THD Chapter 23

In that instant, Ye Xiqing firmly secured the position of Ji Yuxiu's favorite daughter.

The so-called eighteen years of affection suddenly didn't seem so difficult to overcome.

People often say that parental love is the most selfless love in the world.

Ye Xiqing thought the opposite.

Wanting a child in order to continue one's legacy and resist inevitable decline was, at its core, an extremely utilitarian desire.

How could parents who carried such motives truly be completely selfless?

So even though this mother loved her children deeply, she still preferred the one who was more outstanding, stronger, and loved her more openly.

Compared to Ye Xiqing's complex personality, which contained both love and hatred, gentleness and strength, Ye Xueli's pitiful image suddenly seemed shallow and fragile.

Ji Yuxiu looked at Ye Xiqing with tenderness and pity.

Her heart had already begun to lean.

After lunch, the Third Young Master Ye quickly found an excuse to leave.

He never wanted to stay in this house again.

Ji Yuxiu, however, was still eager to inspect Wang Ma's work. Her mind remained occupied with concerns about her daughter's food, clothing, and living arrangements.

Lost in thought, Ye Xueli followed behind them.

No one stopped her.

Perhaps even Ji Yuxiu understood deep down that this daughter no longer posed any threat to the other daughter.

Whether she was present or absent no longer mattered.

The group headed upstairs together.

The second floor was nearby and could be reached directly by the staircase.

Originally, this floor had belonged to the Eldest Young Master Ye.

Its decor reflected his unique tastes.

The entire floor featured a Chinese-inspired design that was simple yet grand. Traditional elements blended seamlessly with modern furnishings, creating a style that sat somewhere between classical elegance and contemporary sophistication.

For an interior design company, it would have been the sort of showcase project they proudly displayed to clients.

In Ji Yuxiu's eyes, however, it was far too serious.

Wouldn't this clash completely with the personality of a girl who had just turned eighteen?

Ye Xiqing didn't care at all.

"It's great."

"When I sit in the office chair, I feel like an emperor."

"I like it."

Ji Yuxiu laughed at her response and continued inspecting the room.

Seeing that Wang Ma had indeed done an excellent job, she finally relaxed.

"Wang Ma, you've done very well."

Wang Ma had once worked directly under Ji Yuxiu.

Receiving praise from her mistress immediately made her beam with happiness.

"Thank you, Madam."

"Please rest assured. From now on, I will take good care of the young lady."

Originally, Ji Yuxiu had thought her husband had been somewhat impulsive in placing Wang Ma in charge of the household.

Now she found herself thinking otherwise.

Why not let Wang Ma try?

After all, household management consisted mostly of these everyday matters.

With all her concerns finally settled, Ji Yuxiu sat down beside Ye Xiqing on the large bed in the bedroom.

Gently stroking her daughter's hair, she asked affectionately,

"Qingqing, now that you've come home, is there anything you especially want to do?" 

Ye Xiqing had just turned eighteen this year, the age when students take the college entrance examination. For someone from an ordinary background, the college entrance examination was undoubtedly a major turning point in life, so there was nothing strange about it.

Ji Yuxiu continued gently, "That's good. So, which university do you want to attend?"

"X University."

"X University? That's great..."

She instinctively went along with the answer before suddenly pausing.

"X University? Why X University?"

Ye Xiqing looked at her calmly and replied, "Why can't it be X University? It's close to home. If I study there, I can come back during every holiday."

"And X University has the best biopharmaceutical program in the country. My biggest dream is to become a drug researcher, so it's my only choice."

Ji Yuxiu fell silent.

There was nothing wrong with X University. There was nothing wrong with studying biopharmaceuticals either.

The problem was putting the two together.

Like many daughters of wealthy families, Ye Xiqing had a fiancé arranged through family connections, and the Ye family was no exception.

That fiancé was Qin Nian.

He was currently a third-year biopharmaceutical student at X University.

Without the memories of her previous life, Ji Yuxiu might have believed it was merely a coincidence.

But now she knew perfectly well that Ye Xiqing was doing it on purpose.

What a disaster.

She had thought the two sisters would finally get along, but now they were clashing again.

Over the years, Ye Xueli and Qin Nian had spent a great deal of time together and developed a deep bond. Yet, for some reason, Ji Yuxiu felt that if her biological daughter decided to compete for him, she would probably win.

She looked at one daughter, then the other, before ultimately saying nothing.

People were naturally biased.

She had already wronged her biological daughter for far too long.

Even if Ye Xiqing wanted to fight for him, she had no right to refuse.

As for what she owed Ye Xueli, she would compensate her in other ways.

The girl was still young. Even if she liked someone else in the future, it would not be too late.

She would certainly find her a family no worse than the Qin family.

Ye Xueli had remained silent throughout the conversation.

Only now did she finally raise her head.

"Sister, are you planning to take the entrance exam for X University?"

Her shoulder-length hair framed her delicate face, making her look especially lovable when she looked up.

Ye Xiqing met her gaze calmly.

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

Ye Xueli's fingers tightened around the hem of her clothes, though her expression remained composed.

Forcing a smile, she asked, "There's less than a year left. My previous educational resources weren't very good. Is it still possible to start preparing now?"

That question hardly worried Ye Xiqing at all.

Nothing in her life had ever been prepared for more thoroughly than the college entrance examination.

"It's fine," she said confidently. "Even if I don't get in, my family can always donate enough money to get me admitted."

Ye Xueli fell silent.

So did Ji Yuxiu.

Ye Xiqing's shameless display of confidence left everyone speechless.

It took Ye Xueli quite a while to recover.

In a small voice, she said, "Mom, I want to take the entrance exam for X University with Sister too..."

Ji Yuxiu stared at her.

"Weren't you already admitted through the art-special admissions program?"

Ye Xueli bit her lip and refused to answer.

She simply wanted to take the exam.

What business was it of anyone else's?

Watching the two girls circle each other like cats and dogs, Ji Yuxiu rubbed her forehead.

What a mess.

What an absolute mess.

And so, the Ye family, which should have been in complete chaos, unexpectedly became quiet.

After investigating the company himself, Father Ye discovered that the matter involving Assistant He was completely true.

Not only did this give him an excuse to reclaim authority from his eldest and second sons, but it also proved that Ye Xiqing's warnings had been correct.

As a result, he did not dare leave the company unattended.

Father Ye stopped returning home.

The Eldest Young Master Ye and the Second Young Master Ye were forbidden from returning.

Even Ye San no longer dared to come back.

That left only Ye Xiqing and Ye Xueli in the house.

Yet the two girls did not quarrel.

They simply buried themselves in their studies, disappointing everyone who had been eagerly waiting for drama.

They studied on separate floors.

One occupied the second floor.

The other stayed on the fifth.

Neither interfered with the other.

The moment Ye Xiqing returned to her textbooks, she felt completely at peace.

The system occasionally checked on Ye Xueli upstairs.

Every time it saw her with her hair tied up high, diligently studying at her desk, its core ached.

"You're actually studying?! You're an art student! If you're not competing in art, why are you competing academically? Her starting line is practically your finish line!"

The system even considered secretly granting her a Memory Imprinting cheat skill just to humble Ye Xiqing a little.

Unfortunately, not only would that violate regulations, but the system had also become somewhat wary of the skill itself.

After saying goodbye to the hardworking Ye Xueli, it returned to Ye Xiqing.

Watching her effortlessly solve problem after problem, it weakly asked, "Host... are you really going to X University because of the male lead?"

That finally made Ye Xiqing look up.

For most people, studying was exhausting.

For Ye Xiqing, it was the exact opposite.

She felt that nothing in the world was simpler or more relaxing than studying.

As a result, her expression remained remarkably peaceful.

"System, I've discovered that you understand me a little."

The system was speechless.

Of course it understood.

Who would believe she was working this hard for the male lead?

Still, it could not figure out her real motive.

"Then why?"

"Hehe."

Ye Xiqing chuckled before suddenly becoming serious.

"Because I think the Ye family is going to go bankrupt."

The system froze.

What?

When had that happened?

Why didn't it know?

Could she stop making things up?

Ye Xiqing spun around in her chair, crossed her arms, and spoke solemnly.

"Whether there's a plot point about it or not, you shouldn't rely entirely on data. Use your brain."

"You told me the Ye family is wealthy, but you never mentioned that they built their fortune through the cosmetics industry."

"The Ye family is one of the country's top wealthy families, yet their core business is still cosmetics and daily necessities. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to worry about bankruptcy?"

The system was silent.

"Host, while I appreciate your initiative, please stop imagining plotlines that don't exist."

Ye Xiqing disagreed.

Every world operated according to certain fundamental principles.

Looking at the rows of beauty and skincare products before her, she saw the foundation of the Ye family's wealth.

Those products had elevated them into one of the nation's richest families.

The Ye family was powerful.

But when she looked further into the future, she could not see lasting security.

Humanity's obsession with beauty products ultimately stemmed from the desire for youth, beauty, and longevity.

One day, those desires would be fulfilled through other methods.

Anything could replace cosmetics.

Anything except these crude bottles and jars of chemicals.

Eventually, the industry would reach its limits.

She had only just become a wealthy heiress.

She had no intention of going bankrupt so soon.

Naturally, she needed to prepare for the future.

In the real world, that kind of planning would require endless effort and uncertainty.

But in a novel world, the answer was obvious.

Biopharmaceuticals.

What an impressive profession.

No wonder it belonged to the male lead.

Compared to cosmetics research, it sounded infinitely more secure.

In romance novels, the best things were always reserved for the male lead.

And Ye Xiqing had always wanted the best.

Since the male lead could do it, she wanted to try it too.

The system nearly coughed up blood after hearing such outrageous reasoning.

Don't be so confident.

The male lead was not someone she could casually surpass.

And he certainly wasn't someone easy to deal with.

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