Chapter 186: I'm About to Apply Your Ointment
"What?!"
Jiang Nini's face drained of color in sheer terror, momentarily forgetting to feign composure.
Unmasked shock and fury simultaneously erupted across her round, bun-like face, making her look terrifyingly fierce.
"Work in Africa? No, I refuse!"
Ye Fuli, however, remained expressionless.
She sat down on the sofa across from Jiang Nini, holding a cup of coffee.
By now, Ye's father had already left. In the vast living room, only Ye Fuli and Jiang Nini remained.
Ye Fuli always wore this composed expression, looking at everyone as if they were mere ants.
"There's nothing wrong with it, Jiang Nini. Ah, rather than saying there's nothing wrong, it's more accurate to say this is the best arrangement I can think of for you."
She let out a soft chuckle.
Her gaze toward Jiang Nini took on a deeply meaningful quality.
"After all, my original plan was to stuff you into a sack, tie stones to you, and toss you into the sea."
Jiang Nini felt a chill run through her body.
She even suspected the reason the other hadn't done so was probably because they couldn't find a sack big enough to hold her.
A long silence followed.
Jiang Nini suddenly laughed.
"Ye Fuli, I won't follow your arrangements. I'm not going to Africa."
"Oh, what if I insist you go?"
Their eyes locked.
Looking into those icy eyes, despair began to grow wildly within Jiang Nini like weeds.
Jiang Nini pursed her lips and let out a hollow chuckle. "Then I'll die in your house. Or jump off the roof of your Ye Group building."
The air grew icy for several seconds.
Ye Fuli set down her cup and sighed.
She didn't mind another death in her household.
To her, the death of a person or a rat made no difference.
Just haul the body away quickly and scrub the floor clean.
As for the rooftop of Ye Group, it wasn't exactly accessible to just anyone like Jiang Nini. Did she think the access control system was just for show?
But she truly despised this self-destructive fool, and the urge to beat her senseless was nearly overwhelming.
"Ha! I have nothing left to lose anyway." Jiang Nini laughed until her eyes reddened, her expression growing increasingly deranged. "My beloved is ruined! I did so much for him, just to become his wife, but look what he's become…"
The mere thought of Bai Ruoting's current state filled Jiang Nini with revulsion.
Her stomach churned violently!
Only now did she realize she was utterly obsessed with looks.
All those nights, all that endurance—she'd endured it all by staring at Bai Ruoting's once-handsome face!
Now, Bai Ruoting had become this…
She wanted to kill him, to cut him into a thousand pieces, to console her lost youth and innocence.
"I couldn't care less about your romantic history. Save your pitying tales for someone else." Ye Fuli stood up and stepped toward her.
Just as she was about to grab Jiang Nini's arm, Jiang Nini shoved her violently and turned to run.
However, her current weight made movement extremely cumbersome. After running just a few steps, she stumbled and fell into a pile of grass in the Ye family courtyard.
Watching her disheveled retreat, Ye Fuli shook her head.
"Once you're in Africa, you'd better lose some weight."
……
……
Several days later.
All the wounds on Ye Fuli's body had scabbed over, and it was time to remove the bandages.
She sat calmly on the bed, dismissing all the medical staff except for Ye Zhen.
"Ye Zhen, you help me remove them."
Ye Fuli closed her eyes.
She was trying to appear composed, but her weak voice betrayed her.
"Ye Zhen, if you're afraid, you can leave anytime."
Standing behind her, Ye Zhen had already retrieved the cream she'd secretly stashed away earlier.
Ye Zhen placed the cream in front of Ye Fuli and repeated the words she had previously shared with Jiang Zao.
"Whether you use it or not is entirely up to you, Ye Fuli. I won't force you."
"Whatever you give me, even if it's poison, I'll accept it."
Ye Fuli said this, raising an eyebrow and smiling. "Actually, I'd rather you had given me poison."
Dying by your hand, Ye Zhen, would be rather pleasant, Ye Fuli couldn't help thinking morbidly.
Ye Zhen rolled her eyes. "You may want to die, but I certainly don't! Killing someone comes with consequences, Miss Ye Fuli."
"Heh, true enough."
Dying together would probably be quite pleasant too, Ye Fuli couldn't help thinking morbidly once more.
But that thought didn't linger for long.
After spending so much time together, Ye Fuli had learned to discern which words would upset Ye Zhen, and which would make her defensive or even fearful.
And those words, Ye Fuli would never utter again.
While removing the bandages, Ye Zhen had been as careful as possible.
But inevitably, she touched a wound that hadn't fully healed, causing a few drops of blood to appear.
Ye Fuli's brow furrowed, though she did not cry out in pain.
"I'm about to apply the ointment. It might sting," Ye Zhen warned, scooping a dollop of cream with her finger and holding it up for Ye Fuli to see.
A thin sheen of cold sweat glistened on Ye Fuli's forehead.
She pressed her lips together and said, "Go ahead."
The white ointment spread over the reddish-brown scar, gradually smoothed out by her fingers.
Even though she'd braced herself, Ye Fuli still let out a muffled groan of pain.
Cold sweat poured down her forehead!
This wasn't the "might hurt a bit" Ye Zhen had mentioned—it was excruciating, bone-piercing pain.
Ye Fuli gripped the bedrail tightly, making it creak.
"Are you… still okay?"
Seeing her drenched in cold sweat, Ye Zhen hesitated to continue.
The system informed her this was a normal reaction.
The more severe the damage requiring repair, the more intense the pain would be.
"Continue."
Ye Fuli took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"Ye Zhen, I've already died once. This pain is nothing."
Ye Zhen, holding the cream, felt her heart tremble.
But apart from this method, no other means could restore Ye Fuli's appearance to its former state.
"Ye Fuli, stop talking about death all the time. Dying is easy; living is the hard part." Ye Zhen sighed softly as she spoke. "I don't know what others might think, but I want you to live."
It was rare for her to say such things to Ye Fuli.
She wondered if this stubborn girl, who never listened to anyone, would actually heed her words.
Ye Fuli lowered her eyes, offering no reply.
"I need to continue, Ye Fuli. Bear with it."
Each touch of her fingers against the skin sent shivers of pain through Ye Fuli. By the time the medicine was applied all over her body, Ye Fuli had already fainted from the agony, her bedsheets torn to shreds.
Ye Zhen rebandaged her wounds, dressed her, and tucked the blanket around her.
She sat by Ye Fuli's bedside for a long time.
Only when darkness had fully settled did Ye Zhen rise and leave the room.
She walked down the hallway, descended the stairs, and entered the first-floor lobby.
"Uncle, I plan to return to school."
Ye Dad, who was watering the plants, looked up at her. "It's so late already… Why not leave tomorrow?"
Ye Zhen shook her head.
The next time she would need to apply medicine to Ye Fuli would be in half a month.
During this period, Ye Zhen still intended to prioritize her studies.
"I've already arranged for a car to pick me up. Thank you for taking care of me and Ye Fuli all this time, Uncle. I need to prepare for my exams now."
As she spoke, Zhao Mengde had already pressed the doorbell at the Ye residence.
After not seeing him for a while, Zhao Mengde's chest had visibly broadened again—perhaps he'd also learned to use padding.
Upon seeing Ye Zhen, she deliberately puffed out her chest and raised an eyebrow, as if flaunting something.
Ye Zhen thought, This is just too much to watch!
Was this girl a bodyguard or a treasure?
"And this is…?" Ye Dad looked at the tall, imposing Zhao Mengde with surprise. "She, you, you two…"
Could this be his daughter's love rival?
The thought sent a wave of panic through Ye Dad, especially when he considered his poor daughter.
This absolutely couldn't happen!
If Ye Fuli found out her rival had come to the house openly and taken Ye Zhen away overnight, wouldn't she go crazy on the spot?
No, no—he had to find a way to keep Ye Zhen from leaving tonight.
At the very least, they had to wait until Ye Fuli woke up tomorrow. Then she could personally see Ye Zhen off, properly thank her, and fulfill all the necessary courtesies.
"Ugh."
Ye Dad suddenly clutched his chest and slowly sank to his knees.
"Oh dear, my heart feels… a bit uncomfortable…"
Seeing Ye Dad crouch down, Ye Zhen panicked and rushed forward to support his arm. "Uncle, what's wrong? Do you have any medicine? Where is it?"
Ye Dad managed to say, "It's just an old ailment. Nothing serious."
He pointed toward the medicine cabinet nearby.
"Over there. Not sure if there's anything in it."
Zhao Mengde hurried over to rummage through the first-aid kit.
But after rummaging for a while, he couldn't find any medicine.
Ye Zhen had no choice but to help her father lie down on the sofa.
"I'm so sorry, kid, for troubling you again," Ye Dad said, his face full of guilt. "I'll just rest for a bit. If you need to go, you should go ahead."
Ye Zhen and Zhao Mengde exchanged glances.
Ye Fuli was still unconscious and needed constant care. With Ye Dad now ill too, how could Ye Zhen possibly leave?
Though not her biological father, he had treated her with the care and affection of a true parent. These past days, whatever Ye Fuli had, Ye Zhen had too. Most meals were prepared to suit her tastes.
Such kindness was impossible for Ye Zhen to ignore.
Of course, there was a housekeeper in the household, but… she remained an outsider, and Ye Zhen never felt entirely at ease.
"Uncle, get some rest. I'll stay with you tonight."