Chapter 138: And You? What's Your Relationship with Ye Zhen?
Ye Zhen and her friends headed to the commercial street near the university town.
Originally, she intended to grab a meal at the cafeteria, but Qiao Xin suddenly remembered it was her birthday today and insisted on treating the entire dorm to dinner no matter what.
"Just order whatever you want."
Qiao Xin handed the menu to them.
"Don't try to save money for me, got it?"
Ye Zhen nodded and laughed, "I won't spare you a penny. I'm going to fleece you big time." Despite her words, she only ordered a plate of pork fat stir-fried greens.
Lu Chengcheng ordered a local specialty fish dish.
As for Wang Xiaoya, she ordered several home-style stir-fries.
When the menu returned to Qiao Xin's hands, she waved her arm decisively and ordered every single specialty dish listed.
"All set. Let's eat."
Before long, the dishes began arriving one after another.
First up was the local specialty fish Lu Chengcheng had ordered.
The fish looked impressive, and Lu Chengcheng was quite excited. She picked up her chopsticks, gently lifted a piece of fish, and placed it in her mouth.
One second she was smiling, the next her expression turned grave.
Seeing her silent and motionless, Qiao Xin grew alarmed: "You didn't get a bone stuck in your throat, did you? Hey! Snap out of it! Quick, grab some rice to push it down!"
A few seconds later.
Lu Chengcheng gagged and spat the fish into the trash can.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "This is disgusting! What kind of dark cuisine is this?"
Wang Xiaoya looked astonished: "Huh? I don't believe it. I'll try it myself."
She stood up, reached out, picked up a piece of fish, and popped it into her mouth.
"Holy cow, this is amazing! So delicious! Quick, you guys have to try it…"
Seeing her eyes light up with delight, Qiao Xin and Ye Zhen exchanged glances, their curiosity piqued.
So Qiao Xin and Ye Zhen each picked up their chopsticks, took a piece,
In their mouths~
Seeing them take the fish into their mouths, Wang Xiaoya finally bent over and let out a "Ugh!"
"Ah, holy crap, you little devil! … Ugh!" Qiao Xin clutched her chest, gagging so hard tears welled up in her eyes.
Ye Zhen wasn't much better. After forcing it down, she quickly grabbed the drink beside her and gulped it down voraciously.
But the lingering taste of fishy mud, mixed with soy sauce and vinegar, remained in her mouth…
After holding it in for a moment, Ye Zhen couldn't resist any longer and bent over to vomit.
"Someone poisoned the fish!"
"Give me my money back! I want my money back!"
"Ugh…"
…
……
Mond College, Dormitory Room.
Miss Zhao Mengde had just finished washing the clothes she'd changed out of yesterday and hung them up to dry. While she was at it, she also carefully hand-washed all of Ye Zhen's clothes and neatly hung them out to dry.
Watching the clothes swaying in the breeze on the drying rack, Miss Zhao Mengde wiped the sweat from her forehead, placed her hands on her hips, and smiled.
Today was another day of blissful enjoyment for the retired elite soldier~
Ah, the feeling of motherhood—truly blissful!
Suddenly.
She heard an unusual sound of a lock being picked outside.
Miss Zhao instinctively reached for her waist… but quickly remembered she couldn't carry a gun here. Instead, she grabbed a mop and swiftly hid behind the curtains.
Click—
The door opened.
A girl wearing a mask sneaked in furtively, quietly closing the door behind her before beginning to rummage through Ye Zhen's desk.
Miss Zhao frowned, watching the intruder's every move.
She was going to catch her red-handed!
But the intruder ignored the cash in Ye Zhen's drawer, swiftly returning everything she'd rummaged through to its original place.
So what exactly was she looking for?
After rummaging for a while, she found nothing.
The girl sighed and crouched down on the floor.
Frustrated, she tugged at her hair and stood up to leave, only to hear the sound of a lock being picked at the door.
"Oh no."
A wave of terror washed over her, and she scrambled toward the bathroom.
Once inside, she immediately locked the bathroom door from the inside.
Miss Zhao stroked her chin thoughtfully.
The dorm room door opened once more.
The person who entered held a scorebook in one hand and wore a school staff ID badge around their neck. They began scrutinizing the entire dorm room with a stern expression the moment they stepped inside.
Hidden behind the curtains, Miss Zhao debated whether she should come out.
After all, she was a teacher at the school. There was no need to hide from the dorm supervisor conducting the inspection.
But if she came out now, wouldn't it make the other person think even more?
After all, this was a student dormitory, not a faculty residence.
Her presence here, hiding behind the curtains, would be hard to explain.
Just as she was torn between choices, Miss Zhao's hand was suddenly grabbed with force.
Swoosh—
The curtain was yanked open.
Ye Fuli, her face dark with anger, executed a brutal shoulder throw on her without mercy.
"When did you—"
Miss Zhao was startled. How could this person walk without making a sound?!
But as a woman who had seen real battlefields, Miss Zhao wasn't about to be knocked down so easily.
She reacted swiftly, minimizing the damage.
Yet Ye Fuli's reflexes were equally extraordinary. She immediately swung another punch.
The two women clashed fiercely.
Miss Zhao's face flushed crimson with urgency. Paired with her delicate, delicate features, it looked as though Ye Fuli was overwhelmingly bullying her.
Of course, in reality, she held a steady advantage.
No matter how formidable Ye Fuli was, she lacked the extensive combat experience of her opponent.
Had Zhao Mengde not held back, treating her as academy personnel and prioritizing defense, Ye Fuli would have suffered a severe beating.
"Hey, wait… I can explain! My name is Zhao Mengde, I'm the physical education teacher at this academy, I have my work credentials…!"
Hearing this, Ye Fuli reluctantly held back her attack.
"A PE teacher? Doesn't look like it." Ye Fuli sneered coldly. "Judging by your moves, you've served in the military. What brings you here?"
Miss Zhao cleared her throat awkwardly.
Ye Zhen had advised her to avoid revealing their employer-employee relationship whenever possible.
But Zhao Mengde was stubbornly honest—her tell was blushing instantly when she lied, her eyes darting nervously.
"Ah, well… I'm actually here to teach PE."
Ye Fuli narrowed her eyes, a palpable aura of hostility spreading from her.
"Yes, I did serve in the military, but it was overseas… and not for very long." A mere ten years.
Ye Fuli snorted coldly. "What else?"
"Alright, to be completely honest, I'm Ye Zhen's older sister."
"…Sister?"
"Yes, his older sister!"
At that moment, Ye Fuli suddenly felt dazed.
She had looked into Ye Zhen's background and knew his records stated he had seven older sisters, and that the entire family raised chickens for a living.
She had even sent people to investigate the hometown listed in Ye Zhen's records.
That place was in a remote area where nearly every household raised chickens, and each family had quite a few members!
The person she sent was still searching for Ye Zhen's parents and sisters.
However, due to the area's extreme remoteness—where most families lived deep in the mountains, isolated and backward—locating a specific household proved difficult.
In short, Ye Fuli wouldn't fully trust the information until she saw Ye Zhen's family and their chickens.
Now, upon encountering someone claiming to be Ye Zhen's sister, Ye Fuli's confident judgment began to waver.
"You… are Ye Zhen's sister?" Ye Fuli exhaled softly. "Her biological sister?"
Zhao Mengde shook her head. "Cousin."
Hearing this answer, Ye Fuli secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"So why should I trust you?"
Zhao Mengde sighed. "Don't ask me that yet. What about you? What exactly are you to Ye Zhen? Why are you interrogating someone with a legitimate work permit like you're conducting a household registration check?"
"I…"
Ye Fuli fell silent.
It was difficult to answer.
Could she really claim to be Ye Zhen's sister?
Just then, Ye Zhen and the others, who had gone out for lunch, returned with takeout.
Hearing the keys turn in the lock, Ye Fuli suddenly tensed up.
Her rational mind told her she should hide, lest Ye Zhen overthink things and be so frightened she'd move out overnight.
But where could she hide?
She glanced around, her eyes landing on the curtains where Miss Zhao had just hidden.
Just as she prepared to hide, Zhao Mengde grabbed her arm: "Don't go. I sense something's wrong with you."
Ye Fuli's face darkened as her hand pressed against the folding knife in her pocket, yet she never drew it.
Those pleading eyes, which had appeared countless times in her mind, surfaced once more.
Click—
The door lock clicked open.
Ye Zhen and her roommates entered, chatting and laughing.