Chapter 190: Single Girl, What's Wrong with This?
Nanjing City.
Ye Fuli's car pulled up smoothly at the entrance of Mond Academy.
Her driver quickly got out and helped her unload her luggage.
It was already late at night.
Ye Fuli, wrapped head to toe in bandages, wasn't likely to be seen by many people.
Nevertheless, she wore an oversized trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat, concealing herself completely.
"Staying in hotels all the time is just too inconvenient,"
Ye Fuli thought to herself, deciding to buy a house nearby tomorrow.
"I wonder what kind of place Ye Zhen would like…"
She couldn't help but feel frustrated inwardly, wishing she knew what books Ye Zhen had been reading lately.
That way, she could make a more precise guess.
After a moment's thought, she decided to pin her hopes on that guy Zhao Mengde.
Though Zhao Mengde was notoriously unreliable, as long as she paid him, he'd do his best to get the job done.
…
Late at night.
Zhao Mengde, still immersed in his stock-trading nightmare, sat slumped ungracefully before Ye Zhen in a deep V-neck white gown, sipping sake.
Ye Zhen, headphones on, was doing her homework, too lazy to glance at this incorrigible creature.
"Hey~ Ye Zhen!"
Zhao Mengde set down her sake cup, belched, and called out Ye Zhen's name with a pout.
"Tell me, why am I so unlucky? Every time I'm about to reach my island dream, it sprouts wings and flaps away!"
To be fair, this guy's physique was truly exaggerated.
If it weren't for her decade of experience as an elite soldier, going out would be downright dangerous.
Ye Zhen was used to it by now. She merely gave him a fleeting glance before looking away. "If you didn't trade stocks, none of this would have happened."
"I want to go abroad and serve in the military for a few more years."
Zhao Mengde sniffed, tears streaming down his face.
But the words she spoke sent a chill down his spine.
"Stealing is still the fastest way to make money… sniffle sniffle~"
Ye Zhen felt conflicted as she glanced at her again.
Just then, Zhao Mengde's phone buzzed. She fished it out from under her skirt and glanced at the new message.
"Huh, it's from Ye Fuli."
She rubbed her eyes, then lowered her head to scrutinize Ye Fuli's message more closely.
"Ye Fuli wants to know what books you've been reading lately… Ye Zhen, what do you think I should tell her?" Zhao Mengde was quite eager to please, handing her the phone directly so Ye Zhen could see Ye Fuli's message.
Ye Zhen raised her hand and pointed to the books on the shelf.
"They're all study guides, nothing unusual. Just snap a photo and send it to her."
With Ye Zhen's approval, Zhao Mengde promptly stood up and began photographing her bookshelf.
However, after finishing the photos, Zhao Mengde suddenly spotted a book tucked away on the inner side of the shelf.
"Huh? What's this…"
Just as she reached to pull out the pink comic book, Ye Zhen grabbed her wrist.
Ye Zhen glared at her. "What are you looking at? Kids shouldn't be reading this stuff. Put it back right now!"
Then, she asked Zhao Mengde uncertainly, "You didn't take a picture of this one too, did you?"
Zhao Mengde shook her head.
She hadn't photographed this one, but she had seen the title and memorized it.
"Who'd have thought my serious employer reads such racy comics? These aren't easy to find back home, right? The content's just too explicit."
Ye Zhen snorted. "So what if I read it? I'm a single guy… no girls, no smoking, no drinking, no weird hobbies. What's wrong with reading a book?"
She spoke with righteous indignation.
But the faint flush on her ears betrayed the slight panic lurking beneath her surface.
Ah, curiosity killed the cat.
Zhao Mengde gave a meaningful smile but said nothing.
What an innocent little loli employer.
And she learned all that knowledge from reading comics!
But Zhao Mengde wouldn't betray his employer's important secret—no amount of money could make him do it.
She sent photos of those irrelevant tutoring books to Ye Fuli.
On the other end of the screen, Ye Fuli scanned the titles with utter boredom and blurted out, "Has she been reading any extracurricular books or magazines lately?"
Zhao Mengde: "No."
Ye Fuli: "I don't quite believe you."
Zhao Mengde: "Oh, then why don't you come ask her yourself?"
Coming to ask in person was impossible. When Ye Fuli stood before Ye Zhen, her mind was filled with thoughts like, "Can I say this?" and "Will she dislike this expression?"…
As for inquiring about Ye Zhen's preferences, she simply couldn't bring herself to ask directly.
She feared receiving a perfunctory answer, and she feared Ye Zhen finding her annoying.
A long silence fell.
Ye Fuli sighed and silently typed: "Keep observing. I'll pay you."
Seeing the word "salary," Zhao Mengde's heart surged with excitement, and he took even larger gulps of his drink.
"My island has hope again!"
"Ye Zhen, what books do you want to read? I'll go buy them for you!"
"Oh, and is there anywhere you'd like to go? I'll buy you tickets!"
"You've been studying so long, you must be tired. Let me give you a shoulder massage."
Ye Zhen flung a pillow at his face: "Shut up and go drink somewhere else!"
"Waaah~"
Only Ye Zhen dared treat her, the stunning former elite soldier, like this.
……
……
Early morning.
Bai Ruoting changed out of his hospital gown into simple athletic wear and stepped out of the ward.
His expression was heavy.
The madness that had consumed him these past days was nowhere to be seen now.
What remained was only the intense hatred in his eyes.
"Ye Fuli, the fact that you've done all this proves you must have reincarnated long ago, right?"
"Ha! Losing to you so many times—I suppose I don't deserve it."
"You must be quite pleased with yourself for turning me into this."
This car accident had unleashed a flood of strange memories in his mind. In these flashbacks, he reveled in a world of luxury and excess, surrounded by women, even nearly marrying Ye Fuli.
The ruthless Ye Fuli of today, in these strange memories, was not only not cruel but even seemed somewhat timid and easily bullied.
She followed her parents' arrangements, maintained good relations with everyone, was skilled at making money, and didn't meddle in others' affairs—a docile and useful tool.
Unfortunately, on the eve of her wedding, she chose such a terrifying way to end her life…
Damn woman!
If she wanted to die, let her die. Why did her death have to turn the entire world upside down, forcing it to start over?
The thought alone made Bai Ruoting feel suffocated.
He resented this world that favored Ye Fuli, and resented Ye Fuli even more for being favored by the world!
Why did this world revolve around Ye Fuli instead of him, Bai Ruoting?
He, Bai Ruoting, was clearly superior to Ye Fuli!
"Therefore, I cannot kill you. But I will make you live a life worse than death."
Bai Ruoting laughed sickly, his eyes blazing with malice.
"Ye Fuli, I will catch you…"
After stepping out of the hospital gates, Bai Ruoting decided to hail a cab and head to South City first.
The timing of his awakened memories was simply too late.
Many business opportunities had already slipped through his fingers, and the Bai family was now on the brink of collapse.
To turn the tide, there remained one last piece in the game—one located in South City…
A pawn Ye Fuli knew nothing about.
As long as he could secure control over that game development team, he still had a chance to turn the Bai family's fortunes around!