Chapter 166: Ye Fuli's Growing Sense of Crisis!
Gulp.
Bai Ruoting swallowed hard with difficulty.
At this moment, the fear in his heart had completely overshadowed his anger, even making the pain in his body feel less intense.
When the Bai family had his back, he could glare at Ye Fuli with vicious eyes, even ranting about her meeting a miserable end.
But now…
He stood utterly alone.
Jiang Nini backed away nervously, too afraid to reach out and pull him closer, yet her eyes brimmed with heartache for him.
Useless piece of trash…
Bai Ruoting gritted his teeth, unable to resist lashing out at her too.
To save his own skin, he had to suppress all his anger, feigning a helpless, vulnerable demeanor as he looked at Ye Dad: "Uncle Ye, please believe me. I truly didn't do anything wrong."
Ye Dad sighed helplessly.
He hadn't been oblivious to Bai Ruoting's sordid deeds.
But at his age and standing, he couldn't just stand by and let this guy bleed to death on his doorstep.
How unlucky!
"Call the hospital. Have them send some staff over to take Young Master Bai for treatment. I'll cover all expenses."
Ye Dad turned back and gave the order.
Then, his gaze fell upon Bai Ruoting, who was as pale as a sheet. Ultimately, his heart couldn't bear it. He took off his own coat and draped it over the boy, shielding him from the gawking stares of onlookers.
…
Half an hour later.
Bai Ruoting's wounds had been cleaned and bandaged.
He lay in the smallest guest room of the Ye residence, his heart heavy with sorrow.
Jiang Nini passed by his door several times but dared not openly enter to see him. She could only wonder if she should go beg Ye Fuli for help.
But the memory of Ye Fuli wielding the cane so fiercely made her hesitate—she dared not provoke Ye Fuli today.
So Jiang Nini resorted to the excuse of bringing chicken soup for Ye Dad, knocking on his door.
"Leave the soup and you can leave."
Ye Dad showed no interest in her deliberately mature demeanor, barely sparing her a glance.
Jiang Nini felt helpless. Daring not to approach him lightly, she kept a respectful distance and said, "Uncle, that Mr. Bai… is he considered an honored guest of our Ye family?"
"Mhm."
Ye Dad gave a perfunctory nod, but inwardly he thought: A morally corrupt playboy like that doesn't deserve to be an honored guest in my home.
Right now, my daughter merely injured him. As her father, I'm keeping him here to recover out of a sense of responsibility.
Once he's healed and compensated, I'll send him back to the Bai family without delay.
What use is keeping such scum around?
Jiang Nini, however, failed to grasp Ye Dad's true intentions.
"Uncle, you've had it so tough managing such a large household alone. If I were your daughter, I'd never act so inconsiderate of both families' reputations or put you in such a difficult position…"
Her feigned display of obedience and understanding made Ye Dad frown.
Mr. Ye looked up at her. "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Jiang Nini stammered, "I… I'll leave now. I need to change the water for the fish Uncle keeps."
She was adept at reading the room.
At this moment, the impatience in Ye Dad's eyes was unmistakable. She had no choice but to retreat quickly.
Her intention to speak up for Bai Ruoting had barely surfaced before it was forced to be shelved.
…
Two days later.
Ye Fuli descended the stairs carrying a suitcase.
As she passed Jiang Nini, she paused briefly.
Jiang Nini felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively tried to step away, but Ye Fuli called out to her.
"Come with me."
Facing Ye Fuli's emotionless eyes, Jiang Nini couldn't help but recall the image of her wielding a cane to punish someone. Every hair on her body stood on end.
Jiang Nini took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. "If you need something, Miss Ye, just say it here. I still have to…"
Before she could finish, Ye Fuli grabbed her hair and yanked her forcefully toward her.
Ye Fuli's grip was incredibly strong. With that yank, Jiang Nini could even hear the sound of her hair snapping.
Tears streamed down her face as she stared at Ye Fuli in terror.
"As a servant in my house, you will carry out my orders without question. Stop trying to bargain with me. Do you understand?"
"I… I understand…"
Ye Fuli slowly released her grip.
Several strands of well-maintained hair slipped through her fingers.
Ye Fuli stared at her coldly. "Don't entertain any ill thoughts. This is my first and final warning. If I return and find you've been disobedient, you won't just lose hair."
Keeping such an irritating person in the house was an extreme test of Ye Fuli's patience.
Her violent temper was all too easily provoked by her and those White-clan scum.
After dragging her suitcase several steps out the door, Ye Fuli paused and glanced back at her.
Jiang Nini nervously avoided her gaze.
Ye Fuli smiled with satisfaction.
"Don't be nervous. No matter what, I'll at least spare your life."
"…"
These words made Jiang Nini not just nervous, but utterly despairing.
She had come to realize that the Ye Fuli before her now was not the same person she had once known.
The Ye Fuli of her childhood, though decisive in her actions, had a gentle nature.
But this Ye Fuli—her gentleness was entirely feigned!
Could she truly become the stepmother to such a person?
"No, I can't! If I back down now, I won't be able to marry Ruoting."
Jiang Nini gritted her teeth.
"I've sacrificed so much to marry into the Bai family—what kind of demonic presence haven't I seen? I won't be intimidated by her!"
……
……
South City.
Ye Fuli drove an unremarkable compact car back to the gates of Mond Academy.
As soon as she parked, she spotted Ye Zhen's roommates.
Ye Zhen herself was nowhere to be seen.
"I've made up my mind—I'm going to ask Zhenzhen out to the movies, and I'm renting out the whole theater! Then I'll have 999 roses flown in, and I'll broadcast my love declaration on every big screen in the city…" Wang Xiaoya declared as she walked past Ye Fuli's car.
"Pfft, how tacky," Qiao Xin raised an eyebrow, offering a different perspective. "I'm going to study hard, follow Zhenzhen to every class and study session, and let our feelings grow over time!"
"You're so sneaky, Qiao Xin!"
"Heh, if you don't like it, you study hard too."
Inside the car, Ye Fuli stared intently at their receding figures.
It took her a long moment to snap back to reality.
A terrifying truth lay before her.
Her Ye Zhen was incredibly popular…
Those two girls were Ye Zhen's roommates!
They actually wanted to pursue Ye Zhen?!
What the hell was that bastard Zhao Mengde up to?
"Looks like I need to have a serious talk with Zhao Mengde."
Ye Fuli pulled out her phone and dialed Zhao Mengde.
When the call connected, Zhao Mengde clearly hadn't grasped the gravity of the situation yet.
But the moment she heard Ye Fuli address her gently as "Miss Zhao Mengde," she hung up immediately.
"Oh no, Ye Fuli wants to deal with me!"
The moment the call ended, Ye Fuli called back relentlessly.
Knowing she couldn't escape this, Zhao Mengde nervously agreed to meet her at a nearby boxing gym…