Chapter 187: Too Caring to Say It
The Bai Residence.
Ever since Bai Ruoting returned, the Bai household had descended into utter chaos.
The hot-tempered Bai Ruoting found fault with everyone. Every day, he either smashed things, beat up bodyguards, or harassed the young Filipino maids.
Within just a few days, several female maids had already quit.
Bored and depressed, Bai Ruoting felt utterly lost.
He knew his reputation had hit rock bottom, but he was still the heir to the Bai family—the young master Bai!
How could they look down on him like this?
"Grandfather, I want to get married. Arrange a match for me now, Grandfather."
At that moment, he was pestering Old Master Bai, demanding something the old man had never agreed to before.
Old Master Bai pulled out a handkerchief and covered his nose.
Frowning, he looked at Bai Ruoting, who was beaming with excitement.
"What on earth have you gotten yourself into now?"
Bai Ruoting snorted. "I've made up my mind—I want to get married and have children! Grandpa, with a business empire this vast, we can't let it go without an heir. You'd better find me several potential partners…"
Such a vast family business?
Ever since he was old enough to understand, Bai Ruoting had constantly repeated these words.
But hearing them now, Old Master Bai found it utterly absurd, nearly wanting to give him a couple whacks with his cane.
"You reckless fool! Do you have any idea our family is on the brink of bankruptcy?"
"Bankrupt? Ha! Grandpa, don't try to fool me."
Bai Ruoting knew full well how much business the Bai family had snatched back while Ye Fuli was hospitalized.
"Not to mention, Uncle Wang and the others—haven't they all agreed to partner with us and invest in our company?"
Hearing this, Old Master Bai let out a laugh.
It wasn't a smile of joy, but a bitter one.
"Yes! They all partnered with us, but the result was…" Grinding his teeth at the outcome, Old Master Bai continued, "The result was that their companies suffered retaliation from the Ye Corporation. Their stock prices plummeted, and they lost massive amounts of orders!"
Now they were struggling to survive themselves and couldn't offer the Bai family any further assistance.
Moreover, having been implicated by the Bai family, they harbored considerable resentment toward them.
Bai Ruoting stared blankly at his grandfather, his brow furrowing deeper by the second.
At that moment, he finally remembered the pawn he had placed within the Ye family—Jiang Nini.
It had been so long since he'd been in touch—wondered how she was doing?
Anyway, since he couldn't attract any high-caliber girls right now, he might as well invite Jiang Nini out to chat about life goals.
Unfortunately, after several attempts, her phone remained switched off.
By evening, he finally got through, only to be met not with Jiang Nini's usual soft voice and flattery, but a barrage of scolding right from the start.
After hanging up, Jiang Nini immediately blocked Bai Ruoting's number.
On the other end, Bai Ruoting froze for a long moment before registering what had happened.
"Jiang Nini, you bitch! How dare you… how dare you curse at me! Don't let me catch you, or I'll make you pay with your life!"
…
…
The Ye residence.
It was family dinner time.
Ye Fuli had slept for a full day and night and finally awoke. Her body felt much lighter, and the uneven wounds had smoothed out considerably.
She was astonished that a mere cream could achieve such results!
She wondered where Ye Zhen had even gotten such a thing.
At the same time, she felt a bit worried, fearing Ye Zhen might leak this information and bring trouble upon herself.
However, given Ye Fuli's current position, it was inconvenient to voice these concerns and questions.
Ye Zhen's willingness to let her use such items was already an immense favor. To question her further would be utterly tactless.
After dinner, Ye Fuli suggested taking Ye Zhen out for a walk and buying her a farewell gift.
"No need for gifts! Just treat me to meals in the future." Ye Zhen glanced at Zhao Mengde. "Are you done eating? We should be going."
Zhao Mengde set down the chicken bone he was holding and nodded. "Alright!"
As they prepared to leave, Ye Dad couldn't help but glance at Ye Fuli several times, hoping she would say something.
But Ye Fuli said nothing, merely lowering her head to sip her soup, seemingly unconcerned.
This left Ye Dad feeling a bit bewildered.
Could it be… he'd misread the situation?
Was there really nothing special between them? Just friends?
No, Ye Fuli had said it herself—she wanted to be with Ye Zhen.
Only after Ye Zhen's car had grown distant did Ye Fuli lower her spoon, her face a picture of utter despair.
"I'm full."
"You only had a couple sips of soup?" Ye Dad sighed helplessly. "How are you supposed to get better like that?"
"I just don't have an appetite."
Ye Fuli tugged at the corners of her mouth, as if trying to smile, but it looked worse than crying.
"I'm going to bed."
She stood up and staggered upstairs.
Seeing her like this, Ye Dad knew full well she wasn't indifferent. She cared deeply, but dared not show it.
Recalling how bold and outspoken Ye Fuli used to be, then seeing her current state, Ye Dad let out a long sigh.
Was this a good thing, or a bad thing?
Never mind.
Young people's affairs—it was fine to meddle a little, but meddling too much would only alienate both sides. Better to stay out of it.
…
On the way back to Nancheng.
Zhao Mengde briefly discussed the company's situation with her, emphasizing his meticulous work ethic. His goal was clear: he wanted Ye Zhen to give him a raise, and ideally, some bonus money too.
"Are you seriously thinking of buying an island?" Ye Zhen couldn't help asking.
"Not at all," Zhao Mengde immediately protested. "I just want a house."
"How big of a house could possibly warrant such relentless effort?"
This question stumped Zhao Mengde.
Zhao Mengde chuckled and said, "Not too big, really. Just over a thousand square meters would be perfect! But it absolutely has to have an ocean view and be in a really lively area."
Ye Zhen: "…"
A seaside villa over a thousand square meters, huh.
Well, that's a grand dream.
After arriving in South City, Ye Zhen didn't head straight back to school. Instead, she made her way to the chicken farm in the suburbs to check on the two parrots.
Every time she came here, it was late at night.
Ye Zhen pushed open the door to her small room.
Perched on the windowsill shelf, the two parrots bobbed their heads. Spotting Ye Zhen, they flapped their wings excitedly.
"Good evening, boss!"
"Hello, boss!"
Both of them had learned to speak and could pronounce "Hello, boss!" with perfect clarity.
Ye Zhen nodded with satisfaction, reaching out to ruffle their feathers before tossing them some nuts.
"Ye Zhen."
Upon hearing Ye Zhen had returned, Jiang Zao, who had already gone to bed, put on her coat and came over to see her.
Ye Zhen turned to look at her. "What is it?"
Jiang Zao wouldn't come looking for her unless it was important—she wouldn't even initiate conversation otherwise, just diligently doing her work.
Jiang Zao hesitated for a moment before pulling something from her pocket and handing it to Ye Zhen.
"What is it?"
"A thank-you gift."
Jiang Zao opened the reddish-brown square box to reveal an exquisitely crafted diamond hairpin inside.
"Thank you, Ye Zhen, for giving me this job opportunity. Without you, I would have…"
Her eyes lowered slightly as her voice trailed off.
"I hope Ye Zhen won't find this gift distasteful."
After placing the gift down, she immediately stepped back out.
Staring at the diamond hairpin glistening under the light, Ye Zhen remained silent for a long while.
She never felt she had done anything for Jiang Zao, nor had she ever expected anything in return.
As for friendship…?
As she’d said before, the moment she pried open the door to Room 404, the possibility of them ever becoming friends vanished.
Therefore, Ye Zhen had no intention of accepting this token of gratitude.
"I'll return it to her before school tomorrow."
Ye Zhen quickly set the matter aside.
The following days were consumed by exam preparations, her routine confined to the cafeteria, study hall, and classrooms.
She hadn't been back to her dorm in quite some time.
In the classroom.
Wang Xiaoya, Qiao Xin, and Lu Chengcheng sat in the front row, while Ye Zhen always occupied the back row.
Due to family matters, Lu Chengcheng hadn't been to school for a while either.
Now, hearing Wang Xiaoya and Qiao Xin mention their previous attempts to pursue Ye Zhen, she was taken aback.
"You two are way out of line! That's just bullying her for being so honest!"
Wang Xiaoya looked ashamed. "I realized I've genuinely fallen for her. Since she hasn't been at school, I haven't been able to enjoy my meals…"
Qiao Xin sighed and remained silent.
Truthfully, her heart felt hollow too.
Her earlier pursuit had been partly driven by peer pressure, but now, she harbored genuine feelings.
The thought of her roommate becoming a romantic rival left Qiao Xin feeling conflicted.
"Cut it out, okay?" Lu Chengcheng said sternly. "Zhenzhen has already rejected both of you. Stop bothering her."
Qiao Xin muttered under her breath, "She didn't reject me. She only rejected Xiaoya."
Wang Xiaoya shot her a glare, protesting indignantly, "I'm already studying my hardest! This time, I'll definitely do well on the exam and show Zhenzhen."
"You two…"
Watching her two unreliable roommates, Lu Chengcheng felt nothing but a headache.
The bell rang.
Just as Ye Zhen was about to leave, Qiao Xin suddenly jumped up and rushed after her, leaving her two roommates unable to stop her.
"Zhenzhen, wait—wait a minute!"
Hearing the voice behind her, Ye Zhen instinctively turned to look.
Qiao Xin had rushed out so hastily that she twisted her ankle, stumbling and seemingly about to crash right into Ye Zhen.
From this angle…
Ye Zhen's face drained of color.
"Miss Mengde! Quick!!"
Before they collided, Zhao Mengde sprinted forward, grabbed Qiao Xin by the collar, and pulled her up.
Though Zhao Mengde was a stunningly beautiful older woman, she was also exceptionally tall and sturdy, towering over many men.
She looked down at Qiao Xin with a smug grin.
"Hmph. For this one mistake, Ye Fuli will owe me at least a hundred thousand yuan in compensation…"