Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Chapter 352 : Liang Yue’s Obsession

At this moment, Liang Yue was feeling vulnerable, craving comfort from someone.

Initially, Lu Keran and Yang Xinxin were the ones supposed to console her, as they were closest to Liang Yue in the shelter. But Yang Xinxin stopped Lu Keran, choosing to leave this opportunity for Zhang Yi.

Only by fully bonding Liang Yue to Zhang Yi could they ensure she would stay in the shelter.

Yang Xinxin’s actions considered Zhang Yi’s needs, but they were also for Liang Yue’s own good.

As expected, Zhang Yi’s comfort lifted Liang Yue’s spirits a little.

Despite being a martial arts master, she was still a 27-year-old single woman, and deep down, she yearned for a man’s comfort.

“Zhang Yi, do you think I’m a hopeless fool?” Liang Yue, sitting on the edge of the bed, gave Zhang Yi a wry smile.

He looked at her for a few seconds, then laughed. “Maybe a little. But,” he added, “I believe you have your reasons.”

Liang Yue lifted her head, gazing at the ceiling, her eyes taking on a distant look.

“I started martial arts when I was three. Even though I’m a woman, I trained as hard as any man!”

“For people like me, the future usually holds two paths: either becoming a star in film or opening a martial arts school to take on students.”

“But I didn’t want to be a pretty face in showbiz, and I didn’t have the resources for that path. And as a woman, opening a school posed a lot of challenges.”

“So, I chose a road that only a few martial artists take—I became a bodyguard.”

Liang Yue began talking about her life.

When a woman shares her past with you, it usually means she trusts you, and you might just have a chance to get closer.

Zhang Yi responded at just the right time, “Then you joined that place and became the best bodyguard in Huaguo?”

At the mention of that time, a slight smile played at the corners of Liang Yue’s mouth.

“Yeah, it was the peak of my life, though also the most grueling.”

“After a few years, Tianqing Academy recruited me as a PE teacher to teach self-defense to the academy’s elite kids.”

“They offered me a salary of 3 million a year! Can you even imagine 3 million?”

She looked at Zhang Yi with a hint of pride. Clearly, she was proud of having earned such a high salary.

Zhang Yi chuckled. “Oh, I can imagine! That’s over twenty years of my salary.”

Liang Yue’s smile deepened.

“Sadly, that’s all in the past.”

When the memory ended, her eyes grew even more vacant.

She fell silent for a while, then spoke slowly, “Then the apocalypse came, and we lost everything.”

“Family, friends, identity, reputation, money.”

“I have almost nothing left.”

“The only thing I still have is my responsibility to protect my students.”

“What keeps me going is that small sense of duty.”

“I know, with the way you operate, you must think I’m incredibly naive. I’ve thought about whether I should live a little more selfishly.”

“But if I were to abandon my last belief, I wouldn’t know why I even exist in this world.”

As she spoke, tears began to fall down her cheeks, dripping onto the spotless floor.

Hearing this, Zhang Yi began to understand her a bit better.

Since the apocalypse began, he had seen many people unable to cope with the harsh reality, choosing to end their lives.

For those people, the world had already become hell, and staying alive was nothing but suffering.

Spiritual anguish can be far more painful than physical hardship.

So, in a way, it wasn’t so much that Liang Yue was protecting her students; it was more that she was preserving the last bit of faith keeping her going. 𝔯

Of course, that didn’t change Zhang Yi’s view of her as foolish. Ideals were one thing, but overthinking life’s meaning was another.

Living itself is the purpose.

People live just for the sake of living.

“Maybe you’re putting too much pressure on yourself?” Zhang Yi asked, his face filled with concern.

“You were on your own before, but it’s different now. We’re teammates. We’re family.”

“Look, everyone in the shelter is an adult who can understand and support you, unlike those ungrateful brats.”

As he spoke, Zhang Yi moved closer to Liang Yue and suddenly took her hand.

Liang Yue flinched, unsure how to react.

“If you need something to believe in, let us be that belief from now on.”

Liang Yue’s face flushed instantly.

Though she was already 27, due to her career, she’d never been in a relationship or even held hands with a man.

And Zhang Yi was reasonably good-looking, too.

Now, with him looking at her so earnestly and holding her hand, her brain seemed to be on the verge of overheating.

“You… you want to be my belief?”

Inwardly, Zhang Yi thought, *I mean, specifically me—but let’s add ‘us’ to keep you from getting suspicious.*

Basically, he was asking her to become one of his loyal followers.

“If you’ve lost your beliefs, then make new ones.”

“If you’ve lost your connections, then we can be your bonds.”

“Don’t wear yourself out. It pains me to see you like this.”

Liang Yue’s blood was rushing to her head.

It was the first time a man had said something so boldly sentimental to her, without a hint of shame.

And, though she wouldn’t admit it, his words actually worked!

Her face was so red she looked like she might start bleeding.

Though she didn’t feel that way toward Zhang Yi, this conversation, which felt suspiciously like a confession, greatly improved her impression of him.

“Thank you… I feel a lot better.”

Embarrassed, Liang Yue pulled her hand back, her eyes darting around, unable to meet Zhang Yi’s gaze.

Seeing that the moment had run its course, Zhang Yi stopped there, knowing that pushing too far could backfire.

Going too far in flirting could easily turn him into “Shrimp-head Guy”—that annoying type who makes girls roll their eyes.

He could just picture Liang Yue complaining to the other women: “Oh, girls, you won’t believe what this shrimp-head guy just said…”

That would be the last thing he wanted.

“Feeling better now?” he asked.

After a brief silence, Liang Yue nodded gently.

“Yeah, having someone to talk to really helps. But I’m still disappointed in them.”

Her thoughts returned to Wu Chengyu’s behavior, and she frowned again.

“Maybe they just need to grow up a little more.”

Zhang Yi didn’t comment further on her students.

He knew it wasn’t realistic to expect her to let go of them right away.

But his goal was to slowly weaken their importance in her heart.

This way, if they died one day, she wouldn’t be as emotionally devastated.

After a few more words, Zhang Yi left her room.

As he walked down the corridor, he noticed Yang Xinxin in her wheelchair, watching him with a smile.

“Did you win over Teacher Liang, Big Bro?”

Author's Note