Chapter 179: Oh, So You're Going to Eat People?
In the hospital room.
Ye Fuli stared at the array of bottles and jars with displeasure.
The dressing change required exposing all her wounds to the medical staff.
Her restless night had caused some scabbed wounds to reopen, swelling and becoming inflamed.
Cleaning and disinfecting them would be excruciatingly painful!
But what Ye Fuli found most unbearable wasn't the pain—it was Ye Zhen's gaze.
She kept her back turned to Ye Zhen, head bowed low, unwilling to let Ye Zhen see her face.
Yet even with her back turned, she felt prickly and uneasy, imagining every possible expression in Ye Zhen's eyes.
Would Ye Zhen be afraid?
Would Ye Zhen despise her?
No, please don't…
"Get out."
Ye Fuli's breath came in gasps, her body trembling as her emotions spiraled toward chaos. She didn't know if Ye Zhen was afraid, but she knew this much: right now, she was terrified!
"Doctor? Please escort this person out!"
Standing near the door, Ye Zhen pressed her lips together, silent.
She felt that even if she told Ye Fuli outright that she had a way to treat her disfigurement, Ye Fuli probably wouldn't believe her.
No.
Ye Fuli should believe it!
Wasn't her own face the best proof?
Thud—
A glass bottle crashed to the floor, knocked over by Ye Fuli.
"Ye Zhen, get out! Did you hear me? Get out now!"
After being repeatedly shooed away, Ye Zhen had no choice but to retreat for now.
Taking care of a patient is no easy task.
Take it slow.
If not for Ye Fuli's sake, then at least for Ye Dad's sake.
He'd already lost one daughter. He couldn't afford to lose Ye Fuli, his own flesh and blood.
……
…
In the hospital corridor.
Ye Dad repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Ye Zhen.
"I'm so sorry, kid. Making you come all this way so late at night! My daughter can be a bit stubborn. I really appreciate you putting up with her…"
Ye Zhen shook her head. "It's fine. I'd be idle anyway."
This night had been quite the rollercoaster.
Now that things had calmed down a bit, sleepiness began to wash over her.
But facing Ye Fuli, who seemed utterly devoid of will to live, how could she possibly sleep? She had no choice but to stay awake.
Sigh, it must be karma from a past life.
Ye Zhen couldn't resist adding another debt to Ye Fuli's tally.
From now on, she would collect every last bit of it, with interest.
Ye Zhen would never be the one at a disadvantage.
Hmm… No, that's not right. It should be: Lady Ye Zhen absolutely won't be the one at a disadvantage!
"By the way, I heard from the doctor that you hurt your foot. Did you get it treated?" As he spoke, Ye Dad bent down to look at Ye Zhen's foot.
She wore a pair of fluffy slippers, their uppers already damp and stained from the rain.
The exposed ankle was wrapped in bandages.
While chasing Ye Fuli, Ye Zhen had stepped on broken glass shards, but the wound wasn't deep and had already been treated.
"I'm fine now, thank you for your concern, Uncle."
"Good, as long as you're okay, as long as you're okay."
Only then did Ye Zhen notice that Ye Dad's hair had turned almost entirely white.
It hadn't even been that many years since she'd left the Ye family.
In her memories, Ye Dad had always been young and robust, but now he looked like a little old man, unable to stand up straight.
A wave of immense unease and guilt washed over Ye Zhen.
It wasn't just Ye Fuli who had caused Ye Dad worry and fear—she, his adopted daughter, had too.
What could she possibly do for him now?
As Ye Dad gradually walked away, Ye Zhen watched his departing figure, silent and speechless.
…
One hour later.
The medical staff in Ye Fuli's hospital room withdrew.
"How is the patient doing?"
The attending physician sighed helplessly. "She'd been recovering quite well! But today she snuck out, skipped her medication, missed her IV drip, and got caught in the rain… Even an iron constitution couldn't withstand such abuse."
As she spoke, she glanced at Ye Zhen.
"What's your relationship with her?"
"Um… her sister. No, more like a friend."
Ye Zhen's expression was unnatural.
Their relationship had always been rather ambiguous, and she couldn't quite pin it down.
Another doctor approached and patted Ye Zhen's shoulder gently. "You, you need to talk some sense into her. Stay by her side, go along with whatever she wants—even if it means indulging her. Just don't let her go out and cause trouble again! Right now, saving her life is the top priority, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I know."
Ye Zhen's voice grew even weaker.
Coax Ye Fuli…?
How exactly was she supposed to do that?
Given their current relationship, she genuinely had no idea how to do that!
The doctors gave her some more instructions before finally leaving, though clearly still uneasy.
Left standing at the ward door, Ye Zhen sighed heavily in frustration. After a long while, she finally steeled herself and turned the doorknob.
Lying in the hospital bed, Ye Fuli secretly reached out and pulled the blanket up higher, covering most of her face.
Ye Zhen walked over to her and yanked the blanket off.
"You're not dead yet. No need to cover your face just yet. There'll be plenty of time for that later."
"…"
Ye Fuli felt her sister's sharp tongue was growing more formidable by the day, and she found it genuinely hard to adjust.
Ye Zhen sighed and pointed at her own face. "Looking at this face, what do you think?"
However.
Ye Fuli closed her eyes, refusing to look at her.
This utterly uncooperative attitude left Ye Zhen thoroughly annoyed.
So Ye Zhen decisively took matters into her own hands. Taking advantage of her weakened state, she forcibly lifted her eyelids, forcing her to look at her.
Ye Fuli: "…"
Ye Zhen remained stern: "Speak up, young lady. What's on your mind?"
"I'm tired. I want to sleep. You can leave now."
Thoughts? She had thoughts.
But with this hideous face of hers, what thoughts could she possibly have?
"I managed to restore my old face to this state," Ye Zhen said, releasing the fingers propping up her eyelids. "Of course I have a way to fix yours too."
Hearing this, a flicker of change finally appeared in Ye Fuli's dull eyes.
"Don't expect any freebies! Fixing your face is a business transaction. You'll have to pay—at least a hundred million. After all, your face is worth every penny."
Ye Zhen's tone was deliberately lighthearted.
Lying in the hospital bed, Ye Fuli suddenly reached out with her bandaged hand and grasped Ye Zhen's.
"My face is worth far more than that. You're underestimating it."
It was a rare glimpse of tenderness in her voice, like a witch's whisper.
Ye Zhen's heart skipped a beat.
She hastily withdrew her hand and snorted, "Just talk! Don't try to take advantage! Otherwise, even if you're critically ill, I won't hesitate to punch you twice."
Ye Fuli sighed softly.
She closed her eyes and said no more, likely not taking Ye Zhen's words entirely seriously.
After a long silence.
"Ye Zhen, if you're going to run, now's your chance."
"Why now?"
"You approached me out of sympathy, helped me, cared for me." Ye Fuli fixed her with that same haunting gaze once more. "Doing so is like a lamb walking into the tiger's den."
Ye Zhen chuckled, teasingly, "Oh? So you're going to eat people? Eat one so I can see?"
Her smile vanished instantly.
Without warning, Ye Fuli seized her head and pressed her lips down forcefully…