Chapter 214: Ah, She Hated It
Over the next few days, Ye Zhen lived a life where someone fed her three meals a day.
Their journey through Africa was gradually drawing to a close.
This meant it was time to prepare for their next destination.
To capture the scenery along the way, Ye Fuli had purchased quite a bit of expensive photography equipment and even hired several professional photographers to accompany them.
"Traveling is a completely different experience whether you have money or not!"
"And whether it's safe or not—that's another whole different experience."
"Right now, it's just so damn awesome~"
Ye Zhen meticulously selected the artistic photos she took, posting a nine-grid collage on her social media feed punctually every day, occasionally sharing short videos too.
She didn't have many friends, but those she did have were quite vocal.
Zhao Mengde: Holy crap! Ahhh, sexy dark-skinned hottie! Ah!!! (Quietly jotting down material)
He Ying: w(?Д?)w! That elephant is huge, so big! Hey, who sings this song?
Room 404 Roommate Wang Xiaoya: Who's singing?
Roommate Qiao Xin: "Warmth in Loneliness"?
Room 404 Roommate Lu Chengcheng: Guess Xiaoya isn't here for a sing-off…
Roommate Qiao Xin from 404: White clouds drifting! Blue skies unchanged! Tears are drifting!
"Hmm, these folks are singing over here."
Ye Zhen felt both amused and exasperated.
But she dared not mention that the song was sung by Ye Fuli—and that she had practically forced Ye Fuli to sing it.
Ye Fuli was now glaring at her phone with such resentment, as if she could shoot laser beams from her eyes to shatter it.
Ah, she was so angry.
Why on earth had she agreed to this?
She must have been brainwashed by that black spider…
"It was just singing a song for me. Miss Ye Fuli, your reaction is a bit much, don't you think?" Ye Zhen smiled at her. "If you didn't want to sing, you didn't have to. It's not like I absolutely needed to hear it."
Ye Fuli's gaze was dark as she met hers. "I truly am not good at singing. Please don't put me in that position again."
Even as she said this, she knew full well that if Ye Zhen pleaded pitifully again next time, she would sing.
When it came to Ye Zhen, her principles were as flexible as a tongue.
About a week later.
They boarded a luxury cruise ship, embarking on a week-long voyage across the sea.
As she rolled around on the plush bed, Ye Zhen spotted several news headlines:
"Another Scandal at Bai Group: Mysterious Heiress Announces Marriage to Second Son of He Group!"
"Ye Group stock surges again; heiress Ye Fuli poised to become the world's youngest billionaire!"
"Glory Games surpasses ten billion in market value; its mastermind Ye Zhen poised to be the biggest winner…"
…
Among these headlines, the marriage announcement astonished Ye Zhen the most.
"The Bai Group's mysterious heir?"
With his reincarnation plot device and male lead privileges, Bai Ruoting could only lose to Ye Fuli—not to some random nobody, right?
So who could this mysterious heir be?
The news report only showed a blurry photo—impossible to make out who it was. All visible was the silhouette of a tall woman in a white suit.
Ye Zhen decided to ask the system directly.
[Tsk tsk tsk, it's none other than the original male lead, Bai Ruoting! This kid—whether he's wallowing in self-destruction or having a grand epiphany—actually went to Taiguo for surgery, physically transformed himself, changed his identity, and returned to the mainland.]
Ye Zhen: "…"
There were so many points to criticize, she was momentarily speechless.
Forced into a female body herself, she still occasionally felt pangs of nostalgia for Dalong. Yet this Bai Ruoting had willingly abandoned him.
And what's more, he'd even chosen to marry into the He Group's second son!
What was he thinking?
[Currently, over half of the He Group is under Ye Fuli's control. Of the remaining shares, more than half are held by He Ying. This second young master's net worth barely exceeds one hundred million…]
"Then what about the Bai Group?"
[After several rounds of internal strife and external pressure, the Bai Group has fractured. Bai Ruoting controls no more than 25% of the shares and is burdened with massive debts…]
Hearing this, Ye Zhen couldn't help but sigh.
Seems like they're quite well-matched after all.
Still, the thought of the original male lead marrying a random stranger left Ye Zhen with a rather complicated expression.
If she could, she'd love to interview Bai Ruoting about his journey.
……
……
The Bai residence.
Bai Ruoting and He Wei, the second son of the He family, sat across from each other, having just exchanged their cooperation contract.
Bai Ruoting's body had largely transformed into that of a woman, yet in reality, he still fell far short of being a genuine woman.
His face, meticulously reconstructed at astronomical surgical costs, still bore traces of his former masculinity.
As for his body, well, that went without saying.
The traces of his former masculinity were strikingly obvious.
This union was devoid of emotion, driven purely by self-interest.
As Bai Ruoting prepared to leave the room, He Wei called him back and proceeded to undress in front of him.
Bai Ruoting stared at his body in utter shock.
Beyond shock, he even felt a touch of disgust.
So those weren't pectoral muscles after all…
"I will keep your secret, Miss Bai," He Wei said solemnly. "And I hope you will keep mine."
Bai Ruoting took a deep breath and replied, "Alright, I understand."
He found it utterly absurd.
Becoming a woman was something he had no choice but to do.
After all, altering his physique and appearance, treating that lingering scent, and suppressing excessive hair growth could only be achieved by lowering his testosterone levels…
But what about He Wei?
He simply loved being a woman—he genuinely wanted to be one!
"We can be family, or sisters, if you're willing…"
"I don't want to," Bai Ruoting replied with undisguised contempt. "Between us, there's only business—no feelings!"
"Fine."
He Wei couldn't care less.
He didn't try to keep Bai Ruoting there. Instead, he walked over to the wardrobe and started trying on the new little dresses that had just arrived.
Bai Ruoting strode out.
Downstairs, someone was already waiting for him.
"Miss… Bai, where are you headed?"
The driver nearly slipped up, but under Bai Ruoting's icy glare, he corrected himself just in time.
Bai Ruoting snorted and said, "To the company."
"Ah? You're going to…"
Bai Ruoting got into the car, expressionless. "I'm going to reclaim everything I've lost."
This guy is actually volunteering to work overtime!
The driver, who had served the Bai family for over a decade, could scarcely believe it.
Amidst his shock, he even felt a tinge of emotion.
He thought, if Old Master Bai could see this from beyond the grave, he'd surely be pleased.
"Ye Fuli, I refuse to believe I'll keep losing to you."
Bai Ruoting clenched his fists, his eyes burning with hatred.
This hatred was the only thing keeping him going now.
Though he knew bearing this hatred was exhausting, a torment beyond measure… Once you take it upon yourself, it can only be laid to rest on the day you die.
Bai Ruoting blamed every hardship on Ye Fuli.
"One day, I'll take everything back. And when that day comes, I'll make you kneel and beg for forgiveness!"