Chapter 84: Never Give Up

Before she knew it, most of the morning had quietly slipped away, and it was 10:00 AM.

The swelling on Ye Xingmian’s face had mostly faded. She was currently being held in Lin Ziyan’s arms like a toy, with the older girl’s phone playing content she couldn’t understand. Ye Xingmian remained in a daze, her lifeless eyes fixed on the dark TV screen in the living room.

It reflected her current appearance: her hair was a mess, her eyes were red and swollen, and she was being held haphazardly in Lin Ziyan’s arms like a pitiful plaything.

This silence lasted for a long time as the girl waited for Lin Ziyan to let her go. However, she expected no peace even then; even if she were released, she would likely have to serve her in various ways, such as massaging her shoulders, rubbing her legs, and performing other tasks. Regardless, she certainly wouldn’t have any free time.

It was a relief that her phone hadn’t been taken. However, her money was gone, and she still had to go to Qin Haiyue’s place at noon. She wondered if she would be beaten if she were found out… and she didn’t know if her foster parents would still give her meal money after what happened last night. If they didn’t, she would go hungry again next week.

As she worried about various things, the girl suddenly moved and struggled, attempting to get off Lin Ziyan.

She had suddenly remembered something: she needed to find a hidden place to take out her phone and see if Qin Haiyue had sent her any messages. After all, yesterday’s threat was still fresh in her mind, and she didn’t dare be careless.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Noticing the girl’s movement in her arms, Lin Ziyan frowned.

“Let… let me down… I want to go to the bathroom…”

“The bathroom?” Lin Ziyan arched an eyebrow, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. “Sure, I’ll go with you.”

“Huh? No… no…”

“We’re both girls, why not?”

Unlike the blush Lin Ziyan expected, the girl’s face turned exceptionally pale, as if she had heard something terrible.

“I… I don’t need to go anymore…”

“Hmm? What’s the matter with you?” Lin Ziyan frowned, finding the girl’s behavior strange. She watched Ye Xingmian’s dodging eyes, her gaze narrowing. “Are you hiding something from me?”

“No…”

“You’re lying.” Seeing the girl’s behavior, Lin Ziyan concluded almost instantly that she was lying. She turned and pinned the girl onto the sofa. “What exactly are you hiding from me? Tell me now!”

“I really am not…”

The girl looked anxious, terrified that Lin Ziyan would find the phone. She squirmed, trying to push Lin Ziyan off her, but she was too weak to manage it.

‘It’s no use. I won’t be able to keep this hidden if this continues… I have to find a way.’

Despite realizing this, the girl’s mind went blank, and she couldn’t think of a solution.

Seeing the expression on the person beneath her, Lin Ziyan was almost certain she was hiding something. Her frown deepened as she pondered how to get the girl to tell the truth. However, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Lin Ziyan froze as she pinned the girl down. Who would be knocking at this time? It certainly wouldn’t be her parents; they didn’t get off work until very late. She didn’t recall any neighbors close enough to drop by, so who could it be?

After a moment’s thought, she decided to ignore Ye Xingmian’s secret for the time being. She got off the sofa and told the girl, “I’m going to open the door. Find a place to hide, do you understand?”

The girl nodded daze-like, unsteadily getting off the sofa to stand up. She found her schoolbag and carefully zipped it up; it was empty, missing two items.

She then headed upstairs.

Seeing Ye Xingmian go upstairs, Lin Ziyan’s furrowed brow relaxed significantly. She shook her head and walked toward the door.

The person outside was Liu Yinuo.

Through the peephole, Lin Ziyan recognized the visitor and couldn’t help but frown. However, considering what Ye Xingmian had just gone through, she figured the girl wouldn’t come out easily. After a moment of consideration, she decided to open the door.

If she simply turned her away, Liu Yinuo might be relentless. But if Ye Xingmian herself refused to see her, Liu Yinuo would likely be somewhat angry, right? If that happened, she might take the initiative to stop trying to get close to Ye Xingmian.

With that in mind, she frowned and opened the door.

Unlike usual, Liu Yinuo’s expression was somewhat cold today. She was still holding her phone in one hand; after seeing the door open, she stuffed that hand into her pocket.

“What are you doing here?” Lin Ziyan asked irritably, blocking the doorway.

Liu Yinuo didn’t bother responding, her gaze scanning the room. “I’m here for Ye Xingmian.”

After saying that, she tried to step inside, but Lin Ziyan stopped her.

“Hey, she told me she doesn’t want to see you. Just leave.”

“Is that so?” Liu Yinuo paused, her brow furrowing deeply.

In truth, Lin Ziyan hadn’t expected her words to actually make Liu Yinuo suspicious; she had thought Liu Yinuo wouldn’t believe her at all. But since it was having an effect, she decided to take the opportunity to drive her away.

“It’s true. She just told me she hates you. If you don’t believe me, you can go in and look, but she’ll ignore you.”

Lin Ziyan gave a slightly mocking smile, expecting her words to make Liu Yinuo angry. However, contrary to her expectations, Liu Yinuo looked thoughtful.

“Did she give a reason?”

“A reason? That’s simple! Look over there. That’s the scarf you gave her, right? She threw it in the trash. Don’t you understand?”

Liu Yinuo looked toward the trash can and fell silent for a moment. What flashed in her eyes wasn’t anger, but a somewhat strange, contemplative look.

“You’re saying… she threw away the scarf I gave her?”

“Yeah! If you don’t believe me, look for yourself. It’s right there.”

For some reason, Liu Yinuo actually let out a smile, which immediately made Lin Ziyan feel a wave of discomfort. She couldn’t help but furrow her brow deeply.

“Alright. Can you let me in now?”

“Hey! You person — I already told you, she doesn’t want to see you.”

“I know, but I want to see her.”

Seeing that she couldn’t talk her out of it, Lin Ziyan sighed, looking at Liu Yinuo as if she were a fool who didn’t know what was good for her.

“Fine, go ahead. But don’t blame me if she doesn’t come out.”

Without another word, Liu Yinuo bypassed Lin Ziyan and walked inside, heading upstairs according to her memory.

In reality, she wasn’t certain that Ye Xingmian would be willing to come out and see her, especially since the girl had been avoiding her lately. But where did this confidence to insist on seeing her come from?

To be honest, if it weren’t for Lin Ziyan’s words just now, she might not have actually gone upstairs. She understood Ye Xingmian; she was certain Ye Xingmian would never do something like throwing away the scarf she had given her. That meant the circumstances were clear: the girl was being bullied by Lin Ziyan.

***

She believed this was her chance. Although she thought she might be turned away at the door, what of it? At worst, she would just refuse to leave. She didn’t believe the girl could keep the door closed forever. She didn’t intend to return empty-handed this time; no matter what, she had to take Ye Xingmian back to her own home and interrogate her.