Chapter 185: That Look on Your Face Like You're Being Rewarded
Ye Zhen had no idea how she ended up lying on the bed.
Her legs must have given out. She'd just found a spot to lie down and collapsed.
She immediately buried her face in the pillow.
"Damn it, for the sake of world peace, I've sacrificed way too much! Damn system, I refuse to accept this! I'm filing a complaint—demand a raise!"
[Host, are you serious?]
"Of course I am! Look at my mouth… it's all chapped!"
[Host, you clearly have a rewarded expression. Why pretend to be so self-sacrificing? Admitting you're tempted isn't shameful. After all, in this world, the most dazzling charm aura belongs to this leading lady.]
"Shut up, you dog system."
Ye Zhen refused to back down.
"I never liked Ye Fuli. I didn't like her before, and I like her even less now."
[Ah, right, right…]
Bickering with the dog system was pointless anyway.
Ye Zhen felt the system had completely misunderstood her as its host.
She was clearly scared out of her wits, yet it stubbornly insisted it was "heart-fluttering." Where could she even go to argue that point?
Fortunately, after getting a mouthful, Ye Fuli didn't do anything else out of line. Instead, she obediently went to the small room next door and started handling the backlog of company affairs.
Ye Zhen naturally had no intention of paying her any mind.
"Exams are coming up soon. I've fallen so far behind in my studies! I need to get back to reviewing."
"Oh, and I need to check on how Senior Liu and the others are doing with their game."
"And I need to check in with the chicken farm master to see if my parrots have lost weight."
…
The night passed peacefully between them.
Ye Fuli took her medicine on time and didn't stay up late. When it was nearly bedtime, she went to sleep.
However, she didn't sleep beside Ye Zhen.
Not because she didn't want to, but…
Seeing Ye Zhen's "death of a horse" sleeping posture was simply too much to bear.
Even after she'd carefully adjusted Ye Zhen's position, she'd soon end up sprawled all over the place again.
"This bed is too small."
Ye Fuli stroked the bed she'd barely slept in, letting out a soft sigh before immediately quelling the restlessness spreading through her heart.
"Small is small. It won't be used much anyway."
Watching Ye Zhen sleep so peacefully, Ye Fuli always marveled at how terrifying human greed could be.
What began as "I just want to watch her" quickly turned into "I want to touch her hand," and soon after, "I want a kiss"…
She had thought a single kiss would be enough to satisfy her heart.
But the truth was, Ye Fuli wanted more!
Once those awful thoughts entered her mind, they churned relentlessly, urging her to act on them.
She had to fight hard to suppress those distracting thoughts.
The thought that Ye Zhen might change her mind out of pity made Ye Fuli's heart ache even more.
What she wanted least of all was pity from others.
Pity was not love.
Ye Zhen slept until noon before waking.
Not seeing Ye Fuli upon waking, she genuinely panicked for a moment and hurriedly got out of bed.
Just as she was about to push open the door, she saw Ye Fuli carrying a lunchbox, coming up the stairs.
She hadn't missed the look of panic on Ye Zhen's face.
Ye Zhen quickly composed herself, but still cleared her throat unnaturally twice. She pretended to be busy, adjusting her skirt hem one moment and her hair the next.
Ye Fuli's lips curved upward, seeing through it but saying nothing.
"Eat something first. I need your help later—change my bandages."
Ye Zhen took the lunch box, secretly worried this might be breakfast made by a seriously ill patient… which would make her feel incredibly guilty.
Ye Fuli casually mentioned, "Not me. My hands are wrapped in bandages—can't get them wet."
Ye Zhen muttered, "Oh, I knew it…"
"You want something I made?"
Ye Zhen shook her head decisively. "No, no, no. I don't want that at all."
"Good, glad you don't."
"Yeah, yeah, I don't want it."
Downstairs.
Ye Dad listened to the sounds coming from the second-floor hallway, his mood complicated.
Listening to their conversation, he sensed tension between them. Yet observing their expressions and interactions, he also detected an unusually close bond.
Ye Dad admitted he was out of touch with the times, unable to fathom what young people today were thinking.
Just then, Jiang Nini brought over a cup of tea and placed it before Ye Dad.
"Uncle, have some tea."
Hearing her voice, Ye Dad remembered he still needed to deal with this person.
He didn't touch the cup of tea, only saying, "Jiang Nini, don't rush off just yet. Sit down. Let's talk."
Seeing the stern look on Ye Dad's face, Jiang Nini felt a sense of foreboding.
Nevertheless, she forced a smile and sat down. "Uncle, whatever it is, please tell me."
"I'll pay you double this month's salary. Starting next month, you won't need to come to work anymore."
Mr. Ye said, pulling out an envelope he'd prepared earlier and handing it over.
"Additionally, regarding the harm my daughter caused you, we can discuss compensation. As her father, I will take full responsibility."
The Ye family wasn't short on money, but Ye Dad didn't want his daughter to be subject to gossip.
What he didn't know was one thing, but what he did know, he would handle properly.
Jiang Nini stared expressionlessly at the thick envelope.
Her plump hand dug into the hem of her skirt.
Trying to send her away?
No way. This measly sum was supposed to send her packing?
Jiang Nini took a deep breath, offered a faint smile, and said, "Uncle, may I ask where I fell short? If you're dismissing me like this, I ought to know the reason."
"You…"
To be fair, Ye Dad couldn't pinpoint any mistakes in her work.
He was a reasonable man, but his very adherence to reason often complicated simple matters.
"Your work wasn't the problem."
The moment Ye Dad uttered those words, Jiang Nini promptly shed two tears.
She knelt before Ye Dad with a thud.
She was so overweight now that her knees hit the floor with a dull thud. Jiang Nini hadn't expected that even with her carefully measured force, it would still hurt so much!
Her face twisted in pain for a moment.
Ye Dad was startled. "What are you doing?"
"Uncle, please don't fire me! If I lose my job, my parents will force me to marry some old bachelor in the village. I don't want to… I don't want to get married! I want to study! I'm working to pay for my education, Uncle!"
"Then I'll find you another job. Get up now."
Ye Dad's expression darkened.
He instinctively reached out, intending to help her up, but then hesitated, doubting he had the strength. Embarrassed, he withdrew his hand.
"Uncle… in my condition, I won't find any decent work. Please don't fire me. I'll work even harder from now on!"
"Uncle, don't fire me."
"If you fire me, I… I won't be able to go on living. Waaah."
Jiang Nini truly had no qualms about losing face. She immediately began banging her head against the ground in front of Ye Dad, making loud thuds.
She knew Ye Dad had a gentle temperament and a strong sense of morality.
With someone like him, once you put him on a moral high ground, he couldn't back down.
Just as Ye Dad was torn between choices, Ye Fuli, who had entered the room not long ago, pushed the door open again and stepped out.
She stood in the hallway, observing the scene downstairs, silent for a long while.
"What a stubborn, thick-skinned pest."
After a moment's thought, Ye Fuli took out her phone and called a manager handling company operations in Africa.
"Yeah, it's me. Still short-handed at the mining site, right? Hmm…"
Wanting a job? That's easy enough.
Ye Fuli had considered stuffing the person straight into a sack, but decided against it, fearing it might frighten Ye Zhen. Instead, she chose to show mercy this once.
Let Jiang Nini go develop herself in Africa.
As long as she worked as hard as she did at the Ye household, earning money wouldn't be a problem…