Chapter 22: The Backup is Still Useful
Lin Cainin responded, "Are you stupid? The heavy snow has trapped the city, and we're almost out of food at home."
"This is the perfect time to show your loyalty to Yuqing by bringing over some delicious food."
"If I were you, I'd send over all the good stuff like steak and lobster from home."
"Yuqing would be so touched, and your chances would definitely improve!"
Reading Lin Cainin's message, Zhang Yi could already imagine the gold digger drooling at the thought.
He sneered coldly.
This behavior was no different from begging.
But the ridiculous part was that they wanted to beg while acting like they were doing him a favor.As if Zhang Yi giving them food was them giving him a chance.
Their hypocrisy made Zhang Yi want to slap them hard!
Despicable!
Zhang Yi decided to toy with these two bitches.
He replied, "But I don't have much food left either! Just enough for me."
Lin Cainin frowned and immediately scolded, "Are you out of your mind? How long could the snowstorm last? Starve for a bit and use this chance to win over Yuqing. Isn't that a great deal?"
"If you can't even part with a bit of food, you clearly don't care about Yuqing at all!"
Zhang Yi laughed even harder.
These two women were playing the good cop, bad cop routine, thinking they had it all figured out.
But Zhang Yi, having been reborn, saw through their shameless tactics long ago.
Facing Lin Cainin’s manipulation, he merely replied with a single "Oh," and then tossed his phone aside, ignoring her.
Seeing the "Oh," Lin Cainin was furious.
"Oh? What do you mean by 'Oh'!"
"I've been talking for so long, and this is your attitude?"
"Hurry up and send over the food! I want steak and lobster too!"
Lin Cainin was a glutton. She hadn’t eaten anything good for the past two days and was drooling over Zhang Yi’s feast.
She had planned to use Fang Yuqing’s name to trick Zhang Yi into sending all the good food over.
But things didn’t go as expected.
That single "Oh" nearly made her lose her cool!
Could it be that…he no longer had any interest in Fang Yuqing?
No, no, that’s impossible!
Recalling how diligently Zhang Yi had pursued Fang Yuqing over the past few years, Lin Cainin shook her head.
"He must be having a momentary lapse in judgment!"
Angry, Lin Cainin went to Fang Yuqing and exaggerated the situation.
Of course, she told Fang Yuqing she was only asking Zhang Yi for supplies to help her.
Fang Yuqing’s face remained cold as she replied, "Hmph, who is Zhang Yi? Do I know him? Don’t mention him again!"
For Zhang Yi to regain her favor, he would need to apologize sincerely for the past few days and pay a hefty price for her forgiveness.
Lin Cainin nudged Fang Yuqing, "Zhang Yi doesn't get it, but you have other admirers, don’t you?"
Their neighborhood had several of Zhang Yi's colleagues from the warehouse.
Among them was Zhou Peng, the biggest simp for Fang Yuqing.
Fang Yuqing knew exactly who Lin Cainin was referring to.
She sneered, as Zhou Peng wasn’t even worthy of being her backup.
Though he worked at Walmart, he didn’t even own a house in Tianhai City and was still renting.
Fang Yuqing merely used him for small favors and had no real feelings for him.
Lin Cainin persuaded, "It's so cold outside, and the snow is so heavy. We can't go out to buy anything. Why not use him to help us out?"
Fang Yuqing's gaze shifted, realizing Lin Cainin had a point.
So, she messaged Zhou Peng.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Peng arrived within five minutes, bringing a backpack full of food.
Working at the Walmart warehouse, he often took discounted items home, so he had some stockpiled.
A single message from Fang Yuqing had him eagerly delivering the best items.
Zhou Peng pounded his chest, "Yuqing, just tell me what you need. You know I'd do anything for you!"
Fang Yuqing rarely smiled at him but did this time.
"Thank you, Zhou Peng! You're so sweet!"
A few sweet words, and she sent Zhou Peng off.
Back inside, her demeanor changed instantly.
"Hmph, Do you think you stand a chance with me? Maybe in your next life!"
...
In the entire building, the atmosphere was growing tense.
Despite running the air conditioners constantly, the indoor temperature remained below freezing.
Residents in Tianhai City were not used to such extreme cold.
Additionally, they didn’t have the habit of stockpiling supplies. Two days of being snowed in they had nearly emptied their fridges.
Although Aunt Lin kept saying everything would be fine and the snowstorm would soon pass, people were starting to have doubts.
Zhang Yi, however, was quite content observing everything.
In this apocalypse, he was well-prepared and living more comfortably than before it began.
He watched the chaos outside like a detached observer.
After Zhang Yi had taught Chen Zhenghao and his henchmen a lesson, they hadn’t returned to bother him.
They knew Zhang Yi's home was well-fortified.
Besides, Chen Zhenghao’s leg was essentially crippled. Without hospital treatment, he would be permanently disabled within days.
The others, drenched in freezing water, were now suffering from colds and fevers.
Without proper heating, they might die from high fevers even before running out of food.
Zhang Yi spent his days at home playing video games and reading chat groups.
Sometimes he exercised, making use of the many gym equipment he had.
He also read various professional books he had downloaded, like The Barefoot Doctor's Manual and The Militia Training Manual.
Better safe than sorry—knowing such skills might save his life in an emergency.
Outside, the snow continued to fall, the sky cloaked in clouds, making it hard to distinguish day from night.
On the third morning, Zhang Yi got out of bed and feasted on a fresh Peking duck while checking the time.
"It's about time. The real show should be starting."
Zhang Yi said calmly.
At that moment, the group chat on his phone exploded.