Chapter 005: Dare You Disobey Tonight?
A simple meal of three dishes and a soup soon appeared on the small table in the living room.
Ye Fuli emerged expressionless, carrying two bowls of rice.
"Eat."
The two sat facing each other.
Ye Zhen held her bowl, eating cautiously while occasionally glancing at Ye Fuli's expression, trying to gauge her thoughts.
As for Ye Fuli, though she never looked at her throughout the meal, it was clear she was sizing up Ye Zhen as well.
Calmly reflecting, she concluded Ye Zhen's demeanor today was likely just a feigned weakness, forced by her threats.
There was a saying: "Old habits die hard."
The Ye Zhen she knew wasn't this docile.
She didn't know what Ye Zhen was like at the Ye family home.
But she knew that at school, Ye Zhen was spoiled and capricious, adept at shirking work and bossing others around, with a reputation that wasn't exactly stellar.
Ye Zhen used her allowance to support a group of delinquent girls, who accompanied her on outings and helped her smooth things over with people and situations.
And these delinquent girls weren't satisfied with emptying Ye Zhen's wallet—they also took many of her jewelry pieces and handbags.
What a foolish thing to do.
If the Ye family fell into Ye Zhen's hands, it wouldn't take years for her to squander it all.
"Alright, I'm done eating. I'll wash the dishes later."
Ye Zhen set down her bowl and sincerely thanked the hostess: "Thank you for the meal!"
Ye Fuli also set down her bowl, though it still held a substantial amount of rice. It seemed wasteful to discard it, yet she couldn't force herself to finish it.
So she turned her gaze toward Ye Zhen.
Before Ye Zhen could speak, she scooped the rice directly into Ye Zhen's bowl.
Ye Zhen: "…"
Does she really look that hungry?
Hmph, she really could judge people well.
In truth, Ye Zhen hadn't actually eaten her fill. It was all because Ye Fuli had cooked with such precision—just the right amount of rice and dishes for two people, not a grain more or less.
Ye Zhen was petite and slender, yet possessed a surprisingly hearty appetite.
How could such a small bowl of rice possibly fill her?
She picked up her bowl and silently shoveled rice into her mouth.
"Miss Ye Zhen," Ye Fuli said, chin resting on her hand, frowning at the little figure silently shoveling rice before her. "If you can't finish it, just say so. I don't want anyone to die."
"I can eat it! I can eat it! Don't worry."
Ye Zhen picked up a piece of glistening braised pork and shoved it into her mouth.
Her cheeks puffed out like a greedy little squirrel.
She smiled, squinting her eyes, looking rather silly yet surprisingly cute.
……
…
"All done! The chopsticks are washed, the bowls are washed, and I even dried them off. Look!"
Ye Zhen, full and satisfied, was in high spirits.
She was showing off the dishes she'd just washed to Ye Fuli, as if flaunting some incredible new skill.
Ye Fuli paused for a moment before saying, "Put them down. Come here."
"Got it!"
She was finding it harder and harder to understand Ye Zhen's way of thinking.
Could this be part of Ye Zhen's act?
Bearing humiliation, feigning ignorance and cuteness, all to win her favor?
Hmph. Her favor wasn't that easy to earn.
Ye Fuli opened her backpack, pulled out several workbooks, and tossed them in front of Ye Zhen.
Under Ye Zhen's bewildered gaze, Ye Fuli slowly spoke, "Solve these two problems."
Ye Zhen: "…"
What? Was this part of the punishment too?
Oh no! Math problems—if you don't know how to do them, you just don't know how to do them! No amount of pressure will make it happen!
Seeing her hesitation, Ye Fuli urged again, "Hurry up and do them, or else you'll be sorry."
"Can I ask why?"
Ye Zhen felt like crying.
She'd spent ten years bedridden in her past life—how could she possibly understand high school math problems? As for the original Ye Zhen, her grades were abysmal, especially in math.
Ye Fuli raised an eyebrow. "You need to cover for me with that excuse you used before coming to my house. Otherwise, next time, that excuse won't fly."
Oh, Ye Zhen understood.
This was all about shaping the female lead's persona.
Taking tutoring from the top student in the grade, and even staying overnight at their place—if she didn't gain anything from it, it would be utterly embarrassing.
"Well, could we just do one problem…?"
"No haggling with me."
The little guy deflated instantly.
He slumped lazily over the desk, pen in hand, idly picking at the paper.
She recognized every single character in the workbook, but when they were strung together, they became unrecognizable.
The more she looked, the sleepier she got!
Suddenly, her foot beneath the desk was stomped on hard, jolting the drowsy Ye Zhen awake.
Ye Fuli's foot, clad in white stockings, pressed down on the top of her foot, grinding it a few times. "You have half an hour left. If you can't finish, you'll face the consequences."
"Okay, okay, I'll write! I'll write!"
What a despicable heroine!
(??へ??╬)
……
……
Meanwhile, at the Ye residence.
"Zhenzhen hasn't come home today?" Mrs. Ye frowned. "Did she go to a classmate's house?"
The driver nodded nervously in affirmation.
Mrs. Ye turned to her husband, who sat silently beside her.
"Honey, say something! How old is Zhenzhen? Staying overnight at a classmate's house? What will become of her in the future!"
Father Ye helplessly put down the newspaper in his hands and glanced at his wife.
What's the big deal?
She makes such a fuss over everything.
"The driver said she went to Ye Fuli's house! I know this Ye Fuli—I've awarded her scholarships several times. She's an outstanding student, always ranking first in her class. What could possibly happen with Zhenzhen hanging out with her?"
Ye's mother dismissed the concern. "You can't judge a book by its cover. What do you know?"
Ye Father shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to say more.
His silence only fueled Ye Mother's anger further.
"I don't care! Old Wu, go find her right now! My precious daughter isn't allowed to spend the night at any classmate's house—not now, and never again!"
"Yes, yes, yes, ma'am."
The driver didn't dare linger for a moment and hurried off to find her.
Using the Ye family's connections, they quickly pinpointed Ye Fuli's exact location.
Armed with the coordinates, he sped toward the destination.
"For such a measly wage, this job is no way to live!" the driver lamented. "Ugh, I just hope the young miss doesn't give me an earful too when I get there."
It took him a full hour to reach the shantytown and locate Ye Fuli's home.
The driver climbed the stairs in the dark, double-checking the door before raising his hand to knock.
Knock knock knock—
"Miss Ye Zhen, are you home?"
No response.
The room was pitch black.
At that very moment, Ye Zhen was kneeling beside Ye Fuli's feet, massaging her legs.
Only a wall separated them from the driver.
Ye Fuli hadn't told her to leave, so how could she dare to go? She certainly wouldn't answer the driver's call.
"Did I knock on the wrong door?"
After shouting for a while with no response, he only drew curses from other neighbors.
The driver couldn't take on these local thugs, so he retreated back to his car for the time being. Sitting inside, he tried sending Ye Zhen a message.
"Miss Ye Zhen, please come downstairs quickly! I can't account for this to the lady…"
Upstairs.
Ye Zhen, who had just received the message and was about to reply, had her phone snatched away by Ye Fuli.
In Ye Fuli's eyes, this guy was clearly desperate to escape this place.
But she would never allow it.
She had lived here for nearly twenty years, endured nearly twenty years of suffering, and put up with those scum parents who should have belonged to Ye Zhen for twenty years!
Could Ye Zhen not endure even one night?
She must feel this suffering as deeply as I do!
Ye Fuli stared at her expressionlessly. "I've told you—tonight, you're staying here. If you disobey…"
As she spoke, she leaned forward and pinched Ye Zhen's chin.
Leaning slightly forward, she brushed against Ye Zhen's cheek while raising her phone with the camera app open.
Having already showered and changed into a men's shirt, Ye Fuli, viewed from this angle, resembled a dashing, carefree young man rather than a beautiful, sophisticated woman.
She snapped a photo of their faces pressed together.
"If you don't behave, this photo will be sent to your parents' phones."
Ye Zhen's face flushed.
From her perspective, however, what she saw wasn't Ye Fuli's beautiful profile, but rather Ye Fuli's stunning collarbone and her breathtakingly exquisite figure…
For the soul of a grown man, this was far too stimulating!
And this photo was so perfect, she couldn't help but want to set it as her screensaver.
Of course, that was out of the question.
Ye Fuli would think she was provoking her.
So Ye Zhen quickly raised her hand to make her position clear.
"Don't worry, Ye Fuli, I won't leave."
"That's best."