Chapter 027: A Mutual Test
Bai Ruoting was taken away in the Bai family car.
His school incident dealt another blow to the Bai family's already precarious reputation.
Now, the old patriarch of the Bai family wanted nothing more than to strangle him!
The school authorities, with the Bai family intervening, ensured not a single whisper of the incident leaked out.
After all, the idea of a strong young man losing a fight to a frail girl—and even suffering a crippling injury—was too shameful to publicize.
"Grandfather, if you send me abroad now, you're essentially sentencing me to death."
Bai Ruoting wept bitterly, tears streaming down his face.
The old man had just issued an ultimatum, insisting he depart immediately to study abroad and polish his credentials!
Bai Ruoting, reeling from successive blows, felt utterly devoid of purpose.
Beyond seeking
revenge
against Ye Fuli, he had no other motivation to live.
But if he complied and left immediately, how could he ever get his revenge?!
By the time Ye Fuli returned to the Ye family, inherited that vast fortune, and truly stood as his adversary, it would be too late.
The thought of facing such a formidable rival left Bai Ruoting feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, unable to eat or sleep.
He could never allow Ye Fuli to develop freely. He must subdue her… or he would die with regret.
The old patriarch of the Bai family glared at him coldly: "You beast! Haven't you brought enough shame upon yourself?"
"I was ambushed by her, Grandfather!"
Bai Ruoting, overcome with emotion, toppled off his chair. Taking a large step, he strained his injured groin. He hissed through clenched teeth, grimacing, "Grandfather, just give me a little more time. I… I'll do anything you ask, as long as you don't make me leave the country immediately!"
"Is that true?"
"Absolutely! I won't cause any more trouble. I'll do whatever you say."
Hearing his eldest grandson's promise, the expression on the old patriarch of the Bai family softened slightly.
Truthfully, he hadn't been set on sending his grandson so far away.
Had Bai Ruoting not repeatedly courted disaster, the Bai and Ye families would have sealed their alliance by now. Moreover, they could have leveraged Ye Zhen's infatuation with Bai Ruoting to dominate the terms of this union.
Such a promising situation…
…had been utterly destroyed by that good-for-nothing!
Moreover, the patriarch had overheard rumors circulating in their social circles that Mrs. Ye was already scouting new marriage prospects for Ye Zhen.
The mere thought of it left the old patriarch restless and sleepless, as if sitting on pins and needles.
Who wouldn't covet the Ye family's fortune?
After all, the Ye family had only this one daughter—their precious jewel!
"Since you'll do whatever I say, there's only one thing you need to focus on lately." The Bai patriarch exhaled deeply before speaking slowly, "Use whatever tricks you have to win Ye Zhen back. Make her fall in love with you again."
"What?!"
Bai Ruoting's eyes widened in shock.
This was utterly disgusting.
Besides, Ye Zhen wasn't even the Ye family's real daughter—what was the point of winning her over?
As for the Ye family's real daughter, Ye Fuli—he wanted nothing more than to tear her limb from limb!
"Can you do it?" The Bai family patriarch, unaware of these secrets, merely fixed him with a stern, authoritative gaze.
"I… I'll try."
Bai Ruoting hung his head in defeat.
The mystery surrounding Ye Fuli's origins—he couldn't let it be exposed.
Once elders learned secrets of this magnitude, the situation would spiral beyond his control.
At this moment, despite his sharp intellect, he dimly realized he never truly wanted Ye Fuli to return to the Ye family.
That wicked woman, once she gained power, would become an absolute empress.
Who could possibly seek revenge against her?
What he desired was to wield this secret as leverage, to manipulate Ye Fuli into submission—to make her suffer humiliation and agony!
Therefore, this secret must be buried deep within him.
As for Ye Zhen, that stubborn, clingy nuisance…
Bai Ruoting thought of her silly, clumsy demeanor and couldn't help but snort derisively.
Why bother going out of his way for her? Just toss her some worthless trinket, and she’d be grateful as hell, trotting along behind him like a puppy!
But the very thought of having to curry favor with someone like her made him feel utterly uncomfortable, as if he'd been personally insulted.
"Damn these arranged family marriages,"
Bai Ruoting sighed inwardly, yet felt powerless to change it.
As long as he clung to this staggering fortune, he couldn't escape his fate as a mere pawn in these arranged marriages.
……
…
The night was deep.
At the Ye residence, the lights still burned brightly.
Ye Zhen's parents sat at the dining table with her, sipping freshly simmered corn and pork rib soup.
They had already learned about Ye Zhen's grades.
"Your math scores have improved remarkably," said Ye Dad, still carefully reviewing her test papers. "Very impressive. It seems our Zhen has been studying diligently."
Mrs. Ye snorted. "Then take a look at her scores in the other subjects!"
Her scores in the other subjects were a complete disaster.
Ye Zhen sighed inwardly. If she had taken this exam after receiving the system task reward, she could have made a stunning breakthrough.
"Well, maybe she just got lucky this time."
After reviewing the other papers, Ye Dad felt awkward too.
"Zhenzhen, you really need to focus on these subjects! Aim for passing grades, okay?"
His tone was sincere.
Ye Zhen nodded and set down her barely touched soup bowl.
"I'm full."
She grabbed her backpack and hurried off to her room.
Downstairs in the living room, her parents were still discussing her further education and matters like arranged marriages.
Ye Zhen couldn't bear to listen any longer. She had to get out of there!
It was precisely at times like this that she desperately wished she could switch places with Ye Fuli. How could she possibly handle such situations?
Save money fast, always ready to make a run for it.
Beep-beep-beep—
The moment she stepped inside, her phone's notification chime sounded.
Ye Zhen pulled out her phone.
Only then did she recall that she had sent Ye Fuli a message.
She opened Ye Fuli's reply first…
The content of the reply left her stunned on the spot.
Ye Fuli: "How exactly do you plan to take me?"
This…
What the hell is going on?
Why did it feel like Ye Fuli was flirting with her?
No, she's such a proper and serious person—she'd only drive recklessly enough to kill her, not engage in this kind of flirting.
Ye Zhen cautiously scrolled back through their chat history…
Hmm, so this is what happened.
Ye Fuli: "So, do you want him?"
Ye Zhen: "No!"
Then, when she saw the next line, her face flushed bright red.
It was supposed to be, "If possible, I want you to tutor me," but now, with the last four words missing, it had turned into a suggestive line.
Ye Zhen slapped her forehead with a sharp "smack," filled with regret.
It's over. I can't go on living like this…
This was definitely a hearse she'd driven herself.
After trembling for a long moment, she finally reached out and tapped the screen: "I'm willing to pay."
The message was sent, and a reply came quickly.
Ye Fuli: "Oh, you think this is about money?"
Reading the reply, Ye Zhen slapped her forehead again with a sharp "smack."
She was digging herself deeper! What should she do?
She quickly tried to justify herself: "Of course it's not just about money! Given our relationship, I'd at least cover all your meals!"
A moment passed.
Ye Fuli finally replied: "Oh, so you're quite generous."
After sending that message, Ye Fuli shut off her phone.
She didn't know if those few sentences had been meant to test Ye Zhen or to test herself.
Likewise, she couldn't tell if Ye Zhen was genuinely clueless and meant no harm, or if she'd changed her mind at the last minute and was just playing dumb.
"Never mind."
Ye Fuli closed her eyes and lay back on the narrow bed.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking things…"
Beep-beep-beep—
The urgent notification sound from her phone jolted her awake once more.
Ye Fuli picked up her phone. Seeing the name "Ye Zhen" in the notification, her drowsiness vanished instantly.
The message read:
"Let me explain! Actually, I'm not this generous with everyone. I'm only generous with people I like…"