By the evening of the third day, Tang Bao was almost in despair. She was exhausted, hungry, and her whole body ached; she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Looking at yet another burnt glass blank in her hand, tears once again streamed down her face uncontrollably.
"I...I can't do it...I really can't..." she choked, her voice hoarse.
Just then, Qin Lan came to her side.
She looked at the disheveled Tang Bao, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
"Isn't it ready yet?" Qin Lan's voice was calm.
Tang Bao looked up and saw Qin Lan. As if grasping at the last straw, she said in a tearful voice, "Sister Qin Lan... I... I'm sorry... I let you down... I'm so stupid, I couldn't do it well..."
Qin Lan sat down next to her and handed her a water pouch: "Have some water."
Tang Bao took the water pouch, drank a few mouthfuls with trembling hands, and calmed herself down a little.
Qin Lan remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness and a sigh: "Tang Bao, are you still blaming Lin Feng?"
Tang Bao lowered her head, remaining silent, but her tightly clenched lips and slightly trembling shoulders said it all. How could she not be upset? How could she not feel wronged?
Qin Lan looked at her and gently shook her head: "I know you feel wronged, that he's unfair, that he's cruel. But, Tang Bao, have you ever thought about where you went wrong?"
"I...I shouldn't have imitated the Phantom...I shouldn't have broken the cup..." Tang Bao whispered.
“That’s just on the surface.” Qin Lan sighed. “Your real mistake was trying to gain his attention and pity in such a childish way, and you shouldn’t have… overestimated your position in Lin Feng’s heart.”
Tang Bao suddenly raised her head and looked at Qin Lan with a puzzled expression.
Qin Lan's gaze drifted into the distance, seemingly piercing through the walls of the shelter to reveal a more distant and cruel reality.
Her voice became somewhat ethereal, carrying a deep sense of helplessness and sorrow:
"Tang Bao, remember this: in this wasteland, for a man like Lin Feng, or rather, for most men who control power and resources..."
She paused, as if carefully choosing her words, then spoke clearly and cruelly, word by word:
"We women are often not as important as we imagine. Our value often depends on what we can offer them. Is it bearing children? Providing labor? Or... meeting some of their needs?"
"Lin Feng... he might be a little better than the others. At least he gave us a place to stay and didn't treat us as mere playthings or tools. But you also need to understand..."
Qin Lan's gaze refocused on Tang Bao, her eyes filled with a hint of pity, and also a touch of sorrow as a woman herself.
“In his eyes, our value may really be... really less than that of a partner he truly trusts, even if the partner is just a dog, or a small beast like Phantom.”
“Wangcai can patrol and guard for him, and fight alongside him. Phantom can bring him spiritual comfort and is his spiritual sustenance. They are unique and irreplaceable to him.”
"And what about us?"
Qin Lan chuckled self-deprecatingly. "There are plenty of women in the shelter. Losing you might not mean much to him. The reason he kept you and gave you this chance is largely because of my request, and also because he needs to maintain the stability and order of the shelter and doesn't want to go too far and cause panic and dissatisfaction among others."
"So, do you understand? Why did he gently comfort the Phantom when he broke the glass, but fly into a rage when you did the same thing?"
"Because in his subconscious, Phantom is 'one of his own,' 'a treasure,' and minor mistakes can be tolerated indefinitely. But you... are at best an 'outsider' who needs protection and to provide value in order to stay. In his eyes, your behavior is not coquetry or a mistake, but a foolish provocation, a misjudgment of your own value."
Qin Lan's words were like the sharpest knife, completely dissecting the last bit of fantasy and hope in Tang Bao's heart, revealing the bloody reality.
Tang Bao listened blankly, her face turning from red to white, then from white to green. She opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found that she couldn't find any reason to refute it at all.
Qin Lan's words, though harsh, are the truth.
Yes, what is she? In terms of combat power, she is no match for a chicken; in terms of special skills, apart from being able to do makeup and live chat, she is useless in this wasteland.
In terms of contribution to the shelter, she was not even as good as the other women who worked silently and gathered food.
What makes her think she can be compared to Phantom? What makes her think Lin Feng will treat her like a pet?
So... in his eyes... are we women... all... worthless?
Tang Bao's voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with despair.
Qin Lan looked at her, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She gently patted Tang Bao's shoulder, her voice low and firm:
"No, Tangbao, it can't be said that it's worthless. But our value needs to be earned and created by ourselves. Not through this foolish method, but through real effort and contribution."
"Lin Feng... perhaps he isn't entirely cold-hearted deep down, but this wasteland has forced him to harden up and measure everything by the most realistic standards. If we can prove our worth and become a partner he can trust, rather than a burden, perhaps... perhaps he will look at us differently."
"But this path is difficult."
A hint of weariness flashed in Qin Lan's eyes: "At least for now, what you need to do is survive, stay in this shelter. Then, lower your head, face reality, and try your best to do what you can."
Tang Bao stared blankly at Qin Lan. Qin Lan's words were like a bucket of cold water, completely waking her from her fantasy, but also like a faint light, giving her a glimmer of direction in her despair.
Yes, what's the use of crying? What's the use of feeling wronged? What's the use of harboring resentment?
On this alien planet where human life is as cheap as grass, being alive is already a luxury.
She took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and although her eyes still held fear and unease, they also showed a newfound resilience.
"Sister Qin Lan, thank you," she said softly. "I know what to do now."
However, no matter how hard Tangbao tried, she was unable to make the glass cup.
Although she had access to a blast furnace, she had absolutely no idea how to control the temperature or any of the techniques involved.
So several times, the glass she used to burn paper cracked.
And so, she was completely desperate.
Just as Tang Bao was feeling utterly hopeless, a figure walked up to her.
Tang Bao slowly raised her head and saw Lin Feng's calm yet unfathomable face.
She opened her mouth, but her throat was too dry to make a sound. In the end, she could only squeeze out a few hoarse words: "Brother Lin Feng... I... I failed... I'm sorry..."
Lin Feng did not fly into a rage as Tang Bao had expected, nor did he show any contempt; he simply watched calmly.
This calm is more terrifying than any anger.
Tang Bao's heart sank to the bottom; she knew that her fate had come to an end.
However, Lin Feng slowly squatted down, stretched out his finger, and picked up the largest shard of glass.
"I asked you to make a cup, not because I actually need one," he said calmly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.
Tang Bao looked at him blankly.
"I want to see what you have left when you're in dire straits."
Lin Feng's gaze was sharp as a knife, as if he could see through her soul, "Is she a useless person who only knows how to cry and beg, or someone who will live even if she has to crawl and eat dirt?"
He threw the shards back onto the ground, making a soft clattering sound.
“Your hands, your appearance, and this pile of fragments tell me the answer.” Lin Feng stood up and looked down at her.
"This is the first and the last time."
His voice remained icy. "I forgive your incompetence because I saw your struggle. But the shelter doesn't support idlers, much less fools. Next time, if there's anything you can't do, get out of here. I don't have time for any explanations."
After saying that, he turned around and, facing all the women in the shelter who were eavesdropping, said in a deep voice with an unquestionable tone and a strong warning:
"Listen up, all of you!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it had a penetrating quality that instantly silenced the previously noisy shelter.
All the women's eyes involuntarily focused on him, their faces showing expressions of tension, fear, or numbness.
"I don't care what your status was before, when you come here, you'd better put away your useless arrogance and unrealistic fantasies!"
"What happened to Tang Bao is a warning to all of you!"
He pointed to Tang Bao, who was slumped on the ground, her face covered in tears and mud: "She failed, but she showed me through her actions over three days that she wanted to live. So, I gave her a chance to live."
Lin Feng's sharp gaze swept over each of them: "But opportunities don't come every time!"
“You are able to stay here not because you are lucky, nor because I am merciful. It is because I believe you are still useful.”
“From this day forward, each of you must prove your worth. Whether you can gather resources, mend clothes, stand guard, or do anything else that benefits the sanctuary, go find what you can do and do it well!”
"What I need are 'people' who can create value for the shelter, not 'baggage' that just consumes food and waits for rescue!"
"If anyone still thinks they can just coast along, try to be clever, or pretend to comply while actually doing something wrong, don't blame me for not warning you."
His tone was full of threat: "The shelter is in high demand, and there are plenty of people outside who want to get in. I can replace any person who is worthless at any time."
"Remember my words: here, value determines survival. Without value, you have no right to live."
Lin Feng's words weighed heavily on every woman's heart, like a mountain.
These words, unlike the previous blatant insults, were even more cruel.
It laid bare the brutal rules of survival in the wilderness before everyone—to live, you must prove yourself useful.
Slumped on the ground, Tang Bao held the pile of broken pieces. In the daze of surviving the ordeal, she truly understood for the first time what it took to survive in this world.
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