The surrounding crowd fell silent in anticipation of drama, and soon the entire street echoed with only her voice.
By this time, Ye Wenbin had recovered and slowly stood up. Supporting his waist, he stepped forward and raised his hand to slap Ye Cai’e. This girl truly refused to learn any decency and even dared to fabricate lies so convincingly.
He moved fast, only lifting his hand after closing the distance. Shao Zheng had already retreated into the crowd earlier, and by now it was too late for him to stop it.
Ye Cai’e reacted, but she deliberately did not dodge. How perfect, ready-made evidence.
She tilted her head slightly so that his hand only brushed past her face, scraping away the blood from four fingers, then she collapsed to the ground and covered her face, continuing to cry.
“Everyone saw that, right?” she pleaded while clutching Shao Zheng’s trouser leg. “Uncle, can you help me report this to the police? I want to live, sob sob sob.”
The retired soldier’s sense of justice instantly flared. The little girl was simply too pitiful. But he could not leave in case this scum of a father tried to hit her again. So he sent his youngest son to fetch the police.
He swore he was not staying just to watch the excitement.
Ye Wenbin now felt his head splitting in two. She was his own biological daughter. How he disciplined her was none of anyone else’s business. These idle people were truly good at causing trouble.
But at this critical moment, he did not want to stir up trouble or draw attention.
So without caring about anything else, he tried to grab the child who had turned to fetch the police. Shao Zheng had been watching him closely. Seeing him dare to target his son, he showed no mercy and dragged him back into another over-the-shoulder throw.
The police arrived quickly and immediately restrained several people. Technically, they could choose whether or not to intervene in family disputes.
But the young girl’s injuries were truly frightening, and with so many civilians watching, if they failed to uphold justice, the image of the police would plummet and might even spark public anger. This matter had to be handled properly.
“Officer, please save me…” She repeated her situation once again, speaking through tears. Even the young officers listening could not bear it.
Their expressions toward the Ye family naturally turned cold.
Ye Yingyao covered the bracelet on her wrist with her sleeve. “Officer, everything she said is false. I know I’ve enjoyed better fortune all these years, so over the past year I’ve treated my sister even better. I even gave up my own room. As for food, things are tight everywhere now and no one can eat their fill. There’s no such thing as mistreatment.”
However, at this moment, Ye Yinghao and Ye Yingxiong, the two chubby brothers, stood behind her. They alone were enough to disprove her words, earning her many sidelong glances.
As the standoff continued, an elderly woman emerged once more from the Ye family courtyard. Ye Cai’e searched her memory. This appeared to be the original owner’s paternal grandmother, the one whose favoritism knew no bounds.
The old Madam Ye had hair already half white but looked vigorous. With a fierce glint in her eyes, she rushed over and hugged Ye Yingyao. “Enough. Officer, this is our family business. Disciplining an unruly daughter, what law does that break? Don’t think you can bully this old woman just because I don’t know much. Hmph. Ye Cai’e, you’ve truly grown bold.”
Ye Cai’e had not caused such a scene just to let it end lightly. She had to sever ties with this family, or she would surely be dragged down by this nest of snakes and rats until nothing remained of her bones.
She cried and begged, “Officer, you know I was only just brought back. There’s no real bond to begin with. My biological parents and grandmother all dislike me. There isn’t a single uninjured spot on my body.” She rolled up her pant leg, and the scars on her legs instantly startled everyone. “I have no other wishes. Today I only want to completely cut ties with this family. Even if I starve to death outside, I refuse to endure their torment any longer.”
Even Ye Yingyao had not expected her to demand a complete break. With the Ye family’s background, that was an immeasurable fortune.
The neighbors began whispering among themselves. To drive a young girl to abandon even her life just to leave this family meant they must have done something truly excessive. They looked respectable on the surface, but judging by their conduct, they were clearly capitalists.
Was this not treating a newly recovered biological child as a servant?
In an instant, those supporting Ye Cai’e gained the upper hand, looking at the Ye family as though they were enemies of the people.
Ye Wenbin was furious. With the current climate already tense, this girl dared to stir trouble. She was nowhere near as worry-free as Yaoyao. Since she wanted to cut ties, he would grant her wish. “You unfilial daughter. I raised you for over a year just to end up with a thankless wretch. You want to sever ties? Fine. I want to see how you live without money or a place to stay.”
Ye Yinghao and Ye Yingxiong mocked her from the side. In their eyes, Ye Cai’e asking to sever ties was nothing short of courting death.
If Ye Cai’e knew what they were thinking, she would laugh herself rich. Who would die first was far from certain. Moreover, when she had received the memories earlier, something else had appeared in her mind.
Based on her many years of life experience, this had to be the standard golden finger that came with transmigration.
Still, she could not let today’s suffering go uncompensated.
She lay weakly on the ground. “What you did today was attempted murder. If you don’t compensate me, how am I supposed to get treatment? Officers, uncles and aunties, please judge fairly. This family didn’t raise me for nineteen years. I’ve worked for them for a full year now, and with all these injuries, shouldn’t they pay compensation?”
The Ye family truly had not expected Ye Cai’e to demand money as well. They did not lack money, but the thought of it left them feeling utterly stifled.
Old Madam Ye wanted to say something more, but Ye Wenbin stopped her.
The matter could not be allowed to escalate further. The Ye family was already under pressure. If an attempted murder charge were added and they were arrested, it would not end well.
In the end, under the condemnation of the onlookers and Ye Cai’e’s pressure, the Ye family paid two hundred yuan and severed all ties with her.
They were so quick partly because they expected her to be unable to survive outside, crawling back in humiliation to beg the Ye family to take her in. At that time, the Ye family’s reputation would improve, and they would gain another child to exploit.
Even Ye Yingyao thought she was foolish, unable to understand how someone like her had lived such a good life in the previous lifetime.
There was no layered review process like in later generations. Very quickly, she obtained her own household registration booklet. Together with the two yuan left in her pocket, she now had a total of two hundred and two yuan.
She first spent one yuan to publish the severance of ties in the newspaper. Then, holding the introduction letter issued by the neighborhood office, she immediately went to find a place to stay. She urgently needed to get far away from this family and confirm what the point of light that had appeared in her mind actually was.
If it turned out her brain was damaged, then her brain truly was damaged.
Ye Cai’e found a fairly decent guesthouse. One night cost two yuan.
She did not delay. After entering the room and locking the door, she began focusing on the point of light in her mind.
Suddenly, the point of light transformed into a familiar glowing screen.