Sweeping Natural Disasters (席卷天灾)

Chapter 1

"If you're not coming home, I'll jump off!"

In the hotel corridor, Shao Sheng'an looked bewilderedly at the disconnected phone. The voice of his wife threatening to jump off still seemed to echo in his ears.

What's going on?

Last night, before his wife went to bed, she even video-called him, laughing and chatting. She mentioned going shopping with friends today to buy wedding supplies and insisted on getting enough rest to have energy for shopping. There was a time difference; he was already working in Country A while his wife cheered him on for work, hoping he'd soon finalize the contract and come home.

How come, within nine hours, his wife, after a night's sleep, demanded him to return home and threatened to jump off the roof he didn't? Shao Sheng'an couldn't comprehend. How could he take leave now? He had traveled to Country A for a crucial meeting scheduled for tomorrow. If the meeting went well, the contract could be sealed, and he'd earn at least two hundred thousand as a bonus. With that money, they could finally gather the down payment for the school district house they both desired. With the school district house, Qingqing could finally feel at ease to conceive. She loved children so much, her eyes would light up every time she saw the kids in the neighborhood...

Buzz, his phone vibrated. He checked it, and his face turned pale. Less than a minute after hanging up the phone, his wife sent a video – she was standing on the balcony looking down.

The camera shifted from below to his wife's face. Her eyes were swollen, looking into the camera, she hoarsely said, "Shao Sheng'an, if I don't see a photo of your ticket booked to come home within five minutes, I'll jump off immediately. I won't live. Don't think about calling the police. If I see a fire truck, I'll jump instantly. You know I never lie. I do what I say."

The video ended, and Shao Sheng'an's legs went weak; he had to brace himself against the wall to stand.

"Shao Sheng'an, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" His colleague pushed the door open. "Your complexion looks terrible, are you okay?"

Shao Sheng'an's mind was filled with his wife's resolute face. He believed that if he didn't do as she said, she would really jump off!

He pushed past his colleague, took a few steps, and collapsed to the ground. He didn't even try to get up; he sat there, immediately using his phone to book a ticket. His fingers trembled, typing errors occurred. He took a deep breath and re-entered: Yuecheng. There were no direct flights from Country A to his home in Huacheng; he had to stop at Yuecheng and take other means of transportation.

The nearest flight was at 10 p.m. local time. Without hesitation, he booked the ticket and paid for it. Then, he screenshotted it and sent it to his wife, calling her immediately.

"Sheng'an, why are you buying a plane ticket? The work here isn't finished yet," his colleague expressed great confusion.

Ignoring his colleague, Shao Sheng'an anxiously waited for the call to connect.

The phone was already in a call.

He called again; still in a call.

Until the third call, the phone finally connected.

"Hey Qingqing, I've booked the ticket for tonight at 10 o'clock, it's noon in our country, did you see it?"

"I saw it. I want to see a photo of you sitting on the plane. Otherwise, I'll jump off. I'm busy now."

Shao Sheng'an didn't have time to ask more questions; the call was abruptly disconnected. But he heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't know what caused this sudden change, but he knew the crisis had temporarily passed. Now, all he needed to do was rush back home as quickly as possible.