Zhang Yi walked out of his house. Outside was a peaceful scene, filled with joy and human warmth.
Many parents were playing with their children in the neighborhood square, their faces full of happy smiles.
But Zhang Yi knew that in just one month, all of this would turn to dust.
He quickly left the neighborhood. Not far away was a Michelin three-star Western restaurant.
A meal there would cost at least five or six thousand yuan. In the past, Zhang Yi had never been willing to spend that much.
But now, he didn't care at all.
Having died and come back to life, he had to celebrate properly!
After entering the restaurant, Zhang Yi chose a window seat, ordered every one of the most expensive dishes on the menu, and asked for a bottle of Château Lafite wine.
Altogether, the meal cost him fifty thousand yuan.
Even the waitstaff inside the restaurant gave him ambiguous looks, thinking he must be a wealthy second-generation heir.
After all, how could an ordinary person afford such a lavish meal?
Zhang Yi didn't care what others thought. When the table was filled with delicious dishes, he began devouring them heartily.
Perhaps because he had endured six months in a frozen apocalypse, eating such food now nearly moved him to tears.
His eating became so intense it drew murmurs from nearby diners.
Zhang Yi didn't care about them either.
He knew that once the apocalypse arrived, people would even kneel and beg for a pack of instant noodles.
By then, all civilization and morality would vanish into smoke.
Just as Zhang Yi was eating in the restaurant, a woman walking past the window suddenly stopped.
She had flowing long hair, delicate makeup, Gucci high heels on her feet, and an LV bag hanging from her arm.
That woman was Fang Yuqing—the very person who had caused Zhang Yi's death in his previous life.
Next to her stood her close friend, Li Caining.
Whenever the two walked past this Michelin three-star restaurant, they couldn't help but glance inside.
They both secretly longed for such a luxurious place.
But sadly, their financial conditions didn't allow them to splurge in places like this.
That didn't stop them from peeking inside with searching eyes.
Maybe they could spot some quality rich guy worth catching.
And sure enough, Fang Yuqing was shocked to see Zhang Yi inside, sitting in front of a table full of top-tier food.
"Isn't that Zhang Yi? How could he afford to eat here?" Fang Yuqing said in surprise.
Li Caining also covered her mouth in shock. "Zhang Yi is actually this rich?"
As she spoke, she gave Fang Yuqing a suggestive glance, then laughed and said, "Yu Qing, you're so lucky! That simp chasing you turns out to be a hidden rich heir."
"Just look at all that food on his table. That must cost at least fifty or sixty thousand yuan. What regular person could afford that for one meal?"
Li Caining sounded a little envious.
Because she knew Zhang Yi had been pursuing Fang Yuqing for over two and a half years.
But Fang Yuqing had always kept him hanging—never rejecting him, but never saying yes either.
She was a true gold digger, always believing she could marry a top-tier rich heir and become a rich wife.
But at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to let go of Zhang Yi, who owned a car and a house in Tianhai City.
So all this time, Fang Yuqing had treated Zhang Yi as her backup.
Her principle for backups was: don't initiate, don't reject, don't take responsibility.
Now seeing Zhang Yi enjoying such a luxurious meal alone, she couldn't help but feel doubtful.
"Could it be that Zhang Yi is actually a hidden rich heir?"
Fang Yuqing rested her chin on her hand and began to ponder.
The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed.
"Right, isn't this just like those TV dramas?"
"A guy who's secretly rich pretends to be ordinary just to find true love."
Fang Yuqing had almost convinced herself, and her eyes began to shine.
If that were true, she could save herself a lot of effort.
After all, Zhang Yi had been chasing her for years. She figured that if she nodded now, he'd propose to her on the spot.
Li Caining also encouraged her, "Yu Qing, let's go inside and talk to Zhang Yi!"
In reality, her eyes were on that table of delicious food.
This was a Michelin three-star restaurant! Most people wouldn't have a chance to taste food like this in their entire lives.
Fang Yuqing hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "That wouldn't be good. He might think I'm just a gold digger."
"How about this? Let's wait outside and pretend it's just a coincidence when we meet him."
Fang Yuqing wasn't stupid. She wasn't going to lower her status for just one meal.
Even if Zhang Yi really was rich, she needed to maintain her goddess image.
Only then, once they got together, could she fully control him and keep him as her obedient simp.
So the two of them hid not far from the restaurant, waiting for Zhang Yi to come out.
Zhang Yi ate for over an hour. He touched his round belly with satisfaction.
Honestly, the food at a Michelin three-star restaurant wasn't all that special. But for someone reborn from an apocalypse, it was a deeply moving delicacy.
Next, he planned to visit a nearby supermarket to buy some supplies.
It was a test of his dimensional storage ability—just in case something went wrong later.
Even though he was confident in moving supplies from the Walmart warehouse, caution was always wise.
Having starved before, he would never allow any accidents to happen again.
Zhang Yi happily paid the bill and walked out of the restaurant, greeted by the waiters' polite smiles.
At that moment, a familiar voice sounded nearby.
"Zhang Yi, what a coincidence!"
Zhang Yi turned around and saw Fang Yuqing and Li Caining standing there.
Fang Yuqing tucked her hair behind her ear, deliberately revealing her fair neck and pink earlobes.
Zhang Yi sneered inwardly. These were classic tricks of a green tea girl.
They were meant to stir a man's heart in a "natural" way.
Fang Yuqing, a top-tier green tea + white lotus girl, naturally mastered this art.
Unfortunately for her, Zhang Yi was no longer the naïve simp he once was.
Not long ago, this very woman had caused his death—a miserable, tragic death.
She even wanted to break his ribs and boil them into soup!
Thinking of this, Zhang Yi's gaze suddenly turned cold, filled with murderous intent.
The apocalypse was coming soon anyway. Even if he killed her, no one would care.
Should he just kill her now?
Fang Yuqing felt a chill from Zhang Yi's stare and nervously said, "Zhang Yi… what's wrong with you?"
Zhang Yi quickly masked his expression and replied flatly, "Nothing. I thought you were someone else."
He suddenly changed his mind.
Letting this woman die quickly would be far too merciful.
And right now, killing her would almost certainly lead to legal consequences.
Zhang Yi didn't want to spend the beginning of the apocalypse in a detention center.
It would be better to let her experience the despair of the end times—and then slowly destroy her.
With preparation and his memories from his previous life, Zhang Yi had a hundred ways to make her die in agony.
So for now, there was no need to deal with her.
What mattered most now was building the safest shelter possible—one that would let him survive the apocalypse comfortably.