According to the development of the dream, there would be a heavy rain the next day. This rainstorm would last for three months. Time was running out and I had to prepare quickly.

As Rachel said, my family was well off. When I was admitted to the university in Andalusia, my father bought me a house in a community near the school as a reward. This was a fully decorated house, on the top floor, the 35th floor. It was perfect for resisting continuous rainfall. No matter how heavy the rain was in three months, it was impossible to flood the 35th floor, right?

I immediately took a taxi to the supermarket and started my material procurement plan. I tipped the driver and asked him to help me move things from the supermarket. According to my calculations, I bought, including but not limited to, the following items:

2 boxes of compressed biscuits

2 boxes of canned beef

2 boxes of canned chicken

10 boxes of mineral water

Various kitchen seasonings

10 grams of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables

50 boxes of paper towels

5 boxes of sanitary napkins

200 grams of rice

2 boxes of instant noodles

20 grams of air-dried vegetarian food

20 grams of bacon

20 pieces of various snacks

20 boxes of physiological saline

20 boxes of milk

2 knifes

10 flashlights

Various daily life essential internal medicines and external first aid medicines

To avoid attracting attention, I did not purchase these materials all at once but divided them into several batches and slowly transported them to the top floor apartment. After finishing all this, it was already dark.

I sat on the sofa, thinking carefully whether there was anything I had left behind. After a long consideration, I ordered some self-heating instant food on my mobile phone: snail noodles, potato noodles, hot and sour noodles, spicy hot pot—everything I liked. I also ordered a bunch of power banks, which I fully charged.

To pass the time, I downloaded a bunch of TV series, movies and novels on my mobile phone. Since I had drowned a few days after the heavy rain in my previous life, I didn’t know whether such heavy rainfall would affect electricity and the Internet later. In short, I decided to be prepared, just in case.

My father had been worried about me being alone in another city, so he had paid special attention to security when buying the house for me. The apartment complex had good security measures, which reassured me as I prepared for the coming storm.

The security of this community was excellent. The windows were reinforced with thickened anti-theft glass and the doors were specially designed to be impenetrable. Unless someone opened the door from the inside, it was impossible to break in from the outside by force. Of course, if someone decided to use a Gatling gun to blast it open, that would be a different story.

After a while of busy work, it grew dark outside the window. I turned on the TV and tuned to the news channel. Various news reports played, but there was no mention of the impending rainstorm. This wasn't surprising. The rainstorm would come suddenly and mysteriously. Today was a cloudless day and tomorrow should be sunny as well, according to the forecast.

A message suddenly popped up from the group chat created by Harry, Rachel and me.

[Rosie, Harry just called me and reminded me that you have a birthday tomorrow.]

[Wait for me, I must make you a big cake tomorrow.]

Reading these words, exactly the same as in my previous life, made me feel uneasy. I decided not to reply. Instead, I filled the bathtub with water and took a long, relaxing hot bath.

Since I started living with Harry, I hadn't been able to enjoy such a luxurious bath. I usually just rinsed off quickly with the showerhead. Whenever I took a long time, Harry would knock on the bathroom door, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying, "Rosie, I want to come in and take a bath with you!"

Today, I indulged myself, rubbing my body inside and out, enjoying the warmth and relaxation. As soon as I finished blow-drying my hair, Harry called me.

"Rosie, it's so late. Where are you? Why haven't you come back yet?" he asked, his voice muffled and a little unreal.

I was stunned and almost forgot about it. My mind raced for an excuse.

"Oh, my mother said she missed me, so I quickly bought a ticket to go home and accompany her," I replied, trying to sound casual.

Harry's voice came through the microphone, still sounding a bit distant. "Is that so? Then you should accompany my mother-in-law well!"

"You didn't tell me in advance, little rascal, I'm going to beat you up!" Harry's playful voice came through the phone.

His jokes had always been light-hearted and amusing, but tonight, they sent a shiver down my spine. I felt goosebumps spread across my skin. I managed to offer a few perfunctory responses before hanging up. The rest of the evening passed in silence, the kind of silence that felt heavier than usual.

What puzzled me was Rachel's sudden quietness. Normally, when Harry and I were together, Rachel would be constantly messaging me, her notifications ringing in rapid succession: ding-dong-dong. But tonight, there was nothing. It was as if she had disappeared from the digital world altogether.

Could it be that Rachel was with Harry right now? Were they preoccupied with each other?

The thought shocked me and I quickly shook my head, trying to dispel the troubling notion. I reminded myself that it was none of my business and forced myself to focus on my preparations for the impending storm.

I was jolted awake by a thunderous sound. When I opened my eyes, it was already raining heavily outside the window. It wasn’t a dream; the storm had begun.

I reached for my phone and checked the time. I had stayed up all night watching a TV series and now it was dark again. My phone was flooded with more than 50 missed calls, which made me click my tongue in surprise. Luckily, I had set my phone to silent mode.

A notification from the property group caught my eye:

Dear owners, the Meteorological Bureau has issued a red warning for heavy rain. Please close the doors and windows and do not go out unless there are special circumstances to avoid unnecessary trouble. Thank you for your cooperation!

The message continued with additional details:

Red rainstorm standard: Rainfall will reach more than 100 mm within 3 hours, or has already exceeded 100 mm and may continue.

In the group chat with Harry and Rachel, there were a flurry of messages:

Rachel: [Rosie, where are you?]

Rachel: [Didn't we say we would celebrate your birthday today?]

Harry: [Rosie told me yesterday that she went home to accompany her mother. Could it be that she hasn't come back yet?]

Rachel: [It looks so delicious! @Rosie]

Harry: [@Rosie]

Harry: [@Rosie]

Harry had also posted a photo of a full table of dishes in the group.

As I looked at the photo, I noticed that almost all the dishes were Rachel’s favorites. Rachel didn’t eat spicy food, but I loved it. I almost couldn’t live without chili. Yet, there wasn’t a single spicy dish on the table, which made the spread look rather bland to me.

It hit me that this was exactly how things had been in my previous life. I barely touched the food because it didn’t suit my taste. I had consoled myself then, thinking that Harry was catering to Rachel’s preferences as a guest and had ended up drinking too much, retreating to my room in a drunken haze.

I reminded myself that Harry’s intention was likely to make Rachel feel special. But as I watched the rain pour down and the storm rage on, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were eerily similar to before.

Rachel: [Your friend poked you.]

Rachel: [Your friend poked you.]

Rachel: [Your friend poked you.]

Rachel: [Rosie, reply, if you don't reply, we will call the police @Rosie!]

The message from Rachel, sent just two minutes ago, shocked me. The thought of wasting police resources and the possibility of being exposed made me anxious.

I quickly typed a response.

[Oh, oh, I’m here. I watched drama all night and just woke up. Sorry for making you worry]

[I’m still at my mother’s house. It’s raining too hard now and she won’t let me go home. Don’t waste this table of food. Eat it. I’ll treat you to a big meal later to make up for it.]

Harry and Rachel’s responses came almost immediately.

Rachel: [Okay, Rosie, then we won’t call the police.]

Harry: [Hey, there’s also cake. You’re out of luck.]

Harry: [Just kidding. I’ll make it up to you when you come back.]

I sneered and tossed my phone aside.

The news broadcast crackled to life.

“According to experts' predictions, this heavy rain will last for about three months. Please pay attention to safety, go out less during heavy rain and protect your personal and property safety.”

I got up and opened the curtains. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled outside. The rain hammered against the window like stones, making it tremble under the force. The sight was both mesmerizing and nerve-wracking.

I peered carefully outside. Water vapor covered the window and due to the height of the 35th floor, visibility was limited. I could only vaguely make out that the ground seemed to be clear of water. It appeared that the city’s sewer system hadn’t been overwhelmed yet.

I left the curtains open and turned on the lights. The power system was still operational.

Sitting on the sofa, I listened to the relentless rain and looked at the piles of supplies in the utility room. A sense of security washed over me, knowing I was prepared. The contrast between now and the past was stark.

Suddenly, my stomach rumbled, reminding me that I had been so focused on preparing for the storm that I hadn’t eaten.

I hadn't eaten for almost a day. Feeling the rumbling in my stomach, I got up, went to the utility room and retrieved a box of self-heating snail noodles. I carefully poured water into the container and set it aside to cook.

As the noodles heated, I grabbed a comfortable spot on the sofa and turned on the TV to continue watching the series I had been engrossed in. The simplicity of the meal, combined with the fact that I didn’t have to wash any dishes afterward, made the experience oddly comforting. It was a small pleasure amidst the chaos and for a moment, I almost forgot about the storm raging outside.

Just as I was finishing my meal, another message popped up in the group chat.

Harry: [Rosie, it’s raining too hard. You have to be careful and don’t go out if it’s not necessary. Don’t rush back; safety is the most important. @Rosie, take care of yourself.]

Rachel: [Rosie, it’s raining so hard, I can’t leave tonight. I’ll stay in your love nest first. Don’t worry, we won’t do anything.]

Rachel had even added a smiley face with her mouth covered.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration. Why was she trying to cover up her actions so blatantly? It was already late into the night and the situation seemed more complex than she was letting on. I decided not to reply and instead focused on savoring the last bites of my snail noodles.

As I finished my meal and began cleaning up, I glanced outside the window. The storm had intensified since I started eating. The ground below was already covered with water and the street lights cast an eerie glow over the rising flood. A few pedestrians were still out, braving the storm.

I grabbed the telescope I had bought the day before and set it up by the window. Through the lens, I saw a man struggling through the water, which had already reached his ankles. He was holding an umbrella and carrying a bag of food, clearly fighting against the storm’s fury.

I frowned, realizing that in such severe weather, an umbrella was virtually useless. It could easily be blown away or collapse under the relentless wind. As I watched, the man stumbled and fell, his head dipping into the rising water. For a moment, he lay motionless and my heart tightened with fear. If the storm was already causing such difficulties, how much worse would it get?

Fortunately, the man managed to get back on his feet, albeit with great effort and continued to trudge forward, carrying his supplies. I let out a sigh of relief and stepped away from the window, feeling a mixture of concern and gratitude for his perseverance.