"Yiyi, get some rest. I'll handle her—she's talking nonsense."
"Alright, go ahead." Hearing the cheerful laughter coming through the phone, Ye Qingyi couldn't help but feel a deep pang of longing. She should have been among them, sharing in their joy.
After ending the video call, she still had to face Tang Ze.
"So she's your sister-in-law?" Sun Ting picked up the phone, opened the photo album, and showed the picture to Tang Ze.
Tang Ze studied it briefly before nodding. "Not a bad match," he remarked thoughtfully.
"What exactly are you planning to do?!" Ye Qingyi demanded sharply, her voice laced with suspicion.
The challenging tone irritated Tang Ze slightly. He narrowed his eyes at her reaction.
Later that afternoon:
"Here, eat something." In the living room, An Bai quietly retrieved some leftover food from the fridge and placed it in front of Ye Qingyi.
Looking at An Bai, Ye Qingyi slowly lowered her guard and murmured a weak "Thank you."
"Sister, please don't anger the master anymore," An Bai pleaded softly.
Ye Qingyi ate ravenously, though thoughts of ending her life lingered—but she lacked the courage to act on them.
"An Bai, why are all of you so obedient?" Ye Qingyi asked, her voice tinged with frustration. "Why don't any of you fight back?"
An Bai hesitated for a moment before replying in a low voice: "At least we have food and shelter now—all thanks to the master. Without him, we'd probably already be dead like the others. There have been four or five more female bodies found recently."
Ye Qingyi shuddered inwardly. Every time she saw those lifeless bodies scattered across the grass, brutally violated, she wondered what had become of the world. How had it grown so cruel?
"If it was fear at first, maybe now it's gratitude," An Bai continued cautiously.
"Gratitude?" Ye Qingyi echoed, surprised.
"Yes," An Bai explained. "Think about the people in this neighborhood. Has any girl who fell into their hands met a good end? Under the master's protection, we're safe. What we give up pales in comparison to what we gain."
Ye Qingyi realized there was truth in An Bai's words.
At that moment, Sun Ting emerged from the bedroom and noticed the two in the living room. Ye Qingyi quickly set down her plate, fearing Sun Ting might report her defiance.
But Sun Ting merely shrugged indifferently. "Eat. You don't want to starve, do you?"
An Bai nodded and whispered, "Ting isn't so bad once you get to know her. It's just that you're too stubborn."
Ye Qingyi bit back a retort. Wasn't it Sun Ting's schemes that had landed her in this predicament?
"Xiao Bai, don't say such things. I'm a bad woman," Sun Ting said with a smirk, her lips curling faintly. "In times like these, being good won't save you. Sometimes, it's better to embrace the darkness and survive."
An Bai pursed her lips, recognizing the bitterness behind Sun Ting's words.
"Thank you, I'm full," Ye Qingyi said quietly, wiping her mouth. The sensation of fullness made her drowsy, yet uneasy.
Sun Ting spoke up again, her tone indifferent yet pointed: "If you truly wish to die, beg the master—he'll grant you that mercy. But if you want to live, forget about your former life as vice president or the eldest son's fiancée. Don't drag Xiao Bai and me down with you."
The room fell silent. Everyone wanted to live; no one truly wished to die.
An Bai poured Ye Qingyi a glass of warm water. Ye Qingyi accepted it but didn't drink, instead asking softly: "Could you find me a nice dress?"
Sun Ting and An Bai exchanged glances. Something seemed different this time. Perhaps survival instinct was finally taking precedence over pride.
Meanwhile, Tang Ze had enjoyed a peaceful nap. Rising from bed, he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the central green space of the compound. Bodies littered the ground, nearly covering the grass entirely. The recent drop in temperature had dulled the stench of decay, but the sight remained grim.
This environment was unbearable. Tang Ze knew he couldn't stay much longer without risking his own health.
Stepping out of the bedroom, he observed that Ye Qingyi had grown unusually quiet. Satisfied, he decided to reward her behavior with food.
When Ye Qingyi saw a whole fried chicken leg placed before her, tears welled up in her eyes. Such trivial junk food, once ignored, now required her to surrender every shred of dignity to obtain.
Without hesitation, she devoured it. In this apocalyptic world, wasn't survival all about filling one's stomach?
"Do you have any other requests?" Tang Ze asked calmly, his gaze steady.
The question was deliberately provocative, but Ye Qingyi, highly educated and quick-witted, knew better than to make demands. Instead, she replied humbly: "I have no requests. My only wish is to bring endless happiness to the master."
Sun Ting and An Bai exchanged another glance. This woman certainly knew how to flatter a man.
Yet Tang Ze remained skeptical. Deep down, he trusted neither Ye Qingyi nor Sun Ting and An Bai.
In this post-apocalyptic world, the rule was simple: trust no one but yourself.