Chapter 136: Why Not Do Something Else? Why Become a Dorm Monitor?
Jiang Zao drifted through the crowded campus, her mind elsewhere.
She wore a mask, head bowed, her long hair still covering most of her face.
Playing the part of a stranger always carried a high risk of failure.
She had anticipated this outcome.
Yet, even now, she clung stubbornly to the hope that she might find some new glimmer of hope.
The debt she owed—she couldn't repay it.
She admitted she was starting to regret it.
If she had admitted she wasn't the person Miss He was looking for before borrowing money to investigate Ye Zhen, would things have turned out differently?
Back then, the gifts she'd received from Miss He could have been sold for ten or twenty thousand yuan.
That money, even if it couldn't be used for anything grand, would have allowed her to eat well for a long time.
It was all too late now.
There was no turning back.
Beep-beep-beep—
The information broker sent a new message.
Jiang Zao wiped away her tears, quickly pulled out her phone, slipped away from the crowd, and cautiously opened the message.
Informant: Ye Zhen's disfigurement occurred over a year ago during this incident.
Immediately after, he sent several related news reports accompanied by some blurry, candid photos.
Jiang Zao: So… this is what she used to look like?
She noticed one of the photos.
In the photo, Ye Zhen possessed a beautiful face. Her attire and style were far less extravagant than her current persona, and a faint smile graced the corners of her lips.
This was the closest photo she could find to the time of Ye Zhen's disfiguring accident, and it was different from the pictures from her middle school days.
Jiang Zao couldn't help but feel that this face…
…someone.
"Ye Zhen! This person looks like Ye Zhen!"
Upon discovering this truth, Jiang Zao couldn't help but feel her emotions surge again.
But she quickly realized that Ye Zhen was far more beautiful than this "Ye Zhen," and their auras were entirely different.
Ye Zhen was a girl who loved to talk and laugh.
This Ye Zhen, however, was reserved, introverted, and quiet.
Regardless of personality, Ye Zhen had indeed succeeded in capturing Ye Fuli's attention. She had even persuaded Ye Fuli—a billionaire heiress—to deign to come to Mondstadt's cafeteria to sell desserts, drinks, and pancakes.
It seemed that the whole body-swap thing was something rich girls loved.
"They knew I wasn't Ye Zhen, and they knew Ye Zhen wasn't Ye Zhen, yet they still rushed to interact with me."
"The reason for my failure might not be mentioning Ye Fuli, but…"
"But…"
Her trembling fingers traced the contours of Ye Zhen's face in the photograph.
For the first time, she felt a twinge of envy toward a beautiful peer.
"It's because I'm not that pretty."
"What they like is the beautiful Ye Zhen, not the disfigured Ye Zhen!"
If she hadn't been in that fire, she might have looked just like Ye Zhen. Maybe even more like her than Ye Zhen herself!
…
Knock knock knock—
The door to Room 404 was knocked on once more.
Ye Zhen got up to open the door and froze upon seeing Jiang Zao standing there, soaked through and through.
Had she been picked on again?
Ye Zhen didn't even consider the possibility that this time, Jiang Zao might have staged it all herself.
"What happened?"
Jiang Zao suddenly dropped to his knees before her with a thud.
This startled Ye Zhen. "What are you doing? This isn't how we do things!"
She hurriedly helped Jiang Zao to his feet.
The other roommates immediately gathered around.
Wang Xiaoya, who couldn't stand people trying to morally blackmail others, immediately tried to push Jiang Zao out the door. But Jiang Zao clung tightly to the doorframe and said, "Ye Zhen, does what you told me earlier still stand?"
Ye Zhen looked earnestly apologetic. "I'm sorry. I didn't keep an eye on it and lost it."
"Lost?!"
Jiang Zao gasped sharply.
Her voice choked with emotion as she pleaded, "Ye Zhen, don't do this. I was wrong. I want to try! Please, just this once… save me…"
Ye Zhen sighed helplessly. "It really is gone. I didn't mean for it to happen. I'm so sorry."
With that, she gently patted Jiang Zao's shoulder.
"Jiang Zao, I'm truly sorry."
Jiang Zao suspected it was a lie, but she couldn't find any evidence of deception on Ye Zhen's earnest, remorseful face.
Her heart sank into an icy cellar, and in the end, she could only resign herself to her fate, slowly turning away and leaving.
Watching her go, Ye Zhen felt no ripple of emotion.
She had already sensed the potential trouble lurking within Jiang Zao.
Having walked through hell herself, Ye Zhen no longer possessed much overflowing sympathy.
Having recognized the danger and trouble, she had to refuse outright!
After closing the dorm door again, the girls inside were still visibly shaken.
"See? You shouldn't have given her those snacks," Qiao Xin scolded Ye Zhen with disappointment. "Some people are like stray dogs—feed them a little, and they won't let go."
"Seems her scheming skills are wasted on the wrong things," remarked the great philosopher Lu Chengcheng.
"Enough, enough~"
Wang Xiaoya waved her hand dismissively, her expression saying, "I get it all."
"Before I started school, do you know what the first thing my dad said to me was?"
Lu Chengcheng asked playfully, "What was it?"
"He said, 'You can be overconfident, but you must be decent!'"
Huh?
This line sounded strangely familiar to Ye Zhen.
But that wasn't the point.
Ye Zhen suddenly felt she should have bodyguards or something like that too.
What's the saddest thing about being human? It's dying before you've spent all your money!
Anyway, before she spent all this money, she intended to live safely and healthily. Of course, the system would alert her when danger approached and protect her from death… but that clearly wasn't quite enough.
With that thought, Ye Zhen decisively pulled out her phone and began browsing the job market.
First, post a job listing for a female bodyguard!
"Seeking one female bodyguard. Strong credentials preferred. Starting monthly salary: 100,000. Interview at Room 404, Area A, Mondstadt Academy…"
About a day later.
Ye Zhen's posting had been accepted.
A knock sounded at the dorm door. Ye Zhen hurried to open it.
When she saw the woman carrying a suitcase, dressed in a school uniform with black stockings… ahem, no, the female bodyguard who had accepted the job, she was somewhat surprised.
Standing at 185 cm tall, Ye Zhen had to tilt her head back slightly to look at her.
Her lustrous black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, clean and sharp!
And yet, her face was that of a delicate, petite beauty.
The bodyguard also looked visibly surprised when she saw Ye Zhen.
She seemed taken aback that her employer was such a petite, childlike figure.
The bodyguard cleared her throat lightly and said, "Hello, my name is Zhao Mengde. I will be responsible for your personal safety from now on. Please… please guide me."
What?!
You, the one with the online name "QQ Bouncy Little Sweet Pear," your real name is Zhao Mengde?!
The contrast was too stark for Ye Zhen to fully process.
What's more, Miss Zhao spoke with such gentle politeness—it was hard to imagine she had a background as a mercenary abroad, skilled in operating all kinds of weapons.
Truly a Mary Sue world.
Ye Zhen was utterly amazed and couldn't help but silently roll her eyes.
Unfortunately, she couldn't unleash her full potential here. Ye Zhen wanted her to be low-key and reliable.
"Ahem. Anyway, your job is to protect me. Also, don't let me see you all the time—you'd better stay hidden, got it?"
Miss Zhao nodded. "Got it. I've already applied for a physical education teacher position at the school!"
"Alright."
Ye Zhen shook her hand in a perfunctory gesture.
"Pleasure working with you."
Seeing the little girl's smile, Miss Zhao flushed. She felt like she'd suddenly become a mother—a protective urge unrelated to money surged up inside her.
Even without payment, she'd be delighted to continue this partnership!
Being the little girl's guardian angel? She absolutely loved it.
…
Downstairs.
The dorm supervisor grumbled as she packed her belongings, vacating the staff quarters she'd occupied all this time.
"What the hell! You're so young—why not do something else? Why did you have to become a dorm supervisor?"
"Are you trying to ruin my life?!"
"I saw you in the cafeteria the other day too!"
"Stealing my cooking job was bad enough, but now you're trying to take my dorm supervisor position too!"
Ye Fuli leaned against the doorframe, staring expressionlessly at her. "Go ahead and curse some more."
The dorm supervisor's mouth went slack.
"Why yell so loud? I'm already moving!"
Ye Fuli nodded, then turned back to spread the quilt she’d brought over the bed frame.
She was accustomed to spartan living conditions, especially since Mondstadt's infrastructure was surprisingly decent—a vast improvement over that shack in the slums.
Ye Fuli quickly grew accustomed to the cramped space.
After the original dorm supervisor left, she returned to the front desk, picked up the booklet, and began flipping through it.
Soon, she found the dorm room Ye Zhen occupied.
A moment later, she spotted the spare key for Ye Zhen's dorm room.
Yefuli stroked the key, pursed her lips, and fell deep in thought…