Chapter 124: The Real Ye Zhen, the Fake Ye Zhen
Old Wang, head of Future Idol Agency, sat bleary-eyed in the boardroom of Mondstadt Academy.
Even now, he was still completely bewildered.
Sitting beside him was He Ying.
He Ying pointed at two girls seated nearby and asked, "Who was it you saw that day?"
Old Wang sighed in frustration. "Who else could it be? I definitely fell for that porcelain doll."
Ye Zhen, seated across from them, and the girl named Jiang Zao both kept their heads bowed, saying nothing.
Ye Zhen truly hadn't expected someone to come looking for her so soon!
Alright, time to put her acting skills to the test.
Sorry, Third Young Miss.
I'll just have to pretend I don't know you.
He Ying couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead. "She's so beautiful, yet she doesn't look anything like the person in the photo! How could you possibly recognize her?"
She had closely examined "Ye Zhen" just moments ago.
The more she looked, the less alike they seemed.
The Ye Zhen in her memory radiated an aura of extreme luxury. She was reserved in her actions, constantly reading others' expressions, skilled at compromise—like a doll-like young miss cultivated in feudal society, always lonely.
But this "Ye Zhen" dressed simply and appropriately, her eyes always sparkling. She could chat and laugh with anyone, as if she had endless topics to discuss.
Most crucially, "Ye Zhen" was stunningly beautiful!
He Ying had only ever seen people this beautiful in photoshopped images; this was her first time encountering such beauty in real life.
She couldn't even bring herself to stare.
What kind of advanced technology could restore someone with severe disfigurement to such beauty?
He Ying found it utterly implausible.
Old Wang propped his chin up and sighed helplessly. "I think she looks like… but I'm not sure, right?"
He Ying glared at him. "So tell me, what exactly looks like her?"
Ye Zhen: "…"
Uh-huh, right, right, not alike at all.
Old Wang: "…"
Man, money's hard to earn, and poop's hard to eat.
After a moment of silence, He Ying pointed at Jiang Zao: "Come over here. I need to speak with you privately."
Next to the school board office was a small, unused room.
Jiang Zao, who had been called in, kept his head down and said nothing.
"Sit down."
He Ying had her sit directly across from her.
This spot had the best lighting, bathed in bright sunlight streaming in from outside.
He Ying wanted to study the person before her closely.
"Look up. Let me see your face."
Jiang Zao felt uneasy, yet dared not defy the wealthy young lady's request, fearing it might bring trouble upon herself.
She raised her head stiffly, yet kept her eyes lowered, unable to meet He Ying's gaze.
This look sent a jolt through He Ying's heart.
She had seen this look on Ye Zhen's face many times before.
"I've reviewed your records. It says you grew up in an orphanage?"
"Mhm."
Jiang Zao's voice was low and soft.
This fragile, vulnerable demeanor mirrored the Ye Zhen He Ying remembered.
He Ying sighed.
After escaping Ye Fuli, Ye Zhen must have changed her name.
Therefore, this information might not be reliable.
"What happened to your face?"
"I… I don't remember…"
Jiang Zao exhaled softly, nervously twisting the hem of her skirt.
She chose her words carefully, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Two months ago, I was in a car accident. I hit my head and can't remember a lot of things."
The accident was real, and the memory loss was real too.
However, the missing part of her memory had already returned.
As for how her face ended up like this…
She remembered that too.
The fire was severe. A teacher from the orphanage sacrificed her life trying to save me and never made it out of the flames.
Ever since her face was burned like this, no one has taken her seriously.
Mocking stares, fearful glances, looks of disgust… she had seen them all too often.
She often wore a mask when going out, using thick bangs to cover her forehead and long hair to hide most of her cheeks.
Years of walking with her head bowed had left her back slightly hunched.
Fortunately, she excelled academically. Through hard work, she gained admission to Mondstadt and secured a full scholarship that covered all tuition and fees.
But after years in the orphanage, Jiang Zao had learned to read people like a book.
She sensed He Ying's need.
This high-and-mighty young lady was searching for the shadow of another person in her.
So, if she could become that person—even if only for a few days…
Her fate, so long marked by bullying, might be utterly transformed.
A drowning person can't help but grasp at anything floating by, even if it's just a straw.
"It's okay. You'll remember little by little."
He Ying patted her shoulder gently.
Her eyes were slightly reddened.
"Just stay alive. As long as you keep going, there'll always be some hope."
……
Half an hour later.
He Ying asked Jiang Zao to step outside.
As Jiang Zao passed by Ye Zhen, he informed her that Miss He was waiting for her inside.
"Miss Ye, hurry up. Don't keep them waiting too long. Those people… we can't afford to offend them."
Judging by her attire, Ye Zhen, like her, belonged to the lower ranks of this academy.
Jiang Zao harbored no ill will toward her.
Even though Ye Zhen possessed such a striking face.
"Alright, thank you for letting me know."
Ye Zhen rose, adjusted her hem, and entered the room.
The light was too bright here, and she couldn't help squinting.
"Come over and sit down."
Facing this porcelain doll of a beauty, He Ying instinctively felt she couldn't be the person she was looking for.
Still, given the similarity between the names "Ye Zhen" and "Ye Zhen," and the faint resemblance in her eyes and brows, she decided to have a chat with her.
"I've reviewed your information."
He Ying sat across from her, flipping through her phone to review her personal information again.
Though she hadn't scrutinized it herself, Ye Zhen trusted the information would be flawless.
Ye Zhen trusted the system implicitly.
He Ying pondered for a moment, then fixed Ye Zhen with an oddly intense gaze. "You have seven older sisters, an elderly father who farms for a living, an elderly mother, and your family raises chickens for income?"
Ye Zhen: "…"
Damn system, I'll hang you up and beat you!
[(*￣rǒ￣)]
"Your family circumstances seem quite difficult," He Ying mused thoughtfully. "From what I understand, tuition here isn't cheap. Can you really afford it?"
Ye Zhen flashed a bright smile: "No problem! We have plenty of chickens at home, hehe~"
He Ying asked curiously, "Really? How many?"
Ye Zhen paused before replying, "About… over ten thousand?"
"Alright."
That did sound like a lot.
He Ying had never personally gone grocery shopping, so she had no idea what chickens cost, let alone what kind of chickens "Ye Zhen" kept at home.
Of course, that wasn't the point.
Considering the faint resemblance between Ye Zhen and Ye Zhen, He Ying decided to pay a visit to their home to see if she could lend a hand.
"Don't leave campus this weekend. Wait here for me."
Ye Zhen felt a chill run down her spine at those words.
Damn it, had she been found out?
He Ying looked at her intently. "Take me to your home. Maybe I can help."
Ye Zhen's breath caught.
Miss He, you really don't have to be so kind.
"Oh, and bring your sisters along too. If they need financial support for their studies, I can assist with that."
Ye Zhen couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead.
Damn system, this isn't something that can be solved by just beating you up anymore.
After He Ying left, Ye Zhen unleashed her fury on the dog system.
"Where the hell am I supposed to find ten thousand chickens?!"
"And what's with the seven sisters? The Seven Fairies, right?"
"How exactly do you plan to conjure up seven sisters for me?!"
[Well, um, should I go borrow some from the host next door?]
"…You can borrow those?"
[Hold on! I'll go ask~]
Ye Zhen remained silent, gazing at the distant scenery, waiting for a moment.
The dog system returned.
[He actually refused! Hmph, what a rude host! I couldn't stand it, so I snatched his system rewards.]
Ye Zhen glanced at what the Dog System had snatched and couldn't help but cough a few times, feeling like her eyes had been polluted.
"Dog System, what a despicable host you robbed…"
But then, Ye Zhen suddenly realized.
Why bother thinking about how to cover up the lie?
Whether it was He Ying's sponsorship or her roommate's body lotion, neither was something she had to accept.
She was no longer a bird trapped in a cage. She could make her own decisions.
Whether it was someone's malice or kindness, if she truly didn't need it, she could refuse it!
With that realization, Ye Zhen immediately dashed out of the room.
"Miss He, wait a moment."
He Ying had already packed her things and was preparing to leave.
Hearing "Ye Zhen" call her, she paused, frowned, and asked, "Is there something else?"
"I'm unavailable this weekend—my class has a group outing. Also, I don't need your sponsorship for now. Please save it for someone who does."
Hearing this refusal, He Ying shrugged indifferently. "Fine then."
Ye Zhen exhaled in relief. "Thank you for your kindness."
"You're welcome."
Watching He Ying and her group walk away, Ye Zhen lingered for a long moment.
[Wow, you've grown up! Learned how to say no? (〃'▽'〃)]
"You insolent dog system! Why are you talking to me like some old dad?"
……
……
Stepping out of Mondstadt's campus gates.
He Ying sat in the car, lost in thought for a long while.
She suspected Jiang Zao was likely Ye Zhen, but couldn't be entirely sure.
Truthfully, she hadn't spent much time with Ye Zhen, and her understanding of her was rather superficial.
To confirm whether it was Ye Zhen, only Ye Fuli could provide the answer.
But He Ying was absolutely unwilling to let Ye Fuli have any further contact with her younger sister.
As for Ye Zhen's parents, He Ying wasn't keen on them interacting with her either.
"Sigh. We agreed to just watch from afar, but we ended up interacting anyway."
He Ying let her thoughts drift as she leaned back in her chair.
"For now, let's keep Jiang Zao around. Give her some financial support—at least make sure she eats well."
Just then, her assistant called to confess her misdeed to He Ying.
He Ying's eyes nearly popped out of her head with rage.
She erupted in a torrent of curses.
"You stupid pig! Are you trying to get us killed? Don't you know who Ye Fuli is? How dare you act on your own like this! How could I have a friend like you?"
"I'm sorry, Third Young Miss…"
The young assistant wept bitterly.
He Ying's face darkened as she said, "Hand in your resignation. Don't ever show your face to me again. If you do, next time we meet, I'll beat you to death."
"I'm sorry, Third Young Miss, truly…"
"You owe your apologies to Ye Zhen, not me!"
He Ying hung up the phone in fury.
Betrayed by someone close to her, she gritted her teeth in fury.
But now, her greatest concern was Ye Zhen's safety…