Apocalypse Rebirth: Crazy from Day One

Chapter 355: Chapter 355: Sucking Up

With that thought, Andrew Shaw drifted off to sleep.

For the past few days, however, he had always gone to bed on a full stomach, allowing him to sleep soundly until he woke up naturally.

But he hadn’t eaten today, and not long after falling asleep, his own hunger woke him.

Clutching his growling stomach, he couldn’t help but let out a helpless sigh.

’Getting used to things is a truly terrifying thing sometimes.’

In his past life, during the apocalypse, he’d grown accustomed to a life of inconsistent meals, never knowing where the next would come from.

After returning, he had used his memories from his past life to have his parents make preparations early on. He also knew things others didn’t, so this life wasn’t as difficult as his last one.

But life was still miserable, and he often went hungry.

It wasn’t as bad as his past life, where he was constantly starving.

But he was limited to one meal a day, and even that only left him about half-full. Sometimes, when he couldn’t find food for long stretches, he could only manage a single bite to tide him over. He’d completely forgotten what it felt like to be full.

He had lived like that for many years and had long since grown accustomed to it.

His stomach had even shrunk from the long-term hardship, and his appetite was much smaller.

At least, skipping one meal wouldn’t usually make his stomach growl incessantly.

But these past few days with Stella Sterling, he’d been able to eat his fill every time. He had returned to his pre-apocalypse eating habits, and slowly, very slowly, he’d grown used to it again.

’It’s only been a few days, and I’m already this starved after missing a single meal.’

He couldn’t imagine what he would do if Stella Sterling decided he was useless, or no longer needed him, and abandoned him. How would he ever readjust to a life of not knowing where his next meal was coming from?

As Andrew Shaw mulled this over, he still couldn’t muster the courage to wake Stella Sterling. And so, despite his hunger, he slowly drifted back to sleep.

So, the next time they ate, when Andrew Shaw saw that Stella Sterling had once again prepared only a single steamed bun for him, he didn’t say a word. He snatched it and wolfed it down in a few quick bites. "Delicious! So good!"

He didn’t even dare to complain this time.

He even blamed himself. ’I can’t believe I was so extravagant these past few days. It’s gotten so bad that I’m now looking down on a perfectly good steamed bun.’

’It’s a downright sin!’

Stella Sterling glanced at his behavior but didn’t say anything, simply continuing to eat her own food with a look of pure enjoyment.

For the next few days, Andrew Shaw’s meals were far worse than before.

Though he grumbled internally about how petty Stella Sterling was for holding a grudge over something so minor for so long, he didn’t dare do anything but obediently eat his portion.

He also made sure to seize every opportunity to suck up to Stella Sterling.

After learning that Gordon Ford was her sweetheart, he started constantly praising him in front of Stella.

And so, slowly but surely, Andrew Shaw’s meals returned to their previous standard.

Stella Sterling saw it all.

She had to admit, she was doing it on purpose.

It wasn’t entirely because he had said bad things about Gordon Ford, though.

She had simply discovered that she had a mean streak and enjoyed teasing him. She loved seeing the look on his face when he wanted to say something but didn’t dare.

It all struck her as incredibly amusing. At least the journey wouldn’t be so dull.

That’s why she had deliberately messed with him for a few days.

But after a few days of this, she saw he had visibly lost weight, and she started to feel a little guilty. That’s when she decided to restore his normal rations.

Besides, he was one of her people now. If he was starved to the point of being skin and bones, it would be a disgrace to her.

Besides, she found that Andrew Shaw’s current body—this child’s body—was actually quite cute.

’Keeping him well-fed and a little chubby is much more pleasing to the eye,’ she mused. ’It’s far better than that skin-and-bones look from before.’

"Don’t you worry, the next time I see that Gordon Ford, I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you. If you ask me, as outstanding as he is, he’s still a far cry from you! You’re more than good enough for him."

Seeing that his meal today was finally the same as Stella Sterling’s, Andrew Shaw, who had been eating nothing but steamed buns for days, started to feast like a beggar who hadn’t eaten in days.

All the while, he didn’t forget to keep sucking up to Stella Sterling.

He’d discovered over the past few days that no amount of flattery worked as well as flattering Stella Sterling herself.

Before, he had focused on saying good things about Gordon Ford to make up for his earlier mistake. But after this discovery, he shifted the focus of his praise to Stella Sterling herself.

And he found that this was much more effective.

Hearing this, Stella Sterling just shot him a glance. "When you see him, all you need to do is apologize. Don’t you dare say anything else!"

She didn’t want anyone else meddling in her business with Gordon Ford.

Andrew Shaw didn’t argue with Stella Sterling’s words, just nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, of course! Whatever you say!"

’It’s better to just agree with whatever she says than to overthink it.’ As he spoke, he shoveled several large mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

They traveled for several more days, but their progress was stop-and-go. They weren’t very efficient, perhaps only covering half the planned distance.

After so many consecutive days in the car, Stella Sterling was also feeling tired. So on the tenth day, she decided to stop in a semi-abandoned city up ahead to rest properly and recover before continuing their journey.

There were no settlements nearby. The city had been more than halfway submerged by floods previously, and many of its skyscrapers had collapsed.

Many of the people who used to live here were buried beneath the rubble. The survivors had mostly fled to seek shelter in other settlements.

The massive city had become all but deserted.

Stella Sterling and Andrew Shaw walked for a long time before they finally encountered another person.

The person was huddled under a half-collapsed house, sheltering from the sun. They were so covered in grime that their features were unrecognizable. Their clothes were in tatters, their original form long gone.

Hearing their footsteps, the person glanced over at Stella and Andrew in a panic, then bolted like a frightened rabbit.

"There are very few people still living in this city."

Stella Sterling glanced in that direction and muttered to herself.

Both of them fell silent as they watched this scene unfold.

They had been in the car for so long, with no worries about food or drink. But now, having gotten out and entered the city, they were once again confronted with the stark reality of the apocalypse.