Chapter 7: She is the Daughter of a Murderer

The Ye residence.

Ye Ci arrived at Su Yuan’s room.

“Mom, how is your foot?”

Su Yuan was feeling uneasy because Ye Sheng had caused trouble, and upon hearing her voice, she turned around with a worried expression.

“Oh, it’s Xiao Ci. I’m fine, Mom is fine. I’ve applied the medicine, and it should be better in a couple of days.”

Ye Ci walked over and sat down beside her.

“Is Mom still worried about A-Sheng?”

Su Yuan rubbed her temples, a headache coming on.

“That child is never like this usually. If it weren’t for Ning Li this time, I’m afraid he wouldn’t have…”

In her words, there was no excessive blame for Ye Sheng; instead, she laid all the fault on Ning Li.

She had already felt that Ning Li was a burden, and as it turned out, the very first day she entered the Ye family, she had caused such a scene.

As she spoke, she glanced toward the door.

“By the way, how is it over at Ning Li’s side? Has she been giving you any trouble?”

Ye Ci shook her head.

“After Big Sister went into her room, she hasn’t come out. However—”

She paused.

“When I passed by the art studio earlier, Big Sister didn’t seem to be in a very good mood.”

Su Yuan frowned, recalling something for a moment.

“The art studio? Oh, I heard she used to draw sketches for people on the street to earn…”

Her voice came to an abrupt halt, her expression awkward.

Ning Li’s grandmother had been frail and sickly, and for years they had relied on welfare to survive. Ning Li had gone out to work very early on, taking on all sorts of part-time jobs to earn money to support the family.

Su Yuan had only learned of these things recently.

But speaking of this in front of Ye Ci always made her feel like she was losing face.

“It seems she just learned for a while from some teacher, but she can’t compare to you.”

Ye Ci’s expression was sympathetic.

“Thinking about it that way, Big Sister Ning Li has had a very hard life these past few years.”

Seeing that she didn’t seem to have any intention of mocking or looking down on her, Su Yuan’s expression softened, and she patted her hand.

“Don’t worry, Xiao Ci, she’s only staying at home for one year.”

Once the college entrance exams are over next year, they would just have Ning Li apply for a university in another city.

A vocational college would do, too.

With her grades, there wasn’t much hope to begin with; at worst, the Ye family could spend a little money to get it arranged.

“The Huaging Cup finals are coming up soon, don’t let these trivial matters affect your mood. Your father is still waiting for you to bring back first place!”

Mentioning this, the smile on Ye Ci’s face became a bit more genuine.

“Mm.”

At noon, in the dining room.

The atmosphere at the table was permeated with an eerie, dead silence.

Ye Ming had lost money, and while his expression couldn't be called ugly, it was cold.

Ye Sheng’s eyes were red, and he sat timidly to the side, clearly having been scolded into submission.

Only when he occasionally glanced at Ning Li did his eyes still hold resentment.

Ning Li seemed completely unaware, sitting there with a calm and open demeanor, eating on her own.

In her previous life, during the last few months, she could only eat liquid food, so now, she would eat every bit of these meals properly.

Finally, Ye Ming broke the silence first.

“Ning Li, tomorrow is Monday. You will go to school with Xiao Ci. The Second High School has a strong faculty, but it also has strict requirements for grades, so there will be a small test for you tomorrow morning. Do your best.”

Su Yuan added

“It’s not easy to transfer into the third year of high school, especially at Second High. Your Uncle Ye has put a lot of effort into this for you.”

Ye Ci said

“Big Sister Ning Li, if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me.”

Su Yuan disapproved

“You’ve been busy with the competition lately, where would you find the time?”

“It’s alright, Big Sister’s enrollment is more important.”

Although Ye Ci planned to take the special admissions route, her academic grades had always been very good, generally ranking in the top twenty of her grade.

Ning Li finished the last of her soup, then set down her spoon and looked up at the group.

The corners of her lips curved.

“Thank you, Uncle Ye. I will try my best to do well.”

The next morning, Su Yuan accompanied Ning Li and Ye Ci to Second High.

Ye Ci glanced at her from time to time.

Yesterday, Ning Li had stayed in her room almost the entire day; she wondered if she had been cramming at the last minute.

But the papers produced by Second High were generally difficult, so doing that wouldn't be of much use.

She probably figured that with the Ye family behind her, she would definitely be able to get in.

When they reached the vicinity of the school gate, Zou Hua parked the car.

Su Yuan gave Ye Ci a few instructions before taking Ning Li to the Dean’s office.

Ye Ci, meanwhile, turned and walked toward the senior high teaching building.

With her good background, good grades, pretty looks, and talent for painting, she had been the school beauty since she entered in her freshman year, and she was very popular.

A girl with a heart-shaped face walked toward her and greeted her.

“Xiao Ci!”

She came up to Ye Ci and tilted her chin toward the person behind her.

“Is that the new hanger-on from your house?”

Ye Ci grabbed her hand.

“Don’t say that, Big Sister Ning Li is also Mom’s daughter.”

Cheng Xiangxiang rolled her eyes, then as if remembering something, her expression became excited

“Forget it, let’s not talk about her. I heard that your cousin brought the Second Young Master Lu to your house yesterday? You saw him, right?”

Ye Ci thought of that cold, tall, and straight figure, and her face grew slightly warm.

“Mm.”

“How was it? Is he just like I said?! It seems he’s planning to come over for Grandpa’s birthday this time too!”

Ye Ci’s heart stirred.

“Really?”

Ning Li followed Su Yuan to the Dean’s office.

There was only one person in the office.

Su Yuan was a bit surprised and knocked on the door.

“Is Director Sun in?”

The person looked up from behind a computer; it was the face of an extremely young man, looking to be in his early twenties, delicate and handsome.

He looked more like a college student than a teacher.

He exited his mobile game, unplugged his earphones, sized up the two people at the door, and smiled.

“Mrs. Ye, right? Hello! I’m Zhou Fei. Director Sun had to go to an emergency meeting, so he left me in charge of…”

He paused, looking at Ning Li.

Ning Li said

“Ning Li.”

“Right, right! Left me in charge of Ning Li’s entrance test!”

He beckoned, fished a test paper out of a drawer, and handed it to Ning Li.

“Come, sit here and write! All subjects are on this one paper, a comprehensive exam. Three hundred points total, just get a passing score and you’re in!”

Ning Li took the paper and raised an eyebrow.

In her previous life, because she was hospitalized, she had enrolled a month late.

Back then, it wasn’t this person who received her, and the paper wasn’t this one either.

However, it didn’t make any difference.

She sat down quietly and began to write.

Zhou Fei sat across from her desk and picked up his phone to play games again.

Su Yuan had followed along to wait at first, but she received a phone call in the middle and left temporarily.

An hour and a half later, Ning Li closed her pen.

Doing high school problems was a memory from a long time ago; it felt a bit awkward at first, but once she adapted, it was much better.

She handed the paper over.

“Teacher Zhou, I’m finished.”

Zhou Fei looked up in surprise.

“That was fast?”

He nodded, his movements swift

“Leave it there, I’ll grade it after I finish this round.”

Ning Li: “…”

He really was quite casual.

She used a book to weigh down the paper and planned to go out to the restroom.

Zhou Fei agreed without even looking up.

Just as she reached the stairwell, she heard a malicious, grating, and mocking voice from behind her.

“See that? That one right there. I heard her dad is a murderer!”

Another day of asking for follows and comments~

(End of chapter)