The entire city has been without power for over three months, so why would I receive a call from an unknown number? Staring at the caller ID on the screen, should I answer or not?
Wang Feifei really couldn't think of anyone else besides Xu Neng who could contact her. Could it be Xiao Gao?
"Hello?"
"Feifei, it's me!"
Wang Feifei immediately recognized the voice as Chen Nian's. She looked at the number again and remembered that it was her father's number.
Wang Feifei couldn't help but recall what Chen Nian had said when she risked entering the base that day to visit Xu Neng.
It turns out that he almost killed Xu Neng.
This matter has always been a thorn in Wang Feifei's side. Although Xu Neng has never mentioned it, she still feels guilty.
Especially after confirming her feelings for Xu Neng, she understood her own heart even more clearly. Now, when she received Chen Nian's call, she was a little stunned.
Wang Feifei felt a little awkward and said politely, "Why is it you? How are you doing?"
Chen Nian was somewhat excited; she was still alive, which meant he could gather more information in the next step. So he deliberately added some probing questions:
"I've been captured by the Frost Society, and things aren't going well for me. What about you? With the power outage going on for so long, where have you been, and how did you survive?"
These questions made Wang Feifei feel vaguely uneasy, so she answered them ambiguously:
"I'm in a safe place. I made some preparations beforehand, and it's going well."
Chen Nian, who was already sensitive, sensed this distance and paused, seemingly a little sad, but quickly composed himself and asked:
"I've been wanting to ask you a question: what did you know that led you to make these preparations?"
"Um."
Just as Chen Nian had predicted, he began to wonder where Wang Feifei was hiding:
"Feifei, can I come see you?"
Wang Feifei never intended to tell anyone about the safe house. This had always been her principle; even Xu Neng only discovered it by chance.
Why did Chen Nian suddenly say that?
Wang Feifei wasn't sure either, but to be on the safe side, she politely declined.
"Traveling is difficult now, so don't take such a big risk. Besides... I can't tell anyone else here."
Chen Nian was surprised to be rejected and said with a slight pout, "Can't I? I miss you so much, Feifei! Please see me!"
His persistence made Wang Feifei feel it necessary to clarify things, so she whispered:
"Chen Nian, I am very grateful for what you have done for me. There are some things I want to make clear. I have someone I like. I'm sorry."
Having been rejected twice in a short period of time, Chen Nian's expression grew colder and colder. He knew that asking any further would be pointless.
So, there's one more thing that needs to be confirmed.
Chen Nian suddenly changed the subject:
"I almost killed someone, and he said he only let me go because of you. Is that true?"
This was actually a trap set by Chen Nian, but unfortunately, Wang Feifei wasn't wary of him yet. However, she didn't dare to answer directly, but instead cautiously asked:
"Did Xu Neng tell you that?"
The mere mention of the name "Xu Neng" was enough for Chen Nian to know that the two of them were indeed related.
Xu Neng clearly has everything, so why is he trying to steal my woman? Intense jealousy twisted his expression, and he asked in a steady voice:
"The person you like, isn't it him?"
Wang Feifei remained silent for a long time...
This undoubtedly gave Chen Nian the answer: everything was as expected. Xu Neng saved him time and time again because of Wang Feifei.
This also explains why Xiao Gao suddenly appeared and saved him that night in the warehouse.
Therefore, this was a premeditated drama, and the person behind it all was Xu Neng!
"I'm telling you this one last time, and you have to believe me, Xu Neng is not a good person!"
After saying that, Chen Nian angrily hung up the phone. Compared to Wang Feifei's rejection, he seemed more jealous of everything Xu Neng had.
...
The blizzard had stopped for over a month, but the temperature continued to drop, and there were very few survivors in the city; it was almost impossible to find any living people.
Only in some dark basements do a few living people sneak out at night to search for the dead's clothes and food.
The steel mill, nestled in the mountains east of the city, escaped disaster because it was located near a huge amount of coal, and its advantageous geographical location made it difficult to be discovered.
They relied on coal for heating and obtained a small amount of food from the nearby state-run livestock farm.
The steel mill and the farm together comprised only sixty or seventy people, including men, women, and children, who lived in family units and supported each other to survive.
Their leader, surnamed Xia, was a 29-year-old young man. He was the son of Xia Guoqing, a retired steel plant worker, and had his son late in life. His nickname was Xia Xiaobao.
His mother died in childbirth, and Xia Guoqing only knew how to work and rarely had the energy to take care of his child. Therefore, he was the "little tyrant" of the factory from a young age.
No one could have predicted that the honest and unassuming Xia Guoqing would have such a "mischievous devil."
Three years ago, Xia Xiaobao was 26 years old. He led the kids from the factory into a fight and cracked the other guy's head open. Xia Guoqing was furious and sent him to serve in the army for two years.
Yet, this same Xia Xiaobao, when the natural disaster struck, protected the steel mill and led everyone in building this shelter.
He was the first to notice something was wrong and reacted quickly.
His former underlings received orders to collect a lot of supplies in the vicinity, around the same time that Wang Xiuli and Zhao Qian led people to buy supplies in the vicinity. Therefore, the steel mill had stockpiled supplies in the early stages.
To avoid dictatorship and autocracy, Xia Xiaobao assigned three people to be in charge of distributing the supplies, with each supervising the other.
Because the total amount of supplies is limited, only the minimum living allowance is guaranteed, and basic fairness is ensured.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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