Chapter 028: Don't Get Too Close to Me!
Like.
Those two words sent a jolt through Ye Fuli.
But she quickly regained her composure, convinced these sweet words were merely empty promises uttered under duress.
At that thought, Ye Fuli snorted coldly.
With a trace of resentment, she retorted, "You'd better not try any tricks on me, and don't try to sweet-talk me either. It'll only get you beaten for nothing."
At that moment.
Ye Zhen had already fallen asleep clutching her phone.
Today's workout had been too intense—the little girl simply couldn't keep up!
She slept soundly until dawn, only to be roused by urgent knocking at the door.
She sat up irritably, glancing at the time out of habit before scrolling through her messages. Only then did she rise to answer the door.
"Who is it?"
Opening the door revealed Mrs. Ye.
Mrs. Ye's face was lit with an unmistakable smile as she said, "Zhenzhen, you've been quite the ladies' man lately. Before dawn even broke this morning, two people were already waiting for you at the door."
"Huh?"
Ye Zhen froze.
Her first thought was, Could it be Ye Fuli?
But she quickly dismissed the thought.
Ye Fuli would never be the type to get up early just to wait for her on her way to school. It could only be someone who got up early to lurk in the bushes, waiting for a chance to kidnap or beat her up.
"Who is it?"
"Go check the balcony yourself."
So Ye Zhen dashed to the villa balcony, her footsteps echoing as she rushed over. She braced herself against the railing, straining to see down below.
She spotted a white Bentley and a colorful Ferrari.
Both cars bore auspicious license plates, perfectly befitting their value.
The doors weren't open, so she couldn't see who the owners might be.
But there was no doubt it wasn't Ye Fuli.
Ye Fuli didn't own such flashy and ostentatious rides.
"Hurry up and freshen up. Get ready to go downstairs," Mrs. Ye said, arms crossed, standing at her door. "Remember, if Bai Ruoting comes, stay away from him."
Even without Mrs. Ye's warning, she wouldn't have approached Bai Ruoting voluntarily.
No, that wasn't quite right. Whoever came, she wouldn't approach them.
Ye Zhen was burning with anxiety!
The very thought of an arranged marriage made her skin crawl, as if ants were crawling all over her.
Being forced to inhabit the body of a petite girl when she was a six-foot-tall man was bad enough. Was she now supposed to marry another man?
If that were the case, she'd rather hang herself.
"No way! I've managed to scrape by this long, saved up a tidy sum in my secret stash, and I'm finally close to making my escape… How could I just give up now?"
Ye Zhen took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
"An arranged marriage isn't something that happens overnight. Before Ye Fuli takes over this position, I'll try to stall and buy some time."
She quickly washed up and dressed, her face cold as she descended the stairs.
Father Ye observed her expression with satisfaction. "My daughter—this is precisely the kind of reserve she should maintain."
Mrs. Ye, however, snorted in disdain. "Dignity is essential! But that look on your face… it's like someone owes you billions…"
"Enough. Mind your own business. Zhenzhen has her own plans."
By this point, Ye Dad no longer worried much about his daughter's marriage prospects.
Ye Zhen had been behaving exceptionally well lately, showing far more discretion in her words and actions than before. He was pleased.
"Zhenzhen, take some spending money to school. If you need it, don't hesitate to use it."
Ye Dad slipped another stack of bills from his bag and handed it to Ye Zhen.
"When mingling with these wealthy kids, remember to protect yourself. Don't fall into their traps easily."
Ye Zhen nodded firmly.
Her mood that morning had been as heavy as visiting a grave.
But now, looking at this stack of pink Mao notes, she felt much better.
So what if she had to deal with those stinking old men!
She might not possess Ye Fuli's lethal martial arts skills, but she had the System! Though unreliable, it could pinpoint danger with precision…
At worst, she wouldn't come out worse off.
With that thought, Ye Zhen opened the door, stepped out of the garden, and headed toward the exit.
As soon as her figure came into view, the doors of two cars opened simultaneously.
The left one belonged to Bai Ruoting, the right to Huang Li.
Bai Ruoting first gave Huang Li a sidelong glance, then lifted his nose in disdain and coldly addressed Ye Zhen: "Get in. I'll take you to school today."
Ye Zhen blinked and asked deliberately, "Does your foundation still hurt?"
"Pfft."
Huang Li, showing no mercy, burst out laughing on the spot.
Before Bai Ruoting could shoot him a murderous glare, he quickly stifled his laughter. "Uh, I just remembered something funny…"
At this moment, Bai Ruoting had no desire to argue with him.
In front of the Ye family, he couldn't afford to appear too agitated.
So Bai Ruoting ignored the irreverent Huang Li, took two more steps forward, and attempted to take Ye Zhen's backpack from her hands.
But…
Ye Zhen swiftly stepped back, creating distance between them.
"Mr. Bai Ruoting, I have a psychological shadow of you right now. Don't get too close to me, or I might scream."
Hearing this, Huang Li once again struggled to suppress a laugh.
Damn!
You know what? This short senior is actually pretty entertaining—way more interesting than that cold-faced devil Ye Fuli.
But this appreciation was purely superficial.
Huang Li had been thoroughly intimidated by Ye Fuli and dared not entertain even a shred of improper thoughts. He only wanted to treat Ye Zhen like a buddy.
"So, Huang Li, what brings you here?"
Ye Zhen feigned ignorance with a pointed question.
Before Huang Li could speak, Ye Zhen deliberately mentioned Ye Fuli's name again.
"Does Ye Fuli know you came looking for me this morning? Oh, no offense, just curious."
Huang Li's smile instantly vanished.
This was fucking threatening!
Recalling Ye Fuli's "deadly chicken peck" on Bai Ruoting last night, he felt a dull ache himself.
Haven't you noticed Bai Ruoting's pants are huge today?
Clearly, yesterday's blow had been pretty serious.
Huang Li scratched his head and looked up at the sky. "Actually, my mom sent me. She said she bought some delicious pastries yesterday and wanted me to bring them over for you… for your mom to try."
"Oh, I see. Well then, go ahead. My mom will definitely be thrilled."
"Alright then."
This cowardly yellow-haired kid was hardly a threat.
But this reckless madman standing before her, Bai Ruoting, was a different story.
But the silver lining was that he was currently the person Mrs. Ye despised most. Ye Zhen immediately screamed at the top of her lungs, "Mom! That guy surnamed Bai is bullying me, Mom!!!"
Before Mrs. Ye could bring anyone out, Bai Ruoting had already jumped into his car and sped away.
Ye Zhen smirked triumphantly.
"That Bai Ruoting kid is still a bit green, huh."
Whistling, she picked up her backpack from the ground, dusted it off, and hurriedly climbed into the Ye family car, ready to head to school.
Beep-beep-beep—
The notification sound from her phone rang out again.
Ye Zhen quickly silenced her phone.
Then she saw the message from Ye Fuli.
Ye Fuli: I made extra breakfast. Come pick it up in my classroom.
"Huh? The sun must be rising in the west—this girl actually brought me breakfast!?"
Holding her phone, Ye Zhen grinned like a fool.
The driver uncle caught her delighted expression in the rearview mirror and felt happy too.
Who could this wealthy young master be, to have captured the young lady's heart so completely?