Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue both gave awkward chuckles. They believed they still had nutrient solutions—enough to last them ten years—so they didn’t consider Li Yao’s proposal.
Their attitude made their thoughts clear to Li Yao. She wasn’t in a hurry and said gently to the two of them, “No rush. This proposal will always be valid.”
“Alright.” Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue didn’t want to block off their own retreat either; after all, they hadn’t done as much preparation as Li Yao.
Li Yao placed the fitness equipment in a corner of the living room—a complete set of gym machines. In the apocalypse, a strong physique was crucial. She was strong, but it had to be a process. If she suddenly became extremely powerful, it would arouse suspicion.
She had lived in the interstellar era for a few days—there was nothing people there wouldn’t dare imagine. If she revealed even a little too much, she’d be locked up in a laboratory once she went back.
Li Yao ran fast on the treadmill for a full hour. When she stepped down, she panted lightly a few times, wiped the thin sheen of sweat from her forehead, and looked completely fine.
【Wait—she ran at that speed for an hour and only panted a little?】
【I was just at the gym. I ran at Li Yao’s pace for ten minutes and now I’m lying on the floor like a dog.】
【Li Yao, what other surprises do you have that I don’t know about?】
Yan Yuansi looked at Li Yao with admiration. “You’re amazing. I can’t last long at all.”
Li Yao remembered that Ning Xinyue knew martial arts, so she said to them, “Feel free to use the training equipment here.”
Ning Xinyue thanked her.
After warming up, Li Yao began another two-hour session of high-intensity training. By noon, she returned to her room. Since they didn’t agree with her suggestion, she would just enjoy the food herself.
“Ah!”
Li Yao was in the middle of eating when she suddenly heard Yan Yuansi shout. She jumped in fright.
She went out and saw Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue heading out with umbrellas. “What are you doing?”
“Mimi’s out of cat food. I want to buy some for her,” Yan Yuansi said.
Li Yao shifted her gaze to Ning Xinyue. “Sister Ning is going too?”
Ning Xinyue nodded. “Xiao Yan said the rain outside is too heavy—he’s scared to go alone, so I’ll accompany him.”
Li Yao nodded and reminded them, “Be careful when you’re out. Watch the water level.”
In Li Yao’s eyes, Ning Xinyue was relatively more reliable, so it was better to warn Ning Xinyue than Yan Yuansi.
She stopped eating and stood under the window, watching the two of them get blown into disarray by the wind and rain.
Zhou Chengxing looked at the livestream room, where the viewer count had surged. It was filled with insults from Ning Xinyue’s and Yan Yuansi’s fans, along with obvious paid trolls.
He suddenly became interested and contacted Li Yao directly.
Li Yao saw the livestream equipment appear beside her and heard Zhou Chengxing’s voice.
“Hello, hello? Li Yao, can you hear me?”
Li Yao raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Director.”
Zhou Chengxing looked at the torrent of abuse in the livestream. “Li Yao, some fans have questions for you, so please answer mine.”
“First question: Why didn’t you agree with Yuansi and Ning Xinyue going together to buy cat food?”
Li Yao didn’t believe the comments were that gentle—Zhou Chengxing had clearly sugarcoated them.
Without hesitation, Li Yao said, “It’s dangerous outside. I want to live.”
Zhou Chengxing liked this about Li Yao. The buzz came just like that. Watching the rolling comments, he asked, “Then why didn’t you try to persuade them?”
Li Yao glanced back at the livestream equipment, then turned toward the living room. A little kitten was curled up on the sofa. “Because keeping this kitten alive is Yan Yuansi’s responsibility. Sister Ning is kind, so she didn’t refuse. They need to understand that this world isn’t as simple as they imagine.”
A flash of admiration crossed Zhou Chengxing’s eyes as he continued, “Then why didn’t you eat with them? You’re a team.”
Li Yao said, “I think many people are also curious why I asked them to write IOUs when I gave them food.”
That was exactly what Zhou Chengxing planned to ask; he hadn’t expected Li Yao to address it proactively.
Li Yao explained, “I have plenty of food. I can give Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue food—but I don’t want to. They haven’t experienced the hardships of the apocalypse. When food is easy to obtain, they won’t value its importance.”
“From what I’ve observed, Yan Yuansi is too naive. When everyone runs out of food, anyone who asks him will get some. He can help ten people, a hundred people—he can help for a day or a year—but he can’t help for a lifetime.”
She looked straight at the livestream equipment, as if addressing everyone questioning her. “If one day Yan Yuansi no longer has the ability to help, will they be grateful? No. They’ll only blame him for failing to continue supporting them. In the apocalypse, the one thing you can’t gamble on is human nature. When that happens, what will Yan Yuansi do?”
“Only when Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue understand human nature—only when they know not to flaunt their wealth—can they survive in a world that eats people alive. On that day, they’ll truly be my partners.”
Li Yao suddenly smiled. Her emotions rarely fluctuated; over the past ten days she’d worn a calm expression. This smile was like ice melting into spring.
“We’re a team—but I’m not his mother.”
Zhou Chengxing coughed lightly. “Thank you, Li Yao, for clearing that up. I hope your team continues to grow stronger.”
Li Yao calmly took out beef from her storage space. Today she was stewing beef; while everyone still had supplies, she’d make more.
She turned on the range hood and set two stoves to simmer beef.
【It smells amazing. I didn’t expect Li Yao to have skills like this.】
【That looks like beef. It was there the last time Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue ate hot pot.】
【Oh my god—Li Yao can cook? How is that meat so fragrant?】
When the beef was done, the entire room filled with its aroma. Li Yao stepped out of the kitchen—very little smell escaped. The money spent was worth it.
Reassured, she continued cooking. After the braised beef cooled, she sliced it, vacuum-sealed it, and put it into her storage space to eat later.
She checked the time—an hour had passed. Cooking really did kill time.
She kept braising more meat to make future meals convenient.
With the kitchen full, Li Yao went to work in the living room. Yan Yuansi’s kitten came over and rubbed against her.
Li Yao patted its little head. She liked fluffy things too. She took out a can of food from her storage space—picked up last night during the zero-dollar supermarket run.
She skewered lamb, mixing bell peppers with beef on the skewers.
The kitten, full and satisfied, leaned against Li Yao, rubbing and purring, kneading without missing a beat.
【Hahaha, this little boss is so aloof in front of Yan Yuansi.】
【Seriously—if our Brother Yan saw this, he’d cry himself unconscious in the bathroom.】
【Why is Li Yao feeding herself and the cat but not Brother Yan? He and Sister Ning are in danger outside.】
【Li Yao is really such a selfish woman.】
Seeing Yan Yuansi and Ning Xinyue in danger outside, their fans’ concern turned into resentment. They flooded Li Yao’s livestream and began pelting her with insults.