Chapter 068: The Escape Is Over. Face Your Punishment.
The day for submitting academy applications was fast approaching.
After leaving the Ye family, Ye Zhen hadn't logged into her old social media accounts. But today, she had no choice but to do so.
"After all, I need to download the forms from the class group and apply and confirm with the school."
With a heavy heart, Ye Zhen logged into her social media account.
The sheer volume of messages nearly froze her phone.
Beyond the barrage of skeptical comments, there were endless, over-the-top compliments—all of which held no interest for Ye Zhen. She ignored them outright.
Too many useless messages…
Too many strangers.
She scrolled through for a while before finally spotting Ye Fuli's account.
Ye Fuli had sent her numerous repetitive messages—demanding explanations, issuing threats. Not a single kind word among them, each one dripping with such vicious intent it felt like she’d hack Ye Zhen’s limbs off the moment they met.
Reading these messages sent a chill down Ye Zhen's spine, and she dared not reply to a single one.
However, she noticed that after she left the guesthouse, Ye Fuli hadn't sent her any more messages.
Perhaps…
After that, Ye Fuli had given up?
Maybe He Ying had finally persuaded her to embrace a new life. Or perhaps Ye Fuli had come to terms with things herself, deciding to reconcile with her past self.
Either way, it was a good thing.
"Ah, this nightmare is finally coming to an end."
Thinking that Ye Fuli had finally let go, Ye Zhen felt deeply relieved.
Yet amidst that relief, a faint sadness lingered.
The feeling was almost like a broken heart, or like losing a cherished old gift, leaving her heart feeling hollow.
Ye Zhen gave a wry smile and muttered to herself, "This life is destined to be spent alone."
Though she had transformed into a cute little girl, her heart remained that of a straight guy.
She wouldn't settle for marriage.
But she wouldn't exploit her new feminine form to get close to unsuspecting young women either. To her, such behavior felt somewhat unethical.
She flipped through the academy list, contemplating where she would spend the next four years.
"With my grades, I have plenty of schools to choose from."
"Right! I'll go to South City!"
"Based on the manga plot, the main couple's love triangle drama won't reach South City. Plus, South City has beautiful scenery, though the food isn't anything special…"
Ye Zhen sighed.
Now wasn't the time to think about food.
Her goal was to distance herself from the Ye family and the main characters.
Resolved, she filled out the form as quickly as possible, submitted it to the school, and logged off immediately.
…
"That Miles Academy in South City? I recall it ranked within the top 100 nationally this year. It shows great promise."
Ye Zhen's homeroom teacher was reviewing the form she had submitted.
At this moment, in her eyes, Ye Zhen had become her star pupil.
She had to carefully vet Ye Zhen's application.
"But before final submission, I should still call her parents to confirm their approval."
The homeroom teacher called Ye's father.
Upon learning that Ye Zhen was preparing to attend Miles University for a four-year degree program, Ye Dad was stunned for a moment.
In his view, his daughter's grades were good enough to get into a better school.
Even direct admission to the main campus of Saint Laurent would be superior to this Miles Institute.
But now was not the time to question that.
"What major did she choose?" Ye's father asked in a low voice, suppressing his confusion and anxiety.
"She chose art."
"Art?!"
Ye Dad completely lost his composure.
"She's being reckless! Why choose art? She should be studying finance or management. With such a large family business eventually falling into her hands, I don't expect her to make it better, but at least it shouldn't go bankrupt!"
The homeroom teacher on the other end of the line dared not utter a word.
Truthfully, she too felt that an only daughter from a family like the Yes should not be allowed to choose her major so capriciously.
Ye Dad took a deep breath and asked, "How much time is left before the application deadline?"
"No rush. There's still half a month left."
Ye Dad quickly said, "Then please hold onto her application and don't submit it yet."
He didn't mention to the homeroom teacher that Ye Zhen had run away from home.
After hanging up, he turned to the private investigator he had hired at great expense.
After such an extensive, cost-no-object search, they had finally tracked down Ye Zhen's whereabouts.
Exhausted and emotionally drained, Ye Dad let out a long sigh.
"Let's go! Hurry up and bring her back."
Upon hearing the news, the child's mother, who had been anxious moments before, suddenly darkened her expression and coldly snorted, "That rotten brat! Just wait until I beat her skin bloody today! She's become utterly lawless, rebelling against us!"
Ye Dad shot her a glare. "You'd better behave yourself. If you drive her away again, we're getting divorced!"
At the mention of "divorce," Mrs. Ye gritted her teeth but said nothing more.
The immediate priority was to bring the person back.
The matter of her education was more important than anything else!
Allowing Ye Zhen to run wild according to her whims was absolutely out of the question.
There would be plenty of time later to deal with that brat and make her understand the mistake of running away from home.
……
…
"Hmm, this is strange. Why do my eyelids keep twitching so intensely?"
Ye Zhen was packing up her tent.
Dusk was falling once more.
As was her custom, she was preparing to pitch her tent, wrap up another day of aimless wandering, and get some proper rest.
But now, Ye Zhen's eyelid was twitching violently, and her heart was racing with unease, as if something major was about to happen.
The constant upheaval and hiding over recent days had sharpened her sixth sense considerably.
"Could it be… my parents are coming after me?"
Her hands paused mid-motion as she frantically scanned her surroundings.
Though she saw no suspicious figures, Ye Zhen still froze in place.
"Damn it! I can't stay here. I need to get out of here fast."
Ye Zhen hastily rolled up the tent, stuffed it into her backpack, grabbed it, and pushed her suitcase as she hurriedly left the campground.
But before she even reached the station, she spotted several luxury cars with auspicious license plates in the distance.
Ye Zhen's heart nearly stopped!
Her body reacted faster than her mind, darting behind a row of greenery for cover.
Night had now fully descended.
The Ye family had clearly come prepared, stationing people at every key checkpoint and even enlisting help from the local police station.
Seeing this formidable display, Ye Zhen's heart sank. She felt utterly trapped, with no way out.
"If I'm captured and returned to the Ye family, my fate won't be any better than falling into Ye Fuli's hands."
She clenched the purse in her hand.
A resolute light flickered in her eyes.
"No matter what, I can't give up on escaping until the very last moment!"
Seizing her chance, Ye Zhen decisively turned around, shouldering her luggage, and headed toward the mountain paths of the scenic area.
"I can't go back. Absolutely not…"
The mountain wind was fierce.
Ye Zhen trudged forward under the heavy load, struggling with each step.
Halfway up the path, she saw the amusement park at the foot of the mountain—which had already closed for the night—light up once more. Scenic area patrol vehicles began rolling out one after another, heading toward various intersections within the park.
This was clearly the result of the Ye family's financial clout.
Ye Zhen silently cursed under her breath, "Damn rich people," and continued dragging her luggage forward.
Whether it was her imagination or not, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone with light footsteps was following her from a distance.
She glanced back several times, but saw no one!
A chill crept over her.
Up ahead, not far away, lay a vast orchard. The park's streetlights ended right there.
Staring at the dark forest ahead, Ye Zhen pressed her lips together. After a few seconds of hesitation, she decided to walk in.
Just then.
Footsteps behind her suddenly quickened. A dark figure lunged forward, clamped a hand over Ye Zhen's mouth, and dragged her back forcefully.
"There's a cliff ahead. Are you trying to die?"
Hearing Ye Fuli's voice, Ye Zhen's slender body trembled violently, nearly causing her to lose her footing.
Ye Fuli's other hand snatched her luggage and tossed it aside.
"Ye Zhen, have you had enough fun? Your foolish, laughable escape ends here. It's time to accept your punishment."
Hearing these words, Ye Zhen clenched her teeth.
Despair, fear, helplessness.
A whirlwind of emotions churned within her, fermenting until it erupted into a desperate, all-or-nothing fury.
She stomped hard on Ye Fuli's instep, but instead of recoiling in pain as she'd expected, Ye Fuli swept her up in an instant, lifting her off her feet.
Ye Zhen flailed her tiny fists wildly.
She didn't know what she was hitting, but Ye Fuli absorbed every blow without letting go.
Ye Fuli was incredibly strong. Her arms dug into Ye Zhen's stomach, making her eyes water with pain as her strength slowly drained away.
Even now, Ye Zhen remained fierce as a wildcat, screaming, "Ye Fuli, let me go! I'd rather die than go back! Let me go!"
Ye Fuli stared at her, expressionless.
"One must face reality, Miss Ye Zhen."
"I! Refuse!"
Their gazes locked.
In Ye Zhen's eyes, Ye Fuli saw unmasked hatred.
This was truly rare.
Ye Fuli tugged at the corner of her mouth, smiling silently. "No more pretending, huh? What a look of hatred. Surprising, isn't it?"
"Hatred?"
Ye Zhen laughed back.
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Yes, I do hate you. You're the person I despise most! I've already given everything back to you just as you wanted. What more do you want from me?! I… Ugh!"
Hearing this, Ye Fuli grabbed her jaw, silencing her.
Ye Fuli leaned close to her face, enunciating each word deliberately. "Ye Zhen, are you certain you've returned everything to me?"