Ch25 Meng Ci, Hurry Up and Open the Door
"Mom, we only have this little bit of food. How is it enough for everyone?"
Li Xiaoya, Zhang Lu, and Li Shanyang crowded around the kitchen, each of them staring at the porridge simmering in the pot like hungry wolves.
The loud bang Meng Ci and the others had heard earlier came from residents who hadn't received food. They had all rushed to the woman's apartment on the ninth floor and together kicked down her security door.
After storming in, they not only beat the people inside but also swept away every last bit of food in the apartment.
Zhang Lu and Li Shanyang followed behind, seizing the chance to rummage through the place themselves.
The family had likely hidden their rationed food in various spots, realizing their actions had caused others to go without.
It took the group some time to search for more provisions.
Zhang Lu, sharp-eyed, spotted two bags of rice tucked behind a cabinet. She quickly stuffed them into her clothes and dragged Li Shanyang back home.
"We're lucky to have anything to eat, and you still complain it's not enough."
"Why didn't you come with us when we were searching for food?"
"Ouch!"
As Zhang Lu spoke, she accidentally tugged at her jaw, wincing in pain.
Her mood was already sour, so she gave Li Xiaoya a cold stare.
She harbored resentment toward Li Shanyang for daring to strike her. All these years, she'd endured for his sake-first bearing the stigma of an unwed mother, then the shame of being labeled a mistress.
After finally outliving Meng Wan, their wealthy life lasted barely two days before they were back to scraping by..
And now Li Shanyang not only showed no understanding but actually hit her!
"Wasn't I supposed to look after Liu Jie?" Li Xiaoya defended herself.
Besides, they were fighting so fiercely-what if she'd rushed in and got caught in the crossfire?
She certainly didn't want her pretty face marred by random scars.
"He's nothing but a useless cripple now. Why bother caring for him?"
Zhang Lu now looked down on Liu Jie, seeing him as nothing but a worthless piece of trash.
As the three argued, their thoughts suddenly drifted back to Meng Ci.
"If Meng Ci hadn't blocked our path, we wouldn't have gone without food."
Li Xiaoya stirred the white porridge in the pot, seething with anger.
Li Shanyang and Zhang Lu both shared this sentiment, completely oblivious to the fact that they were the ones who had picked a fight with Meng Ci first.
"And he's been holed up in this building the whole time, yet he didn't come looking for us!"
Zhang Lu gritted her teeth. While they were starving here, Meng Ci seemed full of energy- he was probably hoarding food.
Then it dawned on them: Did Meng Ci know the storm was coming and deliberately lead them here?
"Definitely."
Li Xiaoya slammed her spoon onto the counter, recalling the call she'd received earlier with bitter regret.
"This place was clearly rented by Meng Ci, yet he lied to me about owning it."
The very next day after the storm, Li Xiaoya received a call from some local real estate agency claiming the apartment she was living in was actually rented.
Li Xiaoya refused to believe it, even forwarding the contract Meng Ci had sent her to the agency.
Yet the agency had photographed the entire contract, proving the property was indeed rented and demanding she pay rent promptly or vacate.
Li Xiaoya immediately called. Meng Ci, who merely made excuses about lacking funds, promising to buy her a new apartment after the storm passed.
With torrential rain outside and relentless calls from the agency demanding rent, Li Xiaoya had no choice but to transfer a month's rent.
Now that everything connected, the trio sensed something deeply off about the entire situation.
"Damn it, that little bastard Meng Ci, daring to screw me over."
"He deserves a beating!"
With clarity finally achieved, the three naturally set out to confront Meng Ci.
But before settling accounts, they needed to fill their stomachs first.
After dividing the pot of congee, Li Xiaoya remembered to save a few spoonfuls for Liu Jie.
Of course, when she went in to feed him, she didn't forget to play the victim.
She claimed Li Shanyang and Zhang Lu wouldn't let her bring him food, insisting this was something she'd secretly hidden away.
Hearing this, Liu Jie's gaze toward Li Xiaoya grew even more tender.
Meng Ci sighed inwardly. This Liu Jie really was love-struck.
He believed every word Li Xiaoya said, as if he wouldn't mind her selling him out.
Ignoring the surveillance for now, Meng Ci opened the door and sent out a surveillance fly. He positioned it at the stairwell entrance to watch for Li
Shanyang and the others coming up.
Then Meng Ci entered the storage space and went to the weapons cache.
Handguns, machine guns, long swords, short blades, bows and arrows...
These were all weapons Meng Ci had purchased during his time outside the country.
He browsed through them, ultimately selecting a long sword -far more suitable for the current situation than firearms.
Spotting the target for shooting practice nearby, Meng Ci resolved to find time soon to hone his marksmanship. Otherwise, the pistol in his hands would be nothing but useless scrap metal when the time came.
Exiting the storage space, he placed the sword on the coffee table before picking up two five-kilogram dumbbells.
He completed his warm-up routine, ensuring better odds if a fight broke out later.
Li Xiaoya and her group stormed upward, floor by floor, their presence menacing.
"Dad, Mom, I hope Meng Ci didn't escape after we found him."
Li Xiaoya's voice crackled through the phone monitor.
Meng Ci set down the barbells, cracked his neck, and readied himself.
"It would be best if he did."
With the downpour outside, Meng Ci had no tools. Venturing out recklessly would likely get him swept away-saving her the trouble of finishing him off.
Zhang Lu thought maliciously, but decided to check the seventeenth floor just in case.
Meng Ci manipulated the fly camera to follow Li Shanyang, watching them knock on door 1701.
The couple was wary. They first asked what they wanted, then opened the door only after seeing the photo of the person they were looking for through the peephole.
"What do you want with him?"
Li Ping, the woman from 1701, opened the door just a crack. Her husband, Zhao Ze, held a stick and hid behind the door, ready for anything.
Li Ping's response confirmed they must have seen Meng Ci.
"To settle the score, of course."
Li Shanyang rubbed his lower back. If Meng Ci hadn't delayed them, he wouldn't have been beaten.
Seeing the fury on all three faces, Li Ping recalled the earlier threats and immediately revealed Meng Ci lived in 1706.
"Plus, I saw him lugging tons of food into his place earlier," Li Ping added, exaggerating for effect.
That jerk had all that food stashed up in his room and didn't share a single crumb with them. Serves him right to get into trouble now.
Hearing this, Li Shanyang and the others stomped their feet in fury.
"Damn it, I'll see what this jerk has to say!"
"He's got food but won't bring any to his old man? Is he hiding it all for himself?"
Li Shanyang led the way out, swiping a broom Li Ping and the others had left outside as they left.
Meng Ci watched it all unfold through his fly-on-the-wall surveillance. At this point, tearing ties with them didn't matter.
He was already in a position to catch them like fish in a barrel-no fear of them escaping.
"Bang bang bang!"
"Meng Ci, open this door! Don't think I don't know you're inside!"
"You've got the guts to hide inside, but not the guts to open the door? What kind of man are you?"
Seeing no one answer, Li Shanyang kicked the door violently several times.
Meanwhile, Li Ping and Zhao Ze had quietly followed the trio.
They figured they might sneak into Meng Ci's place and see if they could pilfer some food.