Chapter 130: Why Imitate Ye Zhen?
The three-day field trip concluded amidst scenic tours and leisurely exploration.
Ye Zhen and the others boarded the bus back to Mondstadt Academy.
During the ride, Ye Zhen noticed something: all online information about her had vanished.
At first, she assumed the system had done her a favor anonymously, but when the system vehemently denied it, she was left bewildered.
"Who's such a saint, doing me this favor?"
Ye Zhen touched her nose thoughtfully.
"Dog System, go investigate this for me?"
[This little cutie can handle it, (*￣rǒ￣)]
Investigations take time.
After all, this dog system was mostly useless most of the time, lacking permissions for this and that.
Ye Zhen was patient enough to let it take its time.
[Oh right, Host, wanna see what goodies this cute little me snagged this time?]
"Stop teasing me. Just hand it over already."
[Host, what kind of attitude is that? If you don't pamper me properly, I won't show you!]
"…My bad, sorry."
A moment of silence passed.
Ye Zhen sighed and adopted that affected, affected tone again: "Ah! My dear little one, you're so wonderful, you're absolutely amazing! I just want to lift you up high~"
[Hmph, that's more like it.]
Ye Zhen looked utterly miserable.
Who in their right mind would enjoy being praised by a loli in a squeaky voice?
Tongzi's twisted sense of humor was truly something else.
[Ta-da! Look! This cutie snagged a huge bag of seeds.]
Seeds?
Hearing that word, Ye Zhen couldn't help but think of some rather unpleasant things.
But when she saw the actual bag of seeds in her drawer, she fell silent.
"Wait, why did you snag this stuff?"
[Hey hey hey, what kind of disrespectful attitude is that toward the system?! I got this from a farming-style host's system. I imprisoned it for ages before it finally gave it to me…]
Hearing this, Ye Zhen fell deep in thought.
Suddenly, she thought perhaps she could donate this packet of seeds to the state…
But with all the trouble she was already in, it was best not to stir up more.
She couldn't possibly explain away the origin of this thing.
"What could possibly grow from these?"
"Fruit? Vegetables? Or just flowers and plants?"
"Ah, well, might as well give it a shot. It's not like I have anything better to do."
On the host's balcony.
Lu Chengcheng was poking at the soil, scattering coriander seeds into it.
When Ye Zhen approached, she declared earnestly, "We can make cold tomato salad with these later."
Ye Zhen: "…"
She thought for a moment—didn't cold-tossed tomatoes even need this?
Oh well, maybe someone just has unusual tastes.
Spotting several unused flower pots nearby, she asked Lu Chengcheng if she could buy a couple.
"What are you talking about selling? These aren't even mine. Probably left over from last year. Take them if you want."
Ye Zhen casually picked up two pots and placed them in a corner of the balcony.
She took out two seeds, planted one in each pot, and gave them a little water.
Then…
She could just leave them be.
The system said these things would sprout anywhere and grow pretty fast anyway.
…
A few days later.
Ye Zhen received the system's investigation results.
When she learned that the kind soul who had helped her so much was actually Ye Fuli, she froze in shock.
"Why?"
Ye Zhen found it utterly perplexing.
This logic didn't align with the Ye Fuli she knew.
"She found me, right? Given her personality, she'd come after me immediately and take my life, wouldn't she?"
Had Ye Fuli truly let go?
The thought of this possibility left Ye Zhen feeling dazed, unable to quite believe it.
She was a seriously crazy person.
Was her obsession really that easy to shake off?
Ye Zhen, whose nerves weren't exactly steel, had already planned to grab a bucket and make a run for it. But days had passed without Ye Fuli blocking her door…
So she probably won't come after all, right?
"I hope she really has given up. Anyway, I'm not eager to go toe-to-toe with her acting skills. I'm afraid she'll break the rules and punch me a couple of times."
Ye Zhen knew her limits well.
She knew she couldn't fool Ye Fuli's eyes, even though she was vastly different from her former self.
This was Ye Fuli we were talking about.
In a sense, she was already a god-like existence in this world.
Trying to deceive her was pure suicide.
Knock knock knock—
The sound of knocking echoed.
Lu Chengcheng was rummaging through a cabinet by the door when she heard the knock and opened it immediately.
Seeing it was Jiang Zao again, she raised an eyebrow and shot Ye Zhen a meaningful glance.
Jiang Zao stood at the dorm doorway, hesitating to enter. He simply handed over the snacks he was holding.
"This… is the thank-you gift I promised earlier."
"Oh."
Ye Zhen wiped her hands, stepped forward, and accepted the token of appreciation.
"Thanks, Jiang Zao."
Jiang Zao shook her head. "You don't have to thank me. This is… something someone else gave me…"
The realization that she was acting like a thief made her lower her head.
This shame made it impossible for her to hold her head up high.
Of course, she still didn't know that the person she was trying to imitate was right before her eyes.
She turned and walked away.
Ye Zhen paid her no further attention.
Soon it was time for the day's meal.
Before her roommates could scramble to order for her, Ye Zhen declared she would treat everyone.
"You guys found fifteen excuses to treat me to meals this week. It's only fair I get to treat you once."
"Fine, let's go to the cafeteria," Lu Chengcheng said. "But no sushi or seafood—I'm sick of that. Just get me some jianbing guozi."
"I'll just have a bowl of ramen," Qiao Xin said.
"I… I… I'll take one meat, one veggie, and one soup!" Wang Xiaoya raised her hand.
…
In the cafeteria.
It was packed.
After Ye Zhen's persistent persuasion, they each added a drink but refused anything else.
Ye Zhen sighed helplessly, secretly adding fruit portions for them and bringing back extra servings of meat dishes.
She reiterated that she wasn't short on money, so they shouldn't worry about her spending—just eat whatever they wanted!
Her roommates nodded vigorously in agreement.
But their eyes still screamed two big words: We don't believe you.
Fine.
Ye Zhen was certain that even if she showed them her bank balance, they'd think it was photoshopped.
How terrifying are preconceived notions?
No matter how much she explained, it would be futile. Better to save her energy and figure out a solution later—like treating them to a few more meals.
At that very moment.
A tall girl wearing sunglasses sat down at a table on the second floor.
Her attire was understated, devoid of any jewelry. The most valuable item on her person was the phone resting beside her.
Sipping blueberry juice, she lowered her gaze slightly toward the table diagonally across from her.
Ye Zhen, who was chatting and laughing with her roommates, suddenly felt an inexplicable chill of familiarity.
She whipped her head around, eyes darting warily.
But she saw nothing.
"Was it just my imagination?" Ye Zhen took a sip of Sprite, her doubts lingering as she lowered her head once more.
In less than three seconds, she whipped her head around to look again.
But still, she saw nothing.
Ye Zhen really disliked this feeling of being watched, so she suggested to her roommates that they switch desks.
Though puzzled, her roommates agreed.
They moved to the table blocked by the pillar, and Ye Zhen sat right up against it, as if that would give her more security.
Her roommates thought she was acting strange…
"Zhenzhen, is something wrong?"
Ye Zhen shook her head. "Nothing. It just feels a bit chilly over there."
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense. That's the drafty spot."
…
The girl sitting alone on the second floor let out a soft sigh, as if she'd received some terrible answer.
From this angle, she was no longer visible.
Her juice glass was now empty.
She stood up, ready to leave this place of trouble and end this peeping she didn't want anyone to know about.
As she reached the stairwell, her feet stopped involuntarily.
The cafeteria was crowded at this hour.
Both of them were pushed against the railing, forced to face each other.
Jiang Zao, holding her tray, broke out in a cold sweat under the intense stare. Before, she hadn't known who this girl radiating icy coldness was, but now she knew—this was Ye Fuli, the eldest daughter of the Ye family and the current head of the Ye Corporation.
She was a very, very, very terrifying person.
Jiang Zao dared not speak to her.
Ye Fuli looked at her carefully prepared, ostentatious lolita-style dress and deliberately styled hair, and felt a wave of nausea in her stomach.
What did this clumsy imitation hope to achieve?
The fact that she went to such lengths meant she already knew she wasn't Ye Zhen. Then why bother imitating Ye Zhen?
Hah, to get what belongs to Ye Zhen?
How greedy, how despicable, how vile.
Ye Fuli almost couldn't resist reaching out to strangle her, but in the end, she walked away expressionless.
She remembered Ye Zhen's pleading eyes.
Whenever she was tempted to strike, that gaze would reappear vividly, like a shackle binding her every movement.
Rubbing her wrist, Ye Fuli drifted out of the cafeteria like a ghost, unnoticed by anyone.
Watching her recede into the distance, Jiang Zao collapsed onto the floor with a thud.
It felt like she'd been granted a reprieve.
"It's only natural Ye Fuli wants to kill me," Jiang Zao told herself. "After all, the person I'm imitating is the fake heiress who stole her biological parents' affection for years!" "From now on, I'll just avoid contact with her."
But would avoiding contact truly be enough?
Jiang Zao felt utterly uncertain!
She even felt the urge to back out at the last minute.
But then, the thought of her own miserable life made her grit her teeth and force herself to keep up the deception.
"It's okay. I won't ask for much. Just a little bit…"