Chapter 131: I Think I'm Hallucinating
Lunchtime.
Jiang Zao sat alone in her dorm room, her fingers flying across her phone screen.
Her chat partner was an information broker.
The other party was urging Jiang Zao to pay up.
Jiao Zao bit her lip as she typed: I need more intel on Ye Zhen. And I also need intel on Ye Fuli.
Informant: "Information on Ye Fuli? That's a different price entirely."
Jiang Zao: Fine, I know! I won't shortchange you!
Informant: Then settle up first. Don't even think about skipping out on the bill! We've got ways to make sure you pay up.
Seeing the message, Jiang Zao quickly closed her phone, her heart pounding.
"What should I do?"
She opened a loan platform app, trembling as she began entering her information, preparing to take out a loan.
"What should I do? I'm stuck!"
"Rather than living like trash, I have to take a gamble, right?"
"I just need to make a little bit… I'm not greedy…!"
Jiang Zao comforted herself with this pitiful excuse.
But by now, she was already in debt to three platforms. With compounding interest, this hole would only grow deeper.
(
Warm
Reminder: Everyone, please don't follow this example! Online loans are a bottomless pit, and gamblers never win big—this is a cautionary tale!)
……
……
Back at the Ye residence, Ye Fuli lay on the sofa, her mind blank.
"Those eyes—they weren't like Ye Zhen's. They were definitely Ye Zhen's."
Her brows furrowed deeper.
As her thoughts returned once more, she confirmed her judgment.
"She is Ye Zhen."
Ye Fuli took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the panic rising within her.
She curled up, clutching her head.
Her eyes were filled with nothing but self-doubt.
"Have I been missing her so much that I'm finally hallucinating?"
"Ye Zhen, am I sick?"
"Yes, I must be sick. I need to see a doctor."
"I can't break down now!"
So Ye Fuli immediately got up and began contacting psychiatrists.
With her connections, she could find top-tier specialists in any field in no time.
However, her reputation for being demanding was well-known, and doctors who treated her always felt immense pressure.
After a few more visits, the doctor might end up needing to see a doctor themselves.
"Um, well, Miss Ye…"
The specialist on the other end of the line spoke timidly, carefully weighing every word before uttering it, terrified that a single misstep might trigger the manic episode on the other end.
"What specific symptoms are you experiencing?"
Ye Fuli's face remained impassive as she stated, "I have hallucinations. I keep seeing a dead person."
"Ah, hallucinations?"
Ye Fuli thought of Ye Zhen's eyes and sighed involuntarily. "It should be hallucinations, but I'm not entirely sure. Also, I really can't sleep. Please switch me to a different medication."
"Ah, well…"
The doctor looked helpless.
This medication couldn't be prescribed lightly.
How many different medications had Ye Fuli tried already? None of them had worked at all, and they just made her feel more and more lethargic.
And now she was even experiencing hallucinations?
Good heavens, a manic patient experiencing hallucinations—and she possesses vast wealth and immense power. This is absolutely dangerous.
"Alright, we'll look into it further! You must get plenty of rest, try to go out for walks more often, and avoid being alone."
"Oh."
After hanging up, Ye Fuli's rational mind told her the specialists were just stringing her along, giving her the runaround.
She took deep breaths repeatedly, struggling to suppress her manic emotions.
But those eyes kept haunting her mind.
She was going mad.
"Ye Zhen, is that you? Give me an answer, just one answer!"
Yet she had thoroughly investigated Ye Zhen's background multiple times. The results showed it belonged to a completely different person.
She possessed a complete life history, every detail of which withstood scrutiny.
Ye Fuli couldn't find a single flaw.
After much deliberation, she decided to return to South City once more to observe that person closely.
She had to understand why Ye Zhen possessed eyes identical to Ye Zhen's.
…
Autumn rain fell steadily.
The bustling streets and noisy metropolis could not fill the void in Ye Fuli's heart.
She dared not drive herself, terrified that one day she might spot Ye Zhen on the road—something terrible would surely happen.
Her chauffeur cautiously broached a subject.
"Miss Ye, the mistress has fallen ill."
Ye Fuli frowned.
That woman—arrogant and scheming, who tried to manipulate everyone's fate—was ill?
This illness had struck far sooner than in her previous life.
It seemed that after losing her power and wealth, her psyche had finally collapsed.
"What's wrong with her?"
The driver sighed. "A tumor. In her stomach. It's a bit troublesome! The doctors say she needs surgery as soon as possible, but she's not cooperating with treatment."
These words were meant for Ye Fuli, relayed by Ye's father through the driver.
That's how this family operates—they never speak their minds directly, always sending outsiders to deliver messages.
Ye Fuli smiled faintly. "So, what do you want me to do?"
"Chairman Ye said that she is, after all, your biological mother. Even if she didn't raise you herself, she still carried you for ten months and gave birth to you."
Ye Fuli's smile vanished. "Does giving birth to me mean I should thank her?"
"Well, it's not quite like that, Miss Ye."
Ye Fuli: "Just drive properly. Mind your own business."
"Sigh…"
The driver sighed and said no more.
Leaning her head against the window, Ye Fuli lowered her eyes slightly.
If this woman died, she wouldn't shed a single tear.
But if Ye Zhen ever came back one day and found her mother gone, she'd be heartbroken, wouldn't she?
Thinking this, she realized that this detestable Mrs. Ye simply couldn't die.
Listening to the rain patter against the windowpane, Ye Fuli felt drowsy, as if she could drift off to sleep at any moment.
Yet her consciousness remained unnervingly sharp.
By the time they reached Mond in the southern city, it was already late at night.
Ye Fuli stepped out of the car, holding a large umbrella, and walked toward the pre-booked hotel.
This was the closest hotel to Mondstadt Academy. Though expensive, its conditions were actually rather poor—the soundproofing was especially bad.
Ye Fuli didn't care about the quality of the accommodations; she only valued convenience.
Outside the hotel at this hour, all was quiet, but inside, it was anything but peaceful.
The young couple in the next room played video games incessantly, causing a major disturbance.
For someone like her, who became restless at night, hearing such noise only intensified her violent tendencies.
After enduring it for a while, Yefuri grabbed a chair from her room, walked out, and swung it hard, smashing it against the door of the adjacent room.
The noise inside the room stopped abruptly.
Moments later, Ye Fuli heard furious curses and the sound of bare feet stomping across the floor, followed by rapid footsteps approaching.
The door swung open.
The shirtless man saw she was a young girl and couldn't help but chuckle. "Little sister, what's up? You wanna play games with big brother too?"
As he spoke, he gave Ye Fuli a lecherous look.
In Ye Fuli's hand was a bamboo skewer.
It was the tool she had used to eat rice cakes not long ago.
Ye Fuli smiled faintly, raised the skewer, and waved it before her eyes. "Big brother, your eyes are so dirty."
"What? You wanna take me on? Look at those skinny arms and legs of yours—pretty bold for a little thing like you!"
The man reached out to grab Ye Fuli by the collar, but before his fingers could touch her, she seized his wrist and executed a swift shoulder throw, sending him crashing into the room.
She followed him inside.
She slammed the door shut behind her.
The woman cowering on the bed had already screamed and pulled the blanket over her head, too scared to interfere.
Ye Fuli stepped on the man's palm and crouched down.
As he tried to rise and fight back, she delivered a vicious elbow strike, sending him reeling with a gush of blood streaming from his nose.
Now, the bamboo stick waved before the man's eyes.
"Speak. Do you want to keep your left eye or your right? You'll get a cool nickname like 'One-Eyed Grim Reaper,' big brother. Pretty badass, huh?"
"No! No, no, no… you… wait!"
Ye Fuli sneered coldly, snapped the bamboo stick in half with one hand, and tossed it aside.
She seized his throat with one hand and spoke in a gentle tone:
"Don't be scared, I was just scaring you! Why would I take your eyes? Actually, I'm just here to tell you it's 2 AM. Time to sleep. No more noise. Got it?"
The man was already rolling his eyes from the pressure, but he still managed to blink frantically with all his strength, signaling his understanding.
"Okay, good night."
Ye Fuli stepped back cheerfully and closed the door behind her.
Dawn was approaching.
As she stepped out of the room, she couldn't help wondering if she could find some sort of job in Mondstadt.
Ideally, something that would allow her to keep an eye on Ye Zhen without seeming too abrupt.
"Why not work in the cafeteria…"
Mond Academy Dining Hall: Seeking cook, monthly salary 3,000.
Hmm, that sounds good.