Chapter 3

In the coffee shop on Linshui Street, Yuan Chenfei sat by the window, with Liu Li sitting opposite him.

"Hey, why are you being so nice today, inviting me for afternoon tea?" Liu Li asked, while eating a strawberry sundae.

Yuan Chenfei looked out the window, from where he could see the street opposite, where a local bank was in operation.

Liu Li's question pulled him back from his distant thoughts.

He thought for a moment and said, "Do you think it's possible for people to predict the future?"

"Sure," the girl replied casually, "isn't that what they always say in movies and TV shows?"

"I'm not talking about movies and TV shows, I'm talking about reality," Yuan Chenfei said.

The girl laughed out loud and then looked at Yuan Chenfei, "I don't know if people can predict the future, but I know what I would do if I could."

"What would you do?"

"Do I need to ask? Of course, I'd buy stocks to make quick money, then invest wildly, find the best opportunities to get rich, make everyone work for me, and finally become the most awesome person in the world!" Liu Li said excitedly.

This answer was not surprising, or rather, it would be surprising if it were different.

"What if the future you know is a mess, with no order, and a new world arises, and in that world, you are destined to be poor and miserable, and ultimately die a terrible death?" Yuan Chenfei asked again.

"… Is it that bad?" Liu Li was dejected.

Yuan Chenfei nodded lightly.

"Okay, if that's the case… then I'll try to change it. The future isn't set in stone, and as a young man with aspirations, I can't easily bow to fate!" Liu Li said firmly.

Yuan Chenfei smiled, "I didn't know you were such an ambitious young man."

Liu Li stuck out her tongue and laughed, "I was just saying. But if I really faced that situation, I might not be able to hold on, and might end up like Liu Yang, committing suicide. Hey, why are you asking me this? You're not influenced by Liu Yang, believing that a big change is coming, are you?"

"Just a casual question, trying to understand the patient's mindset."

"Whatever, so this is why you invited me for tea?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"It's nothing, just a bit disappointing. I thought you were interested in me and wanted to date me. Too bad, I was already prepared." Liu Li was dejected.

Seeing that Yuan Chenfei was unmoved, she leaned in and said with a playful smile, "Hey, really not interested in me? I can cook and clean, you know."

Liu Li was young and liked to joke with Yuan Chenfei.

They had joked like this more than once.

But Yuan Chenfei knew that sometimes Liu Li's jokes were more than just jokes.

So he replied, "Sorry, you know me, I always stick to my principle of no dating, just hookups."

"Who said I wanted to date you? Dream on." Liu Li pouted.

Yuan Chenfei looked down at his watch.

He muttered, "It's almost time."

"What's almost time?"

Yuan Chenfei didn't answer, just continued to look at the bank across the street.

The seconds on his watch ticked by.

Finally, it was three o'clock.

Yuan Chenfei's heart suddenly tightened.

But the street was quiet, and nothing happened.

He waited, time passing slowly.

Everything remained calm.

Yuan Chenfei checked the time again; it was already 3:07.

He felt much calmer.

He withdrew his gaze and smiled, "After dealing with so many patients, one's own mind can sometimes be affected. Sometimes, even the ramblings of patients can be believed…"

Before he finished speaking, there was a loud bang.

He turned around and saw three masked men rushing out of the bank, jumping into a van at the corner and fleeing.

"Ah, it's a bank robbery!" Liu Li didn't seem scared, but rather excited.

She turned to look at Yuan Chenfei.

He was sitting there, frozen, drenched in sweat.

On the way back, Yuan Chenfei was somewhat distracted.

It was real!

All of this was actually real!

Liu Yang had really predicted what was to come.

The car accident, the robbery, everything was recorded in his notebook and verified.

And if he continued to follow it…

Thinking about the contents of the notebook, Yuan Chenfei felt a wave of dizziness.

He had to find a place to sit down.

He needed time to process this information.

He also needed time to think quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, Yuan Chenfei finally came out of his thoughts.

He looked outside.

The sun was still bright, and the streets were still bustling.

But Yuan Chenfei knew that this wouldn't last much longer.

He checked the time.

Three more days!

In three days, everything would change!

There was no time to waste.

Yuan Chenfei calmed himself.

It had been over a day since he got the notebook.

The past day had been spent verifying Liu Yang's predictions and processing the explosive information.

It had also been a very wasteful and regrettable day!

Yuan Chenfei had never felt as much regret over wasted time as he did now.

He quickly returned to the clinic. Liu Li was already at work. Seeing Yuan Chenfei, she was about to speak, but he said, "Cancel all appointments for the next three days."

"Ah?" Liu Li was taken aback, but before she could ask, Yuan Chenfei quickly entered his office and slammed the door shut.

"What's going on?" Liu Li pouted but quickly followed his instructions.

In the office, Yuan Chenfei turned on his computer and started typing rapidly.

He was making a plan.

He had to consider all possibilities in as short a time as possible and prepare accordingly.

This was a big challenge, as he was facing a global upheaval.

In this upheaval, everyone was like ants.

Yuan Chenfei knew he couldn't change anything, but he had to prepare as much as possible for himself.

Three days, not enough!

Yuan Chenfei sighed, thinking and writing his plan quickly.

Then he started making phone calls: "Is this Mr. Biao? Yes, I need a loan, I need 1.5 million… Yes, I have a house in the city worth 1.8 million, which can be used as collateral, all documents are complete. No, I only need it for a week, and I need the money tomorrow… Only 900,000? 1 million, can you do that, it's urgent… Interest is no problem, just for a week. Okay, I'll come tomorrow."

The first thing Yuan Chenfei did was to get some money.

As a psychologist, Yuan Chenfei had a good income and wasn't short of money. However, his work history was short, and his savings were limited. Most importantly, his plan required as much money as possible, so he had to mortgage his house. He turned to a high-interest loan, not a bank, because the bank's procedures were too complex and couldn't be completed in three days.

Because he had collateral and all the necessary documents, the lender agreed to give him the money after seeing the house and documents the next day.

After getting the money, he started spending it.

Yuan Chenfei began making phone calls.

"Is this Mr. Qin? I heard your chicken farm is for sale? Yes, I'm interested… Tomorrow is fine… I can pay a deposit now and the full amount in three days… Not possible? Okay, I'll pay half now, I understand, just three days… Thank you."

"Miss Li? Do you have rabbits for sale? Yes, I need a batch… Can I pay the full amount in three days… I'm short on funds… Thank you…"

"Mr. He? I need some medicine… Must pay in full… Okay, please deliver it tomorrow afternoon…"

One by one, he made calls, and in no time, he had rented or bought a large amount of supplies.

For everything that could be paid for in three days, Yuan Chenfei tried to delay payment as much as possible.

First, to reduce financial pressure, and second, subconsciously, he still wasn't sure if the events would happen.

If the upheaval didn't happen in three days, Yuan Chenfei could still choose to return the items.

Although there would be some loss, at least he wouldn't lose everything.

This was Yuan Chenfei's principle: always leave a way out.

Yuan Chenfei had also considered whether to tell others about Liu Yang.

But in the end, he realized there was no need to agonize over it.

Because if he told others, there were only two possible outcomes.

One, they wouldn't believe him.

Two, they would believe him.

If the public didn't believe him, it would be a waste of time to tell them.

If they did believe him, the consequences could be worse.

Because if Liu Yang was right, whether humans knew in advance didn't matter; it wouldn't help much, and it could cause panic and a man-made disaster.

Additionally, there was a third possibility: people believed him, but the upheaval didn't happen.

The consequences would be even more severe—spreading rumors and causing serious consequences could lead to imprisonment, and Yuan Chenfei would end up in jail.

Realizing this, he decided not to tell anyone.

Of course, it was still necessary to give appropriate warnings to people close to him.

But thinking about it, there was no one close to him worth warning.

Yuan Chenfei's mother died when he was eight, and his father was a scoundrel who sent him to live with his grandmother shortly after his mother's death, while he lived a carefree life. His grandmother raised him until he went to university. In his third year of university, his father was beaten into a coma in a bar over a woman and has been in a vegetative state ever since.

His family had little contact with him, neither helping nor harming him.

Their relationship was as cold as water.

So, although he wasn't an orphan, he lived like one. In this situation, there was no need to warn anyone and create more competitors.

After making dozens of calls and ordering a large amount of supplies, Yuan Chenfei left the office.

Seeing Liu Li, he said, "Liu Li, you're on leave for the next three days, no need to come to work."

"Why?" Liu Li guessed something was up, otherwise, Yuan Chenfei wouldn't have canceled all the appointments.

Yuan Chenfei thought for a moment and said, "If I told you that what Liu Yang said wasn't a nightmare but a reality that's about to happen, what would you think?"

"You'd be crazy."

"So you wouldn't believe me, right?"

Liu Li shook her head.

"What if I told you I believe it?" Yuan Chenfei said.

Liu Li was startled, "Are you okay?"

Seeing her reaction, Yuan Chenfei smiled and patted Liu Li's shoulder, "I'm fine. But I still hope you'll listen to me and stock up on some medicine at home."

"Whatever, why do I need to do that? If the end of the world comes, I'd rather stock up on food and water."

Yuan Chenfei replied seriously, "First, it's not the end of the world, but a global upheaval. Second, you didn't carefully read his medical records. According to his memories, if that day comes, food and water won't be a problem. Resources will be abundant, not scarce."