a simple tour?"
"I also met up with Li Huanping and bought some small trinkets here."
"And where are those 'trinkets'?" Gu Wenheng suddenly leaned close to her ear and asked in a low voice.
"Don't tell me you already checked them in with your luggage. You know those things wouldn't survive an inspection."
Jin Qianqian's face instantly went deathly pale. She had been careless.
By the time she snapped out of her daze, the plane was already high in the air.
She hadn't even realized when her seatbelt had been fastened.
Turning her head with great difficulty to look at Gu Wenheng, she stammered, "Can I say I... forgot to check them in?"
Gu Wenheng rolled his eyes at her. "With how timid you are, I can't believe you dared to stir up this kind of trouble. Put your mind at ease. Since your senior knows about it, I'll naturally clean up the mess for you.
"I won't ask where you hid the goods or who you gave them to, but something like this can never happen again."
Jin Qianqian shook her head frantically. She had been far too careless this time. She knew well enough to set up smokescreens back in her home country, yet she had stumbled right into a pitfall here.
"Will it really be okay? Will this cause any trouble for you?" Jin Qianqian asked carefully. If she accidentally dragged Senior Gu down with her, the favor she'd owe him would be massive.
Gu Wenheng handed her a cup of warm coffee. "While your senior might not be much, my family still has some deep roots. This matter ends here, and don't bring it up again."
Jin Qianqian looked entirely guilt-stricken. "I've caused trouble for you again, Senior Gu. It seems like I'm always dragging you into my messes."
"Silly girl, only feeling guilty now? Then you should treat your senior better and keep in touch more often."
Jin Qianqian was just about to reply when she suddenly felt the plane jolt violently. The coffee in her hands sloshed out, spilling directly onto both of them.
Before she even had time to apologize, a scent of gardenias rushed over her, and she was pulled protectively into a tight embrace.
"Senior Gu..."
"Be good, don't be afraid. I'm right here."
Jin Qianqian felt her entire body shaking intensely as she tightly gripped both sides of Gu Wenheng's clothes. "What's happening?"
"It seems our luck has run out. We might be meeting our end here," Gu Wenheng said with a bitter smile.
Mustering her courage, Jin Qianqian wrapped her arms around him. Just this once, she would allow herself to be greedy.
***
The blazing sun mercilessly scorched the earth, beating down on an endless expanse of dried, cracked land.
On both sides of the official road, numerous people lay stiffly on the ground, creating a rather startling sight at first glance.
Jin Qianqian felt a profound weakness radiating through her entire body. Her mouth was dry, painful, and filled with grit. Summoning all her strength to open her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of barren, parched soil.
Falling from such a high altitude, it was a miracle she was actually still alive. She remembered that in her final moments, she had tried to bring Senior Gu into her dimension. To her dismay, the space that had always been so easy to access was suddenly sealed off to her.
God was refusing to give her a way out—that had been her final realization before losing consciousness.
Wait, where was Senior Gu? If she had survived, did that mean he had too?
She turned her head with agonizing effort. Right now, she felt so devoid of strength that even lifting a hand was a tremendous struggle.
Yet, all around her, besides the withered grass, there were only scattered bodies lying on the ground.
She wondered if these people had experienced the same plane crash as she did. But surviving a fall from such an extreme altitude with their limbs intact completely defied the laws of physics.
But what on earth were they wearing? Everything was so dull and gray. Couldn't there be a single other color? Did they somehow sink into the mud when they crashed into the ground?