Chapter 103: Ye Zhen, Have I Not Done Enough?
Ye Fuli returned once more to the lobby of Ye Group.
But this time, she felt no drive.
Ye Zhen's words contained nothing particularly special, yet they pierced her heart like needles.
"Dad, please be kinder to my sister. After all, she is your biological daughter. Before she came home, she endured so much suffering… Please don't bully her anymore."
It was as if Ye Zhen knew all about the hardships she had endured in her previous life.
In Ye Zhen's words, she even detected pity.
Not mockery, but pity.
As Ye Fuli grasped this hidden meaning, the suppressed unease within her suddenly swelled, threatening to engulf her like a raging flood.
In the days following Ye Zhen's death in her past life, she had often wondered: If someone had told her, "Your sister has endured so much suffering," or "Please stop tormenting her," would she have slept more peacefully? Would she have been spared the nightmares that so often jolted her awake?
But no one did.
Everyone believed her life was smooth sailing, a shining success.
They all stared at her with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and hatred, waiting for her to slip up so they could drag her down into eternal ruin.
Upon reflection, ever since learning of Ye Zhen's death in her previous life, she had found sleep elusive.
This feeling was akin to the sorrow of a fox mourning the death of a rabbit.
Both had struggled within the abyss of the Ye family, yet Ye Zhen had found release far too soon, leaving her alone in the darkness, wandering aimlessly forward.
She who seemed victorious had ultimately suffered a crushing defeat.
Given another chance, all she wanted was to change this outcome.
"She could have understood my pain. Why wouldn't she huddle close for warmth? Why did she always want to leave me?"
"What does she truly want?"
"Ye Zhen, have I not been good enough?"
Ye Fuli felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, nearly causing her to collapse.
"I can't collapse! Ye Zhen still needs medical expenses. She needs someone to support her, to give her shelter. How could I collapse?"
Ye Fuli bit her lip until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, finally regaining her composure.
"Ye Zhen, I'll do better. I absolutely can do better."
She had to push herself harder.
Only by earning more money could she give Ye Zhen a better life.
In this moment, she felt like the dragon from a fairy tale, frantically hoarding wealth, driven only by the desire to seat the princess atop mountains of gold and silver.
Whether the princess truly desired this seemed beyond her thoughts now.
Today was Friday.
The routine board meeting of Ye Group was underway on the top floor.
Yet now, the conference room was silent, broken only by the occasional rustle of papers.
"Where's Old Ye?"
The major shareholder was an elderly man with a goatee and piercing eyes.
His piercing gaze fixed on Mrs. Ye, who sat at the head of the table.
Mrs. Ye feigned composure. "What difference does it make whether I'm here or Old Ye is here? Let's begin. Don't waste any more time."
"There is a difference."
Another shareholder, a wolf in sheep's clothing with a fat head and ears, smiled insincerely. He slowly rolled a large string of rosewood prayer beads in his hands, producing a faint rattling sound.
"We should wait for Old Ye. We all trust him more than… heh."
"Not what? Not a woman, right?"
Mrs. Ye chuckled, then shot him a disapproving glare.
"If you don't want to sit here, you can go have some tea."
Despite her words, no one moved. Mrs. Ye held little sway here; she was merely a figurehead.
She had made numerous calls, but Ye Dad hadn't picked up.
Gritting her teeth, she stared at the screen as it went dark once more.
Knock knock knock—
The sound of knocking at the door somewhat broke the frozen atmosphere in the room.
Mrs. Ye jumped up as if granted a reprieve, hurrying to the door to open it herself.
But when she saw it wasn't her husband at the door, but Ye Fuli, her composure nearly shattered.
"What are you doing here?"
Ye Fuli looked utterly innocent. "Mom, how long do you plan to stand in the doorway?"
The others in the room peered out cautiously, whispering among themselves.
Several major shareholders visibly stiffened.
Others might not know who Ye Fuli was, but they certainly did.
Long before Ye Fuli returned to the Ye family, they had been forced to deal with her. Each of them had some degree of leverage she held over them.
Well, nothing major—at most, a three-to-five-year sentence, nothing that would warrant the death penalty.
Ye Fuli pushed aside the stunned Mrs. Ye, walked into the conference room, and casually took a seat.
As someone who had been reborn, she had already ascended to the group's upper echelons in her previous life and knew everything about the people seated here.
This made things much easier.
She swiftly brought them under her control with minimal effort.
Now, all she needed to do was leverage her identity as the Ye family's biological daughter to exert pressure and offer some sweet deals. They would fall completely in line.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I am… oh, hold on a moment."
As she prepared to introduce herself, Ye Fuli glanced at her biological mother.
"Mom, is it really wise to say that?"
Madam Ye took a deep breath, struggling to suppress her inner rage and a subtle sense of dread.
What on earth is this little brat up to?!
"Well, it was meant to be announced sooner. Just say it now."
…
So it was.
The meeting lasted nearly two hours.
After it ended, everyone looked grim, like drowning victims just pulled from the water—dazed and breathless.
Especially those shareholders—their former arrogance had vanished entirely. They looked like defeated roosters, their tails drooping.
"That Ye Fuli is something else."
"She doesn't strike me as an undergrad. She's more ruthless than us!"
"Enough. Let's not dwell on it. At least she gets things done—far more capable than Old Ye's wife."
Mrs. Ye gave her biological daughter a cold stare. "Why are you the one here? Where's your father? Did you tell him you were coming today?"
Ye Fuli shot her a wry look: "You ask too many questions. It's hard to answer them all."
"What kind of attitude is that? How dare you speak to me like that!"
Here we go again.
This impotent rage.
Ye Fuli couldn't be bothered to engage. She waved her hand, signaling for two assistants to escort Mrs. Ye out.
Leaning against the doorway, she watched her biological mother through the glass partition in the lounge.
At the far end of the corridor, people came and went.
Ye Fuli deliberately raised her voice, saying, "Mom, please rest well. If anything comes up, just leave it to me. Your health isn't good—you absolutely mustn't let yourself get upset!"
Under the curious stares of passersby, she offered a composed smile before turning back toward the conference room.
Behind her glasses, her eyes held a chill.
The moment she closed the door, she shed her gentle, reserved facade, revealing an utterly world-weary expression.
It would take some time to remove these two from the Ye family's power structure, but it shouldn't be too long.
Everything had gone smoothly today.
And the even better news was that the foreign medical team she had booked had finally secured a slot. They would depart immediately and arrive here soon.
"That's wonderful."
Ye Fuli's eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"This damn stinking money has finally served a purpose."
She hurriedly left the Ye Corporation building, rushed to her car, and prepared to head home.
She needed to share this news with Ye Zhen.
The car had barely left the garage when her phone emitted a series of urgent alerts.
Ye Fuli frowned and opened the surveillance feed.
The alarm came from the kitchen camera.
Whatever Ye Zhen was stir-frying, thick smoke billowed from the wok, and the kitchen was in utter disarray…
Ye Fuli's breath caught in her throat.
Even she, who could foresee anything, hadn't imagined Ye Zhen would go and set her kitchen on fire.
"What the hell is that idiot doing?"
Watching the smoke grow thicker on the monitor, Ye Fuli felt fear rising within her.
She recalled the fire that day…
She remembered holding the unconscious Ye Zhen in her arms, that feeling of utter helplessness.
"No, this can't happen…!"
Ye Fuli slammed her foot on the accelerator. The car shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, quickly disappearing into the stream of traffic.
He Ying, who had been secretly following Ye Fuli since leaving the police station, instantly snapped to attention.
She shook Huang Li's arm vigorously, rousing the drowsy woman from her slumber.
"Huang Mao, look! Her car's out! Quick, follow her!"
"Pinkie, you're crazy! You're the driver—why are you shaking me?!"
"Huh? Oh."
"Stop whining and just follow her already!"