A Bowl of Instant Noodles

Zhao Tianlei's movements made Cheng Yao consciously follow behind him, careful not to do anything that would slow him down. From time to time, she also watched the rear and both sides behind them for any disturbances. Cheng Yao knew she was only a weak woman, and the fact that Zhao Tianlei could protect her touched her deeply.

But Cheng Yao knew even better that if she wanted to receive more of Zhao Tianlei's care and protection, she had to do something for him. Although she didn't dare face those terrifying zombies, she still had to find a way to prove her worth to Zhao Tianlei.

All the cafeterias they passed along the way were closed. Only a few Internet cafés had their doors left ajar, and through the glass, they could make out some swaying figures inside. Coupled with the pool of blood at the entrance, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened within. To avoid being discovered by the zombies, Zhao Tianlei crouched down and gestured for Cheng Yao behind him to do the same.

After passing through several Internet cafés and restaurants in succession, the two went straight to the front of a grocery store. Before they even reached it, Zhao Tianlei heard a chewing sound and immediately made a shushing gesture at Cheng Yao.

Zhao Tianlei then carried his fire ax and slowly walked inside. The store's security door stood open, and there was a pool of blood beside the checkout counter. A figure was squatting on the floor, chewing on something. Zhao Tianlei stepped forward and brought the ax down. The zombie didn't even have time to grunt before it collapsed onto the floor.

The grocery store wasn't large, no more than twenty square meters at most. There was a small kitchen in the back where the owner usually cooked. After sweeping his eyes around and confirming there were no other threats, Zhao Tianlei gestured for Cheng Yao to come in. He handed her the fire ax, then walked over alone, grabbed the corpse on the floor with one hand on each side, carried it outside, and tossed it far away beside the road.

When he returned, Zhao Tianlei saw three figures slowly approaching from a short distance away. Their gait made them look like zombies, but Zhao Tianlei knew they were the people who had escaped from a car after the accident earlier. He gave them a cold snort, walked into the store, closed and locked the security door from inside, and only then took the fire ax Cheng Yao handed back to him.

"Tianlei, this place is full of food. Is there anything you want to eat?" Seeing all the food and drinks in the store, and realizing she could eat whatever she wanted without paying, Cheng Yao couldn't help feeling excited. However, she didn't selfishly start eating on her own. Instead, she first asked Zhao Tianlei what he wanted.

After glancing around, Zhao Tianlei pursed his lips. "Just eating snacks won't fill me up. Why don't you go to the kitchen and cook me a packet of instant noodles? And throw in two sausages while you're at it."

But after he finished speaking, Zhao Tianlei suddenly looked up at Cheng Yao with a doubtful expression. "Come to think of it, you girls from the Art Department are all pampered. You're used to having clothes brought to you and food served to you. Can you even cook instant noodles?"

"Tch, how could you look down on me like that? I don't usually cook much, but instant noodles are so simple. How could I not know how? Since you want noodles, I'll have some too. Wait here. I'll make them in the back and bring them over." As she spoke, Cheng Yao took two packets of instant noodles and several sausages from the counter and headed toward the kitchen.

As Cheng Yao started the stove and boiled the noodles, Zhao Tianlei immediately began inspecting the goods on the counters. Though instant noodles were tasty, they took up quite a bit of space. Besides, during their escape in the future, they wouldn't be able to cook them without hot water. If they had to eat them dry, cup noodles and other instant noodles obviously weren't as delicious as crispy noodles.

At that moment, Zhao Tianlei focused his attention on the boxed goods piled behind the shelves. In addition to carton after carton of instant noodles, there were boxes of sausages, drinks, crispy noodles, and other snacks. He immediately activated the Storage Space in his ring and moved five or six boxes of canned fruit inside. The cans had a long shelf life, and fruit would be difficult to come by in the future, so these cans would be extremely valuable later.

Zhao Tianlei then moved several cases of purified water inside. When they were thirsty, purified water would be the most precious thing of all. As for beer and cigarettes, although they were luxury goods in the apocalypse, Zhao Tianlei had no use for them while they were still fleeing. His life had always been hard, so he had no desire to touch those things. Even now, seeing them didn't tempt him in the slightest.

Carrying food and drinks that couldn't fill his stomach would only cause trouble. Rather than taking those things, he might as well stock up on more food. Aside from the canned goods and purified water, Zhao Tianlei also began stuffing sausages and crispy noodles inside. He didn't leave behind a single chocolate bar or piece of candy. Those things were good, after all, and took up very little space.

Later, Zhao Tianlei stuffed in some toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, towels, and other items. After passing some women's products, images of Ye Sitong and Shen Xinyu suddenly flashed through his mind. Thinking that girls were naturally fond of maintaining their beauty, Zhao Tianlei grabbed some sanitary pads, shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser, and face cream without even looking, tossing them all inside. He even took several boxes of facial masks.

By the time Zhao Tianlei had nearly filled the Storage Space, Cheng Yao had finished cooking as well. Just as Cheng Yao carried out the steaming instant noodles, Zhao Tianlei happened to close the Storage Space. When Cheng Yao approached and saw the messy pile of goods, she paid no attention to it, assuming that Zhao Tianlei had merely been choosing food for their future escape. She certainly didn't notice that anything was missing.

"Eat up. They were just cooked, so they're still hot and smell great." Cheng Yao placed the bowl directly into Zhao Tianlei's hands, then turned back to fetch her own bowl.

Zhao Tianlei immediately stacked several boxes together to use as a table, then brought over two stools. That was how he and Cheng Yao sat down and began eating. Worried that Zhao Tianlei wouldn't get enough, Cheng Yao had cooked two extra packets. Zhao Tianlei ate until he was practically burping, then finally let out a long breath. "Sigh, I wonder if we'll ever get to eat such hot food again. And I never imagined that one day a beautiful girl from the Art Department would personally cook noodles for a poor loser like me."

Hearing Zhao Tianlei's words, Cheng Yao immediately retorted, "What do you mean, poor loser? In my eyes, you're Prince Charming, coming to rescue me on seven-colored clouds. No matter how rich those people were, in the apocalypse they all became selfish. You were the only one willing to risk yourself to save a stranger like me. As long as you're willing, I'll cook for you every day from now on. You just can't complain if it tastes bad."

Regardless, at that moment Cheng Yao had clearly recognized the coldness of human nature in the apocalypse. After suffering immense humiliation and harm, she had thought she would die in the mouths of those zombies. But Zhao Tianlei's arrival had given her new hope of survival.

Although Cheng Yao knew after hearing Zhao Tianlei's name that the man before her was someone often bullied by rich second-generation students at school, she didn't care about that at all. In the apocalypse, whoever could save her and keep her alive was the true man in her heart.