Ye Shizhi raised a smile. Her eyes curved gently, making her look easy to talk to.
Li Meimei, however, looked terrified. She instinctively stepped back. Realizing how cowardly that made her seem, she suddenly shouted, “What do you want?!”
“Nothing.”
The light reply floated out as Ye Shizhi continued walking toward her at an unhurried pace.
“Don’t come over! If you do, I—I’ll call the police!”
In her panic, Li Meimei had lost all her earlier arrogance. What remained was a hunched, trembling figure.
And just as Ye Shizhi had said—she didn’t intend to do anything.
She crouched in front of Li Meimei and shifted her gaze to the book off to the side—the one Li Meimei had thrown earlier.
Seeing her move like that, Li Meimei quickly caught on. Fighting her fear, she scrambled toward it and said, “I’ll pick it up! I’ll pick it up!”
Ye Shizhi smiled. “Don’t be scared. I’m not going to hit you.”
“You already did…”
Li Meimei hugged the book from a short distance away, replying weakly, looking helpless.
Ye Shizhi’s eyes fell on the red rim around her eyes, and she went silent.
She had forgotten about that part.
She tried to appear non-threatening, but that only seemed to make Li Meimei more afraid. In her fluster, Li Meimei shoved the book into the arms of a completely stunned Li Qinqin, pushed past the groaning crowd blocking the doorway, and ran off as if fleeing for her life.
“You just wait!”
After throwing out that threat, she wiped her tears and disappeared into the crowd.
“…Waaah, Mom, someone hit me…”
Ye Shizhi: “…”
Xiao Liu: “…”
The few lackeys piled up by the door sensed something was wrong. Ignoring their own injuries, they also shouted viciously, “Li Qinqin, you just wait for our sister!”
“Let’s go!”
With a grand wave of a hand, they left as quickly as they had come.
The atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.
Li Qinqin looked at Ye Shizhi, who was still crouched on the ground with one hand resting on her knee, looking faintly roguish. She felt uncomfortable.
Sensing the gaze, Ye Shizhi looked up at her. Those obsidian-dark eyes were clear, yet carried an emotion Li Qinqin couldn’t understand. Many years later, when she saw her again, Li Qinqin would realize what those eyes held was indifference and cool detachment.
Just like now—she didn’t care what had happened. Perhaps all she had done was repay a favor.
But Li Qinqin would understand that far too late.
“Task complete: Prevent supporting female character Li Qinqin from being bullied. Points +2. Total points: 12. Please keep up the good work!”
After receiving the notification, Ye Shizhi slowly stood and walked over to Li Qinqin.
Her gaze moved from the red marks on her neck to the rumpled book in her arms. She took it, lowered her head, and straightened the pages carefully.
But once dust clung to something, wiping it didn’t make it disappear.
“Being weak can be temporary—but it cannot be lifelong. Compared to now, the Li Qinqin who once aspired to read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles was far more likable.”
“See you.”
She placed the book back into Li Qinqin’s stunned hands and turned to leave.
The favor owed to the original host had been repaid, at least in part. As for the rest, that depended on Li Qinqin herself. No one could support another person forever.
Patience wasn’t something that could be tested endlessly.
After Ye Shizhi left, the book slipped from Li Qinqin’s hands. She crouched down, covering her face as she sobbed quietly like a wounded animal curling into itself.
Ye Shizhi’s words reminded her of who she used to be—someone with dreams and places she longed to see. But now? Forced to hide in this tiny bookstore, afraid Li Meimei would find her. At home, ever since her father remarried, there was no place for her anymore.
She was like a rat crossing the street—unable to face the light, beaten whenever seen.
Was this really a life she could tolerate?
In a corner no one noticed, one of Bear Boss’s underlings whispered, “S-So… are we still going to teach Jiang Sinian’s wife a lesson?”
Just thinking about her combat strength made him imagine how badly he’d be beaten.
They had followed clues to Linshan Village and discovered Jiang Sinian was married. Planning to give him a warning, they happened to spot Ye Shizhi on the road today and decided to beat her up on the spot. Instead, they watched her sweep through everyone effortlessly—and panicked.
Why was everyone around Jiang Sinian so terrifying?
They feared Fang Jingshan’s group, yet their desire for revenge still lingered.
Bear Boss felt a bit shaken too, but he slapped the underling on the head. “Hit? Of course we’ll hit! There are so many of us.”
“Oh!” The underling nodded, half-understanding.
“Wait! Boss, why are you running—”
Ye Shizhi didn’t dwell on the incident after leaving.
Now that she knew her goal, she wasn’t in a rush. This business idea had been a spur-of-the-moment decision anyway.
Besides, her proposal draft wasn’t fully polished yet.
Her plan was to enter the market with products like 21st-century milk tea and canned beverages. But when she actually reached the factory gates and saw two security-like figures driving someone away, she paused.
“Hey! Hey! This is tea! You bunch of ignoramuses!”
“Hey hey hey… don’t throw it! Don’t throw it! It’s precious!”
As Ye Shizhi walked closer, a small packet rolled to her feet. She bent down and picked it up. When she caught its scent, she paused and brought it closer to her nose for a careful sniff.
“Well? Good tea, right?”
A disheveled man with messy hair and stubble suddenly leaned in, eyes burning with eagerness as he looked at her.
Ye Shizhi nodded. “It’s indeed good tea.”
She just didn’t enjoy drinking it much—she simply recognized quality.
“Good tea needs someone who understands it.”
“And it just found one.”
He answered immediately.
Ye Shizhi froze briefly, then smiled. “I only know a little.”
“That’s still better than those ignorant fools.” He snorted. “You’re pretty. I’ll give this pack to you.”
As she looked at him, he was already grinning wildly and hopping away, the two security guards chasing him with sticks. Whether they were using real force was unclear.
“Easy! Easy! I haven’t healed from last time!”
“Hey! You’re really hitting—help!”
After a dramatic round of yelping, the area finally quieted.
Ye Shizhi couldn’t help rubbing her forehead. Every day here felt stranger than the last.
“Hello, are you buying formulas?”
The moment she approached and asked that question, the two guards—who had just calmed down—immediately darkened their expressions.
“You here to scam us too?”
“No,” Ye Shizhi replied after a brief silence.
“Young lady, just go home. Don’t waste your time here. Boss said he’s not buying any more formulas.”
One of them added, not unkindly, “If you’ve got the time, go find proper work. This factory’s about to shut down. I heard the boss plans to leave it idle in a few days. We’ll be out of jobs soon too.”