Chapter 086: Now, It's Ye Zhen's Turn to Pull This String
Inside the venue.
The beautiful balloon tower was now engulfed in flames.
Spreading wildly from its center, the flames gained momentum within seconds, igniting one thing after another until the entire place resembled a fiery inferno.
The entire hall of luxury goods vanished in an instant.
This time, it wasn't a wiring issue—the balloon tower itself had failed.
Unfortunately…
Ye Zhen, positioned closest to the explosion, saw a flash of light before everything went dark. She nearly met her maker.
Fortunately…
she had the system, and it granted her a chance to push her luck.
"Holy shit! This is fucking ridiculous!"
Ye Zhen lay in a relatively safe spot, watching the sparks dance across the sky. It felt like her eyes had been opened to a whole new world.
Holy crap.
She hadn't seen hell when she died in her previous life, but now she was getting a glimpse.
"An explosion this massive? It wouldn't just kill one me—it'd kill a hundred of me and still leave nothing."
[Host, regarding your request for burn simulation—what specific effects would you like to simulate?]
There was no time for further musings.
Ye Zhen pulled herself together and visualized the image she wanted in her mind.
"Forget everything else—this face has to be ugly. Horribly, shockingly ugly. Got it?"
[This one doesn't quite grasp it, but this one can try.]
So, after the system worked its magic, several large, dark patches appeared on Ye Zhen's face.
Before she even heard the sound of someone breaking in, Ye Zhen decisively dropped to the floor and began feigning unconsciousness.
Hmm…
It's really hot in a fire scene!
While she wouldn't get injured or end up medium-rare, the heat was undeniably intense.
Fortunately, the fire suppression system activated quickly, and the heat inside gradually subsided.
Amidst the chaotic shouts, Ye Zhen weakly whispered to the system, "I can't fake being unconscious. My acting skills aren't up to par. Could you give me a little help?"
[Oh! ヽ(￣▽￣)?]
Ye Zhen's body collapsed in feigned unconsciousness, yet her mind remained fully alert.
At that moment, Ye Zhen was still preoccupied with the task of getting money from Ye Fuli.
"If after today, the Ye family simply disowns me and lets me go, I'll thank heaven and earth. This game will be over."
If Ye Fuli still refuses to let go, then I'll use this pitifully wretched appearance to keep milking her for money—another chance to make a fool of myself.
At this thought, Ye Zhen gave a self-mocking chuckle.
She knew her mindset had been warped by Ye Fuli's influence.
Dying in the explosion would allow her to slip away cleanly and flee far away.
But if she simply vanished like that, how could she make them feel the agony of seeing their carefully crafted illusion crumble to dust in an instant?
Born into a wealthy family, if she had truly relished this life of luxury, she would never have chosen to rebel. Yet Ye Zhen had never once desired to possess any of it.
Besides, none of it truly belonged to her.
The responsibilities Mrs. Ye spoke of should never have been forced upon this fake daughter.
Ye Fuli held the strings above her head, trapping her within this gilded cage. She waited for greed to take root, for her to willingly descend into ruin, becoming nothing more than a plaything.
Well, starting now, it was Ye Zhen's turn to hold the strings.
"If she still won't give up after seeing me like this, then I'll fight her. She'll surely feel pity and deliberately let me win."
The thought of that scene made Ye Zhen smile with a strange sense of satisfaction.
Ye Fuli, what will you do?
You who treat everything as a game—can you still win this round?
……
…
At that moment.
Mrs. Ye and Mrs. Huang had both fainted from fright.
One grieved for her daughter, the other for her money.
Huang Li's father was yanking the venue manager by the collar, spitting venom as he demanded to know what the hell had happened.
"How did the fire start?"
"They say the balloon tower exploded…"
"So, it must have been an accident? Can we check the surveillance footage?"
"Everything burned. Nothing can be retrieved."
Immediately after, Huang Li emerged from the restroom, her face deathly pale and legs trembling, approaching her father.
Before she could speak, her enraged father struck her hard across the face.
Stunned by the blow, half her face instantly went numb, and her ears rang.
Blood trickled from his nose, yet he remained oblivious.
Huang Li stared blankly at his father, unable to utter a word.
"I told you to come supervise the work, and this is how you supervise? Huang Li, tell me—can you even do one thing right anymore?!"
"Cough cough cough…"
Huang Li coughed heavily several times, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Ignoring the pain in his face, he grabbed his father's arm and demanded, "Dad! Is anyone still inside the venue? Did you send people in to search?"
Huang Dad shook off his hand, his voice heavy. "The situation isn't too bad. I heard only Ye Zhen was inside. She…"
"What happened to her?!"
"She's already been carried out by the emergency crew."
Hearing this, Huang Li turned and sprinted away, paying no heed to his father's scolding.
Meanwhile, the uncles in charge of venue construction and their foremen had also rushed over through the night.
Hearing Huang's father scolding his son, they immediately stepped in to calm him down.
"This isn't Huang Li's fault! In this heat, that kid came to see us every day, ate with us, and even brought us watermelon!"
"Mr. Huang, please calm down."
"The cause of the accident is under investigation. We'll have results soon."
After being calmed down by their words, Huang Dad's face darkened.
He hadn't expected that his son, who often relied on his cleverness to cut corners, hadn't been slacking off this time.
As his mind cleared, a pang of regret washed over him.
This kind of accident wasn't something Huang Li could take responsibility for—what good would beating him do? As these people said, Huang Li had done everything he could.
"Where's Zheng Jun?"
Mr. Huang suddenly looked up and scanned the area.
Soon, he spotted Zheng Jun rushing over, still clad in his pajamas and slippers.
To avoid suspicion, Zheng Jun had even gone home specifically to change into this outfit.
Yet seeing his dazed, disheveled appearance, the anger that had just subsided in Huang's father surged back up.
He strode quickly toward Zheng Jun.
Zheng Jun distinctly sensed a murderous aura. His heart leapt with glee, knowing Huang Li was about to get beaten. The old man was surely rushing off to discipline Huang Li.
But he couldn't kick a man when he was down. He had to put on a show of being obedient and sensible.
"Uncle Huang, please don't be hard on Brother Li…"
SMACK—
A resounding slap landed on Zheng Jun's completely unprepared face, knocking him flat onto the rubble. He lay there dazed for a long moment.
Huang Dad barked harshly, "I told you to follow your brother and help him out, and this is how you follow? On such an important day, you actually went home to sleep! Why didn't you just sleep yourself to death?"
Since it wasn't the Huang family's young master being struck, the uncles naturally kept their mouths shut.
"But… they don't like me. What's the point of staying here? Even if I didn't leave, what could I possibly do?"
Zheng Jun clenched his fists and lowered his head.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
This man before him was clearly his own father, yet he could only call him Uncle!
And this biological father had just slapped him across the face in front of everyone.
He hadn't fulfilled a single bit of a father's responsibility, yet he'd flaunted his authority as a father to the fullest.
Listening to his complaints, Father Huang felt not a shred of pity. He only thought an illegitimate child was beneath contempt, with a weak psyche.
He snorted coldly. "Zheng Jun, if one or two people—even thousands or tens of thousands—dislike you, you can blame it on their prejudice. But if everyone, including these strangers who don’t even know you, dislikes you, then you need to take a hard look at yourself."
"After all this time in this circle, have you worked to build relationships? Have you improved your character? Have your knowledge and manners progressed?"
"Have you accomplished what your brother Huang Li achieved so effortlessly?"
At this point, Huang Dad kicked him contemptuously.
"What else can you do besides complain? Get out of my sight!"
Zheng Jun wiped away his tears, stood up, and walked out without a word.
He couldn't afford to sever ties with the Huang family just yet, so he endured it silently.
Yet, the moment he stepped through the emergency exit door, a sinister voice called out to him.
Turning back, he saw only a blurred figure sitting in the shadows of the high steps, a pair of piercing eyes fixed on him.
"You did it, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The next second, the shadowy figure rose, clutching an iron bar, and slowly descended the steps.
"You did it, didn't you?"
Zheng Jun heard the message of death in the other's cold, icy voice.
He nearly took off running immediately, but the man behind him was clearly faster. Within seconds, he caught up, smashing the iron bar into Zheng Jun’s calf, snapping it clean in two.
"You did it, didn't you?!"
Dim light illuminated Ye Fuli's stunningly beautiful face.
A smile played at the corners of her mouth, her body covered in black soot and filthy water, her hair hanging loose.
She weighed the iron rod in her hand, gazing down at Zheng Jun, his face contorted in agony.
"I always knew you were capable of something this terrible. The first thing I should do in this lifetime is make you vanish from this world."
Under Zheng Jun's despairing gaze, she sighed again and tossed the rod aside.
Metal clattered against tile, ringing out in a sharp clang.
"But now, I've changed my mind. I'm going to make you live in agony."
Several minutes later.
He Ying, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, brought several henchmen specialized in dirty work. Under cover of night, they dragged Zheng Jun away like he was a pig or a dog.
"I heard something happened to my little sister! What exactly happened? Is it serious? Ye Fuli, say something!"
He Ying shook Ye Fuli's shoulders so violently that her entire body seemed about to fall apart.
But her eyes were empty, and she remained silent.
Only when the enraged He Ying shoved her to the ground did she manage a faint voice: "She's in the hospital. They're trying to save her. I don't know if she'll make it…"