Chapter 113: Diligently Imagining Ways to Die
How many fireworks could possibly bloom in half an hour?
Ye Zhen studied the footage for days, yet couldn't arrive at a precise number.
She sighed helplessly.
"Forget it."
She didn't need to earn more money.
After all, not a single penny of what she currently possessed could be taken with her.
It was all for that mission.
Ye Zhen quickly calculated the remaining shortfall from the ten million and reported it to Ye Fuli.
Knowing Ye Fuli, she wouldn't dare skip double-checking the figures.
But Ye Fuli didn't.
When Ye Zhen shared the figure, Ye Fuli had just wrapped up a grueling two-hour video conference. Leaning back in her chair with a throbbing headache, she was on the verge of an explosive outburst.
Seeing Ye Zhen, her furrowed brow relaxed slightly, and she offered a gentle smile.
After receiving the answer.
Ye Fuli nodded. "Alright, I'll give it to you."
The money was promised.
However, withdrawing several million in cash wasn't something that could be done immediately.
Ye Fuli asked Ye Zhen to wait for her.
"What I promise you, I will always deliver."
She beckoned for Ye Zhen to sit closer.
There was no second chair here, so Ye Zhen had no choice but to sit on her lap.
At first, Ye Zhen couldn't get used to sitting like this, but now she felt as calm as still water, even adjusting herself into a more comfortable position.
Ye Fuli gently smoothed her hair and skirt, as if tending to a delicate porcelain doll.
She held Ye Zhen's hand, interlocking their fingers as if making some kind of promise.
Her eyes brimmed with tenderness and anticipation.
"Once I finish this project, let's go on a date, Ye Zhen."
Let's go on a date, like any ordinary couple.
What others can do, I, Ye Fuli, can do too.
As long as you never leave me, I'll give you the whole world. Whatever you desire, I'll fight tooth and nail to make it yours.
Ye Fuli's fingers felt slightly cold, yet her cheeks burned hot. She gazed at Ye Zhen with eyes brimming with affection, like a girl lost in the throes of passionate love.
Thinking of the reckless act she was about to commit, Ye Zhen forced a smile and said:
"Alright, I'm looking forward to it."
…
Time passed.
The weather grew increasingly cool.
Early autumn passed, giving way to late autumn.
When Ye Zhen woke up in the mornings, she could see a thin layer of frost covering the flowers, plants, and trees in the courtyard.
She could no longer go out in short sleeves; she needed to add a jacket.
Under her skirt, she could no longer bare her legs; thicker leggings were now necessary.
Living in a place like this, far from the internet and crowds, blurs one's sense of time.
Ye Zhen often sat in the spot by the window in her bedroom, a book in her hands.
She wasn't sure if she was reading, admiring the view, or simply lost in thought.
It had been a full month since He Ying sent someone to rescue her.
During that month, Ye Zhen worried about He Ying's safety, but each time the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back.
She hadn't asked how Ye Fuli would deal with the other party.
Ye Fuli hadn't mentioned it either.
Yet Ye Zhen could read the hint of testing in her eyes. Ye Fuli likely expected her to beg and plead, offering Ye Fuli an opportunity to manipulate her. But Ye Zhen refused to give her that chance.
In the past, Ye Zhen could break down and weep at Ye Fuli's slightest words.
But now? She couldn't cry anymore.
She felt her heart had grown much harder than before.
Perhaps spending too much time alone with Ye Fuli had subtly taught her to adopt Ye Fuli's detached, cold-eyed perspective.
"I'm lucky I can save myself. As for others…"
Ye Zhen sighed.
She silently told herself: As long as I've tried my best, that's enough. Don't be too stubborn.
She wasn't a saint—she couldn't protect everyone else, nor could she change the obsessive, twisted Ye Fuli.
Stop trying to mediate conflicts all the time.
As long as she kept quiet, things wouldn't get too bad.
Once she got the money and handed over the task, she'd find an opportunity to leave.
"Ye Zhen, I've prepared a new gift for you. Come see if you like it."
Without warning, Ye Fuli appeared behind her.
Ye Zhen turned to look at her.
"Come on, follow me."
Ye Fuli took her hand and led her to the balcony on the third floor.
There, on the balcony, stood a cage.
How to describe it? It was large enough to comfortably hold two people.
When Ye Zhen saw the cage, her eyebrows shot up. She thought Ye Fuli was going to give it to her.
But soon, she spotted the parrot cowering in the corner of the enormous cage.
It was a large parrot with stunning blue feathers.
"This… is a protected animal, right?" Ye Zhen stared at the creature and blurted out the question instinctively.
"Yes. But I have all the proper permits, so it's perfectly legal to keep it."
Ye Fuli led her to the cage.
The two of them crouched beside the cage, watching the timid blue macaw inside.
Its feathers were truly beautiful, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.
Yet, when confronted by strangers, it flapped wildly in terror, losing several feathers in the struggle.
Ye Fuli didn't seem to mind.
She picked up one of the feathers and idly toyed with it.
"It has a long lifespan. It could keep you company for a very long time."
Ye Zhen pondered—hadn't she mentioned liking this?
Why did Ye Fuli give it to her?
Was it just because it lived so long?
If she simply wanted a long-lived pet, wouldn't a turtle be a better choice?
"Why did you give me this gift?" Ye Zhen finally voiced her confusion.
"You said while peeling chestnuts the other day that it would be nice if someone could peel them for you," Ye Fuli recalled the reason for buying the gift earnestly. "Although I could peel them for you, I'm not always by your side."
Ye Zhen: "…"
With the money spent on this pet, she could hire a servant just to peel chestnuts—and probably get sick of eating them.
Ye Fuli's thought process was truly different from most people's.
She finally understood: Ye Fuli trusted the giant snail, trusted the giant parrot, but didn't really trust people.
"Don't you like it?"
Ye Fuli couldn't read any joy in her eyes.
She hadn't liked the giant snail last time.
This time, it was a big parrot. Surely she should like it?
After all, Ye Fuli had seen her poring over the animal encyclopedia. On the page about parrots, Ye Zhen had lingered for several minutes.
Ye Zhen closed her eyes briefly and said, "Of course I like it. How could I not like something you gave me?"
Her expression didn't quite match her words, but Ye Fuli didn't pull out her pocket knife like before and force her to say she liked it.
This was progress, wasn't it?
"If you like it, keep it. You can even give it a name."
Ye Zhen hummed absently.
Ye Fuli stood up, gently ruffling her hair as she said, "The money you asked for—I've prepared it for you."
Ye Zhen's eyes widened slightly.
After all this time, she'd finally scraped together that much cash.
After accepting the stack of cash, Ye Zhen successfully submitted her task and earned her second chance to court disaster.
Her heart pounded wildly.
She didn't know how she would escape this place.
But one thing was crystal clear: she absolutely could not leave the body for Ye Fuli.
Given Ye Fuli's twisted mindset, who knew what outrageous things she might do… like preventing the body from being buried for decades.
What should she do to avoid leaving the body behind?
Jump into the sea?
Parachute?
Jump off a cliff?
"I've booked the night session at the nearby amusement park. Today, we're going on a date. How about it?"
As Ye Zhen struggled to imagine ways to die, Ye Fuli took her hand.
Though phrased as a request, Ye Zhen had no room to refuse.
Under Ye Fuli's intense gaze, Ye Zhen smiled and nodded.
"Sure."
It was just a sudden flash of inspiration.
Ye Zhen suddenly remembered that the nearby amusement park had a cable car ride.
Its route spanned the broad river.
Perhaps…
This was an opportunity she could seize.