Ch47-Big Brother, You Still Need to Be Careful
Day 35 of the Apocalypse.
The torrential rain showed no sign of stopping, but the floodwaters had halted their rise after reaching the fourth floor-a welcome relief for everyone.
The only surprise for Meng Ci was seeing Liu Jie mingling with Zhang Mingtian and his group.
Meng Ci had heard the reason from Zhang Mingtian: Liu Jie knew there was food somewhere, and since leading them out had indeed yielded provisions, he accepted them.
He then had Liu Jie and Li Xiaoya move to 1606, sharing a room with Zhang Mingtian and the others. Meng Ci didn't order Zhang Mingtian to expel those two, intending instead to use one of them to eliminate another person.
"Big Brother, here's today's food." Every time Zhang Mingtian went out to scavenge, he'd bring some back for Meng Ci and the others. Regardless of the amount, Meng Ci never refused and accepted it directly.
"Big Brother, even with this wall protecting you, you still need to stay vigilant."
"You know Wei Heng? The one who took that motorboat from the college students earlier?"
"Even though he united the people on one floor, he's too ruthless. He always gives others too little food."
"Last night, someone stormed into his home. Not only did they steal the assault boat, but they also took the last few liters of diesel fuel left in the house."
"The food he had hidden away was also completely wiped out."
"I heard his elderly mother passed away because of this."
Meng Ci nodded in acknowledgment, urging them to stay vigilant too, especially with those close to them.
Lately, since Li Xiaoya and Liu jie had joined Zhang Mingtian's group, Meng Ci had been keeping a close eye on them.
He'd use the Fly or Bee surveillance drones to monitor them whenever possible.
These two surveillance devices proved surprisingly useful. At two million each, they nearly matched the value of the food stockpiled in Meng Ci's storage space.
But now they are quite convenient to use.
That's how he discovered He Xian and Li Xiaoya gradually getting involved in shady dealings.
With nothing much going on lately, Meng Ci wanted to spice up the mundane days.
Meng Ci captured screenshots of the footage, developed two photos, and slipped them under their door while they slept.
Whichever of them found these photos would be thrown into turmoil.
Even if He Xian discovered them, he'd surely suspect someone was spying on him or that Li Xiaoya was trying to blackmail him.
He Xian's wife, Wu Shuyao, had a temper to match-she was fiercely principled.
He Xian had been complaining incessantly about giving supplies to Meng Ci and the others. Finally, Wu Shuyao couldn't take it anymore and slapped him across the face.
She told him that if he didn't want the boat taken back, he should just shut up and stop eating.
That's why He Xian has been quiet these past few days.
The next day, Wu Shuyao was the first to spot the photo on the ground.
But instead of confronting He Xian immediately, she went to Zhang Mingtian's house and found Liu Jie.
"Spill it. How are you handling your girlfriend's affair?"
Wu Shuyao sat on the sofa, crossed one leg over the other, and flung the photo right at Liu Jie's face.
Seeing the two pale bodies in the photo, Liu Jie felt nothing but disgust.
All these days, he'd been working himself to the bone with Zhang Mingtian and the others, searching for food and firewood, just so the two of them could live comfortably.
He never imagined Li Xiaoya would dare to cuckold him.
"Brother Jie, what are we having for dinner today?"
Li Xiaoya emerged from the bedroom, unaware of the commotion. Spotting Wu Shuyao, she even flashed a sweet smile.
"Hi, Sister Wu!"
Wu Shuyao snorted coldly. "HI?"
"I'm not feeling 'hi' at all."
Li Xiaoya blinked innocently, plopping down beside Liu Jie, clueless about Wu Shuyao's latest outburst.
"What's wrong with Wu Shuyao?"
Li Xiaoya asked casually, then hooked her arm through Liu Jie's, ready to act coy.
But then she spotted the two photos in his hand.
"Brother Jie, those photos..."
Liu Jie flung Li Xiaoya off his arm, stood up with disgust, and flung the photos right at her face.
"What's wrong with these photos?"
"You're not trying to say these photos were photoshopped, aren't you?!"
"It's pouring rain right now. The power's been out for ages, and there's no internet. Tell me, how the hell would someone photoshop these?"
"Huh? You tell me!"
At first, Liu Jie had been mentally defending Li Xiaoya, but then he realized: with this storm raging for days, who would have the time to photoshop pictures for her?
Li Xiaoya had indeed intended to say the photos were photoshopped, but after Liu Jie's outburst, she didn't know how to
explain herself.
"Brother Jie!" Li Xiaoya cried pitifully, tears suddenly streaming down her face.
"Brother Jie, I'm the one who wronged you!"
"But this wasn't my choice. It was him-He Xian-who threatened me."
"He said if I didn't be with him, he'd rally everyone to kick us both out!"
"Brother Jie, believe me!"
"I know everything you've done these past days!"
"I didn't want your efforts to go to waste, so I resorted to this desperate measure!"
"If you think I've defiled you, I'll jump off this building right now."
Liu Jie, hearing Li Xiaoya speak like this, actually fell for her lies.
Li Xiaoya was usually so meek and fragile; it was entirely possible she'd been threatened.
"Where's He Xian? Get him here. I want to see how he plans to kick me out."
"And he dares sleep with my woman!"
Wu Shuyao rolled her eyes. This guy must be out of his mind!
The woman had given him such a huge cuckold's hat, yet he still thought it was someone else's fault.
With such a loud argument erupting in the living room, people from other rooms naturally heard the commotion and came out.
The two photos on the floor were also caught in their gaze.
Though they were partners, it wasn't their place to meddle in others' affairs.
But if this issue remained unresolved, the resulting resentment could easily lead to infighting.
Upon learning of the impending confrontation, Zhang Mingtian directly brought the three of them to 1605.
"We're a team now. When something like this happens, we should resolve our issues!"
"Otherwise, when we go out to find things later, it'll just cause unpleasantness!"
The other two families naturally agreed with Zhang Mingtian's words, urging them to clarify the situation.
Wu Shuyao slapped He Xian across the face. "Once the rain stops, we're getting divorced."
He Xian immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Wu Shuyao.
"Honey, I was wrong, I was wrong! Don't divorce me!"
"It's all that woman's fault! She seduced me first!"
"I was wrong, I made a mistake!"
Seeing Wu Shuyao insist on
divorce, He Xian knelt on the floor and began violently slapping himself across the face.
It was only then that those present realized He Xian was a phoenix man-someone who had married up. After marrying Wu Shuyao, he had been living off her, freeloading at home.
Everyone present looked at He Xian with utter contempt.
Freeloading was one thing, but now he was trying to force her hand? How outrageous.
Several women urged Wu Shuyao not to show any mercy.