Chapter 178: Love is a Disease
That night, Zhang Yi slept in Zhou Ke'er’s room. He knew he had to balance his attention between the two women to maintain harmony.
Zhou Ke'er leaned against Zhang Yi, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Zhang Yi, do you love me more or her?"
Zhang Yi smiled and patted her head. "Silly girl, of course, I love you more! How could she compare to you? You are my precious healer. She's just an actress; it's nothing serious."
"But you two look like a couple in a TV drama," Zhou Ke'er remarked.
"Silly, don't overthink it. How can you doubt your place in my heart?" Zhang Yi reassured her.
His words weren’t entirely untrue. From a practical standpoint, Zhou Ke'er was more valuable to him than Yang Siya. Yang Siya’s only advantages were her cooking skills and celebrity status.
Hearing his words, Zhou Ke'er beamed with joy and hugged him tightly. "I knew you loved me the most!"
Zhang Yi smiled faintly at the sight of the little woman in his arms. Love? He shook his head, indifferent to the concept.
In the following days, Zhang Yi kept a close watch on the relationship between Zhou Ke'er and Yang Siya. To fuel their rivalry, he deliberately showed affection to Yang Siya in Zhou Ke'er's presence. Even subtle gestures like a glance or a touch would stir Zhou Ke'er’s jealousy.
Zhou Ke'er never complained to Zhang Yi, but her jealousy deepened her hostility towards Yang Siya. Meanwhile, Yang Siya, burdened by guilt and undeserved animosity, diligently did most of the housework, empathizing with Zhou Ke'er's feelings of losing her man.
Zhang Yi enjoyed this dynamic. Yang Siya’s lingering celebrity pride was slowly being eroded by Zhou Ke'er, reducing the risk of the two women teaming up against him. A harmonious household was not his goal; he preferred them divided, ensuring his dominance.
Zhang Yi’s days were filled with leisure activities: playing cards, badminton, and video games with the women. Zhou Ke'er developed a keen interest in video games, often seen lounging in her pajamas, engrossed in various games with Zhang Yi.
The ability user from Xu Family Town never reappeared, likely deterred by Zhang Yi's formidable defenses. Life for the trio was comfortable and pleasant.
Yang Siya, out of guilt, took on most of the household chores, and Zhou Ke'er didn't hesitate to let her. This arrangement suited Zhang Yi perfectly, as Zhou Ke'er's medical skills were invaluable. Yang Siya proved not to be just a pretty face; she had a keen sense of quality living, excelling in cooking and gardening. She turned the neglected garden into a thriving space, with Zhang Yi providing seeds from his interdimensional space for her to cultivate.
In his spare time, Zhang Yi focused on two activities: gathering global intelligence using his supercomputer and training his abilities in the underground gym.
He thought this peaceful life would continue indefinitely, safe and self-sufficient in their secure shelter until the apocalypse ended. But one day, a phone call shattered this tranquility.
While practicing precision shooting with a composite bow in the basement, his phone rang unexpectedly. It wasn’t a regular call but a traditional phone call, which was unusual. He hadn’t received calls from anyone familiar for years, relying on voice messages instead. In the current apocalyptic world, there were no service calls or scams. So, where was this call coming from?
Curious, Zhang Yi saw an unfamiliar number with no saved contact. His instinctive caution in the apocalypse made him wary. The caller must have bad intentions.
He considered the risks and hung up. But the phone rang again almost immediately.
"Who could be so desperate? A familiar face perhaps, surviving and needing to contact me?" Zhang Yi doubted the likelihood. Even if it were an old acquaintance, he had no interest in helping.
He hung up again and blocked the number. Yet, as he was about to put his phone away, it rang again from the same number. Zhang Yi was genuinely shocked. He had already blocked the number; how could they call again?
Swallowing hard, Zhang Yi realized something strange was happening. His mind echoed one thought repeatedly: Don’t answer!
Taking a deep breath, he hung up and re-blocked the number, convinced he must have made a mistake earlier. He watched the number enter his blacklist, then stared at his phone screen.
If it rang again, something was truly off. Moments later, the phone rang with the same number.
Zhang Yi's heart pounded. This was truly abnormal.