"Jian Ning, aren't you going to do anything about this?" Li Mingxuan's tone was angry, with a hint of resentment.

"I can't control that, Zhang Xiaoqiang. Are you going to buy the food or not?" Jian Ning straightened up. If Zhang Xiaoqiang didn't want it, she didn't plan to be a good person anymore.

"Yes, yes, I want food and water. Can you give me two thousand yuan first?"

Zhang Xiaoqiang didn't necessarily want to stay at Jian Ning's house. After all, it was a private house, and it was a favor to let her go. It wouldn't be wrong not to let her in.

How many people in the city these days would welcome someone to move into their home so easily?

Putting myself in his shoes, especially in such a special time, I'm already very grateful that they were able to sell me food; at least I have the means to survive.

"Okay, you wait." Jian Ning turned around and walked back, not forgetting to pull Xiao Lingfeng along.

He spoke only after exiting the stairwell: "I'm sorry, they are all my college classmates. I was planning to sell them some food, and out of humanitarianism, I felt I couldn't just ignore them."

"That's your freedom. I have no objection as long as you think it's okay. But you still need to be careful. People's hearts are the most unpredictable thing."

After Xiao Lingfeng finished speaking, he went straight back to his room. Hearing the door slam shut, Jian Ning felt that he was unhappy.

I went back inside and found two large bags, filled them with bread, biscuits, and sausages—things that could be stored—and also dragged down a case of 24 bottles of mineral water.

They didn't open everything up before stuffing it through the gap in the gate.

Li Mingxuan watched from the side, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Jian Ning, aren't you being too petty? Do you think we'd rush in to open the door? Why are you being so wary of us? I consider you a good friend, and you're the first person I think of when I'm in trouble."

Jian Ning completely ignored him and rolled her eyes. He really thought too highly of himself. He had such a high opinion of himself. Thank you so much!

As soon as the item was handed over, Jian Ning took out another notebook.

"Zhang Xiaoqiang, come and sign this first. These things are worth two thousand yuan, don't say I took too much."

"Right now, you can't buy food even if you have money, and I also want to remind you that the people downstairs have been starving for days. I hope you won't be too sympathetic."

“I know, Jian Ning, thank you,” Zhang Xiaoqiang said gratefully as he took the notebook and pen and signed his name on it.

At this moment, Cao Xue also climbed up from downstairs, covered in sweat. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jian Ning, and she rushed over.

"Jian Ning, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Seeing Cao Xue wearing super short shorts and a loose short-sleeved shirt that didn't even cover her upper thighs, Jian Ning frowned. These must be pajamas she wears at home. She's just coming out like this. Isn't she afraid of getting into trouble?

"I'm fine. Wait a moment, I'll get you some clothes." Jian Ning said, going back into the house to get her two pairs of capri pants. She handed them to Cao Xue through the railing.

She had now learned what had happened from Zhang Xiaoqiang, smiled as she took the pants and said thank you, without asking Jian Ning to let her upstairs. This girl was quite sensible.

“I also want to buy some food. Zhang Xiaoqiang said I can write an IOU, right?” Cao Xue looked at Jian Ning with longing in her eyes.

"Yes, how much do you want? I don't have much food left, Cao Xue. You don't need to buy too much. Just come once a day from now on, and I'll bring it to you around 9 o'clock."

Jian Ning hesitated for a moment, but still didn't sell it to her all at once.

You see, giving them too much stuff isn't necessarily a good thing. Those people downstairs aren't all kind-hearted. You could tell from that time they came to saw through the door.

"Thank you, Jian Ning. I'll buy 100 yuan's worth first. Do you have anything for self-defense? I'd like one too." Cao Xue had just seen the tattooed man's strange look at Miao Xin.

Jian Ning just pointed this out when she gave her the pants.

As a girl, her first priority is to protect herself. She can't always rely on others. These guys who came with her might not be able to help her in a pinch.

"Wait a moment." Jian Ning went upstairs and soon returned with a small bag of food, a stun gun, and a pepper spray, handing them all to Cao Xue.

"These are for you. We've been classmates, so I hope you take care."

"Thank you." Cao Xue's eyes were filled with tears. Without standing on ceremony, she opened the bag, took out a red bean paste bun, and ate it with gusto.

Jian Ning gave her a sympathetic look, said nothing more, locked the gate, and went upstairs.

Zhang Xiaoqiang was quite shrewd; he didn't plan to go back downstairs. He would stay on the fifteenth floor.

Moreover, after Li Mingxuan and Cao Xue came downstairs, they secretly hid the food from the bag in the electrical distribution box in the stairwell.

The corridor was so wide you could see the whole building at a glance. The only place to put anything was the electrical boxes for these three households. He also noticed that apartment 1503 seemed to be uninhabited, with no signs of life whatsoever.

So he had another bold idea and went over to try the passwords one by one. He refused to believe that even an iron rod could be ground into a needle; he would take his time and figure out if he couldn't crack the password.

The room was indeed empty. Zhang Xiaoqiang tried to open it by entering the password three times every five minutes, but there was no response from inside.

Cao Xue had already changed into pants when she went downstairs. She had no choice; she didn't really want to be with Li Mingxuan and the others.

But having a familiar male classmate around made me feel safer than being with strangers. When I got to the tenth floor, I hesitated and stopped.

"Li Mingxuan, I've decided to go back and be with Zhang Xiaoqiang. You all better come upstairs too. I don't think that man downstairs with tattoos all over his arms is a good person."

"You girls are just cowards. Just because someone has tattoos doesn't mean they're not a good person. I thought that guy was quite enthusiastic."

"Fine, if you don't mind climbing, then go ahead. I don't think Jian Ning has any regard for our classmate relationship, so don't expect her to help you in any way."

Li Mingxuan was seriously hurt by Jian Ning this time. He grabbed some food that Zhang Xiaoqiang had given him and stormed downstairs.

Cao Xue turned her head, grabbed the handrail of the stairs, and slowly climbed back up. For some reason, she always felt that Jian Ning was the safest person around, so she planned to stay as close to her as possible.

If they really encounter danger, they can ask her for help. Besides, she saw the man who was with Jian Ning earlier.

Putting aside his appearance, his overall demeanor clearly indicated that he was no ordinary person; he might even be a retired special forces soldier.