Chapter 10

Zhou sat nearby, glancing over at Fang every now and then. He was constantly trying to impress her, hoping she would notice him. But it was obvious that Fang wasn't interested in this type of man.

Economically, Zhou was in a much worse position than Zhang. He didn't even own a house—he was renting. Compared to Zhang's more privileged background, Zhou looked pretty insignificant. To win Fang's favor, he had put a lot of thought into giving her the two concert tickets, hoping this would bring them closer. He had spent an entire month's salary on them.

But Fang still smiled and said, "Thanks, Zhou. Unfortunately, I've already made plans with a friend that night. What a coincidence."

Zhou's face immediately darkened, disappointment written all over him. He had been planning to confess his feelings during the concert, but now that idea was completely ruined.

Standing nearby, Zhang watched the whole scene, a smirk playing on his lips. He had already seen through Zhou's intentions and knew that Zhou's efforts would lead nowhere. After all, Zhou was just a "puppy" who would never get anything in return.

But as Zhou's disappointment grew, he couldn't help but notice Zhang still smiling, seemingly unaffected by Fang's response. This irritated Zhou even more. In an attempt to cover up his awkwardness, he walked over to Zhang and pointed at him, saying, "Zhang, that's really low of you! You're a grown man, yet you let a woman help you move things? Don't you have any shame?"

Fang, a bit startled by Zhou's sudden outburst, quickly regained her composure and said with a smile, "It's fine, really. I didn't have any major issues. It's just that I can't handle heavy work, and my back hurts a little."

She gave her waist a gentle squeeze, furrowing her brow and looking as though she was in pain.

Zhou, seeing her performance, immediately felt the urge to show off his masculinity and declared loudly, "Since Fang's back is bothering her, you should give her five hundred bucks for a doctor's visit."

But Zhang only gave Zhou a cold glance, contempt clear in his eyes. His voice was low and cutting: "She offered to help me. I didn't ask her to do anything."

Zhou was taken aback by Zhang's sudden harshness. He wanted to argue but held back, still trying to maintain his pride. "You're being unreasonable."

"Who do you think you are?" Zhang's tone turned even sharper. "Don't act like you're someone important here."

Zhou was left speechless, feeling humiliated by Zhang's words. Normally, Zhang was easygoing and didn't like to argue, but today, he clearly wasn't in the mood to tolerate Zhou's nonsense. Zhou, unable to handle the pressure of Zhang's cold gaze, lowered his head and meekly said, "I… I was just trying to talk to you."

Zhang sneered, turned, and walked away without a second thought. Zhou stood there, watching Zhang's retreating figure, his feelings a mix of frustration and helplessness.

After Zhang left, Zhou walked over to Fang, lowering his voice and saying, "Fang, I told you—Zhang's not a good guy. You should stay away from him."

Fang furrowed her brow at this, feeling a bit confused. In the past few days, Zhang had seemed different. He used to always greet her, ask how she was doing, and even chat with her every night before bed. But recently, he'd become distant, hardly ever speaking to her anymore. Fang couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

"He must be hiding something," Fang thought to herself.

…

After work, Zhang drove straight to a five-star hotel in Tianhai City—Hongfu Tianxia. The manager, upon hearing that Zhang had arrived, immediately greeted him with a big smile and showed him to a luxurious room.

The hotel room cost over a thousand a night, but Zhang didn't mind at all. After all, he still had millions in his bank account—spending a little extra was nothing to him.

That night, Fang unexpectedly sent him a message. Her tone was somewhat probing: "Zhang, I passed by your place today and saw people doing some renovations. What's going on? You've been acting a little strange lately."

Zhang glanced at his phone, and with a slight smirk, he replied, "Yeah, that's right."

Fang didn't get a more detailed answer, and seemed a bit disappointed. But she pressed on: "You've been acting kind of weird recently. You've started hoarding things, and now you're renovating your house. Is there something about to happen?"

Zhang didn't respond. His brow furrowed slightly. This woman, while not exactly a saint, had a sharp intuition. She could pick up on things without him saying much. Zhang found it a little annoying, but he didn't care much for her suspicions. He was focused on his own plans.

"It's nothing," he typed back coldly, tossing his phone aside as he turned back to what he was doing.

Fang, on the other end, waited a while but didn't get a response. Frustrated, she sent another message: "It feels like we haven't been talking much lately. I'm starting to feel kind of lonely."

But still, no reply came. Fang bit her lip, her frustration growing. In the past two years, Zhang had always been so kind and attentive—he would talk to her every day, always find ways to chat. But recently, he had changed completely. He didn't initiate conversations anymore, and she couldn't help but feel ignored.

"Is he being weird on purpose? What's his deal?" Fang fumed internally.

At that moment, Fang's roommate, Lin, overheard and walked over with a grin. "Zhang's been acting strange, hasn't he? Who knows what he's been buying so much food and drink for, and why he booked so many banquet halls. It's like he's preparing for something big to happen."

Fang furrowed her brow at this. "Lin, do you think something might actually happen soon? Maybe Zhang got some news and started hoarding supplies?"

Lin paused for a second, then burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. "Fang, are you serious? If something was really going to happen, the government would have already made an announcement. What are we going to do—hoard supplies like idiots? People will laugh at us!"

Fang laughed a little too, though she still felt a twinge of doubt. "Yeah, you're probably right."

…

Days passed, and Zhang continued to stay in the hotel suite, hardly leaving his room. Aside from buying up large quantities of supplies and booking banquets, he also spent time practicing with a compound bow and crossbow. Zhang had always enjoyed hunting, so he had a solid foundation. Now, with professional-grade equipment in hand, his skills were improving rapidly.

Within a range of fifteen meters, his accuracy was nearly perfect. With modern gear like a compound bow, a regular person could shoot with the precision of an ancient archer. Zhang felt confident that even against wild boars, wolves, or large dogs, he'd be able to deal some serious damage.