Chapter 025: Are You Here to Replace Ye Fuli?
The parent-teacher conference was drawing to a close.
Mrs. Ye left the classroom early under the pretext of making a phone call.
"Mrs. Huang! Here, yes, just keep walking straight ahead. You'll see me past that pavilion, yes…"
At this moment, no one would notice her.
She seized the opportunity to make contact with the Huang family and gauge their intentions.
Mrs. Huang approached with a small bag in hand, her face beaming with a warm smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ye! You're even more beautiful in person than on television and in the newspapers. Truly enviable."
"Not at all."
Mrs. Ye's face bore the same formulaic smile.
No sincerity, just routine.
But in such settings, sincerity meant defeat.
"I hear your precious daughter did splendidly on her exams! I knew it—Ye Zhen is just like you, carved from the same mold. How could she not be bright and clever?"
Mrs. Huang's words were like honey-coated sugar, sweet enough to make one sick.
Flattery flowed from her lips without pause.
Even someone as hard to please as Mrs. Ye was being charmed into feeling perfectly comfortable.
"Truth be told, I've admired Zhenzhen for quite some time! But alas, our families' businesses differ. The Huang enterprise is modest in scale, hardly worthy of mention, so I've always hesitated to impose on your home…"
Madam Ye smiled and said, "That's being too formal."
"Oh, one must observe proper etiquette. Though I haven't seen much of the world, I've learned some manners and wouldn't dare be disrespectful. Look! I've been chatting so much I forgot the main reason for my visit. My son is still studying hard in the library. I'll go fetch him right away so you can meet him."
Madam Ye nodded.
She greatly appreciated Mrs. Huang's tactful nature. Throughout their conversation, Mrs. Ye hardly needed to speak—a single glance was enough for Mrs. Huang to know how to carry on the conversation.
After a bit of small talk, Huang Li—who’d been sent off to buy drinks earlier—returned with the blueberry juice Mrs. Ye preferred.
"Mom, Aunt Ye."
"How rude! You little brat, call him Chairman Ye." Mrs. Huang deliberately glared at him, then pulled him over to apologize to Mrs. Ye, her tone filled with humility: "He's still young and doesn't know any better. Please forgive him…"
Mrs. Ye waved her hand dismissively. "No need for formalities. Just call me Auntie."
"Hello, Auntie. My name is Huang Li."
Looking at Mrs. Ye, Huang Li felt a bit puzzled.
Why did this Mrs. Ye bear no resemblance whatsoever to Ye Zhen? Instead, she shared a certain uncanny similarity to that cold-blooded woman, Ye Fuli…
He dared only keep this puzzlement to himself, not daring to voice it.
While the elders from both families chatted idly.
Beep, beep, beep—
Message after message from Bai Ruoting flooded in.
Reading the messages, Huang Li's heart skipped a beat.
…
"Haha, Yellow Hair! I uncovered something interesting."
"Ye Fuli is the real daughter of the Ye family. That Ye Zhen is a fake."
"But that bitch Ye Fuli won't be returning to the Ye family so easily. I'll make sure she learns the consequences of crossing the wrong people."
"Go deliver a message to her. Tell her to meet me in the abandoned gym before today's parent-teacher conference ends. Otherwise, she'll never see her adoptive parents again, let alone return to the Ye family!"
…
Huang Li dimmed his phone screen.
After secretly reading through the messages, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
But his concern wasn't for Ye Fuli—it was for this madman, Bai Ruoting.
That Bai Ruoting—after suffering such a huge loss, he still hasn't learned his lesson!
Did he really have to go against that terrifying woman, Ye Fuli?
"I couldn't care less about your petty schemes—I'm trying to stay alive here!"
Huang Li’s butt still throbbed with pain. He certainly didn’t dare cross Ye Fuli now, so he hurriedly forwarded the messages to her.
After sending it, he even added a defensive note: "I've truly cut ties with Bai Ruoting. You hit him, but you can't hit me anymore, okay?"
After sending the message, he promptly turned off his phone, pretending nothing had happened.
By then, the two mothers had nearly finished their discussion.
Mrs. Huang called him over and said, "Mrs. Ye has taken a liking to you. Starting tomorrow, you'll go to the Ye residence after school every day to tutor Zhenzhen until her graduation exams. Is that okay with you?"
"Huh?!"
Huang Li was utterly shocked and waved his hands frantically to refuse.
"No, no, no! I really can't do it. I'm only a sophomore!"
The main reason was that Ye Fuli had warned him not to get too close to Ye Zhen, threatening to break all three of his legs if he did.
He might not have believed anyone else making such a threat, but Ye Fuli was a woman of few words and deadly intent!
He was certain she'd beat him to death before he could even utter a word of mercy.
"You brat!" Mrs. Huang, unaware of these warnings, dismissed Huang Li's behavior as mere stubbornness. She raised her hand and smacked him on the back of the head. "Mrs. Ye thinks highly of you—what are you being shy about? This matter is settled."
Huang Li rubbed his sore spot, seething silently.
What a mother!
She really didn't hold back—selling her son without a second thought.
Watching this mother and son, Madam Ye's smile grew even broader.
This potential match was indeed promising.
At the very least, they both knew when to toe the line—obedient and easy to manipulate.
Especially that Huang Li lad—not only clever, but quite handsome too… A vast improvement over Bai Ruoting.
"Well then, I'll thank you both on Zhenzhen's behalf."
"Oh, not at all! Oh, Mrs. Ye, are you leaving already? Let me walk you to the school gate."
Watching the two of them walk away arm in arm, Huang Li looked utterly dejected and collapsed onto the stone bench.
After a moment of blankness, he quickly pulled out his phone and sent Ye Zhen a message: Your mom and mine talked. They want me to tutor you every night from now on. You better figure something out fast!
Ye Zhen's face paled when she saw the message.
This was deadly serious!
If Ye Fuli found out, she'd definitely get whipped with a little leather strap.
Ye Zhen: You better cancel this! I don't want you tutoring me!
Huang Li: I tried to refuse just now, but I got slapped. Who am I supposed to complain to?
Ye Zhen: Don't drag me down with you! (??へ??╬)
Huang Li: You're the one messing me up! If you could ace exams effortlessly like me, would your mom even bother hiring tutors?
Ye Zhen: …
That's so true, it left her speechless.
But now wasn't the time for reflection.
"This is it. I've been scraping by for so long, barely saving any money, and now I'm going to lose my life."
Ye Zhen fidgeted with her phone, unable to sit still.
"Maybe I should just come clean to Ye Fuli! She'd probably forgive me for something like this, right? I can't defy the Ye family parents either."
She took a deep breath, picked up her phone once more, and forwarded the entire chat history between her and Huang Li to Ye Fuli.
After sending it, she added a desperate justification: "I'm cowardly. I'm afraid of trouble. I couldn't possibly defy your own parents…"
After a nervous wait, Ye Fuli's reply arrived.
Ye Fuli: "Getting free tutoring is a good thing."
Ye Zhen: "…"
Is this a good thing? She could practically picture Ye Fuli on the other end of the screen, lips curled in a faint, mocking smile.
A moment passed.
Ye Fuli: "So, do you want him?"
The question made Ye Zhen's heart skip a beat. She quickly typed back: "No!"
After sending it, she felt it still didn't fully express her feelings. She hurriedly added, "If possible, I want you to tutor me."
But suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching down the hallway. Panic seized Ye Zhen. Before she could type out "give me tutoring," she frantically hit send.
"Who's using their phone back there?"
That sounded like the principal's voice!
"Didn't I tell you? No phones on campus during graduation exams! That's the stuff that ruins our academic atmosphere. If I catch you, you can forget about getting your diploma!"
Startled, Ye Zhen quickly turned off her phone, shoved it into her pocket, and crouched low as she hurried away.
After winding her way to a less populated area, she looked up and realized she seemed to have reached the school's abandoned gym…?
The door stood ajar, and several points of light flickered inside!
She remembered from comics that this place, along with the art room, was a sacred spot where students secretly played with their phones. Ye Zhen decided to slip inside and hide for a quiet moment.
Creak—
The rusty door creaked open with a sound that made her teeth ache.
"Here? Not bad. You're punctual."
Hearing Bai Ruoting's voice, Ye Zhen's heart skipped a beat.
Oh my god, what's going on?!
She instinctively turned to run, only to be blocked by several burly girls.
The iron door was locked again.
Bai Ruoting sneered coldly, flicking on his phone's flashlight as he approached her.
When he recognized Ye Zhen, he froze for a moment before his eyes filled with utter disgust.
"Ye Zhen! I knew it! You're like a ghost that won't go away, still harboring improper thoughts about me!"
Bai Ruoting still carried significant psychological scars from her persistent clinging in the past, causing him to involuntarily stumble back several steps.
"I told you—it's over between us. Even if you throw yourself at me shamelessly like this, I won't have you!"
"Oh, I see. You're here to take Ye Fuli's place in this trial, aren't you?"
"Get lost! You're not even worthy! You don't hold a candle to her."
Ye Zhen: "…"
So, when did you start hallucinating?
Does my gaze toward you right now hold even a shred of affection?
She kept her inner rant to herself, however. Ye Zhen dared not voice it aloud—after all, provoking the kidnappers in this situation was tantamount to suicide.
Instead, she clasped her hands over her head, crouched down, and silently edged backward until her back pressed against the iron gate. She pretended to be a harmless mushroom.
Bai Ruoting: "…"
Was she giving in? Or was she really giving in?
Could anyone be this pathetic? It certainly broadened his understanding of her.
Pulling his gaze away from Ye Zhen, he frantically messaged Ye Fuli again, urging her to come confront him.
Just as he thought Ye Fuli wouldn't show up, a loud crash of shattering glass suddenly erupted from the west side of the gym…
Bai Ruoting's heart skipped a beat.
He instinctively grabbed a stick.
"Who's there?! Get out here!"