In the community group chat, the old hag was still yapping nonstop.
"Everyone's seen the news, right? Our country has the power to fully handle this snowstorm!"
"No need to panic. Everything will be resolved soon."
"If anyone needs supplies at home, those with the means should help out. There's no need to hoard supplies since this snowstorm will be over soon."
But the number of replies was minimal.
Clearly, with two days gone and no sign of the blizzard easing, many people were starting to get anxious.
Then, Rainy reached out to Ethan again.
"Ethan, are you okay?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow—Rainy probably thought he'd been dealt with by that thug.
But he wasn't buying her fake concern.
"I'm doing great."
"Oh, that's good to hear."
Truthfully, Rainy felt a bit disappointed.
But quickly, she messaged again:
"We're out of food. I remember you stocked up on a lot. Can you share some with me?"
"I'll treat you to dinner next time! (｡♥‿♥｡)"
Ethan let out a cold smirk.
Of course, she had an ulterior motive.
He remembered clearly that when they went shopping together, Rainy and Lily had bought some things too—not as much as him, but enough to last more than two days.
"That was ages ago. I didn't keep much at home. I barely have anything left myself."
Still, Rainy wouldn't give up.
"At least give me a few packs of instant noodles? You work in warehousing—you couldn't possibly be short on food!"
Ethan replied bluntly.
"No noodles left either. Look, I can only eat stuff like this now."
He snapped a photo of the table: fresh lobster, a Wellington steak, a couple of Huangshan meat pies, and a bottle of Coke.
When Rainy saw the picture, her eyebrows shot up in fury.
"That damn Ethan! Is he mocking me on purpose?!"
Beside her, Lily poked her head out from under the blanket. It was so cold that the two girls were sleeping in the same bed.
As soon as she saw the food in the photo, her eyes turned green with envy.
These two princesses weren't used to cooking at all. Usually, they relied on takeout or free meals from guys.
Now that the city was frozen shut, they were stuck eating instant noodles and canned food. Seeing Ethan still eating lobster and steak made them both furious and jealous.
Lily muttered sourly:
"Wow, Ethan's so selfish! He's got all that good food and didn't even think to share."
"And he used to say he liked you. Total phony!"
Rainy was thoroughly annoyed.
Ethan had sent her photos before too—clearly on purpose to provoke her.
But she believed Ethan still liked her. He was just using this tactic to force her to compromise.
"Ha! Just some fancy food and you think I'll give in? Dream on, Ethan!"
As a proud gold digger, she had to maintain her queenly image.
Still, her eyes betrayed her longing as they stared at the photo.
Lily, of course, could read her mind.
"Rainy, why don't you tell him you'll have dinner with him?"
"You keep your dignity, he brings the food—everybody wins. I bet he'll jump at the offer!"
Rainy frowned and thought it over.
To her, Ethan was nothing more than a premium backup plan—handsome, a bit of money, but nowhere near the rich, dreamy man she truly wanted.
Under normal circumstances, she'd never lower herself to reach out to him.
But right now… she couldn't stand another day of instant noodles and canned beans.
"Fine. Let's give him a chance to have dinner with me," Rainy muttered, reluctant but tempted.
She picked up her phone and sent:
"Ethan, it's been a while since we hung out. Want to come over for dinner tonight?"
Ethan burst into laughter when he saw the message.
"You're inviting me to dinner? Sure. Thanks in advance!"
That one reply turned Rainy's face pale with rage.
Though maybe it was just the cold.
She slammed the phone down and grumbled to Lily:
"That damn Ethan! I was giving him a chance to please me, and he expects me to cook?!"
Lily blinked.
It was baffling. Had this former simp actually grown a spine?
Rainy huffed and puffed.
"I was going to keep him as a backup. But now he's dropping down the list."
"I'm seriously mad this time! I'm not talking to him ever again! Even if he begs, I won't answer!"
Lily, still craving lobster, added fuel to the fire.
"Exactly! Look at him, totally not worthy!"
"He wants to chase you but can't even share food? Trash like that deserves to stay single forever."
The two of them continued trash-talking Ethan for a while.
During that time, Rainy kept checking her phone, hoping Ethan would message her and apologize.
But he didn't.
Not a word.
And that infuriated her even more.
Meanwhile, Lily was starting to hatch her own little scheme.
She sent Ethan a private message:
"Ethan, you're being so stupid right now! Rainy's really mad—do you know how serious this is?"
Ethan glanced at the message, and chuckled.
At this point, reading group chats and private messages had become a hobby—a form of entertainment.
After all, what's more dramatic than watching human nature unravel in the apocalypse?
When he saw the message from Lily, he smirked.
"So one plays the good cop, one plays the bad cop, huh? You two really put on a show."
He'd seen right through the pair of them long ago.
The classic combo: the green tea friend would always speak up for the white lotus.
Rainy had to maintain her innocent goddess persona. So whenever she needed a man to spend money or do favors, it was Lily who dropped the hints.