Chapter 35: Fake Friends

Chapter 35: Fake FriendsZhang Yi sighed. "Does this woman think I'm some kind of trash collector?"

Fang Yuqing, despite being a gold digger, at least knew how to flirt and dress up. But Lin Cainin? Aside from being cheap and narcissistic, what did she have?

However, out of a perverse sense of humor, Zhang Yi grinned and said, "Oh, is that so?"

"But I just gave Fang Yuqing a thorough scolding. You two are such good friends. If you stay with me, won't it affect your relationship?"

Lin Cainin's eyes lit up, sensing an opportunity.

Without hesitation, she said, "Friends? We're just roommates."

To gain Zhang Yi's trust, she began to reveal Fang Yuqing's dark secrets.

"You have no idea how much I despise her!"

"She's incredibly lazy. These days, she says she's afraid of the cold and won't even go to the bathroom. She uses mineral water bottles to pee in. It's disgusting!"

"Don't be fooled by her innocent act. She goes to nightclubs every night to find men."

"If she meets a rich guy, she throws herself at him."

"When she’s out of money, she sells herself. Otherwise, how could she afford all those cosmetics and designer bags on a 5,000 yuan monthly salary?"

"She charges 1,500 yuan a night. She's so cheap! I despise her."

Zhang Yi was surprised to learn about Fang Yuqing's side activities.

He bit his lip, feeling that the world was truly absurd.

Fortunately, he wasn’t foolish. While he pursued Fang Yuqing, he never became a pathetic simp like Zhou Peng.

Lin Cainin continued to reveal more of Fang Yuqing's secrets to gain Zhang Yi's trust.

"Don't be fooled by her pure act. She's had multiple abortions."

"In college, she even had several sugar daddies."

...

Zhang Yi silently watched and recorded their conversation.

Lin Cainin clearly had long harbored resentment against Fang Yuqing.

After all, Fang Yuqing, better at flirting and more attractive, always overshadowed Lin Cainin, making her just a sidekick.

No woman willingly plays second fiddle.

Why else do you think the pretty girls in college always have unattractive, overweight friends?

After venting her feelings towards Fang Yuqing, Lin Cainin continued her confession to Zhang Yi.

"Zhang Yi, you have no idea how much it hurt watching you chase Fang Yuqing all these years."

"Now, I finally have a chance to confess my feelings to you. Let me be your girlfriend! I promise to love you wholeheartedly."

"And during these lonely times at home, having a woman by your side can be very comforting. I can help you with many things."

Lin Cainin was practically begging Zhang Yi to let her stay with him, willing to do anything for the chance.

But Zhang Yi had no interest in someone like her.

He forwarded their conversation to Fang Yuqing and then replied to Lin Cainin, "I'm touched, but let's just forget about it."

Lin Cainin, unwilling to give up, asked, "Why? Don't you need a woman right now?"

Zhang Yi, suppressing his nausea, said into his phone, "Yes, I like women. But you're too ugly!"

He then muted his phone and tossed it aside.

Lin Cainin turned red with anger after hearing Zhang Yi's voice message.

Did he just call her ugly? Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

That was a severe insult!

Whenever she posted her photos online, she received countless compliments calling her beautiful.

Just as Lin Cainin was fuming, she heard an angry scream.

"Lin Cainin, you wretched woman!"

Fang Yuqing, seeing the messages where Lin Cainin slandered her, exploded with rage.

The two started fighting, pulling each other's hair and scratching arms.

They fought until they were exhausted, glaring at each other with hatred.

If it weren’t for the freezing weather and the need to live under the same roof, they might have killed each other.

Both Lin Cainin and Fang Yuqing despised Zhang Yi.

But deep down, their envy for him overshadowed their hatred.

If Zhang Yi agreed to let them into his home, they would abandon their dignity and crawl over like dogs.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yi continued his simple, mundane, yet wealthy life.

Every night, he watched news, something he never did before.

Although the news was still heavily filtered, it provided some information about the outside world.

"Tianhai City officials announced that to meet the public’s electricity needs, power will be supplied daily from 1 to 2 PM."

"High-power appliances cannot be used. The electricity is only for small devices like kettles and phones."

"Most power plants have halted operations. We hope everyone will conserve electricity to avoid long-term outages."

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow at the news.

In the past few days, power had sporadically returned for less than an hour each day, sometimes just for a few minutes.

The officials, even with limited resources, were trying their best to provide electricity to the public.

Most power plants worldwide had shut down, and energy resources were dwindling fast in this new Ice Age.

What caught Zhang Yi's attention wasn’t the news content but the tone of the female anchor and the way the news was presented.

The anchor spoke sternly, and the news was no longer aimed at comforting the public.

This meant the officials had stopped downplaying the disaster's severity.

Unable to control the situation, they decided to reveal the full extent of the disaster, urging people to face reality and find ways to survive.

Sure enough, when Zhang Yi checked his phone, he saw that the chat groups had exploded.

People cursed the officials, cried in despair, and frantically sought supplies at exorbitant prices.

The price of instant noodles had skyrocketed from 2,000 yuan per pack to 5,000 yuan per pack in just two days!

Zhang Yi shook his head in disbelief.

Human greed was blatantly evident. Despite knowing the world was ending, people still traded food and water for money.

Saying nothing, Zhang Yi continued to observe everything like a detached observer.

Life had to go on. Even without hope, no one wanted to die. They would struggle to survive, even if just barely.