After returning to the room, Zhang Ye and Zhou Ke'er took off their winter coats, sat on the sofa, and Zhang Ye cursed, "This damn crazy woman!" He sprawled on the sofa. Zhou Ke'er went to the bathroom, and after a while, she brought a basin of hot water. Smiling, she knelt in front of Zhang Ye, helping him remove the cotton socks from his feet and personally washing them.
Softly, she asked, "Were you startled just now?"
Leaning against the sofa, Zhang Ye said casually, "It was fine, actually. Since the apocalypse, nothing surprises me anymore. In chaotic times, absurd things can happen." He was wearing a bulletproof vest; unless the old lady was an agile assassin able to accurately strike his neck, she couldn't harm him. But Zhang Ye wasn't a piece of wood; he could naturally evade.
"When I was away, did anything happen in the neighborhood? Especially in other buildings, any commotion?" Zhang Ye asked.
Hearing this, Zhou Ke'er nodded slowly. "I was just about to tell you. Over in Building 9, the person in charge now is my previous patient, Chen Lingyu."
"She contacted me today, hoping I could introduce you through her friend request. She mentioned she has something to discuss with you."
Zhang Ye furrowed his brow slightly. "Building 9, Chen Lingyu? That's an unfamiliar name. Even though we're in the same neighborhood, Yue Lu residential area is quite large, almost 500 meters from north to south. My building, 25#, and Building 9# are like the head and tail of the village. We rarely have a chance to interact."
"What does she want to talk to me about?" Zhang Ye inquired.
Zhou Ke'er shook her head. "She just said she wants to discuss a cooperation matter with the Building 25's floor leader. However, the specific details must be discussed by you."
Zhang Ye sneered. "Cooperation? Nonsense cooperation! I lack nothing now, while they can only wait to die in the building. What can they cooperate with me on?"
Lifting her head, Zhou Ke'er, with a graceful smile, said, "Shall I tell her you don't want to chat with her?"
Zhang Ye waved his hand. "No need to be in such a hurry. Tell me about her, what kind of person is she! Also, the specific situation in their building."
Zhou Ke'er then shared the information she had gathered with Zhang Ye.
Chen Lingyu, the owner of a beauty and cosmetics company valued at two billion yuan in Tianhai City. Although it was labeled as a beauty and cosmetics company, in reality, it was a company engaged in pyramid selling. At 38 years old, Chen Lingyu had an above-average appearance, a strong personality, and was a competent businesswoman. She and Zhou Ke'er knew each other due to a chance encounter during a previous visit to the First People's Hospital. Their relationship was average, at most a nodding acquaintance.
As for Building 9#, it was currently under her control. According to information Zhou Ke'er gathered, the management of Building 9# was quite good, with only 10 deaths until now.
After listening, Zhang Ye pinched his fingers, nodding. "In such times, a woman can actually manage a building. This Chen Lingyu indeed has some ability!"
Zhou Ke'er also sighed lightly. "Yes, after all, she's involved in pyramid selling, brainwashing others is something she excels at."
Zhang Ye chuckled, "This is what a ruthless person is like! Truly ruthless, disowning even close relatives. Be careful with such women!"
Zhou Ke'er nodded. "My impression of her isn't very good either. We haven't been in contact for a long time. Today, she suddenly found me and asked me to help convey a message."
Zhang Ye said, "That's not strange. Now that I have a snowmobile and can go out to collect supplies, news about it has already spread throughout the neighborhood. Everyone envies me. Who wouldn't want to get their hands on my snowmobile?"
Zhou Ke'er nodded. "Since that's the case, do you want to talk to her?"
Zhang Ye put his hand under his chin, pondering for a few minutes. "Let's chat and see! I also want to know what the people in the other buildings are up to. At the very least, I can't immediately turn hostile with those from the other 29 buildings. Otherwise, it won't be a good thing if the people from those buildings turn against me. If I just hide in the house without going out, I don't need to fear them. But now, I know the outside world is a huge treasure trove, and I'll need to continue going out to collect various survival supplies. Therefore, I can't fall out with the people from the other 29 buildings for now."
So, while enjoying Zhou Ke'er's delicate massage, Zhang Ye opened his WeChat on his phone. There were more than 99 friend requests, which he had been lazy to check since most of those contacting him were just asking for supplies, and he didn't bother to respond.
Upon opening the friend request list, Zhang Ye saw the first one was from "A Lotus Group CEO Chen Lingyu." Wearing a white shirt, her arms crossed, showing a deep and meaningful expression on her face, a typical profile picture for a businesswoman.
Zhang Ye was about to accept the friend request when his attention was suddenly drawn to a slightly familiar profile picture below. Business professionals usually used personal photos for their WeChat avatars, so Zhang Ye recognized who it was at a glance—Li Jian, the Financial Director of Walmart's South China Region. The reason he knew him was that they had seen each other during a company annual meeting dinner.
Zhang Ye looked at the time of the friend request, which was at 10:30 this morning, shortly after he had left the neighborhood.
"It seems he's looking for me for the same reason." Zhang Ye had a guess in his mind. After a brief contemplation, he decided to accept both friend requests simultaneously. He wanted to see what each person wanted to talk to him about and judge how to deal with the residents of the other 29 buildings accordingly. Once the friend requests were accepted, the replies to their messages came almost instantly.
"Hello, Mr. Zhang Ye! I am Chen Lingyu from Building 9. I am currently in charge of managing Building 9. I would like to talk to you!"
"Mr. Zhang, hello! I am Li Jian from Building 18. Thank you for accepting my friend request. I would like to discuss cooperation matters on behalf of the residents of Building 18 with you."
Zhang Ye first opened Chen Lingyu's chat window. "What do you want to talk about?"
Chen Lingyu replied immediately, "It's not very convenient to talk like this. Can we have a voice call?"
"No, it's not convenient for me. Let's just chat like this," Zhang Ye said coldly. He was particularly familiar with women involved in pyramid schemes; their mouths were like machine guns, able to chatter endlessly at the slightest chance.
"What's the matter? Say something simple and direct. I am not a patient person
, and I don't like to talk nonsense," Zhang Ye said.