Chapter 063: Why Do I Feel So Bad for Ye Fuli?
When Ye Fuli sat there, it was still daytime.
When she woke up…
Hmm, it was still daytime.
But it was now the afternoon two days later.
No wonder—after enduring so long, even iron would wear thin.
Ye Fuli had no idea how she'd been moved into the room. When she tried to sit up, a sharp pain shot through her head, forcing her to lie back down and close her eyes again to adjust.
Click—
The door slid open.
He Ying entered carrying porridge and pastries, sat beside her, and began eating immediately.
While eating, she watched the newly released anime series with relish.
One episode ended.
He Ying glanced over at Ye Fuli.
"Seriously! You slept for so long, right next to me, eating, sleeping, picking your toes—and you didn't wake up once! Did you turn into a vegetable or something?"
Growing more animated, He Ying lifted her rice bowl and pointed at Ye Fuli lying on the tatami mat.
"Getting cocky? Keep it up! Heh, guess you can't be cocky anymore, little one."
Ye Fuli showed no reaction.
Seeing she was genuinely still asleep, He Ying grew bolder, cranking up the volume on the anime and watching with flushed cheeks until she was thoroughly satisfied.
Just then, Ye Zhen sent her a message.
He Ying cleared her throat, cautiously peering at Ye Fuli's face to confirm she hadn't woken up before opening the message.
Ye Zhen: I've gotten off the car. Thanks for the ride and your help. I've sent the driver uncle back already.
He Ying: Just glad you're safe! I'm so sorry you had to go through such a scare coming to my place, little sister.
Ye Zhen: Thanks for putting up with me these past few days.
He Ying: You're too polite.
Ye Zhen: I'll need to trouble you again—please take good care of Ye Fuli. I'm truly sorry.
He Ying: So what exactly is your relationship? The way she looks at you is like staring at her father's killer, while your gaze toward her seems like you're seeing a lover from a past life… Maybe my description isn't quite right, but it really feels intense!
She rattled off a string of messages, but Ye Zhen didn't reply.
At that moment, Ye Zhen sat in a lakeside pavilion atop the mountain, gazing at the distant scenery while clutching the spare phone she'd borrowed from He Ying.
Truthfully, she hadn't heard much of what Ye Fuli had said that day.
The moment she heard Ye Fuli's footsteps and voice, she had immediately ducked into the closet.
Later, she heard Ye Fuli fall to the floor with a dull thud.
Through the white paper pasted over the door, she could see Ye Fuli's shadow lying on the floor.
Ye Zhen had considered the possibility that Ye Fuli might trick her into opening the door, but she opened it anyway.
"So, at that moment, was I mentally prepared for her to catch me?"
As she carefully replayed the events, Ye Zhen realized the gravity of the situation.
She slapped herself twice across the face to snap out of it.
Anything but that syndrome!
As a man at heart, even if her appearance had become delicate and fragile, her spirit must never falter. Hmph!
"Why should I feel sorry for Ye Fuli? Who's going to feel sorry for me?"
"I, Ye Zhen, am at least a time traveler—and I even have a damn system, right, you useless piece of junk?"
"With my setup, I might not be top-tier, but I shouldn't be bottom-tier either!"
"Right, you dog system?"
[Ugh! You despicable host, always calling me a cute little system. This cute little system is furious, hmph.]
Ye Zhen coughed a few times: "I apologize. I promise I won't call you that anymore."
[You said that yesterday too!]
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, this time it's real, yeah."
Well, having a virtual pet to banter with did make life quite entertaining.
Ye Zhen never imagined her heart could be this hard—facing her ideal type, a mature woman lying weak on the ground, she could just take off running, and run so far away.
This summer vacation was turning out to be quite the thrill ride…
This area belonged to a scenic spot in the southwest. It was peak vacation season, packed with people seeking summer retreats, camping, and barbecuing.
By this hour, the air was thick with the aroma of grilled meat and fried skewers.
Ye Zhen looked at everything and wanted to eat it all.
So, after pestering the system relentlessly, it secretly slipped her a barbecue grill from the warehouse, along with a pile of grilling ingredients and spices.
However, due to the crowds, the system could only drop them into her tent, leaving the petite little girl with her thin arms and legs to lug everything around on her own.
During the process, Ye Zhen even turned down help from several kind, handsome young men.
[Host, you actually chose not to exploit your naturally weak appearance for personal gain. This truly makes me look at you with newfound respect.]
Ye Zhen placed one hand on her hip while wiping her face with the other.
"You know jack-shit! If I let them help, I'd have to treat them to skewers later, right? Those huge chicken drumsticks are worth at least ten bucks. The thought of giving them away for free makes my heart ache."
Yet as she spoke, a strange thought crept into her mind: Has Ye Fuli eaten yet?
Ah, what a despicable thought! Get it out of my head!
She slapped herself again with a sharp smack.
Look at you—facing premium wagyu beef, huge chicken drumsticks, lamb skewers, oysters, and lobster, and you still think about Ye Fuli? You deserve to die.
After scolding herself, Ye Zhen quickly started grilling.
There was no way she could finish all this food herself, but with so many tourists nearby, she could sell some off and make a tidy profit.
But her cooking skills? Ye Fuli had specifically criticized them as terrible. Could she really pull this off?
Ye Zhen's eyes darted around, and an idea struck her.
…
[Host, flip it! Flip the eggplant!]
[Host, add seasoning—one spoonful, no more!]
[Host, the stove is about to go out—add a piece of charcoal!]
……
Before long, the aroma of grilled food wafted out from her spot.
Ye Zhen felt like a genius for thinking to ask the system to monitor the grilling.
Now that it was turning out so well, she felt almost embarrassed.
"Look! There's a dark-skinned girl grilling over there!"
"Ha! What dark-skinned girl? She just got her face dirty."
"Smells amazing! That aroma is spot-on."
"I'll take one skewer—not too spicy!"
Customers gradually started coming to Ye Zhen's stall, buying plenty of lamb skewers. Everyone who tried them raved about them.
Ye Zhen couldn't help but think with satisfaction, "With this skill, I'll never go hungry, right?"
Having a system was pretty awesome.
Just as Ye Zhen was daydreaming about expanding from one shop to a nationwide chain of thousands, a discordant voice appeared behind her.
"Senior Ye Zhen, why put yourself through this?"
Ye Zhen jumped in surprise.
Turning around, she saw Huang Li, his face blackened by smoke.
"Huang Li?! When did you…"
"I've been following you since you left that guesthouse, Senior." Huang Li looked deeply concerned. "Senior, please stop doing barbecue. If you need money, just ask me!"
As he spoke, he wiped at the corner of his eye, though no tears came.
"Seeing you treat yourself so badly breaks my heart! I know about you and Ye Fuli…"
Huang Li clutched his chest and sniffed.
He nearly blurted out the biggest secret, but managed to stop himself just in time, averting a terrible scene.
"Anyway, I know you have your reasons! Rest assured, I won't tell anyone your secret. I swear on my life!"
Ye Zhen was utterly confused.
This kid seems to have developed some kind of hysteria too?
Hopefully he'd stop imagining things. It wasn't good for him.
……
…
Meanwhile.
Inside the homestay.
Ye Fuli was applying a joint lock on Miss He Ying, who was whimpering pitifully for mercy.
Ye Fuli snatched her phone without hesitation.
The chat window with Ye Zhen was open.
She tapped the screen, paused for a moment, then sent a message: "Can I see what you're doing? Just send me a photo."