Chapter 426: Chapter 416: Exposed

But was everything really as harmonious as everyone imagined? Could people truly live so carefreely in the middle of an apocalypse?

That would be seriously underestimating the power of the apocalypse.

The week promised by the housekeeper passed quickly. During that time, those willing to contribute had already given it their all. If they gave any more, their own families wouldn’t have enough to eat.

Housekeeper Zhang had apparently realized he couldn’t squeeze anything more out of the homeowners in the group chat. He spoke less and less frequently, and on the final day, he didn’t say a single word.

But just because he went silent didn’t mean the homeowners had forgotten about the food at the property management center.

A major reason many people had been willing to share their own food was because they were expecting the property management center to compensate them with even more in return.

"Weren’t we supposed to get food after a week? The week is up. When are you distributing the rice, flour, and oil?"

"Exactly. My family just ran out of food yesterday. If we don’t get resupplied, we’ll start going hungry."

"Where’s Housekeeper Zhang? Housekeeper Zhang, say something!"

Everyone in the group chat started tagging Housekeeper Zhang, but their messages were met with complete silence, like stones sinking into the ocean.

It was eleven in the morning. Everyone was trapped in their homes, and their phones were practically their only form of entertainment. The chance that he hadn’t seen the messages was virtually zero.

The longer they waited without a response, the more uneasy everyone became. The only reason the people in this group had been so relaxed for the past few days was because they were counting on the food shown in the picture Housekeeper Zhang had posted.

"He didn’t skip town, did he?"

After another two hours, someone finally voiced the worry on everyone’s mind.

"No way. In this situation, where could he possibly go? I doubt he could even make it far from his own front door."

"But what if he just decided not to give us the food from the property management center?"

The group chat fell silent once more. It was true. It seemed none of them had ever considered the possibility that they wouldn’t receive the food from the property management center.

"That can’t be right... If they didn’t want to give us the food, why tell us about it in the first place? Besides, the supplies collected over the past few days were actually delivered to those homeowners. What if something happened to him?"

Some people in the group still refused to believe it. ’After all, it doesn’t make any sense. What did the property management staff have to gain from organizing these mutual aid efforts all week?’

’Were they just bored sitting at home? Did they need to play deliveryman to feel a sense of satisfaction?’ That didn’t make any sense either.

’No, something is definitely wrong here.’

[Mo]: Have you guys ever considered that they might have been skimming a lot off the top during the previous collections?

Just as everyone was struggling to make sense of the situation, someone in the group chat proposed a new possibility.

This user named "Mo" was, of course, Tang Mo. When she was out in the world, she had no desire to use her real name—neither Tang Mo nor Xu Yin.

[Tao Jiayun]: To the families who gave food the first time: list everything you donated and post it in the chat.

Tang Mo recognized the name. He was the first person to challenge Housekeeper Zhang back when the group was created. ’A clear-headed guy,’ she thought.

Tang Mo saw his message and immediately understood what he was getting at.

During the first collection, people hadn’t fully trusted the property management staff with their donations, fearing the items wouldn’t reach those in need. As a result, the families who received aid had all posted photos in the group chat.

Later on, once everyone’s minds were at ease, people stopped posting photos. They figured that if someone didn’t receive their share, they would definitely complain in the chat.

Besides, most of them had been people of status before all this. Admitting in a group chat that they were receiving handouts wasn’t exactly a dignified affair.

The families who had donated during that first drive immediately compiled lists of what they had given and posted them in the chat.

In times like these, the most important daily task for every household was taking inventory of their food supplies.

They had donated those items reluctantly, gritting their teeth as they parted with them, so they remembered every single thing with perfect clarity.

Even Xu Yin’s father, Xu Jinsan, quickly posted what his family had contributed, then quietly added another message:

[Yinyin’s father]: This can’t be. I even saw the items we sent in that photo.

Tang Mo knew Xu Jinsan was talking about the can of formula he had contributed. Tang Mo had seen it too—Wen Qianli had even made a point to thank him after receiving it.

[Tao Jiayun]: The families who received donations, please post lists of what you got.

Every single person in the chat was on edge, flustered and unsure of what to do. Hearing Tao Jiayun’s command, they obeyed as if mesmerized, without a single objection.

Soon enough, the five families who had initially received aid listed out the items they had been given.

These were the families who had been struggling the most, who had already run out of food completely. They treasured every item they received, so they knew exactly what they had been given.

Once the lists were all posted, even the most clueless homeowners understood what had happened.

Well, well. Housekeeper Zhang had indeed delivered the goods, but he had kept a significant portion for himself.

A careful comparison revealed that he had kept nearly a third of the donations.

If he was skimming a third every time, the amount would add up to a considerable sum after several collections.

This wasn’t a scheme just anyone could pull off. He only skimmed the most common, generic items—meat, eggs, milk, rice—things that couldn’t be traced back to a specific donor. Since each family only knew what they themselves had given and not what others had, they wouldn’t notice anything amiss just by looking at the photos.

So, the food at the property management center was just bait. Housekeeper Zhang used that bait to build his credibility, preying on people’s sympathy and kindness to profit from each collection drive.

This meant they would never receive the promised relief supplies from the property management center. The families who had donated their last scraps of food would simply be left to starve.

Housekeeper Zhang remained silent in the chat, but he hadn’t left the group either. This allowed a final, desperate sliver of hope to linger in many people’s hearts.

"What if... what if they were just skimming a little off the top? Maybe they aren’t actually bad people?"

[Tao Jiayun]: Get a grip. Does starvation shrink your brain?

Staring at her screen, Tang Mo laughed out loud at Tao Jiayun’s message.

His words were harsh, but he had a point.

Taking it a step further, even if Housekeeper Zhang really had just been a bit greedy and still planned to distribute the bulk of the food, he’d surely fly into a humiliated rage now that the entire group chat had exposed him.

Besides, he wasn’t really a "housekeeper," and the people who came to collect the supplies weren’t property management staff. They were just outsourced security guards from the neighboring complex.

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