Zhang Yi stepped out of his home to find a scene of serene joy; the world around him was filled with the mirth and comfort of humanity.
Parents with their children were frolicking in the community plaza, their faces brimming with content smiles.
But Zhang Yi knew that in a month's time, all of this would vanish into nothingness.
He strode out of the neighborhood, not far from which sat a Michelin three-star restaurant. A meal there usually cost five to six thousand—a luxury Zhang Yi always felt too thrifty to indulge in in the past.
Now, however, things were different. Having been resurrected, he felt a celebration was in order.
Upon entering the restaurant, Zhang Yi picked a seat by the window and ordered the most expensive dishes on the menu, along with a bottle of red wine from Lafite Rothschild estate. The bill for the meal came to fifty thousand yuan.
Even the staff at the restaurant gave Zhang Yi ambiguous looks, convinced he was a rich second-generation tycoon. After all, why else would an average person splurge on such an expensive meal?
Zhang Yi didn't care what others thought. As the feast was served, he began to stuff himself voraciously. Perhaps it was experiencing six months of an icy apocalypse that made these delicious dishes move him nearly to tears.
His ferocious eating drew whispers from the other guests, but Zhang Yi was unconcerned.
He knew that after the apocalypse, people would kneel for a packet of instant noodles. When that time came, all pretense of civility and morals would crumble to dust.
As he dined, a woman walking past the restaurant window caught his attention and halted. She was swathed in long flowing hair, with her makeup meticulously done, wearing Gucci heels and brandishing an LV bag.
It was none other than Fang Yuqing, the woman who led to Zhang Yi's death in the previous world. And by her side was her best friend, Li Caining.
Whenever they passed by a place like the Michelin-starred restaurant, they couldn't help but gaze longingly, desiring the luxurious lifestyle such an establishment suggested. However, limited finances obstructed the idea of such frivolity.
Nonetheless, this did not stop them from scrutinizing the interior with evaluating eyes, hoping to spot an affluent prospect and perhaps snag a wealthy benefactor.
However, this time something else caught Fang Yuqing's attention—Zhang Yi, dining inside with a spread of high-end foods before him.
"Isn't that Zhang Yi? How can he afford to eat here?" Fang Yuqing exclaimed in surprise.
Li Caining covered her mouth in astonishment. "Was Zhang Yi always this rich?"
As she spoke, there was a suggestive look in her eyes toward Fang Yuqing, and she teased, "Yuqing, you're quite lucky. The guy who's been licking your boots turns out to be a hidden rich second-generation scion."
"Look at the spread on his table—that's got to be at least fifty or sixty thousand. Which average person can afford such an expensive meal?"
Li Caining's tone carried a hint of envy, knowing that Zhang Yi had been chasing after Fang Yuqing for two and a half years.
However, Fang Yuqing had been stringing him along without ever outright rejecting or accepting his advances.
Fang Yuqing, a plain gold digger, had always believed she could marry a wealthy man and become a trophy wife. But she couldn't quite let go of Zhang Yi, a man of decent means with a car and a home in Tianhai City.
Thus, she had been keeping Zhang Yi as a safety net, never initiating, never rejecting, and never taking responsibility.
Seeing him indulge in a meal that cost tens of thousands, Fang Yuqing started to doubt her previous assumptions.
"Could it be that Zhang Yi is actually a hidden rich second-generation heir?" she pondered, cupping her chin in thought, as the possibility increasingly appealed to her.