Chapter 20: The Top Scholar and Campus Beauty?

Liu Yang ignored the whispering women and spoke directly to Zhao Lina and her best friend, Zhou Qiuping, who stood beside her: "Go take a bath. If you want food, you can come to my room later."

The two women lowered their heads without a word, offering only a slight nod. They found an empty room to settle into before heading off to bathe.

Once clean, they lay on the bed.

Zhou Qiuping’s face filled with resentment. "Just a security guard, and he’s acting so high and mighty! He used to live off the wages we paid him, and now he dares to boss us around and even demand our submission. It’s infuriating!"

"Enough, stop talking. Someone might hear you," Zhao Lina cautioned.

"Let them hear! What’s the big deal?" Zhou Qiuping pouted, her face full of disdain.

"Oh? In that case, would you prefer to go back to being trapped in that bedroom, starving to the point of eating excrement?" Zhao Lina retorted.

Zhou Qiuping shivered at the mention of it. They had been trapped in that bedroom for five full days. From the third day on, a zombie had clawed at the door incessantly—for two whole days. They had no food and could not sleep. It was a dual torture of body and mind. Just remembering that feeling made her tremble.

"See? You're scared, aren't you? If we hadn't come to this villa, do you think we could have slept soundly? He may be a security guard, but we must shed our past professions and identities. This is the end of the world now; it’s different from before. You and I are no longer wealthy young ladies—our homes are gone, so what wealth is there to speak of? You need to understand this," Zhao Lina said calmly.

During those days trapped in the room, Zhao Lina’s mind had been racing. She had spent every day thinking: how to escape, where to go, and how to survive. She eventually reached a conclusion: even if they managed to break out of the room, two weak women would struggle to survive. If they encountered ill-intentioned survivors, they could be raped, murdered, or even eaten. Zhao Lina had already prepared for the worst.

Yet, Liu Yang had shown no signs of forcing them. This far exceeded her expectations. In a world without moral or legal constraints, it was not hard to imagine what a strong man might do to vulnerable women.

After hearing Zhao Lina’s words, Zhou Qiuping’s expression turned even more helpless. "I know that, I just can't wrap my head around it. Only a few days ago, we were living the lives of privileged young ladies, waited on hand and foot, and were popular at school. I had dozens of suitors, not to mention you—you had thousands! If you wanted anything, you just had to post on social media and a swarm of sycophants would rush to provide it. But now... sigh! The disparity is just too great!"

Zhou Qiuping couldn't fathom it. Her family background, looks, and even her grades weren't as good as Zhao Lina’s, yet she had still been surrounded by dozens of admirers, basking in a sense of fulfillment that was hard to describe. Now, to be threatened by a security guard and forced to submit was something she found impossible to accept. It was only natural for her to complain.

What she couldn't understand most was why Zhao Lina, whose fall from grace was even greater, seemed so calm and devoid of complaints.

"Lina, do you really intend to just give in? You didn't even agree to the wealthy heirs who offered you million-dollar sports cars, and now you’re going to agree to a security guard?" Zhou Qiuping asked, looking at her friend in bewilderment.

"That was then, this is now. Before, I had my own life plans and ideals to achieve; naturally, I wouldn't be swayed by those rich heirs. Gifts, bags, and sports cars were unnecessary material goods that offered no help to my goals. But now? If we don't have food, we die. It’s a very practical problem. And once you’re dead, everything is gone. From a biological standpoint, even the lowliest organism—even a bacterium—does not want to die. Everything a living thing does is for the sake of survival. I am no different. We must survive first, then we can talk about ideals and the future," Zhao Lina said calmly.

Zhou Qiuping was stunned. This level of pragmatism was beyond her imagination. Finally, she shook her head and said sincerely, "Lina, I truly admire you. No matter the situation, you can keep such a cool head and not let emotions cloud your judgment. Perhaps this is what a truly excellent person is."

Zhao Lina’s calmness filled her with awe. Perhaps this was the transcendent rationality of a top female science student.

"Your emotions are just those of a normal person; don't dwell on them. You’ll understand after starving for one more night. I’m going to see him now," Zhao Lina said, offering a word of comfort.

However, that comfort sounded rather awkward to Zhou Qiuping. *Understand after starving for one more night? Uh... can I choose not to be hungry?*

Before she could speak, Zhao Lina had already left the room and headed upstairs. Zhou Qiuping opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing. It seemed she was destined to go hungry tonight; Zhao Lina had beaten her to it. This brilliant best friend of hers was indeed always one step ahead.

...

Upstairs, Liu Yang was lying on the bed resting. Clearing out the entire villa district had been exhausting, but saving the two female survivors made it all worth it.

Soon, a knock sounded at his door.

"Oh? Decided so quickly? It seems hunger truly brings clarity. I wonder which one of the two it is?"

"Come in!" Liu Yang called out.

When he saw who pushed the door open, his eyes lit up. *So beautiful! Truly stunning!*

Liu Yang never expected that the survivor he had saved on a whim would be this beautiful. In terms of looks and figure, she didn't lose out to He Yushi at all. He felt a flicker of recognition. Looking closely, he finally realized who she was.

He said, sounding surprised, "You... aren't you that 'top student' campus belle, Zhao... what's her name?"

"It's Zhao Lina," the campus belle replied, her pretty face flushing as she spoke in a low voice.

"Oh, right, right! Zhao Lina, I remember you. You’re not only incredibly beautiful, but you were always the top of your grade. The students at school used to praise you as if you were some sort of legend, saying you were the hardest girl in school to pursue! I never imagined you were the one I saved!"