Wang Min and her group were furious!
"It was you, Fang Yuqing, who came to us, tempting us to attack Zhang Ye's house. Now, we've suffered casualties, and yet you want to abandon everyone and go live the good life yourself? No way!"
Zhou Peng, who was undergoing surgery, was so angry when he heard Fang Yuqing wanted to find Zhang Ye that his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Yuqing, how can you do this to me! Didn't you say you hated Zhang Ye the most? Do you remember when you said you wanted to be my woman?"
Fang Yuqing, slapped by Wang Min, covered her face but gritted her teeth stubbornly. "Is there anything wrong with me pursuing my own happiness? Being with you guys is only temporary. Eventually, when the supplies run out, won't we all just be waiting to die? Zhang Ye's house is comfortable—there's food, water, and no need to freeze. What's wrong with me going to him?"
She looked at Zhou Peng, who was in pain, with a face that seemed to say, "You have to understand me."
"Zhou Peng, you're a good man. You've always treated me well. But if you love someone, you should want them to be happy, right? Sure, you've helped me in the past, but you shouldn't stop me from pursuing a better life. Can you give me more than Zhang Ye can?"
Zhou Peng's face turned ghostly pale. He stammered, unable to refute her.
Zhou Ke'er frowned and said, "Don't move! Otherwise, if I cut an artery, you'll be dead!"
Wang Min became nervous and quickly held Zhou Peng down. "Cousin, don't get so angry over this cheap woman. Saving your life is the priority!"
She took a deep breath and glared at Fang Yuqing. "Fang Yuqing, if you want to leave, we're not stopping you. But unless Zhang Ye brings medicine in exchange, you're not going anywhere!"
Lin Cainin blocked the door, raising her head defiantly. "Fang Yuqing, if you want to leave, we're going together!"
Fang Yuqing glared at them hatefully, then reluctantly said to Zhang Ye, "Brother Zhang, you heard them. They won't let me leave! Why don't you give them some medicine?"
Zhang Ye was in the kitchen, enjoying the drama.
Hearing her words, he smiled slightly and said, "Medicine is very precious. How can I trust they aren't lying to you or me? Maybe they'll hold you hostage and use you to threaten me for more things."
"Yuqing, we can't fall for that!"
Since the phone was on speaker, everyone heard their conversation clearly.
Zhou Peng roared in frustration, "Yuqing, don't trust him! He's just playing with you."
Of course, everyone believed that.
But Fang Yuqing, trapped in the situation, had already mentally snapped in such an environment. Zhang Ye had given her a glimmer of hope, and she clung to it like a drowning person grabbing onto a straw.
Even if reason told her it couldn't save her, she clung to it, unwilling to let go.
She nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Brother Zhang, you're right."
With that, she suddenly charged at Lin Cainin, who was blocking the door.
"Get out of my way, you vile woman! Don't stop me!"
The two women immediately started fighting.
Fang Yuqing had gone completely mad, her eyes red with rage, as she fought to get to Zhang Ye's house. She pulled at Lin Cainin's hair and bit her arm.
Lin Cainin, in pain, fought back just as furiously.
The two of them wrestled on the ground, like a pair of lunatics.
Wang Min couldn't stand it any longer. With several patients undergoing surgery nearby, this brawl could affect their procedures. So she joined the fight, and with Lin Cainin's help, they finally managed to subdue the crazed Fang Yuqing.
"Ahhhh! Let me go! Let me go! I want to leave!" Fang Yuqing screamed, her voice hoarse, like a madwoman.
Wang Min frowned and slapped her face back and forth, six or seven times, until Fang Yuqing was dazed and finally quieted down.
Wang Min coldly snorted. "You want to leave? Dream on!"
She picked up Fang Yuqing's phone and went to the side to call Zhang Ye.
"Zhang Ye, Fang Yuqing is with us. If you really want to save her, bring us some medicine in exchange!"
Zhang Ye shrugged.
"There are too many of you. I'm scared. What if you kill me when I come over?"
"So, Yuqing, as much as I'd love to live with you, they won't allow it! You can't blame me!"
Zhang Ye deliberately spoke loudly.
Naturally, Fang Yuqing heard every word.
She let out a pained scream, and her eyes filled with venom as she looked at Wang Min and the others.
Zhang Ye hung up the phone, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
The cruelest thing in the world is to give someone who's already in despair a sliver of hope, only to ensure they can never reach it.
Of course, he wasn't going to let that scheming woman into his house. He just wanted to disgust the others a bit.
At worst, they could kill Fang Yuqing themselves.
On Fang Yuqing's side.
She wailed for a long time, eventually breaking down into pitiful sobs.
But she didn't hate Zhang Ye; she hated Zhou Peng, Wang Min, and the others.
She believed that if it weren't for them stopping her, she would already be at Zhang Ye's house, enjoying delicious food and a warm fireplace.
Wang Min sneered at Fang Yuqing.
She glanced at Lin Cainin. Lin Cainin's earlier actions had pleased her; at least she hadn't sided with Fang Yuqing.
No wonder they were such good "best friends"—betraying each other when the chips were down.
"You saw it for yourself—this woman only cares about herself and hasn't considered anyone else. If you want to stay in our group, make sure to keep an eye on her! Don't let her escape."
Wang Min coldly told Lin Cainin.
Lin Cainin nodded vigorously.
"Sister Wang, I'll definitely do as you say!"
She looked at the sobbing Fang Yuqing on the ground, her eyes full of hatred, and said, word by word, "I won't let her run away! If we're going to suffer, we'll suffer together. Why should she be the only one to live comfortably?"
In the living room, Zhou Ke'er had finished performing simple surgeries on three of the injured.
Because there was no way to sterilize or anesthetize them, she had to quickly remove the rusty, tetanus-laden arrows and stop the bleeding with gauze.
Unfortunately, they didn't even have sterilized cotton balls because the freezing weather had caused the medical alcohol to solidify.
The only good news was that the low temperature caused them to pass out from the pain quickly.
But the downside was clear—the extreme cold made their tissues more prone to necrosis.
After finishing the surgery, Zhou Ke'er wiped the blood from her hands.
She closed the toolbox and said to Wang Min and the others, "This is just a temporary fix. Without medicine, there's a high chance of infection later. So you'd better prepare yourselves."
Wang Min and the others looked resigned.
With Zhang Ye refusing to help, where could they possibly get medicine now?