The bayberries in The Arcadian Woods had ripened over the past few days. They were perfectly sweet and sour. Melody Summers climbed a tree and ate several in one go, then listed the bayberries in her shop.

After listing them, she casually checked her shop’s status and found several new reviews:

"User xxx: A friend recommended this shop, and the quality is indeed great. But could you please stop using drones for delivery? My bodyguard thought it was an airdropped bomb and almost opened fire."

"User xxx: This fish is delicious! The meat is fresh and tender, nothing like the ones from those high-tech indoor farms. It feels very natural."

"User xxx: This pork is amazing! It’s nothing like the pork on the market—not gamey at all. It’s incredibly fragrant when stir-fried. I was just about to reorder, but how is it already out of stock?"

What surprised Melody Summers the most was the honey. A few customers were reordering it by the dozens of jars. After considering her production capacity, Melody decided to take the honey down for the time being.

Melody Summers grabbed her tools and went to The Arcadian Woods to harvest some honeycomb.

Thick, golden honey dripped from the edge of her knife onto the ground. As Melody Summers glanced down, she noticed clumps of yellow mushrooms at the base of the tree.

"Are these... chanterelles?" Melody Summers climbed down from the tree, puzzled, and squatted to take a closer look. ’Did these just sprout? They definitely weren’t here before.’

Melody Summers quickly searched around the base of the trees and discovered all sorts of mushrooms growing beneath many of them—large and small, in a variety of shapes and colors.

"Yes! We have mushrooms to eat!" Melody Summers forgot all about the honey. She excitedly rolled up her sleeves and prepared to start picking. Though she had stockpiled plenty of dried mushrooms before the cataclysm, they were no match for fresh ones.

Afraid of picking poisonous ones, Melody Summers used a phone app to identify the mushrooms as she went. She gathered a large quantity of porcini, matsutake, morels, termite mushrooms, and red-staining boletes... By the time she grew tired and looked back, she saw that the mushrooms she had picked were piled up into a small mound.

There were far too many. She decided to keep some for herself and list the rest in her shop.

Since there were so many different kinds, Melody Summers couldn’t be bothered to sort and list them individually. Instead, she created a "Wild Mushroom Medley" bundle, which included a mix of all the varieties. She packed them into boxes and set the price at 80,000 per unit.

These mushrooms weren’t easy to cultivate indoors. Matsutake, in particular, had been incredibly valuable even before the cataclysm!

The moment the mushrooms were listed, ten units sold out instantly. The order came from a single ID, netting her 800,000 in a flash. Melody Summers had Albus hurry up with the delivery while she climbed a tree again, cut down two more pieces of honeycomb, and took them to her workshop to be processed into honey.

After dealing with the shop orders, Melody Summers glanced at the community group chat and saw that it was already buzzing with activity, even though it was early in the morning:

"6-501 Suzy: What was all that commotion over at Building 6 last night? So much crying and shouting. Don’t tell me it was another home invasion."

"6-702 The Lover: I know what happened. It was my neighbors across the hall fighting. The husband used both his and his wife’s quotas to go shopping for supplies at the supermarket and came back with only cigarettes and alcohol. When his wife found out, they had a massive argument. She’s threatening divorce. She took their child and left for her parents’ house first thing this morning."

"4-1209 GoofingOff: Unbelievable! Buying booze and smokes at a time like this? Is he trying to starve to death?"

"6-702 The Lover: They must still have some food stored up. In any case, they were fighting viciously yesterday. It sounded like it even got physical."

"2-1908 Coco: We’re all running out of food, and he’s pulling this crap? That man has some serious nerve."

"6-501 Suzy: That’s how a lot of people are. When the craving for a smoke or a drink hits, they forget all about food."

"4-1209 GoofingOff: Fine if he wants to starve, but why drag his wife and kid into it? He actually used his wife’s quota for booze and smokes. How selfish!"

"..."

Melody Summers thought of the man who had bought the cigarettes and alcohol yesterday and shook her head. ’One person’s indulgence, the whole family’s starvation.’

’A selfish person like that will have a hard time surviving the later stages of the cataclysm,’ she thought. ’I just hope he doesn’t cause any trouble for the community.’

As Melody Summers was scrolling through the group chat, a private message suddenly popped up. She opened it. It was from Sophie Thorne:

"Melody, a friend in Unit D06 is hosting a party today. Want to come with me?"

Before Melody Summers had a chance to reply, she got a phone call. It was Zane Simmons. After a moment’s thought, Melody answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Melody Summers! I’m throwing a party at my place tonight. Are you in? I’ll introduce you to some handsome guys!" Zane Simmons said cheerfully over the phone.

Zane Simmons was not the type to endure loneliness well. After being cooped up at home for a few days, he was getting bored. He recalled that a few of his friends lived in The Metropolis Residences, so he decided to throw a party at his villa, invite some more people, and have everyone hang out.

’So this must be the party Sophie Thorne was talking about,’ Melody thought. After a moment, she replied, "Alright, I’ll be there."

"Great! See you at D06 at 7 PM tonight, don’t be late!"

After hanging up, Melody Summers sent a reply to Sophie Thorne, arranging to go with her.

Putting her phone down, Melody Summers couldn’t help but marvel. ’Only the rich would have the mind to throw parties at a time like this.’

Melody Summers was dead set on earning a hundred million. At her shop’s current sales rate, progress was a bit slow, and she was growing impatient. She wanted to pry some cash from the pockets of these rich people and decided to use the party as an opportunity to observe. If she could figure out what potential customers needed, she could expand her inventory accordingly.

*

The Simmons Villa.

Joanne White sat silently in her third-floor room, her expression forlorn as she gazed out the window.

Zane Simmons had told Joanne White to stay in her room tonight and not show her face to the guests.

Although she knew that being with Zane Simmons meant she would never have a formal title, Joanne White couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss. She had secretly hoped for the classic story of the Canary winning her freedom and an official position to play out in her own life. But her belly was growing larger by the day, and Zane Simmons showed no signs of making that happen.

Joanne White sighed, closing her eyes and gently rubbing her temples.

When she opened her eyes again, Joanne White saw a familiar figure walking into the courtyard. Her pupils constricted. It was Melody Summers!

Melody Summers, dressed in green, was walking in alongside another girl in a blue dress. Joanne could faintly see them chatting and laughing together, their heads bowed in conversation.

Joanne White shot to her feet, wanting to step closer to the window for a better look. But the instant she rose, a sharp pain stabbed through her lower abdomen, and she staggered back down into her seat.

Whether from the pain or her own anxiety, beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

"How could it be her..." Joanne White murmured to herself. The other day, when she and Zane Simmons had run into Melody Summers, she had discreetly tried to find out what their relationship was. Zane had only said they were classmates.

Seeing Zane Simmons’s nonchalant expression, Joanne White had assumed they were just regular classmates. She never imagined he would actually invite Melody Summers to his party!

Joanne White felt like Melody Summers was a persistent ghost she couldn’t shake. She wanted nothing more to do with Melody, and she certainly didn’t want Melody to have anything to do with Zane Simmons!

The pain in Joanne White’s lower abdomen was relentless. She couldn’t think straight. All she could do was clutch her stomach and take one deep breath after another.

*

By the time Sophie Thorne and Melody Summers arrived, Zane Simmons’s villa was already filled with people.

Melody Summers glanced around, noticing that Zane Simmons’s villa was quite a bit larger than her own. He even had outdoor air conditioners installed in the courtyard, and she felt a refreshing wave of cool air as they walked in.

Seeing the two of them arrive, Zane Simmons walked over to greet them. "Miss Thorne, Student Summers," he said with a smile. "Thanks for coming."

A young, beautiful girl in a white dress followed behind Zane Simmons. She nodded and smiled at them but didn’t speak, simply standing by his side with a gentle, docile air.

Melody Summers paused, momentarily stunned. From a distance, she had thought the girl standing beside Zane Simmons was Joanne White. It turned out to be a complete stranger. Her understanding of how messy the circles of the rich were deepened.

Seeing Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne with their arms linked, Zane Simmons asked curiously, "You two know each other?"

Sophie Thorne smiled lightly and replied, "Melody and I were university classmates. We’re good friends."

Zane Simmons was a little surprised. Word in their circle was that Miss Thorne was cold and aloof; he never would have guessed she was friends with Melody Summers. He kept his expression neutral, however, and simply grinned. "What a coincidence. Well, I hope you two have fun tonight."

Zane Simmons didn’t bring up his offer to introduce Melody Summers to handsome men again. He had originally invited her to introduce her to a few wealthy guys, giving her more options and connections. Now, however, he figured she probably didn’t need his help.