THD Chapter 25

Ye Xiqing fully demonstrated her "want it all, want it all, and want it all" spirit. Like a robber, she snatched away the necklace that Ji Yuxiu had intended to give her. Under the warm light, the emerald necklace, studded with diamonds, shimmered with dazzling brilliance. Regardless of its value, its beauty alone was enough to captivate anyone who looked at it.

Having spent so much time with Ye Xiqing, the system understood her somewhat. She had never liked wearing heavy, cumbersome, yet beautiful accessories, so it guessed, "You're not planning to sell it, are you?"

Ye Xiqing closed the box and looked at the system speechlessly. "Of course not. Do you think I'm the kind of crude person who would sell a gift someone gave me?"

"And just because I dislike how these things get in the way doesn't mean I actually dislike them."

"Something this beautiful and expensive deserves to sit on my dressing table where I can admire it every day."

The system fell silent.

It could never understand what its host was thinking. Still, today's Ye Xiqing was undeniably different. The fact that she preferred admiring jewelry all night over reading books was, in its own way, quite reassuring. It had once looked down on its shallow host, but after being thoroughly tormented by Ye Xiqing, it had suddenly realized that perhaps shallowness was also a virtue.

...

Ye Xiqing went to bed early that night, and the car she wanted arrived early the next morning.

Ji Yuxiu had initially been a little displeased, but the moment she saw Ye Xiqing wearing the necklace she had given her, she beamed with delight and scolded affectionately, "Now that's a presentable outfit."

Ye Xiqing smiled faintly. "Because today is important. I'm receiving my mother's coming-of-age gift."

When Ji Yuxiu had first brought Ye Xiqing home, she had never imagined the girl would be so good at sweet-talking people. She shook her head helplessly, though the smile on her face betrayed her happiness.

The family headed downstairs together to admire Ye Xiqing's coming-of-age gift.

The new car purchased for her belonged to a brand famous for prioritizing safety. It was jokingly described within the industry as having a safety rating bought with the lives of CEOs.

A major event like his daughter asking for a car naturally drew Mr. Ye's attention. He patted the hood with a satisfied expression.

"Good. Girls should get out more and see the world. Your mother worries too much."

Ye Xiqing was deeply grateful for her father's support. Folding her hands obediently, she asked, "Then, Dad, do you have a coming-of-age gift for me as well?"

Mr. Ye paused.

To be honest, he wasn't used to his daughter asking him for things.

When Ye Xueli had still been their daughter, she had lived like a princess, yet he could not remember her ever directly asking them for anything. Being approached so straightforwardly felt strangely unfamiliar.

Old habits were hard to change, however. After a brief hesitation, Mr. Ye spoke magnanimously.

"Once the children of the Ye family come of age, each receives five percent of the company's profit-sharing."

"[The same as my brothers...]"

"But you've suffered outside all these years. Your father wants to make it up to you. I'll have your three brothers transfer one percent each to you later."

"Thank you, Dad."

"You're welcome..."

His daughter's gratitude truly was precious.

...

The coming-of-age banquet that followed was generally pleasant, though Mr. Ye eventually fled the scene.

Although the eight percent was profit-sharing rather than actual shares, it was still an enormous amount of money, and Ye Xiqing was extremely satisfied with the gift.

Seeing her eldest daughter so pleased, the family's diplomatic expert, Ji Yuxiu, immediately began thinking about her younger daughter. Taking Ye Xueli's hand, she asked, "Li'er, would you like Mom to buy you a car too?"

Ye Xueli looked up.

The first thing she saw was Ye Xiqing.

With practiced ease, Ye Xiqing signed the profit transfer agreements on the spot, looking more like a true daughter of the Ye family than ever before.

A sharp pain pierced Ye Xueli's heart.

She did not know whether Ye Xiqing had gone too far or whether she herself simply could not look like royalty even when dressed in a dragon robe.

Either way, her chest felt unbearably tight.

"Li'er... Li'er..."

Ji Yuxiu's voice called from beside her.

Ye Xueli turned her head before immediately lowering it again.

"No need, Mother. It's too dangerous. I'd rather stay by your side."

Ji Yuxiu was overjoyed. Pulling her into an embrace, she said, "You're such a good daughter. If there's anything else you want, just tell me. Mother will buy it for you."

Ye Xueli could feel Ye Xiqing's gaze on her, but she had no desire to look back.

All she did was whisper softly, "Thank you, Mother."

At least she was still obedient, wasn't she?

At least everyone would continue liking her because she was obedient, wouldn't they?

...

Ye Xiqing glanced at Ye Xueli once before looking away.

Turning to the system, she said, "The strongest vicious supporting female character."

The system was speechless.

How many more times was this setting going to be dragged out and beaten like a dead horse?

Besides, did Ye Xueli really have nothing?

In truth, she was extremely likable.

Only women disliked her. Every man in the story except the male lead liked her.

If the original owner had not possessed a cheat-like advantage, she would never have been able to defeat Ye Xueli at all.

Only Ye Xiqing would treat money as the sole measure of success.

In countless other worlds, Ye Xueli would already be considered a great success.

Ye Xiqing had no interest in figuring out what dimension the system was talking about. All she knew was that she now had a car and could finally go out and enjoy herself. The original owner's emotions were influencing her more and more deeply, but fortunately, the effect was mostly limited to her studies. Driving was not something the original owner had ever tried. Thanks to the experience she carried over from her previous life, Ye Xiqing obtained her driver's license with remarkable ease. The moment she got it, she immediately got behind the wheel and drove off.

Watching the speed at which she was going, the system felt its heart tighten. "Where are you going?"

Ye Xiqing did not answer.

When she arrived at an old residential neighborhood, she finally slowed down. Parking carefully at the entrance of one of the buildings, she stepped out and knocked on a door. A middle-aged woman opened it. At first, she looked confused, but the moment she recognized Ye Xiqing's face, she let out a startled cry.

"Ah!"

In shock, she quickly invited Ye Xiqing inside.

The home that the original owner had once envied now seemed rather small. Since Ye Xiqing was not the original owner and had no personal attachment to these people, she went straight to the point. She placed an elegant handbag on the coffee table and pushed it toward the woman.

"Aunt Zhao, thank you for taking care of my mother-in-law and me all these years. I've recently found my biological parents, and they're doing quite well. Please accept this as a small token of my gratitude."

The handbag was not particularly large, but it was stuffed with neatly stacked bundles of cash.

Zhao Cuifang felt as though she were dreaming. At her age, she would never fantasize about a domineering CEO falling in love with her. At most, she might dream about rescuing a fallen emperor and being richly rewarded for her kindness. Yet now, that dream seemed to have come true. There was no emperor, but there was a princess returning to repay a debt of gratitude.

Overjoyed, Aunt Zhao repeatedly urged Ye Xiqing to stay for dinner. However, Ye Xiqing waved her hand and explained that she still had several more places to visit.

After going door to door and handing out every bag she had brought in the car, Ye Xiqing finally let out a sigh of relief.

The original owner had encountered some of the worst malice the world had to offer from the very beginning of her life. Yet fate, like any game system, seeks balance. For every act of cruelty she suffered, she had also encountered countless acts of kindness. Sometimes it was only leftover food, a pair of worn shoes, old clothes, or a little extra money given by someone while she worked as a delivery driver. Yet those small gestures had carried her through childhood.

The tragedy of poverty is that even kindness can become a burden. Debts that could never be repaid and favors that only seemed larger in the face of one's own failures gradually became crushing weights. Combined with those failures, they turned into the final straws that broke a person.

Ye Xiqing could repay everything the original owner never had the ability to repay, and she could do so with ease. Once the money had been distributed, every debt of gratitude was settled. Not only that, everyone praised her success and spoke proudly of how far she had come.

Afterward, she relocated her mother-in-law's ashes to the city's most expensive cemetery and secured the best plot available. As for the old house, she no longer wanted it. Whether it was sold or rented out, all proceeds would be given back to the neighbors who had once helped them.

Ye Xiqing herself felt no attachment to old places or old acquaintances. The only emotions surging through her belonged to the original owner.

As she drove away from the cemetery, she spoke earnestly.

"That should be enough, right? Your wish has been fulfilled. Now can you please get off me?"

The system was so distressed it felt as though it were going bald. If it had hair, it would have been tearing it out while screaming, "Are you performing a soul-releasing ritual or something?!"

Yet strangely enough, whether it was because of Ye Xiqing's powerful self-suggestion or because the original owner had truly sensed what was happening, the body's status values actually stabilized.

The system watched with a deadpan expression as Ye Xiqing drove to the original owner's high school.

During the busiest break between classes, she strode through the hallways, headed straight for the homeroom teacher's office, and announced proudly:

"Teacher, I've come to inform you that I'll be keeping my student registration here and I'll still take the college entrance examination. However, I won't be returning to class before then."

Every teacher in the office fell silent.

Ye Xiqing's homeroom teacher, who had taught her throughout all three years of high school and was currently being tormented by her graduating class, turned pale the moment she heard those words.

"Ye Xiqing! What nonsense are you talking about? The college entrance examination is a matter of life and death! Unless you've completely lost your mind, even if the world ends tomorrow, you still have to come back to class!"

In truth, the original owner's homeroom teacher was a good teacher. She had a reputation for being strict, but her strictness was fair and impartial. For someone like the original owner, who had grown up under constant pressure, that kind of fairness had actually been a source of comfort.

"I'm proving that although most people in the world feel that if they don't do anything worthwhile in a day, their life is ruined, some people can stand here all day doing nothing and still be perfectly happy, simply because of their natural gifts or because their skin is thick enough."

The little girl fell silent.

Although her elder sister seemed to make a lot of sense, doing nothing all day and having thick skin... wasn't she being described here?

But she was still just a baby...

...Of course not.

The thick-skinned Ye Xiqing seemed to have completely forgotten about the college entrance examination. In the days leading up to it, she spent her time enjoying herself however she pleased. When she finally walked out of the examination hall, the sky seemed higher, the sea wider, and a brand-new round of fun immediately began.

Summer vacation ended, and the new school year started.

Ye Xueli rolled up the sleeves of her military training uniform and ran toward someone, her face full of delight.

"Brother Nian, did you come to see me?"

Qin Nian watched Ye Xueli run over. Even the oversized military training uniform could not conceal her slender and graceful figure. His roommates stared with wide eyes, while Qin Nian merely nodded lazily in acknowledgment.

Ye Xueli was not bothered by his indifference. Ever since childhood, the person she admired most had been Brother Nian. Even if Qin Nian treated her coldly, she was still willing to follow him around.

The moment she saw him, she proudly announced, "Brother Nian, I got into X University! Not through a special dance admission either. I got in through the actual entrance examination!"

Qin Nian glanced at her casually and asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to get in? Your grades were never particularly good before."

Ye Xueli paused, pursed her lips, and replied, "Because my sister was taking the exam, so I came with her..."

The eyes of Qin Nian's roommates instantly lit up.

"You have a sister? You're already this pretty. Your sister must be even prettier!"

Ye Xueli froze and clutched at her clothes.

"Please don't say that. My sister has a strong personality. She doesn't like people talking about her like that..."

"She doesn't like it?"

"Hahaha!"

The group became even more excited.

"She's unhappy when we say it, but School Heartthrob Qin will definitely be happy!"

They immediately began pushing Qin Nian forward to show off his masculine charm.

Qin Nian was speechless at their childish behavior, but he could not withstand the relentless heckling from behind. Before long, they had even managed to find out Ye Xiqing's major.

Biopharmaceuticals. A freshman.

Now he really wanted to see what kind of person she was.

Ye Xueli tried desperately to stop them, but her voice was far too soft. Among a group of tall, energetic young men, her opinion carried no weight at all.

In grand fashion, the group tracked down Ye Xiqing's location.

At that moment, Ye Xiqing was eating in the cafeteria. She had just finished exercising and had burned through a considerable amount of energy.

Then a voice came from behind her. It sounded impatient, though it was clearly trying to appear casual.

"Hey, junior. Want to add each other on WeChat? We can discuss academic issues together in the future."

Ye Xiqing paused with her chopsticks in hand but said nothing.

Instead, the girl sitting across from her burst out laughing.

Ah, the freshmen had arrived. The upperclassmen who were ignored by the senior girls had started targeting the freshmen instead.

Meng Xuedong did not mean to be rude. Her threshold for laughter was simply too low. Thinking about all the jokes she had seen online and looking at the group of grinning upperclassmen, she suppressed another laugh and said, "Senior, you're pretty brave, but do you even know who you're trying to flirt with?"

"At our university, there's a genius who got into the school with a college entrance examination score of 746. We're discussing academic matters with her. Senior, what was your score on the college entrance examination?"

Qin Nian: ?

Ye Xueli: I told you not to come... but you insisted anyway...

And before anyone asks whether a college entrance examination score of 746 is realistic, those missing four points were the author's final concession to reality.

I genuinely wanted to give Qingqing perfect scores in every subject. In the end, however, I gritted my teeth and made some changes.

Of course, I should clarify that the four points deducted were not because the author doubted Qingqing's abilities. Rather, it was out of consideration for the humanity of the examiners.

Although Qingqing's answers and essay were already flawless, awarding a perfect score would place an enormous amount of pressure on the graders. Not every teacher would dare to give full marks, so this small regret remains.

After all, people experience joy and sorrow, partings and reunions. The moon waxes and wanes. Nothing in this world is ever truly perfect.

Let us simply regard those four missing points as fate's way of maintaining balance.

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