Zhang Ye treated Aunt Lin's words like nonsense in the wind.
But since he had nothing better to do, he decided to have some fun messing with the old woman.
"Well, well, Aunt Lin is really something! If you're so capable, why don't you go ask Chen Zhenghao and Xu Hao to come down and shovel snow?"
He called them out by name in the group chat, completely disregarding anyone's pride.
Chen Zhenghao, also known as Brother Hao, was a notorious local thug.
He was the one who had broken into Zhang Ye's home in the previous life, wielding a hatchet and leading the charge.
Xu Hao, an arrogant and domineering rich kid, was the first to pull a knife on Zhang Ye.
In short, aside from a few decent people, most of these neighbors had participated in attacking or robbing him in the past.
Zhang Ye could even imagine that after his death in his previous life, every one of them had taken a share of his belongings.
So now he didn't care about anyone's reputation—he ripped away their façade openly, just to disgust them.
Aunt Lin looked at her phone, and her face instantly changed.
Zhang Ye calling out names like this left her with no way out.
No matter how you put it, if she backed down now, she'd become a laughingstock.
And no one would ever follow her orders again.
Left with no choice, she had to tag Chen Zhenghao and Xu Hao in the group chat.
"Dear neighbors, our community is our home, and we all have to do our part to keep it clean. I hope those who are free can bring tools and come help shovel snow."
Not long after, the account labeled "25#602 Chen Zhenghao" replied with a few question marks.
Then, he sent a voice message to the group.
"Shovel snow? Shovel your f***ing head! Are you blind? Can't you see it's still snowing heavily outside?"
"Fing hell, are you brain-dead? If you're sick, go to a hospital. Stop barking like a dog here. Tag me again and I'll fing kill you, believe it or not!"
Chen Zhenghao cursed Aunt Lin out viciously for tagging him, using the filthiest language.
The residents in the group chat burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs.
Aunt Lin had really thought she was somebody—but those kinds of people never even took her seriously.
A minor residents' committee member only had influence over regular folks.
People like that thug wouldn't even treat her like a weed on the roadside.
Then came a voice message from Xu Hao, the rich second generation.
"What does shoveling snow have to do with me? I don't even have to work—I can sleep all day at home, no problem."
After that, he posted a photo of himself lying in a thick blanket, hugging a woman in his arms.
This apartment had just been one of his love nests—he happened to be stuck here during the storm.
For Aunt Lin to ask him to shovel snow? He thought she was clearly mentally ill.
Aunt Lin was so frightened by Chen Zhenghao's outburst that she didn't dare reply—she wouldn't dream of provoking a real thug.
But seeing Xu Hao act so arrogantly, she still tried to argue back.
"No matter what, you're still part of the community! Shoveling snow is your duty as a resident!"
Xu Hao sneered, "Pah! I pay property fees every month—is that for nothing? Without people like me paying, you committee folks would starve!"
"F***ing hell, always using the residents' money to act like you own the place. What a joke!"
None of these rich kids were simpletons. Even if Xu Hao was lazy, he had seen the world.
He never took a petty neighborhood official like her seriously.
Then, mocking her with satisfaction, he added:
"The reason I'm living well is because of my parents and family connections. You think I'm the same as you poor losers?"
"If anyone wants to shovel snow, go ahead. You still have to go out and earn a living anyway! Once the snow's cleared, I can finally get out of this dump."
Everyone listened to Xu Hao's arrogant words with rising anger.
But none of them dared argue back.
After all, he had been born into wealth and privilege.
Harsh as his words were, weren't they also true?
Chen Zhenghao and Xu Hao's outbursts completely disheartened the rest of the residents.
Aunt Lin's words became meaningless, and no one paid her any attention anymore.
She was practically furious to death.
But instead of being angry at Chen Zhenghao or Xu Hao, her hatred was aimed squarely at Zhang Ye!
She felt like she had almost succeeded in mobilizing the residents—until Zhang Ye came along and ruined everything!
So she sent Zhang Ye a private message, fuming with rage:
"Zhang Ye, are you deliberately trying to go against me?"
"What exactly do you want? I asked everyone to shovel snow—doesn't that mean everyone should do their part?"
"Now look what you've done! No one's willing to help! Are we just supposed to be sealed in here forever?"
Zhang Ye raised an eyebrow.
Oh? Someone actually came looking to be scolded?
"You damn hag, cut the crap! You bully the weak and fear the strong, and now you're barking at me?"
"You didn't dare make a sound when they cursed you out, but now you're looking for attention from me?"
"Let me tell you something—I'm not someone to be messed with. Keep yapping, and I'll make sure you regret it!"
Zhang Ye had Aunt Lin's number completely.
She was just a coward who preyed on the weak.
Sure enough, after Zhang Ye laid into her, Aunt Lin was terrified.
She was just an old woman raising a grandson, relying entirely on her committee role to earn a bit of face.
But if someone disregarded her title and came at her for real, she didn't stand a chance.
She didn't dare say another word, as if afraid she might really provoke Zhang Ye.
She quickly blocked him, fearing he might curse her out more.
Her whole body trembled—whether from the cold or from fear, even she didn't know.
"That bastard! What a lunatic, a total psycho!"
"I'd better not provoke him now. Just wait—I'll make sure he suffers later!"
Aunt Lin began imagining how she'd use her position in the committee to make life hard for Zhang Ye in the future.
Like withholding supplies when distributing survival resources.
Or intentionally leaving him out of any beneficial community events.
She pictured the day when Zhang Ye came to beg her for mercy, and she would slam the door in his face and sneer, "Weren't you so cocky before? Let's see you act tough now!"
The more she imagined it, the more smug she felt.
"Heh heh, sooner or later you'll come begging me!"
"For now, I won't stoop to your level."
Aunt Lin found comfort in her little fantasy of victory, her own version of wishful thinking.
Then she went back into the group chat to rally others to help shovel snow.
Even though most people looked down on her—
They still had to go to work eventually, and worried about how they'd get around once the snow piled up too high.
So a few honest folks still braved the minus seventy degree cold and stepped outside with tools to shovel.
Zhang Ye, however, hadn't expected that just after chasing Aunt Lin off—
Another troublemaker would show up.
This time, it was a direct call to his WeChat from none other than Chen Zhenghao.
It seemed like Zhang Ye mentioning his name in the group had rubbed him the wrong way, so he called to intimidate him.
Zhang Ye already held a deep grudge against this scumbag. The moment he saw the call, he narrowed his eyes.
At this point, he was actually hoping someone would be dumb enough to come looking for trouble.
After all, Zhang Ye had no intention of leaving his secure safehouse.
But if anyone dared to come knocking—
He had plenty of ways to make sure they died a very miserable death.
So, Zhang Ye answered the phone.