Chapter 145: This Doesn't Sound Like Yefuri
Not long after.
Ye Fuli was wheeled out of the intensive care unit and transferred to a regular ward.
The subsequent treatment would be long and painful, taking two to three months.
Yet she possessed remarkable endurance. Even after regaining consciousness, no one ever heard her utter a single cry of pain.
Her eyes remained wide and vacant, staring blankly at the ceiling.
For her, death felt like a luxury, while living was an extreme torment.
Yet, the memory of her dying promise to Ye Zhen seemed to ignite a spark of will to survive within her. Any physical or psychological agony became bearable.
In both her lives, she had strived for perfection.
Admitting defeat was not in her nature. She would never concede until the very last moment… After all, even if she could start over, it might not turn out any better than this.
Besides, what made her think she'd get another chance?
She had to survive.
There were still so many things left undone.
Even if Ye Zhen had only "once loved" her, she couldn't help but think that at least she had once received someone's pure love.
If she could find the right way to respond to that love, perhaps…
Perhaps Ye Zhen would be willing to turn back and glance at her once more?
Ye Fuli felt less like a human being at this moment and more like a vengeful spirit consumed by obsession.
Burdened with all the resentment and pain, she still yearned to step into the sunlight, to win over that girl as radiant as a sunflower, to become someone she could mention with pride instead of fear.
This was truly a shameful luxury, wasn't it?
Just as Mrs. Ye's curse had foretold—what right did a vengeful spirit have to love?
Outside the window, the sunlight was blinding.
Ye Fuli weakly raised her pale arm, trying to block the sunlight seeping through the curtain's cracks.
She saw the deep and shallow scars on her arm.
Even if the pain had subsided, those wounds would never heal to perfection.
Suddenly, she remembered what she had done to Ye Zhen.
A cold chill instantly spread from the depths of her heart.
"Ye Zhen… she'll never forgive me."
Ye Fuli slowly lowered her arm.
She bit her lip, tears falling silently.
"But how can I forget the memories we shared?"
"How can I forget that I love her?"
"Ye Zhen, I truly… hate myself so much."
…
During this period, most of the nurses assigned to care for her learned about the events unfolding in her family.
Their sympathy led them to offer Ye Fuli extra care.
Unfortunately, Ye Fuli showed no interest in interacting with them. Day after day, she sat silently, her face heavy with worry.
"Little Fuli! Someone's here to see you."
Ye Fuli frowned, quickly pulling the blanket over herself to feign sleep.
The visitor was He Ying, her face set in a stern expression.
Three days prior, He Ying had brought her mother to the hospital for a checkup. By chance, in the VIP waiting area restroom, she overheard nurses whispering about the Ye family tragedy.
Under her threats and bribes, the nurses nervously recounted the entire incident.
"That's exactly what happened! That mother from the Ye family was truly a demon! She lured her daughter home to poison her, trying to drag the whole family down with her!"
"Honestly, her daughter treated her well! She used the best medicine and hired the finest caregivers to look after her. But she didn't appreciate any of it—she beat and cursed everyone. Even the doctors and nurses were driven to exhaustion by her."
"As for the father of the Ye family, he's truly pitiful."
"With his status and position, how many men could remain faithful in such a marriage? Not only was he faithful, but he spent every day with his temperamental wife, constantly finding new ways to cheer her up!"
"And yet, that woman actually tried to take his life."
These stories were new to He Ying.
In her memory, Ye Fuli was an extremely cautious person. The moment she sensed even the slightest danger, she would refuse to get involved.
This time, Ye Fuli must have sensed something was off long ago, yet she stayed anyway.
This wasn't like Ye Fuli at all.
Had her heart of stone finally melted?
"Being stabbed in the back by family is truly devastating. The most pitiful one now is this daughter—no relatives to care for her, no friends to visit… She just sits there motionless, not speaking a word. Alas."
It was a heartbreaking experience for any bystander to witness, let alone Ye Fuli herself.
He Ying felt heavy-hearted.
How could someone so cold-hearted and selfish lower her guard because of family ties, nearly losing her life in the process?
He Ying pondered this for three days and still couldn't fathom why.
Coincidentally, the He Group was about to hold a shareholders' meeting, requiring her to visit Yefuli. She took this opportunity to come by.
Seeing Yefuli with her face buried in the quilt, He Ying couldn't help but curse under her breath.
She stepped forward and snatched the quilt off Ye Fuli's face.
Ye Fuli glared at her coldly before quickly averting her gaze.
"I came to see if you were dead," He Ying said. "Seeing you still so full of life, I actually feel rather disappointed." Despite her words, she still placed several boxes of expensive wild ginseng down with a thud.
"You're really annoying. Can you just get lost?" Ye Fuli remained her usual self.
Her mouth was tougher than steel.
Of course, in truth, she genuinely didn't care much for others' concern… except for Ye Zhen.
"I'll leave. It's not like I enjoy seeing your face."
He Ying rolled her eyes, casually pulling out a stack of documents and tossing them in front of Ye Fuli.
"Take a look when you have time! Group business expansion—we're opening a branch in Northern Europe next year. Here's the list of executives being sent abroad. Check it out."
Ye Fuli glanced at it and immediately spotted He Ying's name.
She was puzzled.
"Why are you suddenly going to Northern Europe?"
"There's this amazing boxed milk in the small towns over there—you can't find it anywhere else!"
"Is that really your reason?"
"Well, it's not the only reason," He Ying shrugged. "Mainly, I wanted a change of scenery—to get away from my toxic siblings! Playing mind games with them is exhausting."
Ye Fuli fell silent.
The word "family" carried too heavy a weight for both of them.
Standing at the very center of the world of fame and fortune, neither of them should have dared to hope for familial affection.
All roads lead to Rome, but they were born in Rome itself—thousands of years ahead of others, getting whatever they desired.
What did mere family bonds matter?
Yet such is human nature: the more one lacks something, the more one craves it.
In the next life, if truly reborn into an ordinary, warm family, they would crave fame and fortune with extreme intensity.
No matter the circumstances, people always find reasons to be dissatisfied.
How many truly possess no greed?
"Go."
Ye Fuli would never utter words like "Wishing you a safe journey."
Of course, He Ying hadn't expected it.
Before leaving, He Ying added slowly, "I'll only be gone for half a year. Once I've had my fill of fun, I'll return. Remember to approve my transfer request then."
"Get lost."
Ye Fuli looked much healthier now.
She'd learned about her biological father's condition from the nurse.
Knowing he had narrowly escaped death eased her mind somewhat, though she still insisted, "I don't care. You don't need to tell me about him."
Once the ward quieted down again, Ye Fuli moved the notebook from the bedside table to the small bedside table.
It had been ages since she last logged into the game, and equally long since she'd received any news about "Ye Zhen."
News of the Ye family's misfortune had been strictly sealed off. Even within the wealthy circles around her, few knew about it.
Much less in Nancheng, hundreds of kilometers away.
Ye Fuli certainly wouldn't volunteer details about her own misfortune.
She disliked playing the victim or showing weakness.
After logging into the game, she didn't see Ye Zhen's online status.
After wandering aimlessly through the game's town, she felt a sense of loss and was about to log off when suddenly, Ye Zhen's online status lit up.
Which meant Ye Zhen had logged in.
……
……
At that very moment.
Ye Zhen sat in the hotel's presidential suite, staring blankly at the computer screen.
[Host, this game account is operated by Ye Fuli. I secretly checked it out.]
"You mean this guy actually said something utterly pathetic like, 'Big shot, please carry me! I can be cute and won't steal gear'?"
Ye Zhen was utterly shocked and immediately shot back with a skeptical question.
"Dog System, you're not messing with me, are you?"
[Host! Are you questioning this cute one's professional skills?! This cute one isn't playing with you anymore, hmph.]
"I'm sorry."
[Is an apology enough? Is it? This cute one feels you have zero sincerity, hmph!]
SMACK—
Ye Zhen slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"Dog System! Don't think I'll look at you any differently just because you're cute, smart, tough, and protective of your host!"
[Hmph, even if you flatter me like that, I won't be happy! Hehe… Not happy at all!]
Fine.
This thing was as easy to fool as ever.
Ye Zhen decided to ignore it for now.
She had now returned to Nancheng to prepare for her midterm exams.
She had only secretly observed Ye Fuli and her parents that one night.
She'd wanted to confirm their well-being, though she didn't really need to see them in person—the system could check anytime.
Learning that both father and daughter were safe put Ye Zhen's mind at ease.
Now, when she wanted to play a game to relax, she saw Ye Fuli's in-game character send her a party invitation.
"Sigh."
She still worried about Ye Fuli's mental state.
After all, this girl's actions affected the fates of many people, including her own.
If she could just be more stable, then those caught up in her world might find a little more safety.
—Party formed.
On the other end of the screen, Ye Fuli felt an inexplicable shiver run through her.
She looked at Ye Zhen, dressed in stylish fashion gear, then glanced at her own plain beginner's outfit. After a long silence, she decided against spending money.
"Playing weak occasionally isn't such a bad thing."
Ye Fuli told herself.
"At least Ye Zhen doesn't know this is me. I can interact with her more authentically, even… vent my frustrations and seek some comfort."
At this thought, Ye Fuli gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
"What a disgusting thing to do."