Chapter 054: The Fake Heiress Escapes!
The three-day exam period drew swiftly to a close.
After finishing the final exam, Ye Zhen exhaled deeply, as if she'd just dropped a huge, heavy burden.
Since she hadn't achieved mastery in all subjects, she had to give her all on the Chinese, Math, and English papers.
However, to prevent her scores from appearing too absurd, she deliberately got some questions wrong.
"It's over! Time to pack up and get out of here."
Ye Zhen didn't linger on campus. She didn't even take her review materials, giving them all to the dorm supervisor who collected scrap paper, and left the campus as quickly as possible.
At the school gate, she spotted Mrs. Ye's car from afar.
To avoid being spotted, she had no choice but to take a detour in the opposite direction.
Get out of here—fast!
Every moment of evasion counted.
The Ye family was terrifying, and Ye Fuli was terrifying too.
Whether she could escape or not, she'd run these two months first, lie low, and see what happened. By then, perhaps Ye Fuli would have returned home, everyone would have forgotten about her, and she could happily become an ignored, forgotten fish.
"Uncle, could you take me to this address?"
Ye Zhen pulled out her phone and showed the driver the navigation.
Earlier that morning, she had already moved her belongings out of the villa district and left them at a courier station she passed on her way to school.
Upon arriving at the destination, she hurriedly got out of the car.
After grabbing her luggage, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly double-checked her train schedule.
"I'll take this chance to go on a little trip."
Being naturally petite and slender, lugging such a large suitcase was incredibly taxing—her tiny arms felt like they might snap from the strain.
"Heave-ho… heave-ho…"
Ye Zhen hailed a taxi by the roadside. With the driver's help, she tossed the suitcase into the trunk.
"Sir, could you take me to the bus station on the outskirts of town? Thank you."
Her intelligence certainly couldn't compare to Ye Fuli's. Unable to think of a better escape route at the moment, she decided to take a bus to the neighboring city first and then switch to other modes of transportation.
Trains and planes were out of the question.
The chances of Ye Fuli tracking her down using those were far too high! If she was going to run, she couldn't leave too many loose ends.
If only she knew how to ride a horse—and if there were one available—she might even consider saddling up and riding thousands of kilometers.
It was summer vacation, after all!
Plenty of time!
Taking longer on the road would just mean more time to appreciate the world's unusual scenery.
[Host, this is the bravest you've ever been since I've known you.]
Even her lazybones system was shocked, thinking Ye Zhen planned to stay a good little pet forever?
Ye Zhen scoffed, crossed her arms, and laughed defiantly, "I told you—I want my freedom!"
But as she truly set foot on her journey, a pang of melancholy still tugged at Ye Zhen's heart.
If Ye Fuli had been willing to meet her on equal footing and talk properly, they could have easily become friends.
But time and again, her attempts were met with disappointment.
Ye Zhen could only choose to sever all lingering attachments and illusions…
What she truly desired was never this twisted dynamic of command and obedience.
[Host, would you like some sunflower seeds, drinks, or instant noodles? (*￣︶￣)]
Ye Zhen froze for a moment: "What? You can actually provide these things?"
[Sure thing, but same old rule—I can only make them appear in a somewhat plausible way, no direct delivery…(*￣rǒ￣)]
Ye Zhen pressed her hand to her forehead.
She knew all too well how useless this dog system was.
Its idea of "reasonable" was likely just what it deemed acceptable.
Still, she'd come out with an empty bag, and now that she was on the long-distance bus, she was actually getting hungry.
"Fine, go ahead and drop it! I'll trust you one more time."
……
……
At that moment.
Ye Fuli had just stepped out of school.
Her backpack slung over one shoulder, she walked alone along the crowded sidewalk.
Passing by the newly opened supermarket, she paused.
"I should buy some food."
Her scum foster parents had vanished for quite some time. Bai Ruoting likely used them as pawns to control her and wouldn't let them go easily.
He was waiting for Ye Fuli to beg him.
But clearly, Ye Fuli would never go.
With someone else raising those two burdens and constantly controlling their actions to prevent them from causing trouble, she was thrilled… Why be nervous?
Ye Fuli had intended to grab a quick meal and leave, but at checkout, she discovered her basket was filled with many items she didn't even like.
Huh…?
When did these get put in there?
"Cheese, chocolate-flavored cookies, the new limited-edition ice cream, cones…"
Ye Fuli gave it a cursory glance and sighed.
These seemed to be all the things Ye Zhen liked to eat.
It was all that chatterbox's fault. She'd constantly nag at her ear about food preferences, poisoning her taste buds until she'd unconsciously grabbed so much.
She didn't even like sweets at all.
"Miss, do you still want these items?"
The cashier asked cautiously.
She watched as Ye Fuli stared at the ice cream with utter disgust, as if she might dump the entire pile on some lucky customer's head any second.
Oh my, what a terrifying young lady!
And she has such a beautiful face.
Ye Fuli pulled out her payment code.
"Scan it."
Carrying these items out of the supermarket, Ye Fuli felt like she must have been brainwashed by the black spider to pay for things she didn't even like.
Now that she'd paid, if she wasted these things, she'd never sleep tonight.
She sat on a stone bench by the roadside, staring blankly at the skyscrapers in the distance for a long while.
She pulled out her phone countless times, but still no message from Ye Zhen.
Her last message still lay unanswered.
Ye Fuli marveled at how bold this girl was, feeling a pang of disappointment as she wondered how she would deal with all these sickly sweet treats tonight.
Why not just go to Ye Zhen's place?
Force her to eat it—beat her to death if she refuses!
Ah, better not hit her. Those skinny arms and legs—how could they take it?
Better just buy her an ice cream and give her a hundred bucks.
She loved money—mention it, and she'd do anything.
Having made up her mind, Ye Fuli hailed a cab and asked the driver to take her to the villa where Ye Zhen lived.
However…
Upon arriving at the gate, Ye Fuli was suddenly overcome by an uneasy premonition.
The villa's main gate was locked tight, and the garden by the entrance was overgrown with rampant weeds.
Ye Fuli pulled out her phone and dialed Ye Zhen's number with a blank expression.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is turned off…"
After the first failed attempt, she tried again.
A third time, a fourth time…
Ye Fuli's fists clenched tightly.
Overcome by intense anxiety and rage, she sent Ye Zhen a message: "Where are you?"