Chapter 088: How to Face the Face Beneath the Bandages
Ye Zhen in the intensive care unit naturally couldn't hear the commotion outside.
The sensation of being unable to move while remaining fully conscious was unbearably painful.
So she began making unreasonable demands of the dog system.
For instance…
"Can you let my soul leave my body? I want to go for a walk!"
[Host, that function is unavailable…]
"Then sing me a song or dance for me."
[Host, this function is also unavailable…]
"Ugh, this is so boring! Come here and fight me!"
[Host, go to sleep. Stop making noise—you're giving me a headache.]
"…"
Ye Zhen felt frustrated.
But she quickly regained her composure.
Hospitals were places she knew all too well—from the smells to the procedures, she was used to it all.
Besides, her current body only looked terrible—tubes everywhere, hooked up to IVs day and night—but she felt no pain at all.
Compared to those ten years in her previous life, this was truly a vast improvement.
She managed to stay quiet for a little while.
Ye Zhen started fussing again.
"Damn system? Damn system, tell me a story!"
[……]
This was enough to leave the system speechless.
It was a system, not some old nanny meant to entertain kids!
So it promptly played dead, ignoring Ye Zhen no matter how much she screamed.
……
……
And so it went.
Three days slipped by in the blink of an eye.
After three days, Ye Zhen was transferred out of the intensive care unit and wheeled into a VIP ward. She still needed to rest quietly, with only two or three visitors allowed each day.
Throughout those three days, Ye Zhen relentlessly pestered the dog system, trying to force it to work harder and develop new features for her amusement.
After all, as a patient, she had to keep up the act of being unconscious for at least another ten days or so.
Such a long stretch without anyone talking to her would bore her to death.
[Host! Results are in.]
"You can actually keep developing?"
Ye Zhen hadn't even imagined such a stroke of luck.
It seemed clinging to the system's coattails might not be impossible after all!
As long as the system worked hard enough, did it really matter if she put in the effort?
[Not developed by this cute one—this cute one snatched it! Proud face.jpg.]
"Oh! Nice work! Quick, show me what goodies you snatched up!"
Then.
Ye Zhen's heart, which had been excitedly rubbing its hands together, suddenly cooled as if doused with a bucket of ice water.
The system unveiled mind-blowing features like "Four-Hour Daily Fitness Check-In," "Five-Hour Night Run Check-In," and "Six-Hour Daily Practice Check-In."
"So, do these check-in features come with rewards?"
[Rewards? Of course there are! But if you fail to complete even one day, you'll be subjected to electric shock punishment… Host, you're not afraid of electricity, are you?]
"Damn, you're talking nonsense."
Is this really a feature snatched by this dog system, or did some other dog system kill the host and then reluctantly toss it over?
Truly, kindness invites exploitation—and a kind system invites exploitation from an evil one.
Ye Zhen ignored the system.
She heard someone pushing open the door.
It was Ye Zhen's parents.
Though Ye Zhen couldn't see their expressions, she could hear the unmistakable weariness in their voices.
"She still hasn't regained consciousness."
Mrs. Ye sighed as she spoke.
Her gaze fell upon Ye Zhen's head, bandaged like a rice dumpling.
"This child hasn't even settled on a marriage partner yet. What are we going to do about her face now?"
Ye Dad fell silent.
For any young woman, disfigurement was an unbearable blow.
If Ye Zhen never woke up, it might actually be a blessing.
But if she ever woke up and saw her once-beautiful face transformed like this, she would likely lose her mind instantly.
Not only would Ye Zhen struggle to face this horrifying reality, but even her father found it unbearable to look at the face hidden beneath the bandages.
"Honey, say something?"
Seeing Ye Dad's prolonged silence, Mrs. Ye couldn't bear it any longer.
"Things have come to this. We have to figure out a way, don't we? What good does silence do? It won't make her better!"
"Enough."
Ye Dad violently shook off the hands gripping his arms and snapped irritably, "Don't think I don't know what you're scheming!"
Mrs. Ye froze for a moment, then shot back with even greater ferocity: "What am I planning? Tell me, what am I planning?! What could I possibly be planning?!"
"I don't want to argue with you. Get out now. Don't disturb Zhenzhen's rest."
Exhausted by trivial matters, Ye Dad had lost all interest in arguing with her.
His heart felt like ashes, focused only on protecting his daughter before him.
Mrs. Ye, having been ushered out, snorted coldly.
Learning of Ye Zhen's disfigurement had been agonizing.
The daughter she'd raised with such effort, on the verge of starting a family and building a life, struck by such a calamity—no one could bear it!
All that effort, gone in an instant—wasn't that worse than bankruptcy?
But now, having learned Ye Zhen was indeed not her biological daughter, she had to make other arrangements.
The first thing to do…
was to find her own biological daughter.
She hadn't considered abandoning Ye Zhen outright, but she couldn't help but think that life must go on.
Drowning in sorrow and tears day after day wouldn't solve anything!
Even after finding her biological daughter, she would still provide financial support and care for Ye Zhen!
Mrs. Ye had her own logic to convince herself, but clearly, no one else could agree with it.
As she reached the end of the corridor, about to enter the VIP lounge, a young girl with pink hair called out to her.
"Hello, Mrs. Ye. My name is He Ying."
"He Ying?"
Mrs. Ye clearly couldn't recall who this was.
However, the girl quickly introduced herself.
Upon learning she was the third young miss of the He family from Yuancheng Group, Mrs. Ye's gaze softened slightly. "Oh, I thought you looked familiar."
Ever since Ye Zhen's accident, He Ying hadn't slept well for days.
Her appearance was haggard, and she hadn't even bothered with makeup.
Finally getting a chance to speak with the Ye family, He Ying hurriedly asked the question on her mind.
"Zhen and I are close friends—we've always considered each other sisters. I need to know… how is she doing now?"
"Her condition is relatively stable."
Mrs. Ye thought of the poor little thing wrapped head to toe in bandages and couldn't help but sigh.
After all, she was the girl she had raised with her own hands. Even without blood ties, there was still affection.
"Thank you for your concern, young lady."
He Ying shook her head. "It's nothing. There's not much I can do for her anyway. By the way, may I see her?"
"She needs quiet rest. Today's visiting hours are over."
Mrs. Ye exchanged a few brief pleasantries with her before entering the restroom.
Not long after.
The other young gentlemen and ladies who had attended the business gathering that day also arrived bearing gifts to visit the patient.
The lounge wasn't small, but it was soon packed to capacity.
Mrs. Ye hadn't expected Ye Zhen, who had always disliked this social circle, to have such a wide circle of friends.
The young second- and third-generation wealthy gathered around Mrs. Ye, chattering away about the Ye Zhen they knew:
"Actually, Zhen and I were classmates back in the day. Once when I forgot my meal card, she even treated me to lunch! Though she probably doesn't remember that, huh."
"In freshman year, when some troublemakers were picking on me, it was Zhenzhen who rallied her friends to teach those schoolyard bullies a lesson."
"Zhen and I went to the same tutoring class. She's incredibly talented at drawing—she could grasp the key points the teacher explained in just one go!"
"This time, if it weren't for Zhenzhen inviting us to see the idol performance, we'd be the ones lying in the hospital ward."
"Ye Zhen is practically our lifesaver."
Mrs. Ye listened thoughtfully.
It was as if they were discussing a stranger—this Ye Zhen didn't seem like the person she knew.
Just then, Huang Li arrived, leaning against the doorframe, panting as she called out, "Auntie! How is Senior Ye Zhen doing?"
The moment she saw Huang Li, a flicker of calculation passed through Mrs. Ye's eyes.
But in the end, she said nothing, forcing a smile instead: "Zhenzhen, her condition is relatively stable."
Huang Li grew anxious, abandoning all decorum as she pressed, "Relatively stable? What does that even mean?"
"She received timely treatment and is no longer in critical condition."
Huang Li frowned.
At a time like this, the implication behind the phrase "out of immediate danger" was something one dared not probe further.
It was precisely this phrase that revealed Ye Zhen's condition was far from optimistic!
Hearing that her face was injured… just how severe was it?
Mrs. Ye hadn't mentioned a word about it—it probably meant things looked grim.
Huang Li hesitated, clenching his fists weakly before slowly releasing them.
"Alright, Huang Li, and all you youngsters, don't dwell on it. Head home early."
Exhausted by the social niceties, Mrs. Ye picked up her bag and rose to leave.
In the underground garage, she had barely gotten into her car when her assistant delivered the investigation report.
It concerned the year Ye Zhen was born.
"Thankfully, that hospital still exists! I spent some money to track down the obstetrician from back then, and also found the two nurses who cared for the baby…"