Chapter 074: Misplaced Affection and Hypocrisy
"Zhenzhen hasn't eaten in three days."
The Ye residence.
Downstairs in the living room.
The Ye couple sat facing each other.
They weren't strangers to Ye Zhen throwing tantrums, but this time, it was truly too extreme and had lasted far too long.
Mrs. Ye had lost all patience and snapped, "That damn girl! Does she really want to die? Fine! Let her die! Who does she think she is? Without the Ye family, without us, what is she?"
Mr. Ye remained silent, uncharacteristically pulling out a cigarette.
Just as he was about to light it, he set it down helplessly.
Smoking wouldn't solve anything.
He was deeply worried about his daughter's state, but he truly couldn't let her go.
She would run away, drifting farther and farther until he lost his child forever.
Mrs. Ye raged on for a while, her chest heaving with fury.
"Stop indulging her, Old Ye. Haven't you noticed? She's in the throes of a rebellious phase. The more you give in, the worse she gets! We're middle-aged adults who've weathered so many storms. Are we really going to be manipulated by a child?"
With that, she picked up her phone and called a doctor she knew.
"Hello? Dr. Qian, it's me. Please come to our house. My daughter hasn't eaten in three days and needs an IV drip."
Facing her father's puzzled gaze, she spoke with fierce determination.
"Ye, no matter how much you indulge her, you have to let her live!"
……
……
Upstairs.
In Ye Zhen's room.
She was still struggling with a calculus problem, searching for a second, more efficient solution.
A loud knock on the door made her hand tremble.
Turning around, she saw the locked door had been forced open.
Ye Zhen stared blankly at the group bursting in, instinctively taking a step back.
What did these people want?
She could open the door herself—why this?
"Dr. Qian, examine her thoroughly," Mrs. Ye said coldly, her gaze fixed on the frightened Ye Zhen. "Take a good look. What's wrong with her?"
Dr. Qian was her close friend, a middle-aged woman who also maintained herself well.
Ye Zhen remembered her well—she had often given her physical exams as a child, administering injections and IV drips.
Yet, when faced with a doctor, Ye Zhen felt an instinctive resistance.
She disliked taking medicine, hated injections, and refused IV drips!
She'd been tormented by this routine for ten years!
"No, no need for an exam. I'm fine…"
Ye Zhen tried to retreat further, but Dr. Qian caught her arm.
Holding her slender arm, Dr. Qian sighed helplessly. "Sweetie, stop fussing. Your mom is worried about you. Can you be a good girl?"
Her assistant opened the medical kit, retrieved the necessary tools, and handed them over one by one.
After a brief examination, Dr. Qian stated, "The child is too thin. She is indeed malnourished and needs to gain weight."
This was Ye Zhen's old problem.
She'd been this way since childhood, and Dr. Qian had long grown accustomed to it.
"Then let's start her on an IV drip for now."
"Oh dear, Madam, it's hardly serious enough to warrant an IV!"
"She hasn't eaten in three days! If we don't give her nutrients now, how can she possibly survive?"
"Huh? Well… she doesn't look like she hasn't eaten in three days."
For a moment, Dr. Qian doubted his own medical judgment.
But meeting Mrs. Ye's icy stare, Dr. Qian decided it was better to avoid trouble.
"Alright then. I'll prescribe some medication."
Ye Zhen's eyes widened. "I told you, I don't want it! Why are you giving me an IV? I'm not sick, I don't need it!"
Madam Ye stared at her expressionlessly: "Ye Zhen, your stubbornness must end."
Three maids who had followed in entered the room. At Mrs. Ye's signal, they stepped forward, pinned Ye Zhen down, dragged her onto the bed, and held her limbs firmly.
Her wrists ached from the pressure!
A wave of terror washed over her, making Ye Zhen feel as though she had become a lamb led to slaughter.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the people around her, forgetting even to scream or struggle!
Of course, struggling would be futile in this situation.
Dr. Qian stood nearby, methodically mixing the potion, the clinking sounds of metal echoing intermittently.
Mrs. Ye sat down beside Ye Zhen's bed, reaching out to touch her cheek.
"Zhenzhen, you must be good, understand? Your parents only want what's best for you. Stop doing things that baffle everyone. After your IV is done, come downstairs quietly to eat. Otherwise, you'll need another IV tomorrow. Got it?"
The hand on her face felt cool.
Mrs. Ye tried hard to appear like a kind-hearted mother, but Ye Zhen refused to cooperate, even closing her eyes to avoid looking at her.
Who was the one doing the incomprehensible things…
Who exactly…
Who was it?
Ye Zhen let all her strength drain away, collapsing onto the bed.
Escape—she absolutely had to escape!
She would remember this moment of terror, fortifying her resolve to flee!
After preparing the medication, Dr. Qian handed the follow-up tasks to his assistant. Mrs. Ye then called Ye Zhen aside and spoke to her privately outside.
Upon returning, Dr. Qian glanced at Ye Zhen's IV drip bottle, his expression thoughtful.
A moment of silence passed.
Dr. Qian sighed, turned, and walked downstairs.
Lying in bed, Ye Zhen drifted in and out of consciousness.
She didn't know when Dr. Qian had left, nor when he had returned.
All she knew was that, in this moment, she felt numb.
Mrs. Ye sat beside the hospital bed, watching Ye Zhen sleep peacefully. Unable to resist, she reached out and touched her forehead.
"Zhenzhen, one day you'll understand—Mom always did everything for your own good."
……
……
Late at night.
After everyone had left Ye Zhen's room, she still lay asleep.
As if she could never get enough sleep.
Earlier, she had tried several times to sit up and do some more problems, but the moment she looked at her books, drowsiness would wash over her, forcing her to give up.
When Ye Fuli climbed over the railing to enter, Ye Zhen barely opened her eyes, glanced at her, then drifted back into a drowsy slumber.
"Ye Zhen."
Shaken awake by Ye Fuli, Ye Zhen forced her weary body upright. "Oh, you're here."
She was listless, a stark contrast to her energetic self yesterday.
Ye Fuli looked at her with concern. "In this state, how can you possibly drink?"
Ye Zhen chuckled. "Heh, I'm not sick. Just feeling extra sleepy today. A little drink won't hurt."
Reaching out, she took the bag Ye Fuli had brought over.
She opened it.
Her expression turned serious.
"Uh… Pineapple Beer?"
Pineapple beer? That's hardly a proper bar.
How careless, you jerk Feng Aotian!
Ye Zhen deflated instantly, shoving it back into her hand. "I don't want this. Just go."
"You're not yourself today."
Ye Fuli reached out and tested the temperature on her forehead.
But Ye Zhen didn't have a fever; she just looked listless.
Ye Zhen looked at her and smiled faintly. "Ye Fuli, are you concerned about me?"
"No, I'm not."
Ye Fuli withdrew her hand, her expression blank as she engaged in the act of saying one thing while meaning another.
"You're just imagining things."
"Oh, I'm imagining things again."
Ye Zhen lowered her head, staring blankly at the patterns on the quilt.
If it was wishful thinking, so be it. After all… she had thick skin. She'd been humiliated so many times she'd grown numb to it.
Ye Fuli sat down beside her bed, several times reaching out to grasp her hand, only to pause each time.
"Actually…"
Whether it was an illusion or not, she couldn't shake the feeling that Ye Zhen seemed especially pitiable today, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Watching Ye Zhen's long lashes cast shadows over her eyes, Ye Fuli felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
She reached out and grasped Ye Zhen's slender fingers.
But at the look of surprise in Ye Zhen's eyes, she hastily withdrew her hand, guilt welling up inside her.
Ye Fuli's mind went blank.
She knew she had just entertained a thought so heinous it deserved death.
"I, I… I think that's all for today. I'll be going now."