Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: The White Lotus Begs for Supplies

At this moment, Fang Yuqing was curled up in her small rented apartment, wrapped tightly in two thick blankets. Even though her air conditioner was set to 40°C, the indoor temperature still couldn't reach above 0°C. She was shivering uncontrollably, feeling as though the cold air outside was seeping into her blankets. But when she saw the photo Zhang Yi sent, her eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe it. In such freezing weather, Zhang Yi was still wearing thin pajamas, comfortably eating steak and drinking Red Bull. They were living in the same apartment building! How did it feel like they were living in completely different worlds? Especially when she saw the delicious steak on the table and that high-end bottle of red wine, Fang Yuqing couldn't help but start drooling. As a top-tier "White Lotus" and gold-digger, she had knowledge of these luxury items. From her expertise, the steak Zhang Yi was eating was clearly top-quality Wagyu beef. And that bottle of French red wine beside him? It had to be from a classified estate, costing at least twenty to thirty thousand yuan per bottle! Here she was, freezing to death, while Zhang Yi was living so comfortably. The jealousy in Fang Yuqing's heart intensified. She immediately sent a message to Zhang Yi. "So nice! I want to eat steak and drink red wine too!" She thought her hint was obvious enough. Based on Zhang Yi's old behavior, he would have already rushed to deliver the steak and wine to her. But Zhang Yi just laughed when he saw the message. Did she still think he was the pushover he used to be? He leisurely replied, "If you want some, just go buy it at the supermarket!" Fang Yuqing's face stiffened upon reading this message. Wasn't that just nonsense? The temperature outside was below -60 or -70 degrees Celsius! Any exposed skin would get frostbite in seconds. How could he suggest such an outrageous thing to a delicate girl like her! Biting her lip, she angrily replied, "Zhang Yi, you're not a real man! I gave you such a good chance to show off, and you didn't even take it, humph!" At this point, Fang Yuqing still had some pride left. Although she really wanted to eat steak and drink high-end red wine, in her mind, Zhang Yi was just one of the many fish in her pond. Besides, she believed that this snowstorm wouldn't last for long, maybe just a few days. So, she continued to maintain her high-and-mighty goddess image, refusing to directly ask Zhang Yi for food. Zhang Yi didn't bother responding to Fang Yuqing any further. Instead, he turned to check the other chat groups, ready to enjoy the unfolding drama. When he looked at the neighborhood group chat, he saw that Aunt Lin from the residents' committee was urging everyone not to panic and to stay home. "There's no need to worry, everyone. It's just a sudden cold snap, and it will pass in two or three days at most." "Don't rush to hoard supplies. Trust in the authorities." "Our committee will do everything possible to help everyone get through this snowstorm. Please follow orders and don't cause trouble for the government." One resident voiced some concerns. "With this much snow, who knows when it will stop? It's difficult to even leave the house now. How are we supposed to manage without stocking up on supplies?" "Exactly! We should at least go buy some groceries while we can. I bet food prices are going to skyrocket in the coming days." Aunt Lin's tone turned more authoritative. "What are you all thinking? You're just causing more problems for everyone!" "Panic buying will only make prices rise. Everyone will end up paying more for food." "If I catch anyone hoarding supplies, don't blame me for reporting you to the authorities for disturbing the peace!" Zhang Yi saw Aunt Lin, acting like a big shot in the chat, and couldn't help but smirk. This was only the first day of the Ice Age. Because it was so cold outside, the supermarkets hadn't been completely emptied yet. If people braved the snow to go out now, although there was a risk of frostbite, there was still a good chance they could stock up on some supplies. But because of Aunt Lin's intimidation, many people clung to false hope and didn't go out to buy food. The eventual outcome was all too predictable. At that moment, Aunt Lin suddenly directed her attention toward Zhang Yi. She tagged him in the neighborhood chat. "Zhang Yi, I know you stocked up on a lot of supplies at home. Now that the snowstorm is so severe, you better not set a bad example for everyone." "Stay home for the next few days. If I catch you going out to buy anything, don't expect me to go easy on you!" Zhang Yi's expression darkened. This old hag still held a grudge because she had tried to ask for some of his supplies last time, and he had refused. Now that she had the opportunity, she couldn't resist taking a jab at him. But unfortunately for her, Zhang Yi no longer cared about small-time authority figures like neighborhood committee members. He replied with a cold laugh, "Aunt Lin, no one knows how long this snowstorm will last. If it goes on for a long time and people run out of food, will you be responsible?" Zhang Yi's question hit home for many people. They were all unhappy with Aunt Lin's words but had been too afraid to speak out due to her position in the committee. Now that Zhang Yi had spoken up, others quickly joined in. "Exactly! If we don't stock up now and run out of food later, who's going to take responsibility?" "Can you really guarantee we won't go hungry?" Seeing everyone starting to oppose her, Aunt Lin began to panic. At the same time, her hatred for Zhang Yi grew even stronger. How dare he openly defy her in the neighborhood chat! He was making her lose face in front of everyone! "Don't worry. Our committee can assure you that there won't be any shortages of supplies, and the snowstorm will pass quickly." "And Zhang Yi, stop stirring up trouble at a time like this. What you're doing is illegal!" Curled up in her own home, Aunt Lin gritted her teeth and muttered angrily, "That Zhang Yi is really getting too bold. I'll figure out a way to get him in trouble later, maybe have him detained for a few days." Zhang Yi burst out laughing. In times like these, this old woman still thought she could rely on her little bit of authority to boss people around. How ridiculous. "Oh please, don't try to pin that on me. I'm not going anywhere in this cold. You do whatever you want!" He had already stocked up enough supplies, so there was no need for him to go out and fight over scraps at the supermarket. But those who believed Aunt Lin's nonsense were going to suffer later. Zhang Yi couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for them. The end of the world was here, and many people were going to die from the cold and starvation. But some people, like the neighbors who had harmed him in his past life, deserved their fate. Whether they lived or died had nothing to do with Zhang Yi anymore. He had made up his mind to look out for himself. What happened to the others was no concern of his.