Chapter 50: Toying with the White Lotus

"What do you think?" Zhang Yi asked coldly in return.

Beside Fang Yuqing, Wang Min and the others nudged her, urging her to get straight to the point.

Fang Yuqing sniffled and said with a whimper, "Zhang Yi, Zhou鹏 and the others were injured by your arrows, and they are in very bad condition now. We don't have any medicine at home. If this keeps up, they'll die of infection."

"Didn't you buy a lot of medicine beforehand? Please, lend us some."

"I... I promise I'll never bother you again!"

Zhang Yi paused his cooking for a moment, utterly baffled by Fang Yuqing's bizarre logic.

"Fang Yuqing, take a guess. Why do you think I used rusted arrows to shoot them?"

"To make them suffer and die a painful death from infection—that was precisely my goal!"

"And yet you actually had the nerve to come asking me for medicine? Are you out of your mind?"

Zhang Yi laughed mockingly.

Of course Fang Yuqing and the others understood this perfectly well.

However, if they didn't swallow their pride and come begging Zhang Yi now, they could only sit and watch helplessly as their companions died.

Moreover, Zhou Peng and the other two men were their only hope of survival in the future.

Weeping, Fang Yuqing said, "Zhang Yi, we were wrong. Please let them go this once. We promise we will never trouble you again."

"Besides, the world is so difficult right now. Shouldn't we be helping each other out?"

"Can't you be a little less cold-blooded? Will it really bring you joy if they die?"

Before Fang Yuqing could finish, Zhang Yi answered firmly, "Yes, I am feeling quite joyful right now."

Fang Yuqing was instantly choked by his response, completely at a loss for words.

Anxious, Wang Min stepped forward and said to Zhang Yi, "Zhang Yi, it's me, Wang Min. Do you remember? I even treated you to dinner before!"

Zhang Yi immediately rolled his eyes.

In the past, when Wang Min had asked him for a favor to get a batch of goods at a low price from the warehouse, Zhang Yi had indeed accepted one meal from her, but he had subsequently helped her make a tidy profit.

"Do you really think bringing that up makes any sense?"

Zhang Yi asked with a cold smirk.

Wang Min swallowed hard. From the living room, she could hear Zhou Peng's miserable screams echoing faintly.

Upon hearing those sounds, Zhang Yi wore a look of utter contentment, wishing only that he could witness their wretched state firsthand.

Wang Min pressed on, "Zhang Yi, nobody knows if they'll survive till tomorrow these days, and we have that tyrant Chen Zhenghao murdering people left and right. Leave a little room for grace; who knows, you might need our help someday."

"If you give us the medicine this time, I, Wang Min, will remember your kindness and surely repay you in the future!"

Zhang Yi said with utter disdain, "Kindness? Do you take me for an absolute idiot?"

"Those bastards were all wounded by me, and one of your lot is already dead, with the corpse lying right outside my door."

"No matter what I do, this blood feud is irreconcilable. Help you guys, just so you can turn around and exact revenge on me later? You've got to be kidding me!"

Wang Min tried to defend herself, "We aren't that kind of person!"

"Save it! This is pointless."

Zhang Yi clicked his tongue twice. "Whether you're that kind of person or not doesn't matter to me. What matters is that I refuse to believe you aren't, so I'm not going to save you."

Rescue people who had tried to harm him?

That was nothing short of pure, idiotic saintliness. No matter how eloquently the other party spun their tales, Zhang Yi's resolve would never waver.

Seeing that Zhang Yi remained completely impervious to both soft and hard tactics, the group began to panic.

Wang Min's brows furrowed in rage. "Zhang Yi, don't push us into a corner! If you force us to die, heaven only knows what we might be capable of doing!"

Facing Wang Min's threats, Zhang Yi scoffed dismissively, "Haven't you already tried everything you're capable of?"

"If you actually had the ability, you would have broken into my home long ago, killed me, and stripped me of everything I own."

"I wasn't raised to be easily scared, and those cheap intimidation tactics won't work on me."

Snatching the phone away, Fang Yuqing cried out tearfully, "Zhang Yi, do we really have to reach this point? Things used to be so good between us."

"Why can't we let go of our prejudices and start over? Actually, Qing'er has always had feelings for you in her heart!"

In the next room, Zhou Peng was biting down on a towel while undergoing makeshift treatment.

Upon hearing those words, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and his muffled groans grew even more frantic.

Zhang Yi couldn't help but admire such a first-class green tea bitch; her skin was thicker than the corners of a city wall.

Then again, it was hardly surprising. In the current environment, Zhang Yi was essentially a mega-wealthy tycoon.

Gold-digging women were top-tier when it came to clinging relentlessly to the mega-wealthy.

Suddenly, a wicked thought crossed Zhang Yi's mind.

He knew the others were standing close by, and Zhou Peng could hear every word of their conversation.

Therefore, Zhang Yi intentionally said, "Ah, Yuqing, to be honest, I still have feelings for you. It's just that the way you hurt me back then left a scar I can't quite let go of."

Those words acted like a match, igniting a glimmer of hope in Fang Yuqing's heart.

Disregarding the furious glares of the people around her, she trembled with excitement and said, "Brother Zhang Yi, I knew you couldn't stop loving Qing'er!"

"You silly goose, the person Qing'er loves the most has always been you. All those things before were just to test you. Oh, you blockhead, why couldn't you understand my true intentions?"

Wang Min and the others felt their stomachs turn with revulsion, and Zhou Peng looked ready to pass out from sheer anger.

Yet, deep down, they figured that if Fang Yuqing could genuinely hook up with Zhang Yi, they might finally have a chance to get their hands on his house and supplies. Hence, no one spoke up to stop her.

"Brother Zhang Yi, let Qing'er move into your home! From now on, Qing'er will be your woman. Whatever you want Qing'er to do, however you want to treat her, I'll obey you completely. Okay?"

Zhang Yi smiled faintly.

"Alright."

Fang Yuqing leaped with joy on the spot, more ecstatic than a gambler hitting the jackpot.

Lin Caining chimed in impatiently, "Take me too, take me with you!"

Fang Yuqing glanced at her coldly, an inward sneer plastered across her face.

Zhang Yi's chilly voice came through the phone once more.

"However, Yuqing, the only person I love is you. Therefore, I can only accept you alone."

"As for those unsavory characters, you'd better keep your distance from them. Life is hard enough right now; we don't need a bunch of dead weight dragging us down. Don't you agree?"

As soon as those words dropped, the expressions of everyone present shifted dramatically.

They had been counting on Fang Yuqing to seduce Zhang Yi so that they could all ride her coattails.

So why did Zhang Yi's words sound like he intended to cut them off entirely?

By now, Fang Yuqing was floating on air and completely forgot about the people standing right beside her.

She nodded eagerly like a chicken pecking at rice, agreeing to everything without hesitation.

"Yes, yes, everything is up to you, Brother. Qing'er will listen to you in everything!"

"Then come over right now, and leave the others behind."

"Mm-mm-mm, I'm coming right now! Brother, wait for me!"

Fang Yuqing's flushed face was practically glowing with excitement. The mere thought of escaping her current hellish existence completely blotted out all other reasoning.

Without a second thought, she turned and sprinted toward the door.

Wang Min and the others had reached their boiling point.

Seeing that Fang Yuqing was actually about to ditch them and scurry off to Zhang Yi alone, Lin Caining reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

Fang Yuqing spun around, her face twisted in a ferocious snarl as she screamed, "Get the hell away from me! Don't you dare stop me from going to Zhang Yi's place! I've had enough of this miserable life!"

Before the echo of her voice had even faded, Wang Min's heavy hand struck her across the face with a vicious slap.

"You shameless bitch! You've dragged us all into this mess, and now you want to run off by yourself? In your dreams!"