Chapter 059: Now There's No Escape
Beneath the bridge.
Ye Fuli spotted traces of habitation that hadn't been cleaned up yet.
She picked up an empty milk carton from the ground and examined it closely.
Unfamiliar characters covered its surface. Judging by the lingering scent inside, it must have been abandoned only recently.
Ye Fuli's lips curved into a faint smile, like a cat that had caught a whiff of blood.
She didn't recognize this script, but it strongly resembled the text on the medicine packaging Ye Zhen had taken.
She tried using her phone's translation app to decipher the script, discovering it belonged to a remote, obscure Nordic country—a language so rarely used that it was practically extinct.
"Ye Zhen, you must have lived here."
"Whether in your past life or this one, you'd rather live in a place like this than turn back."
"Tell me, why did you choose this?"
She crushed the milk carton in her hand and tossed it toward the nearby trash pile.
An endless wave of sorrow washed over Ye Fuli.
She had come to realize that in Ye Zhen's heart, even staying in this dark, damp place was preferable to being at the Ye residence, under her watchful eye.
Such a frail little thing…
…possessed such willpower.
It was undeniably something that made Ye Fuli look at her with new respect.
For a moment, she felt a pang of pity, tempted to abandon the pursuit and let Ye Zhen go.
But the memory of that night on the school's back mountain, filled with fireworks lighting up the sky, made her swiftly dismiss that fleeting compassion.
"I will find you."
Her desire to hold onto Ye Zhen felt akin to trying to capture those fleeting fireworks.
It was the only beauty in Ye Fuli's life since her rebirth—no, since those difficult days in her past life.
……
……
"Good morning, little sister."
Ye Zhen slept soundly at the guesthouse until she woke naturally.
Hearing He Ying knock on the door, she quickly got up and replied, "Morning!"
"I've prepared some fresh clothes for you. They're right outside the door. Come get them."
"Oh, okay."
Leaning against the doorframe, Ye Zhen waited until the sounds outside faded before quietly opening a crack to pull several bags inside.
Unsurprisingly, He Ying had packed nothing but dresses—all kinds of dresses—along with various patterned stockings: white, black…
Well, thank goodness there were no cat ears or tails.
At first, Ye Zhen couldn't accept the idea at all—a grown man forced to wear little dresses.
But… she gradually got used to it…
She picked up a pair of relatively plain white stockings, pulled them up her legs, and tugged at them to test their elasticity.
Next, she changed into an unassuming denim skirt.
I took a quick look at myself in the mirror.
"Sigh, if only this adorable little girl weren't me."
She smoothed her messy bangs and tied her hair up haphazardly.
Still, she couldn't tie it as neatly as Ye Fuli, nor as quickly!
Wait—was she thinking about Ye Fuli way too much today?
Ye Zhen slapped herself hard across the face and warned her reflection, "Don't you dare develop that syndrome! Ye Zhen, pull yourself together, got it?"
[Host, your mouth remains as sharp as ever.]
"Shut up, you damn system."
Once fully dressed, Ye Zhen opened her bedroom door. Following the scent of dinner, she headed downstairs.
But the moment she rounded the corner, she slammed on the brakes.
That voice that sent chills down her spine echoed from below.
"He Ying, you're hiding evidence from me, aren't you?"
It was Ye Fuli's voice!
Oh my god, Ye Fuli had come looking for her!
Ye Zhen's body reacted faster than her brain could process. She scrambled up the stairs, hands and feet scrambling in a frantic scramble.
Run! Run fast!
If she got caught today, a little whipping was guaranteed.
How could Ye Fuli have arrived so quickly? And how had she found the place so precisely?
Meanwhile, downstairs.
Ye Fuli had no idea that the person she was searching for was right above her, separated only by a floor.
She sat in the spot He Ying often occupied, legs crossed, coldly observing He Ying not far away.
He Ying wore a dazzling smile, her inner panic completely concealed.
The two were partners in crime, neither of them exactly saints.
"What are you talking about, K1? I don't understand."
Ye Fuli smiled and said, "He Ying, I found the bridge underpass where you and Ye Zhen used to hang out."
She tossed out the pink skull hair clip He Ying had worn and the wrapper from a snack Ye Zhen had eaten.
The text on those snack bags wasn't commonplace.
As for that pink skull hair clip, He Ying had paid a hefty sum to have it custom-made.
Seeing those items, He Ying's expression shifted slightly.
What a freak…
That Ye Fuli!
She even found that bridge tunnel!
"Now, I'm fully aware of your meetings with Ye Zhen. There's no need to keep hiding it anymore."
He Ying shrugged her shoulders, saying nothing.
Seeing her complete lack of cooperation, Ye Fuli's smile vanished instantly. "He Ying, what you want is nothing more than more money and for me to play more matches. Up until now, we still have room to negotiate. If you don't hand the person over to me now, things will get serious."
"May I ask what exactly is the conflict between the two of you?"
Ye Fuli replied coldly, "Hatred."
"Did she steal your boyfriend?"
Seeing Ye Fuli's expression sour, He Ying gave an awkward chuckle.
"If you hate her this much, it can't be because she stole your own parents, right? Huh…"
Meant as a joke, but this jest earned her a terrifyingly vicious glare from Ye Fuli.
He Ying swallowed hard.
The laughter vanished.
What a weirdo—can't even take a joke.
"Anyway, if we're going by what you said, I did see her. But it was so dark that night, I couldn't even be sure it was her. She ran off and threw a rock at me. Look."
He Ying pointed to her head, wrapped in thick bandages.
Then she pointed to her leg.
"She's no pushover! I've already dispatched extra men to search everywhere for her…"
Ye Fuli listened with a mix of belief and doubt.
After a moment of silence, she made a decision.
"He Ying, I'm staying here. Get me a room."
"Huh? Oh, okay… But all the rooms here are almost full. How about I switch you to another guesthouse? This whole street is under my management anyway."
"No, I'm staying right here." Ye Fuli fixed her gaze on He Ying. "I think if she's here, you won't have time to move her."
This reasoning left He Ying both amused and exasperated, yet she dared not refuse further.
After all, Ye Fuli was notoriously suspicious. Persistent refusal would only confirm her worst fears.
What made her even more speechless was that Ye Fuli immediately pulled out two miniature cameras and installed them directly above the front and back doors of the guesthouse!
"Missy, what on earth are you doing?!"
Ye Fuli pushed her glasses up and said with a nonchalant air, "Catching little birds."
"…Sigh."
He Ying felt utterly numb.
At the same time, she became even more determined about one thing: her innocent, soft-spoken, and easily manipulated little sister absolutely could not fall into the hands of this terrifying woman who carried surveillance equipment everywhere!
Escape. Find a way. Help Ye Zhen escape…