Chapter 4: You'd Better Rely on Your Own Luck
She picked up a fish, weighed it in her hand, and found it quite substantial. It should be enough to feed her for a few days. Using the bone knife Mo Lin had left by the riverbank, she skillfully cleaned the fish and prepared to head back. Glancing at the set of bathing supplies left on the bank, she bent down and scooped them into her arms.
She chose not to grill the fish by the river. If Mo Lin saw her lingering, he might assume she was trying to seduce him, which would only make him loathe her more. That would make him even harder to win over. Su Xiyue first returned the bathing supplies to the cave. By this time, Ye Ling had already left, though she hadn't noticed when. She felt a wave of relief; she had no desire to face that cold expression, nor did she want to risk being killed by him. Thinking of the kick she had landed on him earlier, she felt a prickle of guilt and wondered if he would be alright.
After putting the bathing set away, she took the fish and left the cave. She remembered a small mountain hollow near the tribe that was rarely visited and free of wild beasts; she planned to grill her fish there. It was a secluded spot where the original owner used to hide whenever she was in a bad mood. Following her memories, she arrived at the hollow. It was overgrown with weeds and surrounded by massive trees, each requiring five or six people to encircle. The dense foliage blocked the sun, making it pleasantly cool—a perfect spot for grilling.
Without a lighter, she had to use the primitive method of drilling wood to start a fire. The tribe’s plaza did have a communal bonfire where the men, women, and children gathered every night to roast meat, dance, and revel in the festivities, but she had no desire to join them tonight. After some effort, the fire finally caught. Watching the flames dance, Su Xiyue skewered the cleaned fish on sharpened sticks and set them over the fire to roast slowly. As the heat intensified, the fish began to sizzle, releasing a fragrant aroma. She swallowed hard, feeling even hungrier. Although she lacked seasonings, the fish was fresh, natural, and unpolluted; grilled until crispy and golden, it tasted magnificent. In the apocalypse, finding unpolluted fish—or shrimp, or any seafood—was as rare as winning the lottery. Everything, from food to clothing, was either contaminated or riddled with viruses, making it entirely unusable.
Su Xiyue sighed, shaking her head as she savored every bite. Before long, she had finished one fish. It barely dulled her hunger, so she moved on to the second. It wasn't until she had polished off three large fish that her stomach finally felt somewhat satisfied. The original owner’s appetite was enormous; no wonder she was so overweight—her stomach had been stretched out. But she couldn't help it; hunger was unbearable. She wrapped the remaining fish in leaves to take back for breakfast the next day. As for tonight, she would just go hungry—consider it a diet.
The sun was already dipping below the horizon. She extinguished the fire and stood up to leave. She had only taken two steps when someone suddenly fell from the sky. With a loud "thud," the person landed right in front of her, scaring her into an instinctive retreat. She looked down to find a young woman wearing a dress similar in style to those from the apocalypse. She was lying face down, revealing fair arms and legs, with one high-heeled shoe still on her foot while the other was nowhere to be seen.
This attire immediately identified the stranger. But wasn't Chu Youyou supposed to be brought back by Ye Ling? How did she appear in such a manner? And why did she drop right in front of her? Su Xiyue looked up at the sky, wondering if falling from such a height could actually be survivable. She was highly skeptical. She walked over and flipped the woman over; her skin was quite fair, her features delicate—not stunning, but not ugly either—just an ordinary-looking young woman, likely someone who had just graduated from college. Yet, in this beast world where skin was generally dark, rough, and coarse, she would be considered a rare beauty.
Checking her pulse, she found the woman’s breathing steady; she was fine, merely knocked unconscious by the fall. Su Xiyue felt conflicted. Should she bring her back to the tribe, or dump her somewhere far away? Chu Youyou was the female lead. Once she remained in the tribe, all the beastmen would revolve around her, including the original owner’s five beast husbands. With Chu Youyou as a comparison, they would surely despise her even more. While Su Xiyue wouldn't throw her life away like the original owner, she would never allow a threat to exist. Furthermore, her mission was to win over the five beast husbands, which made Chu Youyou’s presence even more problematic.
Having made up her mind, she hoisted Chu Youyou onto her shoulder and headed deep into the forest, intending to discard her far away. As for whether she lived or died, that was none of her concern. Having survived in the apocalypse for so long, she had long since learned to be cold and selfish—it was the essential law of survival. The forest was dense, blocking out the sky, with only slivers of sunlight filtering through the leaves to the forest floor.
She traveled a long distance, fearing that Ye Ling might stumble upon her and bring her back. Truthfully, killing her would have been safer, but a lingering shred of conscience deep down prevented her from doing so. She found a hidden spot, confirmed it was far from the tribe and unlikely to be a hunting ground, and dropped Chu Youyou to the ground. "You're on your own now," Su Xiyue said coldly. Seeing that night was falling, she dared not linger in the forest and turned to leave.
On her way back, she managed to pick quite a few wild fruits and, by sheer luck, discovered a bird's nest containing eight eggs. She also spotted plenty of wild vegetables, but because it was getting dark and she feared a beast might pounce from the shadows, she didn't dare to stop and gather them. She decided to come back tomorrow, check if Chu Youyou was still there, and see if she had survived.
By the time she returned to the tribe, it was completely dark. The bonfire in the center of the plaza was roaring, illuminating the surroundings and chasing away the chill of the night. The tribe members were gathered around, roasting meat and laughing merrily. Just as she was about to approach, Miya spotted her, paused for a moment, and walked over. Miya was the most beautiful female in the tribe—voluptuous, open-minded, and possessing seven beast husbands, all of whom were exceptional warriors. Yet, she was never satisfied and coveted the original owner’s husbands as well, especially Ye Ling and Mo Lin. Consequently, she loathed the original owner and would find any excuse to cause her trouble.
Seeing Miya approach, Su Xiyue knew exactly what she wanted: more taunts and insults. "Su Xiyue, we all know you fed Ye Ling the love fruit today. You are truly shameless. Ye Ling doesn't like you at all, yet you resort to such lowly tactics." Miya looked at her with undisguised disdain and mockery. She spoke loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear, and they all turned to look at her with expressions of contempt and disgust.
Su Xiyue ignored their gazes and looked at Miya calmly. "And? Does that have anything to do with you?" Miya was infuriated by her indifference, her face twisting with irritation. Glancing at the wild fruits and bird eggs in her hands, she sneered, "How pathetic. As a female, you actually have to forage for your own food. If I were you, I’d have just run headfirst into a wall and died long ago." A wave of mocking laughter erupted from the crowd.