Chapter 342: The Meal That Triggered a Breakdown

Liang Yue’s face was full of struggle.

A single meal might mean nothing to Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke’er, but for her and her students, it was essential to survival. Food was already scarce, and today’s circumstances only made it worse, leaving her feeling understandably downcast.

Sensing this, Zhou Ke’er quickly smiled and said, “Oh! I can’t believe I almost forgot!”

“Ms. Liang, you must not have eaten yet. Why don’t you join us for a meal?” Zhou Ke’er extended her hand, warmly inviting Liang Yue inside.

Liang Yue’s throat tightened as she thought of the warm, delicious food in Zhang Yi’s house, and her stomach growled at the thought. But after hesitating a moment, she shook her head, declining Zhou Ke’er’s kind offer.

“No, thank you! I’ll come back tomorrow instead.”

With her students all starving, the thought of eating alone would make her feel too guilty.

“My apologies for making you come all this way for nothing!” Zhou Ke’er smiled apologetically.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Liang Yue replied. “He has his own matters to handle. Besides, a tutor should adapt to the student’s schedule, not the other way around.”

Turning to leave, Liang Yue walked away, her stubborn determination making Zhou Ke’er chuckle.

“Ms. Liang is such an endearing person!” she remarked.

From the living room, Yang Xinxin rolled up in her wheelchair. “That’s the warrior spirit—unyielding,” she said with a hint of admiration.

Zhou Ke’er sighed softly, “If she’d just asked, I could’ve packed some food for her to take back.”

She knew that Zhang Yi held Liang Yue in high regard, not only for her abilities but for her unmatched strength as a warrior. As such, Zhou Ke’er treated her with respect as well. If Liang Yue were ever to join them permanently, Zhou Ke’er would make sure to stay on good terms with her.

Yang Xinxin chuckled, “Sending her back with just one meal might actually make things worse.”

“Oh?” Zhou Ke’er tilted her head, puzzled. “Why would it be worse? Isn’t one meal better than nothing?”

Yang Xinxin’s hands rested on her lap, and her expression turned slightly mysterious.

“Those classmates of mine aren’t exactly a charitable crowd.”

“If Ms. Liang only brought back one meal, she wouldn’t eat it herself. But if she tried to share it, how would she divide it?”

“With a dozen people trying to eat a single meal, a polite sharing would be impossible. They’d end up fighting over every bite, with yelling, insults, and maybe even brawling.”

“Ms. Liang is already exhausted from looking after them. She wouldn’t want to add more trouble for herself.”

Zhou Ke’er nodded thoughtfully, agreeing. She could understand why Liang Yue would act that way. Liang Yue had been these students’ teacher for many years and saw them as her own children, making it hard for her to watch them struggle alone in the apocalypse.

In the past, Zhou Ke’er would have pitied these students too. But that was before. Now, she held on to a sliver of kindness, tempered by reason.

“Even knowing he’d be gone, Zhang Yi should’ve anticipated that Ms. Liang would come by. Do you think he did this on purpose?” Zhou Ke’er asked, looking out at Liang Yue’s solitary figure in the snow.

Yang Xinxin blushed a little, a dreamy look crossing her face. “Oh, I’d bet it’s part of Brother Zhang Yi’s plan!”

Zhou Ke’er’s eyes sparkled as she turned back. “Are you saying Zhang Yi intentionally did this to deepen the conflict among your classmates? Or to make Liang Yue face reality faster?”

Yang Xinxin nodded. “Of course, Brother Zhang Yi would have thought it all through.”

She added, “Pretending to be busy and ‘forgetting’ his appointment with Ms. Liang—it’s his way of creating trouble for those people and stirring up Ms. Liang’s doubts.”

“Brother Zhang Yi is so brilliant!”

“Definitely, it’s just like him,” Zhou Ke’er said admiringly, her respect for Zhang Yi growing. “Everything he does has layers of meaning.”

---

On the way back, Zhang Yi drove while letting the autopilot assist, which made driving effortless. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead. “Ah! I forgot to tell Liang Yue she didn’t need to come by today!”

---

Liang Yue returned to Xu Family Town.

Passing by Lu River, she saw women and children breaking through the ice to fish. Most of the town’s adult men had died at West Hill Base, leaving only women, the elderly, and children.

Yet they still had to survive, so they took on the jobs men would normally do.

As she walked past, Liang Yue noticed their numb faces. They looked almost lifeless, going through the motions merely to survive, without any real purpose.

Liang Yue thought of her students.

They were young and strong, yet far less willing to fight for survival than these women, children, and elderly villagers.

“Zhang Yi was right,” she sighed. “I’ve been sheltering them too much.”

Feeling her own hunger pangs, she silently resolved to confront her students. It was time to push them out of their comfort zone.

When she reached the house where the students lived, she found them all crammed together in one room. Despite the many empty rooms in Xu Family Town, they stayed huddled together for warmth.

Even at night, the girls would snuggle into the boys’ beds, drawn to the higher body heat. As this habit continued, relationships between them grew increasingly complicated.

Seeing her return empty-handed, the students looked puzzled. Usually, it took her hours to fetch food.

But when they saw her hands were empty, they immediately grew anxious.

“Ms. Liang, you came back empty-handed?”

“Where’s the food?”

To them, food was the most important thing in the world.

Liang Yue walked into the room, found a chair, and sat down, explaining today’s situation.

“Zhang Yi had business today, so there’s no food. You’ll have to catch fish for yourselves.”

Hearing this, the students erupted in disbelief.

“He couldn’t even tell us in advance?”

“Just because he’s not home, why can’t the others give us some food? They’ve got plenty!”

“Zhang Yi has no sense of responsibility.”

Liang Yue’s heart sank at their complaints.

“No matter what, Zhang Yi has helped us immensely. Without him, many of us would have died at West Hill Base.”

“And remember, he’s only providing me with food as part of a deal. He doesn’t owe us anything.”

“You shouldn’t be blaming others; you should be working to get food yourselves.”

She tried to reason with them, but the students were unmoved.

As soon as she suggested they work for their food, some of the girls started whining.

“Ms. Liang, last time I went ice fishing, my hands got all cut up! They still haven’t healed, and they hurt so much.”

“We’re not cut out for this; we’re not fishermen.”

One girl muttered under her breath, “If you ask me, it’s Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran who are the problem.”

“They’ve been our classmates for years, yet they only care about themselves, never sparing a thought for us!”

“If they’d only talk to Zhang Yi, we could all be living in that cozy Shelter.”

With that one complaint, tension immediately flared, directed at Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran.

Jealousy.

Bitterness.

Resentment.

These emotions had taken root in their hearts, growing into a monstrous tree under the harsh conditions they lived in.

Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran owed them nothing and had even endured bullying from them in the past. But as the saying goes, people don’t mind poverty as much as they mind inequality.

If everyone suffered together, they might have endured it. But why should those two live in a warm, comfortable villa, enjoying heat, hot food, and a soft bed, while the rest of them starved and froze?

The girl’s complaint was just a release valve for all the frustration that had been building up inside. Once she started, others joined in, venting their anger at Lu Keran and Yang Xinxin.

“They’re so selfish!”

“I even treated Lu Keran to bubble tea two years ago! Now she won’t even think of helping me. How shameless!”

“You think that’s bad? My family’s distantly related to the Yang family! And Yang Xinxin hasn’t lifted a finger for me? Selfish to the core!”

“I always thought those two were no good. Guess I was right!”

As the students vented their grievances, they grew excited, like sharks smelling blood in the water. They mercilessly attacked Lu Keran and Yang Xinxin, as though those two had wronged them.

Liang Yue listened in shock, unable to believe her students could be so petty and ruthless toward their own classmates.

What noble academy? What elite Jiangnan socialites?

Witnessing this, she felt they were no different from common thugs.

Her heart sank completely. She finally resolved not to coddle these spoiled and immature students any longer.

“Quiet down! I have an announcement to make!”

Liang Yue’s sharp tone cut through the noise, and the room quickly fell silent.

She looked around, her voice steady as she said, “From now on, I will be moving to the Shelter—with Lu Keran and Yang Xinxin.”

Author's Note

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