16: Chapter 16 If you cause trouble again, I'll kill you.

The rich aroma of barbecue spread wantonly through the hallway, tickling the nose and whetting the appetite.

Sun Haoyu sniffed hard, his eyes fixed intently on the slightly ajar door of Chen Ye's apartment.

Saliva flowed uncontrollably down the corners of his mouth.

He and Shen Jiaojiao had been hiding since last night, having gone without food or water for so long that they were starving.

To him, this meaty aroma was a fatal temptation.

Sun Haoyu turned his head to look at Shen Jiaojiao on the sofa, a glimmer of sordid calculation flashing in his eyes.

He reached out and poked her arm, speaking with a cheeky grin: "Jiaojiao, this scent is wafting from that kid's place across the hall. Didn't you meet him earlier? You two should be quite familiar with each other."

"You're so pretty; go act coy with him and ask for a few skewers of barbecue. We can't just starve to death here, can we?"

Shen Jiaojiao raised her head abruptly, her originally pale cheeks flushed with anger, and her clear eyes filled with humiliation and fury.

She stared fixedly at Sun Haoyu, questioning him with a trembling voice: "Sun Haoyu! What do you take me for?!"

"For a bite to eat, you want me to curry favor with another man? Are you even a man?"

The smile on Sun Haoyu's face vanished instantly, replaced by a righteous indignation, even a hint of arrogance: "What time do you think it is to be talking about such things?"

"Survival is what matters most! That is meat, something you can't buy with money outside right now!"

"Are you going or not? If you don't, we'll both starve to death here!"

Shen Jiaojiao bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes, yet she shook her head stubbornly: "If you want to go, go yourself. Even if I starve to death, I won't do such a thing!"

She never imagined that her husband would be this shameless.

Seeing that Shen Jiaojiao was unmoved, Sun Haoyu gritted his teeth in anger, yet he didn't dare to actually do anything to her.

He could only spit fiercely and stand up while muttering curses: "What a useless waste! I'll go myself!"

He straightened his wrinkled floral shirt, feigned a friendly demeanor, and walked to the door of Chen Ye's apartment.

He raised his hand and knocked gently on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

As the knocking sounded, Chen Ye leisurely picked up a skewer of charred, fragrant pork belly and took a big bite.

The grease exploded in his mouth, causing him to squint in satisfaction before he slowly got up to open the door.

The door opened, and the aroma of barbecue rushed out, with the ingredients on the grill sizzling.

Chen Ye leaned against the doorframe, wearing headphones and listening to music, looking relaxed and comfortable.

This stood in sharp contrast to the disheveled Sun Haoyu.

The room was filled with a thick, smoky atmosphere; in this oppressive apocalypse, it exuded a rare sense of ordinary life, cozy and comforting.

Watching Chen Ye's leisurely enjoyment and looking at his own starving predicament, Sun Haoyu felt both jealous and aggrieved.

Yet, he plastered a fawning smile on his face and spoke tremblingly: "Brother, that was my fault earlier. I misunderstood you; please don't take it to heart."

"Look, there's so much barbecue here, you can't finish it all by yourself. Could you... spare us a little? We've been hungry for a whole day."

Chen Ye looked down at him, a cold sneer curling the corners of his mouth.

In his previous life, this Sun Haoyu had relied on his family's wealth.

He had been arrogant and wantonly bullied Chen Ye, a nobody from the bottom of society.

When Chen Ye was at his lowest, Sun Haoyu wouldn't even spare him a bite of his leftovers, preferring to throw them away.

These memories still echoed in Chen Ye's mind.

He still remembered that arrogant face clearly to this day.

Now, seeing him begging like a dog was absolutely disgusting.

"Spare you some? Sure." Chen Ye said calmly, his tone full of mockery, "Kneel down for me and kowtow, and I'll reward you with a few skewers."

The fawning smile on Sun Haoyu's face froze instantly, his complexion turning shades of green and white.

He immediately flared up: "Don't go too far! It's just a bit of food, is it necessary to be so difficult?"

"Didn't you just push your wife to block the mutant beast? Now you're begging me for handouts. For someone like you, is kneeling such a grievance?"

Chen Ye raised an eyebrow, his tone icy, "Either kneel or get lost. I don't have time to waste on you."

Sun Haoyu was completely enraged, pointing at Chen Ye's nose and cursing: "You stinking loser! You don't know what's good for you, do you? I see, you're just lusting after my wife and making things difficult for me on purpose!"

After cursing, he reached out directly to snatch the skewers from Chen Ye's hand.

He had never seen Chen Ye fight and assumed the other party was just an ordinary, weak youth he could easily handle.

Chen Ye's eyes turned cold; he didn't even lift his gaze.

With a slight turn of his body, he grabbed Sun Haoyu's wrist with one hand and gave a slight push.

"Bang!"

Sun Haoyu was pushed to the ground like a sack of trash, his backside slamming heavily onto the cold concrete floor.

He grimaced in pain, clutching his backside and howling.

"Want to grab my things? You should see if you have the ability first." Chen Ye's tone was indifferent, as if he had just swatted away a fly.

Sun Haoyu was in so much pain that tears were almost coming out, yet he remained stubborn, thinking he had just fallen by accident.

He struggled to get up, grabbed a broom handle from the doorway, and charged up again with red eyes: "I'll fight you to the death!"

Chen Ye didn't even change his expression. As he charged close, Chen Ye simply raised his right foot and gave a light kick.

"Bang!"

Sun Haoyu flew backward like a paper doll that could be easily manipulated.

He slammed heavily into the door, making a dull, loud noise.

He curled up on the ground in pain, clutching his chest and gasping for air, his face as pale as paper.

He looked at Chen Ye in disbelief, his eyes wide open.

How could this useless neighbor he usually looked down upon have such strength?

This kick almost knocked the wind out of him.

Chen Ye walked slowly forward, a flash of killing intent in his eyes, his voice as cold as ice: "Get lost! If you cause trouble again, I will kill you."

That cold killing intent was undisguised.

Sun Haoyu shivered all over, almost losing control of his bladder.

He could feel that Chen Ye would truly dare to act, so he scrambled back into his own home.

Watching him flee in such a disheveled state, an unspeakable sense of satisfaction welled up in Chen Ye's heart.

The humiliation from his previous life had finally been repaid with a little interest in this one.

Returning to his room, Chen Ye continued to sit in front of the grill, eating his barbecue slowly as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, across the way, Sun Haoyu leaned against the wall, clutching his chest and grimacing in pain, still muttering curses:

"Damn stinking loser! Daring to hit me! I will definitely find a way to kill you and snatch all your supplies!"

After cursing for a long time, he turned his head and saw Shen Jiaojiao sitting quietly on the sofa, and his anger surged up again instantly.

He pointed at her nose and berated her: "It's all your fault! You're useless! You didn't even want to go ask for some food; what's the point of keeping you!"

Shen Jiaojiao lowered her eyes, remaining silent, her long eyelashes hiding the grievance in her eyes.

Seeing her not speaking, Sun Haoyu became even more exasperated.

He grabbed the water cup on the table and wanted to throw it at her.

The shattering teacup made Shen Jiaojiao scream "Ah!".

Sun Haoyu, however, showed no restraint, turning to threaten her viciously:

"Don't forget! When your mom had cancer, if it wasn't for me spending money to treat her, she would have died long ago! She wouldn't have lived until last year!"

"I saved your mom's life, so what's wrong with asking you to get me some food now? Is this how you repay kindness?"