Chapter 095: No, She Dared Not Cause Trouble Anymore
Ye Fuli didn't understand romance.
Through two lifetimes, she had never experienced a normal romance.
But she wouldn't admit she didn't understand.
She approached this matter like running a company in her past life—believing that as long as she kept the other person firmly in her grasp, accompanied them day and night, and provided for all their needs, that would suffice.
If she could revive even that terrible company, how much more so something as common as romance?
"Everyone has their own way of loving. I see nothing wrong with mine."
This was Ye Fuli's answer after a long silence.
Geniuses are always confident.
She resolved to stand by her conviction.
"With me, you can have everything you desire."
Ye Zhen pursed her lips. "Including freedom?"
"Ye Zhen, don't you understand yet?"
At this moment, Ye Fuli felt a bit irritated.
She didn't care for hearing the word "freedom" from Ye Zhen's mouth. She couldn't fathom what kind of freedom Ye Zhen truly desired.
Was it to live like a beggar under a bridge, left to fend for herself?
Was that the freedom she craved?
Ye Fuli thought it was nothing short of courting death.
The pet cat raised in the house for so many years had long since had its claws clipped, becoming utterly lazy and losing all ability to hunt for food.
Why must she run away from home?
Was the air outside sweeter than the warmth within?
"Ye Zhen, don't you understand? You don't have the skills to live independently. You can't even hope for freedom." Ye Fuli almost blurted out how she'd met a tragic end under a bridge in her past life, but she held back. "When you're truly on equal footing with me, then we can discuss your laughable notion of freedom."
Creak—
The door creaked.
The maid who had gone out to fetch medicine returned.
Seeing the two still talking, she stood silently outside the door, not pushing it open.
Ye Zhen stared blankly at her, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if I prove I can live independently?"
"Hmph."
Ye Fuli's response was a dismissive snort.
The haughty Feng Aotian never trusted others—only himself.
Ye Zhen chose not to argue further.
The poor girl buried her face in the pillow, biting her lip.
Her heart ached bitterly.
She wanted to say she wasn't a complete failure. Without the system's help, she'd self-taught herself calculus and passed the practice exams.
She'd even earned money selling skewers while out playing.
Even without the Ye family's wealth, she wouldn't starve to death.
And besides, she had a system! It worked hard to snatch things from others. Though the loot wasn't much, it was a system that loved to strive…
She didn't want to study finance or management. She refused to waste her precious life pleasing others.
But who would listen to her voice?
Ye Zhen nearly burst into tears, but she forced herself to hold back, feigning lightheartedness as she joked about herself.
"Honestly, I'm pretty easy to support. Look, I don't even get periods, so I don't need to buy sanitary pads…"
"Are you hinting that I should give you money?"
Ye Zhen looked up at her, utterly incredulous.
Her words clearly hadn't carried that meaning—why could Ye Fuli twist them so wildly?
She was so intelligent—was this deliberate misinterpretation, or an accidental one?
The next moment, Ye Fuli tossed a card at her.
"This is my supplementary card. The PIN is on the back."
"…Mm."
"Don't just say 'mhm'. You should thank me."
"…"
Ye Zhen was genuinely starting to lose patience with her.
It took tremendous self-control not to just toss the card on the ground.
Ye Fuli leaned in and pointed at her own cheek.
"Hurry up and thank me."
……
…
Stepping out of the hospital room, Ye Fuli felt much lighter.
Her phone had been buzzing in her pocket for ages before she finally pulled it out.
Over fifty missed calls.
That was surprising.
"Hello."
She answered the call that was coming through now.
There was a long silence on the other end, as if the caller hadn't expected the phone to actually be answered.
"After going to all this trouble to reach me, you don't plan on saying anything?"
Ye Fuli wasn't one for patience.
She was merely in a good mood at the moment, willing to listen to a few words from the other party.
"I am your biological mother. I assume you've already learned this news," Mrs. Ye said calmly. "Ye Fuli, come home this weekend. Let's have a family dinner together."
"Will Ye Zhen be there?"
Ye Fuli didn't outright refuse the invitation, which surprised Mrs. Ye.
After all, she'd heard some rather unpleasant remarks from the child's father.
"What would Ye Zhen be doing here?" Mrs. Ye snorted. "She needs to focus on her recovery."
But in truth…
Even if Ye Zhen had fully recovered, she would still limit her outings and social interactions.
This served two purposes: to protect Ye Zhen's dignity and to preserve the Ye family's reputation.
Once a beautiful vase shatters, it can never regain its original value.
As time passed, she even began to feel that her willingness to continue supporting Ye Zhen financially was already an act of great mercy.
If Ye Zhen dared to cause trouble, then…
No, she dared not cause trouble anymore, nor did she have the strength to do so.
Madam Ye believed she had everything under control—at the very least, she had tamed Ye Zhen.
Now, it was time to try and tame Ye Fuli as well.
"Oh, Ye Zhen isn't coming? Then I see no need to come either."
Ye Fuli hung up the phone without another word.
A short while later.
The phone rang again.
Mrs. Ye finally understood compromise and said with obvious displeasure, "Fine. I agree to let Ye Zhen come back to have dinner with you. Remember to be on time."
"Fine."
Ye Fuli clutched her phone and smiled.
She finally grasped the peculiar magic of so-called "blood ties."
The two of them were the closest people in the world, sharing a startling similarity in their most irritating personality traits.
After leaving the hospital, Ye Fuli turned back to glance at the lights on the top floor.
"Goodnight, kitty."
…
At that moment.
Ye Zhen also stood by the window, gazing at the dimly lit scene below.
She couldn't see Ye Fuli, nor did she expect to.
She touched her own lips and clenched her teeth.
"Miss Ye, it's time for bed."
Ye Zhen turned to face the expressionless maid.
The maid was strong and sturdy, with thick arms and hard muscles—she hardly looked like a woman at all.
Seeing Ye Zhen hesitate, she stepped forward, picked her up, and carried her to the bedside. She removed Ye Zhen's shoes and coat.
Another maid brought in the medicine for the night.
Both maids were prepared for Ye Zhen to resist, but she remained still, sitting quietly and allowing them to do as they pleased.
Expensive ointment was applied to every wound on her body, and fresh bandages were carefully wrapped around her face.
The only makeup mirror in the room was covered with a thick cloth, seemingly a deliberate consideration for Ye Zhen's state of mind.
"Young Miss, it's time to sleep."
Ye Zhen lay down, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She couldn't sleep.
"Is the freedom I seek really that laughable?"
For a fleeting moment, Ye Fuli's words nearly swayed her.
But the memory of her contemptuous gaze, and the agony of those ten years confined to a sickbed in her past life, made her unable to resign herself to fate.
"Hmph. What's the difference between a life without freedom and a dried fish? As a system-equipped strong man, I can't be swayed by money or beautiful women!"
"I'll see every mountain and sea in the world, taste every delicious thing—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy—I'll savor it all!"
"I'll drink! Dance! Skydive! Ski! Parkour! Hmph!"
[Host, please be normal. This cute one is scared…]
Ye Zhen coughed twice, pulled the blanket over herself, and covered up.
"Hey! Just talking big, that's all."
[So, are you running away again?]
Ye Zhen shook her head.
Now wasn't the time.
Her last escape had to wait until she got a second chance to be reckless.
By then, she would vanish from their lives forever, never giving them another chance to mess with her.
"Hey, Dog System, did you snag anything good today?"
[Hehe, this cute little me snagged an antique fighter jet! But the pickup location is in the tropical rainforest, coordinates are…]