Chapter 122: Awakening from Fantasy
Daybreak arrived.
The school gates opened.
The streets gradually filled with people.
He Ying gathered her spirits, quickly got off the bus, and made her way toward the school, pushing through the increasingly crowded streets.
At times like this, her status as a wealthy young lady proved quite useful.
Under the pretext of donating a building to the school, He Ying quickly gained an audience with the school's administration and smoothly obtained all student records from the past two years.
"Miss He, are you looking for someone?"
The school administrator scrutinized her expression cautiously.
The calculation in his eyes was unmistakable.
Why come as a person? She was clearly a fat lamb!
"If there's anything we can assist with, please don't hesitate to ask. The school will cooperate fully!"
The He family had undergone a major shakeup, and now most of its interests rested squarely on the shoulders of this third young miss.
Wooing this young lady would undoubtedly be a wise decision.
Most students at this academy came from reasonably well-off families, but only a select few were truly wealthy. Those few were people the academy couldn't afford to offend.
The rest, especially those relying on school sponsorships to attend, were insignificant.
Manipulating them was child's play.
If they had the misfortune of offending Miss He, well, they'd just have to say sorry.
He Ying rubbed her temples, pondered for a moment, and said, "I'll notify you when I need something."
She despised others' scheming, yet she had no choice but to exploit it.
"Then, regarding the building donation…"
"Such minor matters can be handled by my assistant."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Miss He!"
"Mm."
He Ying stepped out of her office and stood by the balcony, breathing in the fresh air.
She watched the youthful figures below, unable to resist searching their faces for traces of Ye Zhen.
Occasionally, when she spotted someone who looked remarkably similar, she would stare for a long time.
But none of them were Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen wasn't as tall as they were, didn't laugh as easily, and never slung her arm around anyone's shoulder. She always kept her head down, quietly drifting apart from the crowd.
"Sigh."
He Ying sighed and silently shifted her gaze.
She felt like she was losing her mind.
But heartaches like this were inherently hard to cure.
Moreover, Ye Zhen had saved her life.
When is a debt of gratitude most precious? When one desperately wants to repay it but cannot.
After leaving Mondstadt, He Ying immediately had her subordinates begin the investigation.
However, sifting through thousands of student records to locate Ye Zhen would take some time.
Worse still, it wasn't until He Ying stepped outside that she realized Ye Zhen might not even be enrolled at this school.
She might have just been passing through.
Of course, it was far more likely that what Old Wang had seen wasn't her at all.
"It's been so long, and Ye Fuli still hasn't gone looking for her. If she were alive, how could Ye Fuli not have sought her out? Unless… Ye Fuli is already certain she's dead…"
The thought made He Ying's heart ache.
She rubbed her hair hard.
"Ah! Damn it, I can't think like this. My little sister must be alive!"
……
…
Inside the Ye Group building.
Ye Fuli had only been at work for an hour when she prepared to leave.
She wore a business suit that was clearly ill-fitting, her face bare of makeup, and her expression devoid of any smile.
In her previous life, she had been meticulously groomed down to every strand of hair, never allowing even the slightest hint of imperfection to show.
In this life, however, she moved through the world like a walking corpse, utterly careless.
Of course, she no longer cared about others' opinions or needed to please anyone. She did as she pleased.
Stepping out the office door, she was immediately blocked by several shareholders.
Ye Fuli stared at them expressionlessly. "What is it?"
"Miss Ye, our Ye Corporation has no experience in the food service industry. Are we really opening so many bubble tea shops, candied chestnut stands… and cake shops?!"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Ye Group isn't just yours alone, Miss Ye! Don't overstep your bounds!"
Listening to their chorus of complaints, Ye Fuli's lips curved into a faint smile. She let out a dismissive "Hmph."
Her fingers traced the rough cover of the folder, her nails scraping against it forcefully several times.
This was the sign her patience was nearly exhausted.
"Am I going too far? Fine then. I won't force you. Those unwilling to stay at Ye Corporation can sell their shares to me and leave on their own."
Her attitude was utterly arrogant.
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath, their eyes blazing with fury.
The next second, a portly shareholder stormed forward, unleashing a torrent of accusations at her.
"I've been with Ye Corporation for thirty years! I've worked myself to the bone for this company, made tremendous contributions! Even your father would bow respectfully to offer me a toast. Who do you think you are? How dare you fire my people? How dare you mess with my office and reassign me on a whim?"
Ye Fuli glanced at him, her gaze gradually turning icy.
This man had long been on her list for elimination.
It had taken her over half a year to root out this cancerous growth within Ye Group.
Now, his fury was entirely within her expectations. After all, he was not only losing a job paying tens of millions annually but also forfeiting his share of the group's yearly dividends… and facing prison time for embezzlement.
"Answer me, Ye Fuli! Answer me! Even your father wouldn't dare treat me like this. What gives you the right? What are you… Answer me!"
He leaned in, his face contorted in fury, as if he might attack Ye Fuli at any moment.
The stench of bad breath wafted faintly toward her.
Smack—
A slap landed hard across the fat shareholder's face.
His cheek swelled instantly.
He clutched his face in disbelief, coughing twice before spitting out a tooth stained with blood.
Is this… a woman's strength?
No way—she just went for it!
Ye Fuli rubbed her wrist, sighed, and said, "I told you—don't get too close when talking to me. Otherwise, I can't control my temper, and you'll be the ones getting hurt."
With that, she gave a faint smile.
"Go get proper treatment at the hospital. I'll cover the medical bills and compensation for emotional distress."
Those whose eyes had been blazing with fury all took a small step back, forced to regard Ye Fuli with wary glances.
Ye Fuli pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. "Oh dear, it's all your fault—you've made me work an extra fifteen minutes today."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. Contact my secretary if you need anything."
With that, she strode straight into the elevator.
Watching her retreating figure, the shareholders sighed collectively.
In truth, despite their complaints, not a single one of them truly wanted to sell their shares in Ye Corporation.
Even though they strongly disagreed with Ye Fuli's methods, her ability to generate profits was undeniable. They couldn't help but be impressed.
Today's mass protest was driven solely by self-interest.
Ye Fuli should have offered tangible benefits to appease them, but all they received was that resounding slap in the face.
They were accustomed to manipulating the Ye family, but now, they had no choice but to abandon that habit…
For the sake of profit and their futures, they had no choice but to bow their proud heads.
"To actually bow down to such a little brat!"
"Damn it all—Ye Fuli is ten years younger than my son!"
"Ugh, this is utterly outrageous."
…
Ding~
The elevator reached the basement level.
Ye Fuli's phone buzzed insistently.
Her hands trembled as she answered the call.
"Boss, downstream of that river… we found a skeleton. We also discovered this while we were there."
The caller sent her a photo.
In the photo lay a broken pair of shackles.
They were the shackles she had personally commissioned—one of a kind in the world.
They lay quietly near the skeletal remains, even the gemstones on them now shrouded in gloom. They had a tracking function, but after that day, their signal could no longer be detected.
Over the past period, Ye Fuli had expended immense manpower and resources to finally locate it.
"Ye Zhen…"
Ye Fuli's hand holding the phone began to tremble.
A buzzing sound filled her ears.
A wave of dizziness swept over her, plunging her into temporary blindness.
It felt as though someone had delivered a heavy slap to her face, abruptly jolting her awake from a year-long fantasy.
Ye Zhen hadn't survived by some fluke.
She had died long ago.
Her body lay forgotten among the weeds, becoming nourishment for the wildflowers until it turned to bones.
She… was dead.
Ye Fuli staggered and slowly sank to her knees.
The despair she'd desperately suppressed spread like a bone-corroding poison.
"Ye Zhen!!!"