Chapter 152: Ye Fuli Owes Nothing to Anyone
Ye Fu Li's father remained skeptical about the news of Ye Zhen's death.
After all, there was a saying: If someone is alive, you want to see them; if they're dead, you want to see the body.
He refused to believe Ye Fuli could have coldly killed Ye Zhen and disposed of her without a trace. He preferred to think Ye Fuli had hidden her somewhere far away.
Now that Ye Fuli had lost so much of her memory, the only person and events she likely still remembered vividly were Ye Zhen and everything connected to her.
Therefore…
Ye Zhen was still alive!
Ye Dad reacted swiftly. The moment he grasped this possibility, his eyes lit up.
"Which one of your friends sent this?"
He dared not ask directly about Ye Zhen, instead probing cautiously.
He hoped to use this opportunity to learn more about Ye Zhen's situation.
Then, he could secretly visit his daughter. Knowing she was doing well would bring him great joy.
Of course, he wouldn't force her to return home anymore.
As a man who had narrowly escaped death, he chose to grant his family members sufficient respect and freedom.
Ye Fuli scratched her head, feeling frustrated. How should she spin this?
If she told her dad Ye Zhen had sent it, wouldn't he fly into a rage and toss the gift aside? She might even get thrown out herself.
After all, in her eyes, her relationship with Ye Zhen was bound to meet with fierce opposition.
This wasn't exactly a relationship society would fully accept…
She didn't want to put her dad in a difficult position, nor did she want to put Ye Zhen in one.
Seeing her face set in a "I'm about to lie" expression, Ye's father sighed inwardly and said, "If you don't feel comfortable talking about it, it's fine! But we can't just accept someone's generous gift without reciprocating. You understand that, right?"
"Yes, you're right."
Ye Fuli agreed with her father.
"Ye… my friend said the same thing."
She managed to hit the brakes quickly, but a hint of guilt still flashed across her face.
Ye Fu Li's father noticed it and took note.
To confirm whether the friend Ye Fuli mentioned was Ye Zhen, he'd have to follow her a few times and see where she went.
Ye Fuli quickly changed the subject.
"Let's cook first! Dad, do you eat fish?"
Remembering that the gift she'd ordered was still on its way, Ye Fuli added, "Actually, I did prepare a gift, but the store didn't have it in stock. I have to wait a few days for the delivery."
"Is that so?"
Ye Dad seemed a bit surprised.
"Well, I'll just wait then."
……
……
A few days later.
Ye Zhen, who was staying in the factory area, went to see the two parrots again.
Perched on a pole, they swayed their heads back and forth.
One appeared to be a cockatiel, while the other resembled a larger parrot, both sporting vibrant plumage.
"They're growing so fast—their feathers are already so bright now."
The task of caring for the birds had been assigned to an elderly technician at the factory.
Ye Zhen had entrusted this task to him and significantly increased his monthly salary.
Everyone was pleased.
"By the way, boss, should we give them names?"
Ye Zhen nodded and pointed to the little parrot that resembled a cockatiel: "Cockatiel!"
Then he pointed to the other one: "Big Parrot!"
Old Technician: "…"
It's not that the names are bad—they're downright terrible.
It's practically like not naming them at all.
But she's the boss. Whatever she says goes. Even if she slapped her own name on a parrot, I wouldn't have a single complaint.
Who'd want to mess with a job paying nearly 20k a month?
Just raising chickens, playing with birds—the boss keeps her hands off, doesn't say much. It's pure bliss, a breeze.
"Alright, I'll take good care of them for you."
"Mm-hmm."
Another ten days passed…
Ye Zhen learned from the technician that the birds had picked up some new skills, so she hurried over to take a look.
"They're picking up speech so fast! The cockatiel already sings the lunch break song played at the factory, and the big parrot can say 'hello,' 'thank you,' and 'I love you'!"
The veteran technician marveled.
"And it's not just talking they've learned…"
He pointed at Xuanfeng.
He took out a hundred-yuan bill, crumpled it, and tossed it far away.
Xuanfeng's eyes lit up. He quickly hopped down from his perch, grabbed the bill in his beak, and bounced over to the old technician's feet, dropping it there.
Still young and unable to fly, it was remarkably agile on its feet.
Ye Zhen was stunned: "It picks up money!"
"Yes! But it's pretty crafty—it only picks up hundred-yuan bills. If you toss a fifty or a ten, it won't even glance at them."
Ye Zhen couldn't help but hold her forehead: "Really?"
Hey, don't be so picky, will you!
Is it really okay for a mere bird to be so picky? Why don't you pick up even a single yuan for me?
Then she immediately asked, "What about that big parrot? Does it have any special skills?"
"It steals things."
Ye Zhen: "……?"
"It steals every cookie, candy, and snack it sees from that cabinet over there. Doesn't even eat them—just hides them all in its nest."
Ye Zhen pressed her forehead again: "That's something."
Their daily routine was perched on the pole, bobbing their heads. Whenever they spotted Ye Zhen, they'd flap their wings and chirp "cheep cheep cheep."
Even though Ye Zhen wasn't the one feeding or caring for them, they were incredibly cunning. They could tell Ye Zhen was the boss around here and deliberately tried to win her favor.
Ye Zhen reached out, stroked them, and smiled.
Under their expectant gazes, hoping for more attention, she turned and walked away.
New Year's Eve was drawing near.
Ye Zhen thought it was time to head to the supermarket and stock up on holiday supplies.
…
Downtown Nancheng.
Zhao Mengde drove Ye Zhen to the bustling commercial district.
"Wow, this traffic is terrible!"
Miss Zhao was nearly driven to curse at the gridlock.
"We might as well get out and take a shared bike—they'd probably be here by now."
Ye Zhen chuckled. "Riding a shared bike in minus two degrees? Miss Zhao, you're brave."
"You're kidding, right? I'm super brave, okay? Once, I was in twenty-degree below zero weather wearing only a bikini…"
Here we go again.
The daily bragging of a retired mercenary.
Ye Zhen sighed, propping her chin up.
The car's heater was making her drowsy. After yawning, she closed her eyes to rest.
…
Meanwhile.
South City Bus Station.
Passengers carrying backpacks and suitcases disembarked.
Ye Fuli, who had repeatedly told herself to be sensible and not cause trouble, ultimately couldn't resist. Once again, she arrived in this city, suitcase in hand.
Standing amidst the bustling crowd, she gazed into the hazy distance and exhaled.
"I'm just going to see her! I won't bother her… As long as she doesn't know I came, it's as if I never did."
Having silently set this rule for herself, Ye Fuli resolutely set off toward Mondstadt Academy.
But halfway there, she halted.
"Wait—the academy's on break now!"
"She won't be at the academy."
"Then where should I look for her?"
The thought left Ye Fuli feeling suddenly defeated.
She only had Ye Zhen's contact information, and that number probably wouldn't work anymore—after all, Ye Zhen hadn't replied to her in over a year.
She felt a pang of regret.
She should have mustered the courage that day to ask for "Ye Zhen's" contact information.
"Now I have two options. One is to wait near Mondstadt Academy, hoping she'll show up. The other is to go find her myself."
The skill of locating someone within a defined area remained vividly present in Ye Fuli's mind, never forgotten.
She checked into a nearby hotel.
As she opened her laptop to begin the task, fragmented memories began flashing through her mind.
Her movements halted.
The cherished, carefully preserved fragments of her memories began to be torn apart by brutal, painful ones.
She saw Ye Zhen crying and cursing in her arms, saw Ye Zhen's face covered in scars, saw Ye Zhen standing by the barred window in shackles, her smile twisted into a grimace…
A searing headache forced even Ye Fuli—a woman of extraordinary endurance—to groan softly.
Her hands trembled as she clutched her head, gasping for breath.
"No, no… How could I have done such a thing… No!!!"
Ye Fuli lost consciousness from the agony.
Her body slowly collapsed to the floor.
When she awoke again, she dared not touch the computer or search for Ye Zhen's whereabouts.
She hugged her knees, silently weeping.
Her head had struck the sharp edge of the desk as she fell, bleeding profusely.
Yet the physical pain from the blow paled in comparison to the overwhelming agony of her memories resurfacing.
"Did I really do those things? I… I… How could I possibly…"
Ye Fuli covered her face, hiding the terror in her eyes.
"I can't see her again. She wouldn't want to see me!"
She desperately wanted to convince herself it was all a nightmare.
But what nightmare felt this real?
Ye Fuli sat motionless in the empty room for days, refusing even a drop of water.
She admitted that losing those memories would make her life easier.
But without those memories, would she truly still be herself?
Ye Fuli was an intensely stubborn person. She disliked using lies and illusions to gloss over reality. She would rather die in agony than not recover those memories completely.
What could she do…
At the very least, she had to find Ye Zhen and have a serious, face-to-face conversation with her!
"At the very least, let me know what exactly happened between Ye Zhen and me."
"If I did something utterly unforgivable…"
"Then let me pay with my life, and let her cut me into a thousand pieces!"
She slowly stood up, trying to sit back down at the computer.
Her legs buckled, and she fell once more.
Her gaze fell on her backpack. Trembling, she reached out, opened it, and frantically grabbed a packet of instant noodles. She tore open the wrapper, bit off a chunk of the noodle block, and chewed it forcefully.
The dry, hard noodle cake scraped against every corner of her mouth.
The forceful motion even tore at the corner of her mouth.
Gaining a little strength, she twisted open the cap of a cold mineral water bottle and gulped down a large mouthful of cool water.
"I, Ye Fuli, will never die in debt!"