She had never pinned her hopes of survival on Brandon. In her eyes, he was just a child who needed looking after. If Olivia stopped helping for good, all the weight of survival would fall on her. She simply couldn't let that happen. She lay on her bed, sighing over and over. Days slipped by, one after another. Dorothy tried to get help from Olivia almost every day, but each time, she was turned away at the door. As she watched their supplies dwindle down to almost nothing, she realized Olivia wasn't going to give in no matter what. It finally hit her how dire the situation really was. That day, Brandon started pestering her again. "Where are the supplies? Why haven't you gotten any? At this rate, when can I finally marry that pretty girl?" Dorothy lost her patience and snapped. "All you think about is your pretty girl! Open your eyes and see! We're both about to starve to death!" Brandon frowned. "What are you talking about? Starve to death? Don't be ridiculous." Dorothy was fed up with his cluelessness. "You only care about eating and your pretty girl. Don't you see the crackers at home are almost gone?" Brandon shot back, raising his voice. "If we're out of crackers, just ask Olivia for more! Why are you yelling at me? I'm not some housewife who's supposed to keep track of groceries every day." Dorothy felt helpless and wronged. "You think I haven't tried? She won't even open the door for me!"Brandon glared. "This is outrageous!" With that, he stormed out. Worried he'd get himself into trouble, Dorothy quickly followed after him. They made their way up to the 14th floor. This time, Brandon took the lead and started banging on Olivia's door. "Olivia, get out of here right now! How dare you shut your mother-in-law out? Who gave you the right to disrespect your elders like this? Open up!" After a while, the door finally opened. Brandon was all set to lose his temper, but instead of Olivia, he saw the beautiful girl he'd seen the other day. He quickly fixed his sweaty shirt and pasted on what he thought was his most charming smile. "Hey there, gorgeous! What a surprise seeing you again!" "Surprise?" Natalie raised an eyebrow. "You're banging on my door, and you call that a surprise?" Brandon quickly waved his hands. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to bother you. I'm looking for Olivia. She lives across from you, and we ... have some family business to deal with." Natalie raised the triangular bayonet in her hand. "I don't care what family business you have. Make any more noise and you'll regret it." Dorothy panicked when she saw Natalie pointing the weapon at her precious son. "Hey, what's wrong with you? How can you threaten my son with a weapon?" She started to drop to the floor, planning to put on a show. "Everybody, come look ... "Natalie cut her off. "Don't try pulling those countryside tricks here. It won't work. After all your yelling, have you seen anyone open their door to help?" Natalie turned the tip of the bayonet toward her. "I hate noise more than anything. My solution is always the same ... I'd get rid of the source altogether." Staring at the bayonet so close to her face and those emotionless eyes, Dorothy felt a wave of fear. But then she remembered Natalie's crazy dog wasn't here. She is just a young woman. She probably wouldn't be able to actually hurt anyone, right? To bolster her courage, she started yelling, "You little tramp, stop trying to scare me!" She didn't even finish before her own son cut her off. Brandon glared at her. "What's wrong with you? Who are you calling a tramp?" Dorothy was left speechless by his outburst. It's like going to the front lines only to get stabbed in the back by your own teammate. Before she could say another word, Brandon had already grinned, showing his yellowed teeth, and started apologizing to Natalie. "Sorry, Missy, we didn't mean to bother you. We'll go right now. Please don't be mad." Natalie arched an eyebrow at the scene in front of her. These two are a real joke. She lowered her bayonet and warned, "If you make noise again, I'll cut out your tongues." Olivia only told her to keep them alive; she never said they couldn't be turned into cripples. Brandon was all smiles. "Yes, yes, we're leaving! You go on back and get some rest, Missy. It's hot out here!" Natalie shot him a look and slammed the door. Dorothy was so angry she could barely think straight. You barely said anything when she insulted me. But the moment I talked back, you snapped at me! She pinched the bridge of her nose to keep from passing out, cursing in her head, The moment you get a girl in your life, you forget all about your poor mother! She's not even your wife yet, and you're already taking her side! That thought made Dorothy's breathing even more ragged. If things are this bad before the wedding, that little witch will probably get my son to turn on me once she actually marries in. Hmph! The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She wanted nothing more than to kick her ungrateful son right down the stairs. Brandon, meanwhile, kept grinning at the closed door with a dreamy gaze. After a while, he finally snapped out of it and gave Dorothy a look of disgust. "Mom, you really need to get some skincare. Your face is so messed up that it looks like a bear licked it. Look at her. Her skin is so flawless that it looks like porcelain."