Zhang Yi let out a short sigh.
Does this woman take me for some kind of scrap collector?
Fang Yuqing might be a hypocrite and a manipulative gold-digger, but at least she knew how to act cute and dress herself up.
And Lin Caining?
Besides being shameless and obsessed with herself, what else did she even have?
Still, out of sheer malicious amusement, Zhang Yi curved his lips into a slow, mocking smile.
"Oh? Really?"
"But I just finished cursing Fang Yuqing. You two are close girlfriends, aren't you? If you end up with me, won't that ruin your friendship?"
Lin Caining's eyes immediately brightened—she thought there was a chance.
She spoke without hesitation, almost eagerly:
"Girlfriends? Please. We just rent an apartment together."
To prove her loyalty, she instantly began spilling every piece of dirt she had on Fang Yuqing.
"You don't know how much I despise her."
"That woman is unbelievably lazy. Recently she said she was 'too cold to use the bathroom' so she just pees in a mineral water bottle. Disgusting."
"Don't fall for her 'innocent little angel' act. She goes to nightclubs every single day looking for men."
"If she spots a rich second-gen, she'll do anything to hook him."
"When she runs out of money, she just sells herself. Otherwise, with a 5,000-yuan salary, how would she afford all those designer bags and cosmetics?"
"Only 1,500 yuan per night—pathetic. She's cheap. I look down on that kind of woman."
This was the first time Zhang Yi had heard about Fang Yuqing's side business.
His jaw tightened. The world really was absurd.
Luckily, he had never been a fool.
He had pursued Fang Yuqing, sure—but he was never like Zhou Peng, that hopeless simp who threw his life at her feet.
Lin Caining, trying harder, continued dumping more dirt.
"Don't be fooled by her innocent face. She's had several abortions."
"In college, she was kept as a mistress by multiple construction bosses for four years straight."
Zhang Yi watched her rant quietly, then screen-recorded the entire thing.
It was obvious—Lin Caining had been harboring resentment toward Fang Yuqing for a long time.
After all, Fang Yuqing was prettier and better at pretending to be cute, and so Lin Caining had always been the supporting character in her shadow.
And honestly—how many women in this world are willing to be a background prop?
Otherwise, why are the best friends of campus goddesses always overweight and plain?
After venting everything she'd held in, Lin Caining finally spoke her real purpose.
"Zhang Yi… do you know how much it hurt me all these years, watching you chase after her?"
"Now I finally have the chance to say it. Let me be your girlfriend. I'll treat you well."
"At a time like this, you must feel very lonely, right? If you let me in, I can… help you with many things."
Her tone clearly suggested that once she entered his house, he could do whatever he wanted with her.
Unfortunately for her, Zhang Yi didn't even find her worth a glance.
He directly forwarded the entire chat record to Fang Yuqing.
Then he replied:
"I'm touched. Truly. But let's not."
Lin Caining panicked.
"Why? Don't you need a woman right now?"
Zhang Yi took a deep breath, holding back the urge to gag.
"I do like women. Just not you. You're too ugly."
He muted his phone and tossed it aside.
Lin Caining's face twisted.
Ugly?
He said I'm ugly?
Online, whenever she posted her heavily filtered photos, countless people flocked to call her "a great beauty."
And he dared to say—she was ugly?
Before her rage could settle, a furious scream erupted beside her:
"Lin Caining, you bitch!"
Fang Yuqing had read the screen recording.
The two immediately lunged at each other—hair pulled, arms clawed, biting and screaming.
They only stopped when they had no strength left, yet they still glared at each other like rabid animals.
If not for the cold weather—and the fact they had to share a room—they would have torn each other apart.
Lin Caining hated Zhang Yi too now.
But more than hatred… was jealousy.
Because if Zhang Yi opened his door right now and offered food,
they would both crawl to him on their knees.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi continued his simple, quiet, comfortable routine.
Every night, he turned on the TV to watch the news—something he rarely did before.
Even if the broadcasts were exaggerated, they still revealed some clues about the outside world.
"The Tianhai City government has announced: to ensure everyone's electricity needs, power will be supplied from 1 PM to 2 PM daily."
"High-power devices are prohibited. Only low-power electronics like kettles and phones may be charged."
"Most power plants have shut down. Electricity is extremely limited. Please conserve usage to avoid large-scale, long-term blackouts."
Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow.
Electricity had already been unstable for days. Sometimes they only supplied power for ten minutes.
The government was doing all it could.
When survival comes first, energy becomes a luxury.
But what caught Zhang Yi's attention wasn't the news itself—it was the anchor's tone.
Gone was the comforting reassurance—the broadcast was now serious.
They had stopped hiding the truth.
The situation nationwide was out of control.
The public needed to know.
Everyone needed to face reality.
Everyone needed to save themselves.
Sure enough, when Zhang Yi checked his phone, every group chat was in chaos.
Some cursed the government.
Some cried in despair.
Most tried to buy supplies at insane prices.
Instant noodles had risen from 2,000 yuan per pack two days ago
to 5,000 yuan per pack now.
Zhang Yi didn't say anything.
The greed of humanity was completely exposed.
Even in the apocalypse—
people were still willing to trade survival for money.
He simply watched.
Detached.
An observer to the world.
Life goes on.
Even without hope, people still struggle to live.
Even when despair suffocates them, no one wants to die.
They curse.
They fight.
They break down.
But when morning comes,
they still crawl forward.