Chapter 163: Friendship About to Turn Sour!
The moment Jiang Nini came into view, Ye Fuli was instantly transported back to the tangled web of past lives and unresolved grievances between them.
She had once considered Jiang Nini a friend.
Jiang Nini knew how to play to people's strengths, skilled at using subtle tactics to win hearts and minds. These tactics had indeed propelled her to great success.
Before leaving campus, Jiang Nini had already earned titles like "campus beauty."
She wasn't the most beautiful girl in school—there were plenty prettier than her—but those prettier girls didn't have the same popularity she enjoyed.
Ye Fuli narrowed her eyes at her.
If this were the pre-amnesia version of herself, seeing Jiang Nini here would have made her first instinct to find a secluded corner and break every finger on that hand skilled at stealing others' belongings, then sew shut that mouth adept at slandering others with needles!
But now…
Ye Fuli forced herself to suppress every ounce of her anger at the thought of how terrified and disgusted Ye Zhen would be if she acted on it.
Sigh.
There was no other way. Ye Fuli wanted to become someone Ye Zhen could mention without fear.
The most crucial change needed was in how she treated others.
Ye Fuli slowly withdrew her gaze and pressed her fingers firmly against her temples.
She made up her mind: if Jiang Nini came here solely for work, earning money through clean means, then she would let go of the past…
But if she still harbored ulterior motives…
At that thought, Ye Fuli couldn't help but snort again.
For Ye Zhen's sake, she would ensure the other woman's death wasn't too painful.
…
At the dinner table.
Ye Dad proudly showed Ye Fuli the big fish he'd caught.
"Twenty pounds! It put up a fierce fight—almost dragged me into the river. Only with the security guards' help, several of them yanking on the rod together, did we manage to subdue it…"
Ye Fuli couldn't care less about such stories.
But she pretended to be very interested, listening quietly as Ye Dad talked about his favorite things, occasionally nodding her head.
At that very moment.
In the adjacent recreation room, Jiang Nini, who tended to Ye Dad's goldfish, also listened intently to his words.
Until today, her understanding of Ye Dad had come solely from the intelligence gathered by Bai Ruoting.
She knew that information was unreliable.
Therefore, she needed to adapt on the fly, using her own eyes and ears to gather more intelligence.
"Oh, by the way, kid, I need to introduce you to someone."
Ye Dad stood up and beckoned Jiang Nini over from the recreation room.
"This is Jiang Nini. She'll be staying with us for a while, helping Dad tend to the fish and flowers."
That was the official line.
But Jiang Nini was certain that if Ye Fuli said, "I don't like this person. I don't need her in our home," Ye Dad would kick her out.
She'd seen it during dinner—Ye Fu Li held immense importance in Ye Dad's heart.
Jiang Nini sighed inwardly.
She buried her head low, saying nothing.
At a time like this, speaking more only led to more mistakes!
It was best to say nothing at all, minimizing Ye Fuli's attention on her.
Ye Fuli stared at her expressionlessly and said, "Such a minor matter doesn't need to be reported to Dad. I'm full now. I'll go upstairs to rest."
Yes.
She truly disliked Jiang Nini as a person and had no need for her staying in the house.
But what did it matter whether she liked her or not?
Ye Dad respected her affection for Ye Zhen, so she could respect Ye Dad's choice of domestic help.
Respect was mutual.
The foundation for maintaining harmonious relationships is respecting each other.
This was a lesson Ye Zhen had once taught her, but she hadn't taken it seriously…
Watching Ye Fuli's retreating figure, Jiang Nini secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Though she could sense Ye Fuli's dislike, even disgust, toward her, at least Ye Fuli didn't take her seriously and had let her off the hook.
The first step of her plan to infiltrate the Ye family had succeeded.
She was itching to stir up some trouble tonight!
But why was she so sleepy?
Jiang Nini yawned and rubbed her eyes.
Not only was she tired, but she felt incredibly hungry too. She had eaten two huge bowls of noodles before coming here—how could she be hungry already?
No way—I'll sneak into the kitchen later and grab something else!
……
…
Upstairs.
Ye Fuli sat in her room, staring blankly at the night view outside the window.
After a long silence.
She pulled out her phone and sent Zhao Mengde a message, inquiring about Ye Zhen's situation.
Zhao Mengde: Huh? She's doing just fine.
Ye Fuli: What I want to know isn't just "she's fine."
On the other end of the screen, Zhao Mengde scratched her head and pondered for a moment.
Then, decisively, she typed.
"You've got a lot of rivals! No need to count them all—there are over a hundred. Each one is gorgeous, comes from a wealthy family, and is gentle and considerate, completely devoted to Zhenzhen~ If you don't chase after her day and night, you'll lose all your competitive edge in no time."
Ye Fuli felt her heart skip several beats.
She took a deep breath, struggling to suppress her rising frustration.
Then, her hands trembling, she messaged Zhao Mengde: "Is this how you handle the work I assigned you? Can you be of any use at all?!"
Zhao Mengde: "I can, but I'm not Superman. With so many competitors, even if I assassinated them one by one, it'd take months. Can you wait that long?"
Oh boy.
That hit the nail right on the head.
Ye Fuli couldn't wait, nor did she dare to wait.
She knew that the Ye Zhen of today—smart, beautiful, and immensely popular—didn't have to choose her, Ye Fuli!
But she couldn't live without Ye Zhen.
Ye Fuli gritted her teeth. "Are you trying to make me pay more?"
Zhao Mengde: "Not exactly… though I'd be tempted."
Ye Fuli snapped, "What exactly do you want?"
On the other end of the screen, Zhao Mengde couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Ye Fuli's frantic and helpless state.
Hehehe~
Serves you right, Ye Fuli. You finally got what's coming to you.
Zhao Mengde forced himself to suppress his schadenfreude and replied with feigned seriousness: "You need to take the initiative. It's for your own good… Here's the deal: it's trendy now to give girls a thousand paper cranes and a thousand little stars. Start by making a thousand of each."
Ye Fuli: "?"
At that moment, Ye Fuli's rational mind told her that Zhao Mengde had ulterior motives. This suggestion was purely tormenting her and wouldn't be of much use.
Immediately after, Zhao Mengde sent a series of WeChat mini-essays: "Men will fall silent reading this, women will shed tears," "He won back his beloved with just this one move," "The little things in love—have you noticed them?"…
Ye Fuli: "?"
Alright, her rational mind told her this was pure nonsense.
But her fingers couldn't resist tapping open those essays, skimming through them at lightning speed.
After a while.
Ye Fuli sent a message: "I won't do these things."
"Whatever, suit yourself!"
Zhao Mengde closed the chat window and didn't tease her any further.
At that moment, Ye Zhen sat under the desk lamp in the dormitory, working on the homework assigned just that day.
The room was quiet.
But Ye Zhen was the only one studying diligently.
Lu Chengcheng had already taken leave to go home, while Wang Xiaoya and Qiao Xin kept stealing glances at Ye Zhen from time to time.
What to do?
Her little-sister-like roommate was just so adorable…
Earlier, when they said they had feelings for Zhenzhen, it might have been a joke. But now, they genuinely felt a flutter in their hearts.
Who wouldn't like a diligent, ambitious, and adorable little loli?
"Zhenzhen, seriously, can I pursue you?" Wang Xiaoya blurted out first, dropping a bombshell: "You've turned me gay. I've lost interest in even the hottest male escorts."
"I want to pursue Zhenzhen too," Qiao Xin chimed in immediately. "I admit it—I'm bi."
As for Ye Zhen, she was taken aback by the two of them.
"What are you doing?! Is our friendship turning sour?"