Chapter 128: Zhenzhen's Still Too Young—No Lying About Romance
Back in the car, He Ying started rummaging through the paper bag holding the milk.
"Ah, found it."
She pulled out two cartons and handed one to Jiang Zao without thinking.
Jiang Zao's hands trembled slightly as she held the milk.
Her milk allergy was still severe—so severe that she needed IV drips every time. Even the tiniest sip would send a rash crawling all over her body.
But…
If she didn't drink it, she'd be exposed immediately.
"Why aren't you drinking it? I'll open it for you. Here."
He Ying opened her own carton of milk and handed it to Jiang Zao, then casually took Jiang Zao's carton from her.
Jiang Zao took a deep breath, gripped the straw, and sipped very lightly.
"Drink up! This stuff's hard to find! Don't waste it." He Ying gulped down her milk while persistently urging Jiang Zao to drink more.
"Mm."
Cold sweat formed in Jiang Zao's palms.
But she took a large gulp anyway, swallowing it down with immense effort.
"Miss He, thank you for your hospitality. I need to get back to class…"
"Why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell?"
He Ying keenly sensed something was off.
Just as she reached out to touch Jiang Zao's forehead, Jiang Zao instinctively pulled away.
He Ying froze for a moment.
Beads of sweat trickled down Jiang Zao's forehead, and her lips had turned slightly pale.
"I have to go to class."
"Hey! Wait, you…"
Jiang Zao hurriedly got off the bus, frantically covering her face with her mask as tears streamed down her cheeks.
She knew she looked utterly miserable right now.
She knew she was a thief.
The overwhelming shame threatened to consume her sanity.
But she couldn't bear to let this opportunity slip away…
He Ying watched her stumble away, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
"Sigh. How did it come to this? This milk… it's not like there's anything wrong with it."
She sensed something was off, yet couldn't pinpoint the source of the disturbance.
After much pondering, she concluded that Ye Fuli must have done something despicable with the milk, triggering her and leaving a psychological scar.
"Sigh."
He Ying sighed deeply, lifting her gaze to the sky.
"Taking care of a patient is such a difficult thing."
She could manage short-term care.
But what if it was three years? Five years? Or even longer?
He Ying admitted she wasn't a patient person, and she worried whether she could handle it.
Even if she could manage it, could she truly never harbor a single complaint?
……
…
At that moment.
Ye Zhen and the others had already arrived at the waterfall scenic area and started their free time.
The weather was splendid, and the scenery was breathtaking.
Immersed in it all, one felt refreshed and rejuvenated, as if all troubles had been cast aside.
"The lemon tea here is so expensive."
Lu Chengcheng returned with lemon tea for all four of them.
"Here, one cup each. Don't fight over them."
Ye Zhen took the cup of lemonade she handed over, and upon seeing the price tag, her breath caught: "Fifty?!"
"Yep, fifty-one yuan per cup."
Lu Chengcheng looked thoroughly displeased.
"Do they think I'm some kind of sucker? My money didn't just fall from the sky!"
At that moment, Wang Xiaoya giggled quietly and pointed toward the distant stall selling hand-squeezed lemon tea—or more precisely, toward the stall owner.
A muscular hunk with bare arms and an apron was surrounded by a crowd of girls, occasionally stepping closer to take photos with them.
"Chengcheng, what do you think is the selling point of this lemon tea? The lemon? The tea? Or… hehehe~"
That slightly lecherous chuckle earned her a blank stare from Lu Chengcheng.
Muscular hunk?
Lu Chengcheng didn't seem particularly interested.
Girls often discussed their ideal types among themselves. Lu Chengcheng repeatedly emphasized that her type was boys who looked as pretty as girls—preferably ones who'd happily wear skirts with her when they went out.
Qiao Xin let out a "Huh?" and said, "I'm more into the clean-cut, nerdy science and engineering types."
As for Wang Xiaoya, she declared with deadpan seriousness that she preferred playboy types who were like gigolos.
"Huh? You like jerks?"
"So what! Bad boys are smooth talkers—they know how to charm you."
"But they'll steal your money."
"Guys who claim to be good guys might scam me too! Since there's a chance of getting scammed either way, why can't I proactively spend money to find a sweet romance?"
Hearing Wang Xiaoya's reasoning, even Lu Chengcheng—the dorm's resident philosopher—fell silent.
…Huh?
Why does that sound kinda reasonable?
Soon, the conversation shifted from the three of them to Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen blinked: "What's up?"
"Zhenzhen, what kind of guy do you like?"
Ye Zhen cleared her throat: "I… haven't really thought about it."
She had thought about it, but she liked girls.
She couldn't exactly tell them she still had a straight guy's heart, could she? That would be terrifying.
"Yeah, I guess. You seem like a kid who probably doesn't even understand what love is yet."
"Hmph! Zhenzhen's still a kid—don't try to trick her into dating!"
"Early romance is bad, Zhenzhen~ Little! Friend!"
This deceptively innocent appearance earned Ye Zhen plenty of "old dad" and "old mom" style affection.
But in reality, Ye Zhen was actually older than everyone present.
She was a bona fide adult.
Ye Zhen chuckled and brushed the topic aside.
"Come on, let's take a picture. I'm going to post it on my Moments later."
Wang Xiaoya and the others pulled her toward the pavilion by the waterfall.
As they passed a group of boys, Ye Zhen overheard them discussing her.
Before long, a flashily dressed guy approached Ye Zhen, holding a cup of strawberry ice cream.
"Hey, little cutie! Ice cream's on me. Add me as a friend? We can grab some video games together sometime."
Before Ye Zhen could respond, her three roommates had already formed a protective barrier in front of her like overprotective mothers.
The flashy guy snorted. "What's the big deal? I'm not treating you guys. Move it."
Wang Xiaoya retorted bluntly, "Trying to hit on our Zhenzhen? Look at your teeth!"
The flashy guy, whose front teeth protruded slightly, instantly lost his smile and instinctively covered his mouth with his hand.
He was visibly annoyed and embarrassed.
His face hardened as he prepared to retort…
Qiao Xin casually interjected, "Still not leaving? My bodyguards followed in their car. Care to spar with them?"
"Hmph! You guys are weird. I wasn't even that desperate to add her as a friend, okay? I was just saying… Why are you getting so worked up? Average girl, steamed shrimp head."
The show-off turned and walked away, flinging his ice cream straight into the trash can.
Ye Zhen watched the scene, utterly dumbfounded.
In the circles the Ye family moved in, such low-level flirting was rarely seen.
It seemed stepping outside that world broadened one's horizons.
"Zhenzhen, don't pay attention to these people." Lu Chengcheng patted Ye Zhen's shoulder gently. "If you run into someone who won't take no for an answer, don't be afraid. We'll take care of him for you."
This gesture touched Ye Zhen somewhat.
But upon closer reflection, something still feels off…
Why am I galloping down the path of useless cuteness, never to return?
I used to be a strapping 6-foot-tall guy, for crying out loud!
"Um, actually, I can handle this myself. You guys don't need to go out of your way to look after me like this."
Ye Zhen said this, clenching her tiny fists and demonstrating two punches with earnest determination.
But from her three roommates' perspective… Live-action Connor-chan?
"Alright, alright, our Zhenzhen is the best."
"Pat pat on the head~"
"Come on, come on, let's go take a group photo over there."
Ye Zhen: "…"
Wait, you guys still don't believe me, right?!
Soon enough, girls from other classes started crowding around, wanting to exchange contact info with Ye Zhen.
After all, it's hard not to notice such a beautiful porcelain doll!
This kind of non-threatening, adorable beauty rarely sparked jealousy among women. Instead, it easily ignited their protective instincts.
So…
Surrounded by the crowd, Ye Zhen quickly received a pile of welcome gifts.
Most were snacks and treats, though some included rather pricey little trinkets.
The sensation of having her cheeks pinched by various rich, beautiful girls in turn made Ye Zhen feel somewhat embarrassed… Oh my god, if only she hadn't let that damn system make her look so stunning.
Before today's field trip concluded, photos of Ye Zhen had already been secretly snapped and uploaded to school forums, Baidu Tieba, and similar platforms.
"Voting begins for Mondstadt's new campus beauty queen!"
"What's there to vote on? I love lolis, especially legal ones like this!"
"Aww, she's so cute! I declare myself her mom!"
"My inner child is so excited…"
Within just a few hours, Ye Zhen had amassed a significant following of "mom fans" and "dad fans."
Then, over the course of the following night, Ye Zhen's photos were rapidly reposted across other forums and discussion boards.
The situation escalated to a point where Ye Zhen found herself completely overwhelmed.
Fame was something Ye Zhen had never imagined or desired.
Lying in bed, lost in thought, Ye Zhen couldn't help but ask the dog system if there was any way to take down those posts. She wanted to stay invisible!
[Nope. You've already used up your quota for courting disaster. This cute little me doesn't have the permissions to do that kind of thing now.]
Ye Zhen couldn't help but slap her forehead.
"Fine. I just hope Ye Fuli doesn't see this and come looking for me…"