Chapter 32: Wang Xue's Windfall – A Week's Worth of Food  

Zhou Ting was smart. Now that she had joined Huang Ming's team, she chose to stay silent unless absolutely necessary. 

She was initially furious and wanted to lash out at Wang Gang in the group chat, but after some thought, she decided against it—she didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble for Huang Ming and Li Chang'an. 

With that in mind, she let it go, smiling faintly as she silently scrolled through the group messages. 

Zhou Ting knew one thing for sure: Wang Gang would die before she did. At least now, with Huang Ming's help, she would never go hungry again. 

After Wang Gang's relentless bombardment of messages, Zhou Ting's continued silence infuriated him. 

"Wang Gang, are you even a man? If words don't work, just go to her place! Maybe she's just shy. What's with all this pointless arguing? How outdated can you get?"

Wang Lei couldn't stand it anymore. He openly mocked Wang Gang in the group chat and even suggested he "pay her a visit." To make matters worse, Wang Lei started a live stream in the group—featuring none other than Gao Weiwei as the "leading lady." 

The group chat exploded. Comments flooded in, and even the usually silent female members joined in to watch the live stream. 

Huang Ming didn't click on it. Instead, he smirked. The more they acted up, the more amused he was. He wanted to see just how long this shameless pair could keep laughing. 

Wang Gang watched the entire live stream, his anger boiling over. He @'ed Zhou Ting again: 

"Zhou Ting, I'm coming to your place right now. Open the door for me—I'll bring food. Don't refuse me. I'm serious about you!" 

The moment he sent that, the group erupted in ridicule. "Who cares about feelings in the apocalypse?" they jeered. 

Wang Gang ignored them. Unlike the others who treated women as playthings, he genuinely wanted to respect Zhou Ting. This surprised Huang Ming a little. 

But Zhou Ting wasn't even home anymore. She was sitting on Li Chang'an's couch, eating bread—something she would've once turned her nose up at, but now tasted like heaven. 

As she scrolled through the group chat, she sneered inwardly: 

*"Pfft. A toad lusting after swan meat. Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the reflection?"* 

Sure enough, Wang Gang was in for a disappointment. When he knocked on Zhou Ting's door, it was Wang Xue who answered. She claimed she had no idea where Zhou Ting had gone. 

Wang Gang was devastated. Had someone else gotten to Zhou Ting first? The thought was unbearable—like a bolt of lightning striking him on a clear day. He stood there, frozen. 

Wang Xue, however, noticed the large bag of food in Wang Gang's hands. A sly idea formed in her mind. 

*If she could give herself to Ma Tao, why not Wang Gang too?* 

She loosened her oversized sleepwear, deliberately exposing her fair skin, and cooed: 

"Brother Gang… why don't you come in for a while?" 

Wang Gang snapped out of his daze. His eyes raked over Wang Xue, and he realized—she wasn't that different from Zhou Ting. 

Besides, he was burning with frustration. Gulping, he swept Wang Xue into a bridal carry, kicked the door shut behind him, and disappeared inside. 

When Wang Gang left, he handed Wang Xue the entire bag of food. He spent the entire afternoon in her room and only left as dusk fell. 

Wang Xue was thrilled. Today had been a windfall for her. That bag of food was enough to last her a whole week if she rationed it carefully. 

Clutching her prize, she limped to a cabinet, opened the safe inside (once used for jewelry and documents, now repurposed for food), and stashed everything away. 

The thought almost made her laugh. 

Her only worry now? Zhou Ting coming back and seeing all this food. There was no way she'd share. 

Little did Wang Xue know, Zhou Ting was already under Huang Ming's protection—living a far more comfortable life than she was. 

---

### Nightfall – 7 PM 

Outside, darkness had fully settled. Huang Ming stood by the window, watching the scattered lights in the other buildings. 

"There seem to be fewer lights tonight," Liu Shuang'er remarked suddenly. 

"Yeah, especially in Building 7—almost half are gone. The other buildings have dimmed too," Huang Ming agreed. 

"A lot of people must've starved to death." 

"At this rate, we'll be back in the Stone Age soon." 

Liu Shuang'er blinked. "Stone Age?" 

"Mhm. People are dying inside these buildings. When starvation hits, they'll eat anything—even if it's… fresh." 

"Damn. That's a feast for the crows." 

As a doctor, Liu Shuang'er wasn't fazed. She'd seen her share of blood and guts. Dissections—human or animal—were nothing new to her. 

But Gu Anqing? She shuddered. Her stomach churned at the mere thought. 

She was just a mechanical engineer. Gore wasn't her thing. 

"Alright, enough gloom. Let's eat. Senior Anqing, take a break—dinner's ready." 

Huang Ming walked over to Gu Anqing's workstation. Seeing her drenched in sweat after a long day's work, he felt a surge of gratitude. 

"Senior Anqing, what do you want for dinner?"* 

"Anything's fine. You decide." 

Huang Ming turned to Liu Shuang'er. 

"Shuang'er, how about you cook a few home-style dishes tonight?" 

"Sure. Just put the ingredients in the kitchen." 

And so, Huang Ming and Liu Shuang'er headed to the kitchen. From his dimensional storage, he retrieved fresh vegetables, meat, and fish. 

Huang Ming played assistant—washing veggies, chopping meat, gutting fish—while Liu Shuang'er handled the actual cooking. 

Within an hour, the three of them sat around the table. 

Liu Shuang'er's culinary skills were on point. 

Four dishes and a soup: 

- Braised fish 

- Twice-cooked pork 

- Tomato and egg stir-fry 

- Spicy shredded potatoes 

- Bitter melon soup 

She served everyone a bowl of rice and poured vintage 1982 cola into their glasses. 

Huang Ming took a bite of the pork and couldn't help but praise her: 

"Shuang'er, your cooking keeps getting better. How about you handle all three meals from now on?" 

Liu Shuang'er pouted. "Hmph! No way! I'm a doctor, not your maid!" 

Gu Anqing burst into giggles, which only made Liu Shuang'er even more annoyed. 

"Hey, Senior Anqing's not bad in the kitchen either. Next time, let her cook for you!" 

Liu Shuang'er redirected the heat toward Gu Anqing. 

Huang Ming turned to Gu Anqing, waiting for her response with expectant eyes.