Chapter 184: Your Heart's Racing That Fast—You're Scared, Aren't You?
The Bai family left the Ye residence in disgrace.
This mission to confront them ended up being a complete farce.
Old Master Bai's face darkened, and he remained silent all the way home.
"Where is that good-for-nothing?"
Only upon reaching their doorstep did he recall to inquire about Bai Ruoting's whereabouts.
The Ye family had already released him.
But no one wanted to ride home with Bai Ruoting. The guy was like a walking cesspool—unbearably foul-smelling and hot-tempered, ready to explode at the slightest provocation… He was ten times worse than before.
And the worst part? This rotten scoundrel still didn't have a single shred of self-awareness.
Bai Ruoting took a taxi home.
The moment he stepped out, he started yelling and screaming.
"Grandpa! How could you do this? Abandoning me like this—are you even human?!"
"Shut your mouth."
Old Man Bai swung his cane, landing a solid blow that made Bai Ruoting yelp in pain.
The kid had toughened up lately. Taking a solid blow from the cane only elicited a cry—no more bouncing around like before.
Still, seeing that face—so strikingly similar to Zhang Fei's—made Old Master Bai feel unbearably uncomfortable. He could only avert his gaze.
Bai Ruoting rubbed his butt angrily. "Grandpa! I'm your only real grandson! What if you beat me to a pulp? What then?"
"Are you threatening me?"
Old Man Bai glared at him, his eyes brimming with resentment.
As his grandfather, he had arranged everything for him, yet the boy refused to listen, insisting on courting disaster!
"If you'd just obeyed and stayed away from the Ye family, how could this disaster have happened? Now you've brought shame upon my old face. How dare you still call me Grandfather!"
"Grandfather…"
"Shut your mouth." Old Master Bai struck him again with his cane, snorting heavily. "Go back to your own room."
Bai Ruoting refused to leave. It took the Bai family bodyguards to intervene, each grabbing one of his arms, and forcibly carry him away.
Watching his retreating figure, Old Master Bai felt utterly drained.
He instructed the servants to find several doctors for Bai Ruoting, hoping to understand what had happened to him and why he had become such a mess.
However, the doctors' findings left Old Master Bai utterly stunned.
"What? You're saying he's perfectly healthy, just overly developed, which is why he's like this?"
"But he eats so much and defecates so much now, and this smell on him is just… too strong!"
"He's already an adult—how could he suddenly be going through puberty?"
The doctors exchanged helpless glances.
The facts proved that Bai Ruoting's physical indicators were all excellent, even far surpassing those of his peers.
"Doctor! I'm constantly having diarrhea—is that really okay? And I never used to have this much body hair!"
Bai Ruoting clutched his stomach, his muffled voice echoing from the bathroom. The stench wafted out, causing everyone in the room to wrinkle their noses and discreetly cover their mouths.
"The test results are all here—nothing abnormal shows up," the doctor said, torn between laughter and exasperation. "If you're still concerned, you can always get a second opinion at another hospital."
The doctors were quickly dismissed.
Even Old Master Bai couldn't endure the stench in Bai Ruoting's room and had to retreat.
Any thoughts of suing the Ye family for false imprisonment, abuse, or intentional injury were now completely out of the question.
With a deeply troubled expression, Old Master Bai had no choice but to begin contemplating the demand Ye Fuli had made.
"Where on earth am I supposed to find someone who looks like Bai Ruoting?"
……
……
The Ye residence.
After seeing off the Bai family, Ye Fuli had no intention of returning to the hospital.
As she put it, recuperating could happen anywhere, and staying home would lift her spirits, helping her recover faster.
Father Ye tried to persuade her repeatedly, but to no avail. He could only let her have her way.
He could only entrust the task of accompanying Ye Fuli to Ye Zhen, hoping she would stay a little longer.
Faced with Ye Dad's earnest pleas, Ye Zhen couldn't help but recall how he had scoured every street and alley under the scorching sun searching for her. A nagging sense of guilt would always surface.
In the first half of his life, this man might not have been the most competent father.
But now, at least, he could be considered passing.
"You don't need to stay with me," Ye Fuli insisted stubbornly. "Go do what you need to do. Don't waste your time on me."
Hearing this, Ye Zhen couldn't help but roll her eyes at her. "Who said I was accompanying you? I'm just collecting a debt! I'm afraid my creditor might run away, that's all. Stop flattering yourself, okay?"
Ye Fuli: "…"
How to put it?
She always knew Ye Zhen was bold, but she still couldn't resist complimenting her on her "audacity" every now and then.
Like a housecat venturing out into the wild, she'd honed sharp claws and teeth, becoming quite adept at biting and scratching.
But right now, Ye Fuli had no intention of trying to tame her.
Let her be a wildcat.
Better wild than meek—at least she wouldn't get pushed around.
Listening to their sharp exchanges, Ye Dad was always deeply concerned.
But seeing that Ye Fuli didn't look angry, he could only tell himself to relax and mind his own business when it came to the young ones.
"Alright then! You two should get along well and stop fighting all the time."
Ye Dad watched them enter the room and waved goodbye.
The moment the door closed, Ye Zhen's fierce aura instantly deflated.
Oh my god!
Outside, with Ye Dad protecting her, she could act however arrogant she wanted. But here… could she still afford to be so bold?
Ye Fuli's complexion looked noticeably better today, and color had returned to her lips.
Ye Zhen dared not entertain thoughts of "taking advantage of her illness to do as she pleased" anymore. She could only keep her head down and behave herself.
Under Ye Fuli's meaningful gaze, Ye Zhen cleared her throat twice and began pretending to be busy—flipping through her bag, adjusting her skirt hem.
"Ye Zhen."
"…Hmm?"
Ye Zhen looked up to meet her gaze, only to find herself staring into a pair of deep, intense eyes.
Ye Fuli leaned closer, extending her bandaged hand to cup Ye Zhen's face.
"Will you be watching me tonight too?"
"Um… I don't have to watch you."
Ye Zhen instinctively shrank her neck, trying to avert her gaze.
How strange.
Before, when Ye Fuli's gaze was fierce, she dared not meet her eyes. Now, Ye Fuli's eyes were gentle, yet she still couldn't meet her gaze!
Her heart was racing—she must be scared, right?
Yes, it must be fear.
Ye Fuli chuckled. "As long as you're not staring, I was just about to jump out the window and escape."
Ye Zhen stared at her in disbelief. "You're serious?"
"Why wouldn't I? You know I never really cared for the Ye family, right?"
"Bullshit." Ye Zhen exposed her without mercy. "If you truly hated the Ye family, you wouldn't have come back today. The Bai family can't find you anyway—they'll only cause trouble for Dad…"
Exposed, Ye Fuli arched an eyebrow and smiled.
Sure enough, the person who understood her best in this world was Ye Zhen.
She wrapped her arms around Ye Zhen's waist and slammed her against the wall.
"You know too much. Now, I'm going to make trouble for you."
With that, Ye Fuli leaned in and kissed her earnestly.