Chapter 111: Let's Go Set Off Fireworks, Ye Zhen
Sunday.
As usual, this was the day Ye Fuli hired a part-time cleaner to come tidy up.
She didn't mind Ye Zhen sitting with her in the living room.
But when she noticed the cleaner’s gaze on Ye Zhen, her expression darkened and she stood up.
The moment the cleaner saw Ye Zhen's face, a look of horror and disgust flashed across her eyes.
These stupid things!
"Ye Zhen, come back to the room with me."
"Mm."
Ye Zhen offered no resistance, rising to follow her back to the room.
She sat by the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the garden, feeling the cool breeze seep through the cracks. She slightly narrowed her eyes, looking thoroughly content.
Beside her lay two towering piles of money.
The scene was somewhat peculiar, but…
Neither Ye Zhen nor Ye Fuli were the type to dwell on such things.
They each took a seat, staring blankly out the window at the autumn scenery.
"Is He Ying your best friend?"
Ye Fuli's sudden question sent a chill down Ye Zhen's spine. Instinctively, she feared this girl might be planning to harm He Ying.
Ye Zhen forced herself to stay calm, smiling as she replied, "Does it matter whether she's my friend?"
"Of course it matters."
To Ye Fuli, this matter was crucial to her upcoming business plans.
The battle over the He family inheritance presented a lucrative opportunity for her. If He Ying weren't a factor, she would support the eldest daughter of the He family.
That would have netted her far more.
Ye Zhen didn't realize the gravity of the choice she was facing.
After a long silence, she nodded. "So, could you refrain from taking action against her? I don't think she'll affect your future."
Ye Fuli sneered coldly: "What if I insist on taking action against her?"
"Then there's nothing I can do."
Ye Zhen smoothed the hair clinging to her face, her tone calm.
"I can't protect myself either."
Admittedly, this response pleased Ye Fuli greatly.
She had expected Ye Zhen to say something like "I could hate you to death" or "I'll threaten to kill myself."
But Ye Zhen didn't say those things.
Clearly, Ye Zhen had gradually come to terms with reality and their respective positions.
Ye Fuli slid her seat closer to Ye Zhen, gently stroking her head as she said, "I won't lay a finger on her. I can keep pets, and so can you. I won't kill your pet."
The words "She's not a pet" were on the tip of her tongue, but Ye Zhen silently swallowed them back.
Don't resist futilely.
Ye Fuli always kept her promises.
This was already good enough.
"You've been getting more obedient lately. Good girls get rewards."
Ye Fuli grasped her bowtie and re-tied it for her.
"If you keep this up, I suppose I might allow you to see your friends occasionally."
Ye Zhen remained silent.
She just stared at the pile of money beside her, lost in thought.
Ye Fuli used her uninjured hand to lift her up, cradling her in her lap.
Somehow, just this alone brought her immense comfort.
"Tonight, let's go set off fireworks, Ye Zhen."
"…Hm?"
Ye Zhen, cradled in her arms, fluttered her lashes, her eyes brimming with confusion.
She couldn't see Ye Fuli's expression, but she could feel the gentle strokes on her back, as soft as petting a cat. This text was compiled by the Fei/Niao sk Camp public account.
Ye Fuli cherished the memory of that fireworks display on the school's back mountain.
Back then, Ye Zhen must have had a wonderful time too.
"I'm giving you a chance to earn money. Don't you want it?"
"Of course I do. How could I refuse?"
Regardless of the other person's intentions, Ye Zhen agreed first.
Tonight, she'd light hundreds of fireworks and rake in millions in a single night!
Of course, given Ye Fuli's personality, she wouldn't let her earn money that quickly… She could only try her best to perform well and earn as much as possible.
"Oh, and I've prepared a new gift for you."
"Another gift…"
Ye Zhen now had severe PTSD whenever she heard the word "gift."
After all, the last two times she'd presented "gifts," they'd been things like shackles and collars.
But now, Ye Zhen felt a sense of security looking at the pile of money beside her.
No matter how outrageous the gift might be, she could accept it.
After all…
The day she could escape was drawing near.
The thought of the wonderful life ahead made her endure anything.
"Why did you look so displeased when I mentioned gifts?" Ye Fuli pinched her chin, forcing her to look up. "Could it be… you didn't like the gifts I gave you before?"
Ye Zhen tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I liked them."
"I can tell you're not being sincere, but I'm glad you said it."
"…"
While the others cleaned up, Ye Fuli took Ye Zhen's hand and led her upstairs to the third floor.
The gift she had prepared for Ye Zhen was placed on the third-floor balcony.
Ye Zhen stared at the enormous glass tank before her and the massive white jade snail inside, her expression turning solemn.
What kind of game is this?
Wait, no, don't do it!
Ye Fuli said with a straight face, "I saw you observing snails the other day. I figured you might like this, so I bought it."
Ye Zhen: "…Um, I'm not really that into this."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Ye Fuli sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead.
After a moment, she suddenly looked enlightened: "Then I'll get you a different gift tomorrow."
The white jade snail crawled slowly over the rockery.
But it had now lost its value as a gift to please the recipient, its fate sealed to be crushed into pieces.
"You don't need to go out of your way to prepare gifts for me." Meeting the other person's increasingly darkening gaze, Ye Zhen quickly added, "I think our daily companionship is already the best gift."
Ye Fuli's face flushed.
She cleared her throat uncomfortably and looked away.
"Hmph, Miss Ye Zhen, you're such a flatterer."
Ye Zhen silently snorted in her own mind.
Flattery? What about you!
You think preparing a snail this big for me isn't flattery?
A snail this big must be hard to find, right?
Come to think of it, the one I saw that damn day was just a tiny snail, no bigger than a fingernail!
A snail this big? Just looking at it gives me stress, okay!
While waiting for nightfall, Ye Fuli moved all the fireworks she'd splurged on into the courtyard.
Ye Zhen, wanting to earn some extra cash from her, promptly offered to help, carrying bundles of small firecracker sticks.
"You don't need to rush. Go rest."
Ye Fuli took the large bundle of fireworks from her hands.
"I'll finish moving them soon."
She never took her own health seriously, even though her injuries hadn't fully healed yet.
After moving the last firework tube, she sat down beside Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen could clearly feel her body was slightly feverish.
"Do you have a fever?"
"Yes."
Ye Fuli admitted it without hesitation.
She handed the lighter to Ye Zhen.
"Watch you set off fireworks for me, and I should be cured."
Just as Ye Zhen reached for the lighter, Ye Fuli clutched it tighter. "Do you still fear the light and the bangs now?"
Her gaze toward Ye Zhen held a hint of apology.
She had completely forgotten that Ye Zhen had suffered that accident, and that the exploding balloon tower had disfigured her.
Ye Zhen froze for a moment.
Realizing what she was implying, Ye Zhen sighed.
"Yeah, I guess I am a little scared."
She took the lighter from Ye Fuli's hand, then deliberately mimicked her words: "But you know, if you set off some fireworks for me, I probably won't be scared anymore."
The impact of those words was devastating.
At the very least, upon hearing it, Ye Fuli immediately clutched her chest.
A sudden wave of panic washed over her.
Thump, thump.
Her heart was racing.
This wasn't the panic of being caught cheating, nor the panic of forgetting your phone before a long trip. It felt more like the panic of having your cards exposed, about to lose a high-stakes gamble.
She took a deep breath.
"This feeling… I hate it."