Chapter 020: I Can Support You
"Ye Zhen, please calm down."
Sensing the situation was escalating, the homeroom teacher wisely chose to defuse the tension first.
She leaned close to Ye Zhen and whispered in her ear.
"The results are out, and some students are dissatisfied. They envy your grades and resent your talent, spreading some nasty rumors. The teacher wants you to redo that section of the exam to prove your ability. Frankly, it's for your own good… Of course, I've always trusted you. You'll do great! The daughter of the Ye family—how could you possibly cheat? Right?"
Ye Zhen waved her hand, signaling the homeroom teacher to stop.
She found the words utterly hypocritical, almost laughable.
If they truly believed her, why say all this while wearing such a guilty expression? They really took her for a fool.
The test scores were tallied quickly.
This time, Ye Zhen's score was even higher than the one printed on the exam paper.
Seeing this result, everyone felt awkward.
Especially the dean of studies, who felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
If Ye Zhen's parents found out they'd wronged her and made her redo the exam, they'd likely never let them off the hook.
Alas! They had hoped to use this mess to get the better of the Ye family…
Now, it seemed like they'd ended up shooting themselves in the foot.
"Um, Ye Zhen, congratulations on such remarkable progress in your studies. Your teacher is truly delighted for you."
The Dean of Students pushed aside the homeroom teacher, clasped Ye Zhen's hand, and plastered on a fake smile.
"This whole thing was just a misunderstanding! Now that it's cleared up, everyone's happy. Go back to class."
She wanted to pretend nothing had happened, but Ye Zhen wasn't about to let her get away with it.
Had she wasted the last half hour for nothing?
She wouldn't leave without getting something out of this.
With graduation exams approaching and her departure from the school imminent, she wasn't afraid of making enemies.
Ye Zhen sat down on the sofa with a stern expression and huffed, "I've been wronged! My reputation being tarnished is one thing, but the Ye family's reputation has been damaged too—this is a serious matter!"
A heavy silence fell over the room.
They knew this matter wouldn't end well.
Ye Zhen deliberately paused for a long moment before continuing, "Teachers, administrators, you wouldn't want me to tell my parents about this, would you?"
The deputy director quickly stepped forward, clearing his throat emphatically. "Of course not! It's best not to involve Chairman Ye and the others in this matter."
"Well then, I have an idea. Would you like to hear it?"
Ye Zhen smiled faintly, revealing a row of pearly white teeth.
She looked like a mischievous little devil about to pull a prank.
"Go ahead, go ahead… heh!"
At that moment, the principal's gaze toward her held nothing but flattery and resignation.
She thought to herself: She really shouldn't have seized this chance to try and extort a settlement fee from the Ye family to calm the storm.
But who could have imagined that Ye Zhen, this academic underachiever, might actually turn things around?
"In any case, we'll do our best to consider Ye Zhen's requests."
Ye Zhen nodded, speaking deliberately. "I've heard there's a school invention award with a 500 yuan prize, a school literary award with a 1,000 yuan prize, and a school civility award with an 800 yuan prize…"
She rattled off every award she could secretly manipulate in one breath.
The dean was completely numb from listening!
As someone well-versed in human nature, how could she not understand what Ye Zhen was up to?
This little girl was both greedy and shrewd.
She had always thought of her as a withdrawn, self-destructive loner, but today she realized she had misjudged her.
"Graduation's coming up soon! I haven't won any awards in my three years at this school, and it feels embarrassing. Here's the deal—I won't take them all. Just pick seven or eight of them and get me a first prize, second prize, or whatever. That'll do."
Truthfully, the trophies and certificates didn't matter. All she wanted was the prize money.
Even a mosquito's leg is still meat.
She needed to lay as many bricks as possible for her future life of luxury!
Seeing the circle of people around her wearing expressions like they'd swallowed a fly, Ye Zhen felt elated inside, though she kept up her innocent act on the surface.
"Teachers and administrators, please deliberate carefully. I'll head back to class now and await your good news."
With one foot out the door, she walked toward the classroom, basking in the sunlight and feeling cheerful.
She knew they would definitely agree to these terms.
……
……
"Just as I thought."
Shortly after school ended, Ye Zhen received a message from the dean of students.
The other party agreed to relinquish several awards, but demanded that she speak favorably on behalf of the school during the parent-teacher conference in front of Ye Zhen's parents, in hopes of securing next year's sponsorship funds.
Upon receiving the message, Ye Zhen replied decisively: "I can't guarantee they'll agree to the sponsorship funds."
Principal: "It's enough for you to just mention it, Miss Ye! Whether they agree or not ultimately depends on Chairman Ye and his family's personal decision, of course."
That's more like it.
Ye Zhen replied with a simple "OK," to which the other party responded with a smiley face emoji.
She knew all too well that in schools like this, academics were secondary—business was the primary focus.
On her way home, Ye Zhen pondered who could have been the kind soul who secured such a great opportunity for her.
Could it be those old friends from her past?
They probably weren't that loyal.
If not them, then who could it be?
Surely not Ye Fuli… This matter had nothing to do with her whatsoever. In fact, seeing Miss Ye Zhen humiliated would probably amuse her. Why would she bother?
Unable to make sense of it, Ye Zhen sighed helplessly.
The city's ways are deep indeed~
"Ye Zhen."
At the street corner, Ye Zhen was called by a familiar voice.
She turned to see Ye Fuli standing in the dark alley, arms crossed, waiting for her with an air of leisurely anticipation.
"Ah, Ye Fuli, what's up?"
Ye Fuli raised an eyebrow. "No one's home at my place tonight."
"Ah!"
Hearing this, Ye Zhen immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion, feeling utterly pathetic.
Her face flushed as she cleared her throat weakly. "So… am I supposed to keep you company tonight?"
Ye Fuli's expression hardened as she corrected her: "It's atonement."
Atonement…
Ugh, that word only made Ye Zhen's mind wander even more.
Smack—
She quickly slapped her forehead, trying to shake off those impure thoughts. "Alright, I'll do whatever you say."
Her achievements today were almost entirely thanks to Ye Fuli's guidance.
Ye Zhen remembered this favor.
"Then come with me to buy groceries first."
Ye Fuli tossed her backpack over.
"Of course, but you're paying for this."
Catching the backpack smoothly, Ye Zhen nodded. "I'll pay for it."
The two walked one behind the other through the dim alley, taking a shortcut toward a nearby farmers' market.
Ye Fuli had long legs and walked quickly, forcing Ye Zhen to jog to keep up.
"Does your injury hurt anymore?" Ye Zhen panted, "Ye Fuli, can you slow down a bit?"
Ye Fuli slowed her pace slightly, glancing back at her with a look of disdain.
This troublesome little runt!
Seeing Ye Zhen carrying two backpacks and running until she was drenched in sweat, Ye Fuli felt a twinge of pity. She reached out and took her own backpack back.
"You need to work on your stamina," Ye Fuli remarked pointedly. "You don't want to be too weak to even carry bricks after leaving the Ye family, do you?"
Ye Zhen gave an embarrassed smile. "I'll try harder."
What she meant was, she'd work hard to make sure she didn't have to carry bricks to survive!
But to Ye Fuli, it sounded like, "I'll work hard at bricklaying when the time comes."
"Heh, actually, you don't have to carry bricks at all."
Ye Fuli suddenly leaned closer, snatching her backpack as well.
She carried both bags effortlessly with one hand, looking nothing like Ye Zhen's strained struggle.
Ye Zhen's heart pounded wildly as she weakly tilted her head to look up at her.
Holy crap, the female lead's aura was blinding—she felt like she might faint from the glare.
As their eyes met, Ye Fuli said half-jokingly, "If you can keep pleasing me, I wouldn't mind keeping you around. What do you say, Miss Ye Zhen…"
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This work is compiled by the Fei/Niao sk Camp public account. This work originates from the internet; I assume no responsibility for its content. All rights belong to the original author.