Chapter 107: I Love Your Face, Madly
The sound of sirens grew louder and closer.
After a moment's hesitation, He Ying decisively fled the scene.
If she stayed any longer, given Ye Fuli's capabilities, landing her in prison was not out of the question.
He Ying despised her own helplessness.
But she couldn't just give up so easily.
The thought of the deep, unyielding sorrow in Ye Zhen's eyes sent waves of pain through He Ying's chest.
Damn it.
Ye Fuli, you deserve to die.
Why torment such a fragile soul?
She returned to the car in a daze.
Hearing the door open, Huang Li, who had been munching on instant noodles in the backseat, immediately set down her bowl and leaned forward. "How'd it go? Where is she?"
"The person…"
He Ying sniffed back tears, forcing herself to sound calm despite the hurt. "She's fine."
"Huh?"
Huang Li grew anxious, leaning closer.
"What do you mean 'fine'? Are you okay? Senior Ye Zhen's been missing for so long—how could she possibly be fine!"
Meeting his clear, foolish gaze, He Ying couldn't help but cover her face and sob.
The enemy was so powerful, yet she only had one useless teammate.
When would the rescue ever succeed?
This left Huang Li utterly flustered.
Considering the taboo against physical contact between men and women, and especially given He Ying's fiery temper, he dared not act as her knight in shining armor. Instead, he respectfully offered her a tissue.
"Um, well… ah, stop crying. Hey, wanna eat noodles? Come on, I'll cook some for you."
"…Get lost."
……
…
Ye Fuli's car had already pulled into the hospital grounds.
Her bleeding had stopped, but she looked absolutely terrible.
Her white shirt was stained beyond recognition.
Ye Zhen, sitting beside her, remained in a daze for a long time, her mind a blank.
Ye Fuli propped her chin up, leaning lazily against the window. She watched Ye Zhen with a faint, ambiguous smile, her mood momentarily lifted.
Suddenly, she reached out, grasped a strand of Ye Zhen's hair, toyed with it lightly, then slowly released it.
"Ye Zhen, you considered He Ying a friend, didn't you?"
At those words, Ye Zhen shot her a look filled with hatred.
Ye Fuli, however, laughed. "Hehe, don't look at me like that, okay? If you consider her a friend, that's your choice. I won't interfere."
Ye Zhen twisted her mouth. "As if you haven't interfered enough."
"Think whatever you want, Ye Zhen."
The car came to a smooth stop.
Before stepping out, Ye Fuli leaned in, deliberately wrapping her injured shoulder around Ye Zhen's neck and forcing her head toward hers.
Ye Zhen's expression betrayed no trace of willingness.
But seeing that blood-soaked shoulder, panic gripped her heart, and she couldn't bring herself to push her away.
Ye Fuli spoke softly: "My dear Ye Zhen, you'd better persuade Miss He. In front of you, no matter how outrageous she gets, I won't kill her. But when you're not looking… well, that's another story…"
"Ye! Fu! Li!"
This blatant threat made every hair on Ye Zhen's body stand on end.
She felt her psychological defenses under immense assault.
"You're determined to drive me to my death, aren't you? Ye Fuli, you want to see me die, don't you!"
Losing control, Ye Zhen grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the chair.
Ye Fuli laughed arrogantly.
"Keep going. Harder."
"Yes, yes, yes… that's it, heh heh."
"Very good, very good indeed…"
Ye Zhen's fingers tightened with increasing force, but the driver quickly pried them apart.
Her mind was filled with mad thoughts—like killing Ye Fuli and taking her down with her.
Consumed by violence and terror, she didn't even notice the driver had gotten out of the car, nor did she realize her hands had been pried apart and she was being carried out.
Ye Zhen collapsed weakly onto the ground.
Staring at her blood-red hands, she wept silently.
"I refuse to become someone like you."
"Ye Fuli."
"I absolutely refuse to become someone like you."
She murmured the words over and over.
She forced herself to regain her composure.
Ye Fuli followed her off the car.
Visible marks of strangulation were etched into her slender, pale neck, yet she paid them no mind. Now crouched before Ye Zhen, listening to her ramblings, she couldn't help but chuckle.
Wasn't it good to become someone like Ye Fuli?
She thought it was quite good.
Getting revenge when wronged—it made life so much happier.
"Come on, dear sister. It's time to see the doctor."
Ye Zhen couldn't move her legs, so Ye Fuli decisively picked her up. The wound on her shoulder began bleeding again, making her already gruesome shirt look even more terrifying.
……
……
Inside the hospital room.
Ye Zhen was surrounded by a group of foreigners, examining every wound on her body.
She sat blankly, barely moving her eyes.
She appeared as if all her spirit had been drained.
"Her burns didn't reach her scalp or damage her facial features—she's incredibly fortunate."
"However, when it comes to reconstructive surgery…"
"It will likely be difficult to restore her appearance to what it was before."
"The follow-up treatment will require significant expense, a long period of time, and the restoration process itself will be extremely painful—not something everyone can endure."
The attending physician, a middle-aged woman with red hair, spoke fluent Mandarin.
"I believe we should seek the patient's own consent on this matter."
Ye Fuli glanced at Ye Zhen.
She expected Ye Zhen to voice objections, but Ye Zhen remained silent.
Ye Fuli pursed her lips and said, "Of course we should treat it. You can't spend your whole life living with that face."
"If you dislike this face, why did you keep me?"
Ye Zhen finally looked at her.
"Ye Fuli, you said you wouldn't pay for things you don't need, didn't you?"
Lately, she'd been using Ye Fuli's own words against her.
This was a tactic Ye Fuli disliked.
Ye Fuli’s face remained cold as she said, “Ye Zhen, I love this face of yours. I love it madly. What about you? Do you love it?”
Ye Zhen replied calmly, "I do."
Her tone was utterly unruffled, without a trace of hesitation or reluctance.
A long silence fell.
Ye Fuli suddenly felt at ease.
If Ye Zhen truly accepted this face, then there was no problem.
In their world, there were only the two of them.
She had accepted it, and Ye Zhen had accepted it—there was no need to seek anyone else's opinion.
"Alright, then we won't pursue treatment."
Ye Zhen froze for a long moment upon hearing those words.
She couldn't believe her ears.
Could Ye Fuli, once so overwhelmingly assertive, truly accept such a capricious suggestion?
"Ye Fuli, are you certain you won't force me to undergo treatment?"
"Of course."
Ye Fuli stood up and walked toward her.
She gently traced the scar on Ye Zhen's face, her eyes brimming with unmistakable tenderness. "I told you—I love this face. I love it madly."
Truthfully, it's not your face I love—it's the soul beneath it.
So no matter what you become, I will always love you.
During those few seconds of eye contact with Ye Fuli, the tips of Ye Zhen's ears flushed slightly.
She abruptly pushed Ye Fuli's hand away, quickly climbed down from the hospital bed, and walked out of the ward. In the bustling lobby, she took deep breaths, trying to suppress the fluttering in her heart.
She couldn't bring herself to lose the capacity for heartache entirely.
Human nature was truly despicable.
Her heart, battered beyond recognition, even mistook Ye Fuli's current concession for genuine affection.
How pathetic…
Even if something tastes sweet, it doesn't necessarily mean it's sugar.
Ye Zhen slapped herself hard across the face, forcing herself to stay lucid once more.
People flowed past her, occasionally casting surprised glances her way before hurrying away.
Behind her.
Ye Fuli stepped forward and took her hand.
"Let's go home."