Chapter 2: The White Lotus

Zhang Yi stepped out of his home into a scene of tranquility, suffused with the joy and contentment of everyday life. Many parents were playing with their children in the community square, their faces radiant with happiness.

Yet Zhang Yi knew that in just a month, all of this would vanish like a fleeting dream.

He quickened his pace out of the complex. Not far away stood a Michelin three-star Western restaurant. A meal there would cost at least five or six thousand yuan, and in the past, Zhang Yi had never dared to dine there.

But now, he didn’t care at all.

Having been resurrected, he must celebrate properly!

Upon entering the restaurant, Zhang Yi chose a window seat and ordered every one of the priciest dishes on the menu, along with a bottle of Lafite Rothschild. The bill swiftly totaled fifty thousand yuan.

Even the waiters inside glanced at Zhang Yi with ambiguous looks, assuming he must be a wealthy second-generation heir. After all, how else could an ordinary person afford such an extravagant meal?

Zhang Yi paid no mind to their thoughts. As the table laden with delicacies arrived, he began devouring the food with great appetite. Perhaps it was because he had endured six harsh months during the frozen apocalypse that these exquisite flavors moved him almost to tears.

His ravenous eating drew whispers among the other diners, but Zhang Yi ignored them.

In the apocalypse, people might even kneel and kowtow for a pack of instant noodles. When that time came, all civilization and morality would dissolve like mist.

While Zhang Yi ate, a woman passing by outside suddenly stopped. She had long flowing hair, immaculate makeup, wore Gucci heels, and carried an LV handbag on her arm.

This woman was none other than Fang Yuqing—the very person who had caused Zhang Yi’s death in his previous life.

Beside her was her close friend Li Caining.

As they passed the Michelin three-star restaurant, both couldn’t help but steal glances inside. They had always yearned for such luxurious places but lacked the funds to indulge themselves.

Still, this did not prevent them from scrutinizing the interior, hoping to spot a wealthy heir they could reel in.

To Fang Yuqing’s surprise, she saw Zhang Yi inside, sitting before a lavish spread of top-tier dishes.

“Isn’t that Zhang Yi? How does he have money to eat here?” Fang Yuqing exclaimed.

Li Caining covered her mouth in astonishment. “Is Zhang Yi really this rich?”

As she spoke, her eyes flickered with a hint of mischief toward Fang Yuqing. She smiled, “Yuqing, you’re really lucky! The guy chasing you is actually a hidden rich heir.”

“Look at that table—at least fifty or sixty thousand yuan’s worth of food. Who else could afford such a meal?” Li Caining’s tone was tinged with envy.

She knew Zhang Yi had been pursuing Fang Yuqing for two and a half years. However, Fang Yuqing had always kept him dangling—not rejecting him outright, but never agreeing either.

Fang Yuqing was a thorough gold digger, convinced she could marry a fine rich heir and become a lady of the house. Yet she was unwilling to let go of Zhang Yi, a modest man with a car and house in Tianhai City.

So she kept him as a backup.

Her rule for backups was simple: don’t initiate, don’t reject, and don’t take responsibility.

Seeing Zhang Yi feast on a meal worth tens of thousands made Fang Yuqing suspicious. Could he actually be a hidden rich heir?

She propped her chin on her hand, pondering this possibility more and more.

“Isn’t this a common trope in TV dramas?” she muttered. “Someone secretly wealthy, pretending to be ordinary to find true love.”

Fang Yuqing almost believed her own words, her eyes lighting up. If this were true, it would save her a lot of effort. After all, Zhang Yi had been chasing her all along. She was sure that if she merely nodded, he would propose immediately.

Li Caining urged, “Yuqing, let’s go inside and find Zhang Yi!”

In truth, she was more interested in the sumptuous food. A Michelin three-star meal was something ordinary people might never taste in a lifetime.

Fang Yuqing hesitated but shook her head. “That wouldn’t be right. He might think I’m a gold digger.”

“Fine, let’s wait outside and pretend we just happened to run into him,” she decided.

Fang Yuqing was no fool; she wouldn’t lower her dignity for a meal. Even if Zhang Yi was rich, she would maintain her goddess aura. Only then, if they ended up together, could she fully control him as her devoted admirer.

So the two hid nearby, waiting for Zhang Yi to leave the restaurant.

After more than an hour of eating, Zhang Yi happily rubbed his rounded belly. Though the Michelin three-star food was average by worldly standards, to someone reborn after an apocalypse, this was a feast enough to move him deeply.

Next, he planned to visit a nearby supermarket to buy supplies—a test for the storage capacity of his alternate dimension, to avoid future mishaps.

Although he was confident in transporting goods from the Walmart warehouse, caution was paramount. Having once suffered hunger, Zhang Yi would not tolerate any accidents.

He paid the bill cheerfully and stepped out of the restaurant amidst the attentive smiles of the staff.

At that moment, a familiar voice sounded beside him.

“Zhang Yi, what a coincidence!”

He turned to see Fang Yuqing and Li Caining.

Fang Yuqing tucked her hair behind her ear, deliberately revealing her pale neck and rosy earlobe. Zhang Yi sneered inwardly—this was a classic green tea tactic, meant to casually stir a man’s heart.

As a top-tier green tea and white lotus, Fang Yuqing was well versed in such arts.

But Zhang Yi was no longer the naive admirer he once was.

Not long ago, this woman had caused his death in a cruel and miserable way. She had even tried to break his ribs to make soup!

The thought darkened Zhang Yi’s gaze with naked murderous intent.

With the apocalypse approaching, killing her would pose no consequences.

Should he do it now?

Fang Yuqing shivered under his gaze, nervously stammering, “Zhang Yi… what’s wrong with you?”

Zhang Yi quickly restrained his expression and said coolly, “Nothing. I mistook you for someone else.”

Suddenly, he changed his mind.

Letting her die so easily would be too kind. Besides, acting now risked legal repercussions he could not avoid.

Zhang Yi had no desire to spend the apocalypse in a detention center.

Better to let her taste the despair of the end times first, then use his own methods to destroy her.

Feigning indifference, he had ample time to prepare. With memories from his past life, he possessed a hundred ways to make her suffer before dying.

So for now, there was no need to deal with her.

The most urgent task was to build the safest refuge, a place where he could survive comfortably through the apocalypse.