"Brother Lin Feng...you...you hit me?" Her voice trembled, filled with grievance and confusion.

"Hit you? Hitting you would be too lenient!"

Lin Feng was furious. He pointed at her nose and shouted angrily, "You good-for-nothing woman, you can't even hold a cup!"

"I..." Tang Bao was thoroughly humiliated and filled with shame and indignation. She instinctively wanted to defend herself and refute him, but Lin Feng's icy gaze made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

"Shelterhouses don't house useless people!"

Lin Feng's voice grew increasingly stern: "What can you do besides cry and whine to gain sympathy? What value do you have to the shelter?!"

He took a deep breath, made a firm decision, and said coldly, "Pack your things and get out of the shelter first thing tomorrow morning! I don't need a burden like you here!"

"boom!"

"You want to kick me out?"

Tang Bao was struck dumb, completely stunned. She never imagined that a cup, and her supposedly clever little trick, would result in her being kicked out!

In this wasteland, being driven out of the shelter is almost equivalent to being sentenced to death!

She knew better than anyone how dangerous the outside world was!

Fear gripped her heart instantly.

"No! Brother Lin Feng! You can't send me away! I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

Tang Bao finally panicked completely. Forget about imitating anyone, she knelt down in front of Lin Feng with a thud, hugged his legs, and burst into tears: "I will never do it again! Please, don't send me away! I will work hard! I will do anything! Please!"

Lin Feng disgustedly shook off her hand, but Tang Bao clung to it tightly and refused to let go.

"Brother Lin Feng! You can't do this to me! It's not fair!"

Tang Bao cried out, her extreme grievance and despair making her blurt out incoherently, "Phantom... Phantom broke the cup too! Why didn't you punish it? Why did you comfort it? I didn't mean to... Why did you hit me and kick me out? This isn't fair!"

She raised her tear-filled face and looked at Lin Feng with accusation, hoping to evoke a trace of his pity with this reason.

However, her words were like adding fuel to the fire, completely igniting the last shred of tolerance in Lin Feng's heart.

Lin Feng's face instantly turned ferocious, and his eyes flashed with terrifying rage.

He kicked Tang Bao's hand away suddenly. Although he controlled his strength, Tang Bao still cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

"Ha, fair?" Lin Feng laughed in fury, his voice filled with deep contempt and violence: "You wretched woman, do you even have the right to compare yourself to my precious Phantom?!"

He pointed to the Phantom, which was trembling slightly in the distance, sensing his anger, yet still obediently staying in place. His voice was like a poisoned knife, each word cutting into Tang Bao's heart: "The Phantom is my partner! A family member who fights alongside me and brings me comfort. Even if it smashes everything here, I'd be willing!"

And what about you?

Lin Feng's gaze returned to Tang Bao: "Who do you think you are? A woman who's good for nothing except posing, gossiping, and wasting food. What have you done for the shelter? What have you done for me, Lin Feng? What right do you have to talk to me about fairness?"

Are you worthy?

The last three words were like three heavy hammer blows, striking Tang Bao's heart and shattering all her dignity and illusions.

"I...I..." Tang Bao opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. Lin Feng's words were like countless sharp knives, piercing her body without leaving a trace.

She never imagined that she was so worthless and insignificant in Lin Feng's eyes! She wasn't even as good as one of his pets.

Overwhelmed by immense humiliation and despair, she collapsed to the ground, tears mingling with blood at the corner of her mouth, utterly disheveled.

The entire shelter was silent, everyone stunned by Lin Feng's merciless rebuke and undisguised rage.

Some timid women and children were so frightened that they trembled and dared not look Lin Feng in the eye.

They had never seen Lin Feng so angry, nor had they ever heard him use such harsh and vicious language to rebuke someone.

Just when the atmosphere had reached its limit and Tang Bao was in utter despair, a calm and slightly cold voice broke the dead silence.

"Lin Feng, that's enough."

Qin Lan slowly walked out, her face was a little pale, but her eyes were unusually firm.

She first glanced at the distraught Tang Bao, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes, then turned to Lin Feng, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

"Tang Bao did something wrong this time and should be punished."

Qin Lan's voice clearly reached everyone's ears: "But, isn't kicking her out of the shelter too harsh?"

Lin Feng's chest heaved violently, clearly still seething with anger. He looked coldly at Qin Lan: "Qin Lan, this has nothing to do with you. Someone like her would only be a menace if she stayed in the shelter!"

“I know you’re angry, and I’m angry at her stupidity too.”

Qin Lan met Lin Feng's gaze without backing down: "But think about it calmly, she doesn't deserve to die. What's the difference between kicking her out of the shelter and killing her? Although she has many flaws, at least she hasn't actively harmed anyone. Besides, the shelter needs manpower right now, and one more person means more strength in certain situations."

Su Wanqing also mustered her courage and chimed in softly, "Yes, Mr. Lin, Tang Bao... although she's a bit spoiled, she did her best when she was helping to collect wild vegetables. Let's give her a chance to change."

Lin Feng's gaze swept across Qin Lan and Su Wanqing's faces, his brows still furrowed.

Seeing that Lin Feng's attitude had softened, Qin Lan continued, "Lin Feng, I know you value worth the most. But we can give her a chance to atone. Let her prove her worth through her actions."

She paused, glanced at the broken pieces on the ground, then at Tang Bao, her tone becoming more serious: "She broke the cup, so she should pay for it. Moreover, she should remember this lesson deeply. Let her make an identical cup by hand. If she doesn't do it well, or makes a similar mistake again, then we can kick her out. I don't think anyone will object."

Lin Feng remained silent for a moment, the violent look in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by deep thought.

Qin Lan's suggestion was indeed better than simply kicking her out. It would punish Tang Bao, give her a chance, and also serve as a warning to the others in the shelter.

He glanced at Tang Bao, who was crying so hard she was almost fainting, and snorted coldly, "Fine, we'll do it your way."

Then, he turned to Tang Bao, his voice still icy and chilling: "Did you hear that? Qin Lan pleaded for you, so I'm giving you a chance. You have three days to make a replica of the cup you broke! Find the materials yourself. If you can't make it, or if I'm not satisfied with it, you can get out of here!"

"in addition."

Lin Feng's eyes grew even colder: "Starting today, for the next three days, your food rations are completely canceled. Your food will be restored only when the cups are ready. You need to reflect on what kind of person you really are."

After saying that, Lin Feng didn't look at Tang Bao again, turned around and strode back to his seat. He picked up the somewhat uneasy Mei Ying and whispered comforting words, as if the thunderous rage just now had nothing to do with him.

When Tang Bao heard the result, although she was still filled with fear and humiliation, at least she wouldn't be kicked out immediately, and the tension in her heart eased a little.

She collapsed to the ground, covering her face, and suppressed sobs escaped intermittently.

Qin Lan walked to her side, sighed softly, helped her up from the ground, and said in a low voice, "Get up first, don't cry. Remember what Lin Feng said, and do it well."

Su Wanqing also handed her a clean cloth so she could wipe away the tears and blood from her face.

Those around them watched this scene with mixed feelings.

Some people felt that Tang Bao deserved the punishment and had no choice but to suffer the consequences; others felt that Lin Feng was too harsh and had hit a woman so hard.

Many others were still shaken, secretly warning themselves to be careful with their words and actions in front of Lin Feng in the future, and never to offend him.

The night grew deeper. The campfire still burned, but the atmosphere inside the shelter became oppressive and heavy because of the sudden turmoil.

The next three days were undoubtedly a hellish ordeal for Tangbao.

The redness and pain on my face lasted for two days before subsiding, but the emotional trauma was far from easy to heal.

Lin Feng's icy gaze and those words, "Are you worthy?" echoed in her mind like a curse, keeping her awake at night and unable to eat.

Of course, she had no food to eat.

Making glass cups was simply a pipe dream for her, a former internet celebrity.

How would she know how to make glass?

Hunger, like a leech, relentlessly eroded her body and will.

Every mealtime, the aroma of food wafting from the shelter would make her stomach rumble and her mouth water uncontrollably.

She could only stay far away and watch others eat, a feeling more unbearable than any form of torture.

Some women who were on relatively good terms with her would secretly slip her a little food, such as half a piece of jerky or a small piece of roasted sweet potato.

But they didn't dare to be too obvious, for fear of being discovered by Lin Feng.

Tangbao would wolf down the food each time, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.