Volume One, Chapter Four: Has the Aloof Beauty Finally Reached Her Breaking Point?

Lin Feng’s eyes lit up, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Isn’t this the aloof beauty next door, Zhang Xueqi?
Finally reaching her limit?

Full Belly: [Send me a full-body selfie, no beauty filters!]
Building A #3001 Xue’er: [Can I trade a pair of gold earrings for a roast chicken?]
Full Belly: [You should understand the terms of this trade. Send the selfie, or I’ll block you.]

After hesitating for several minutes, Zhang Xueqi sent a full-body photo.
In the picture, she stood before the mirror, expressionless, her gaze still icy and proud.
Her long, jet-black hair cascaded casually over her shoulders, and beneath her loose cotton pajamas, the graceful curves of her figure were faintly visible.
Days of hunger had left her pale, her lips losing some of their color.
Once a strong-willed product manager, she now appeared fragile and pitiful.

The system promptly displayed her profile:
[Zhang Xueqi]
[Age: 24]
[Occupation: Product Manager at a Listed Company]
[Appearance Score: 97] (Porcelain skin and jade-like bones)
[Other Traits: 95] (Despises lower class, proud and aloof!)
[Overall Score: 96]
[Meets System Standards!]

Lin Feng’s eyes sparkled immediately.
After all these days, someone meeting the system’s criteria had finally come knocking.
If he could win over Zhang Xueqi, he could unlock new supplies, with unlimited increases.

Full Belly: [Fine. Come to my place now.]
Building A #3001 Xue’er: [Can I go home tonight?]
Full Belly: [What are you thinking? The deal is you stay at my place. If you don’t come, don’t waste my time!]

Zhang Xueqi knew well this was a transaction.
If it were a one-time thing, she could barely accept it.
As long as she could get some food, there was hope to survive until official rescue arrived.
But the thought of staying daily with a stranger was something she could not accept—for now.

Her gaze drifted to the balcony, where several mutated potted plants grew.
One bloomed with scarlet fruit resembling ripe plums, emitting a tempting sweet fragrance.
Her stomach twisted painfully; she bit her lip hard to resist the urge to pick them.
She feared losing her life far more than losing her purity.

Zhang Xueqi sent no reply, and Lin Feng was in no hurry.
He knew this woman still clung to her pride.

But that was fine—let her continue to starve.
It wasn’t him who would die of hunger after all.

Lin Feng pushed Zhang Xueqi from his mind and casually switched to the outdoor channel on a live-streaming platform.
Through these streamers’ cameras, he could glimpse the situation outside.

On screen, a couple cautiously left their home, preparing to search for food at a nearby convenience store.
The thick white fog prevented the camera from capturing anything in the distance.
Tall weeds surrounded the streamer, reaching half a man’s height.
The once paved asphalt road had been overtaken by these wild plants.
The roots were as thick as steel bars, easily piercing through the hardened surface.
Lin Feng even suspected these weeds could easily puncture car tires.

The male streamer’s face looked grim; each step was a struggle.
“The vehicles can’t drive on this road.
Unless the weeds are cleared, official rescue convoys simply won’t get through.
Everyone, please prepare to fend for yourselves.”

The couple, gasping for breath, reached the storefront.
The entire street was silent, as if forgotten by the world.
In just five days, the once bustling pedestrian street had reverted to primal wilderness.
Vines crawled up the walls, and weeds grew thick on the ground.
Where there was no concrete, tall trees had sprouted.

As the man pulled out tools to pry open the lock, a massive shadow suddenly loomed over him.
“Run!”
The woman’s warning was cut off by a thunderous crash.
Boom!
At the moment a giant cat’s paw descended, the man was flattened like a crushed can, reduced to a bloody mess.

“Help! There’s a monster!”
The woman screamed in agony and fled, the camera shaking violently.
In the next moment, the enormous paw hovered above her head.
The live stream phone fell with her body.
Between the shaking images, a cat’s head, magnified many times over, approached and began gnawing on her corpse.

Lin Feng’s expression darkened as he immediately exited the live stream.
The world outside was far more perilous than he had imagined.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring apartment, Zhang Xueqi curled up on her bed, clutching her phone tightly.
Her heart was filled with turmoil and shame, unable to bring herself to accept Lin Feng’s terms.
She refused to barter her body, yet the stabbing pain in her stomach and dizzy spells reminded her relentlessly:
If she didn’t eat soon, she would truly starve to death.

For days, she had tried contacting her parents, but the calls never connected.
The official rescue hotline was perpetually busy.
She had survived on lukewarm water for days, her body so weak she could barely stand.

At first, Zhang Xueqi looked down on people like “Full Belly.”
She believed she would rather starve than exchange her body for food.
She was convinced official rescue would arrive swiftly.
But the white fog disaster lasted far longer than she expected.
Hunger gradually made her realize that dignity could not fill an empty stomach.

Her stomach clenched painfully again, as if gripped by an invisible hand.
She curled up under the covers, trembling, her forehead slick with cold sweat.

Half an hour later, a wave of dizziness hit.
As her vision darkened, Zhang Xueqi knew she might not hold on much longer.
She gritted her teeth, grabbed her phone, and shakily sent the message she had drafted long ago.

Building A #3001 Xue’er: [Hello, are you there? Can you really guarantee I’ll eat every day?]

Lin Feng saw the message from Zhang Xueqi and chuckled, ignoring it.
You want to come, come. Don’t want to come, donI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.