"Ye Zhen, you have to be aware that it was your older sister that was going to marry into the Lu Family. It was your older sister that Lu Beichuan was going to marry! Originally, all of this belonged to your older sister. What are you thinking? That you can strut around now that you married into the Lu Family and became Mrs. Lu? If your older sister hadn't left, would you have the chance to stand here and say those words to me?"

Ye Zhen was totally indifferent to her tirade. Overcome with boredom, she even yawned. "Sure, just have older sister come back. I'll step aside and give everything to her."

There was nothing that she wanted more.

What was so great about being the big villain's wife? His wife was doomed to a bleak ending. Whoever wanted to take her place was free to take it.

"You..." Mother Ye was speechless from anger.

"Mom, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

Ignoring Mother Ye's utterly discomfited expression, Ye Zhen opened the door and saw Lu Beichuan sitting in his wheelchair, a short distance away from her.

Shocked, Ye Zhen hastily closed the door and secretly prayed that the room had been soundproofed.

"Why are you here?"

The study was on the second floor, this was the third floor. How had Lu Beichuan come up here?

Before Ye Zhen had time to think more about this matter, Lu Beichuan coldly said, "Your dad is drunk and in the study. I have no way to look after him."

"I'll go over there now." After saying this, Ye Zhen couldn't resist quietly asking, "Did you hear the recent words my mom and I said?"

Lu Beichuan doubtful looked at her. "What words?"

It didn't look as if he was pretending. Ye Zhen breezily smiled. "It's nothing."

***

Father Ye was drunk and lying on the couch in the study and snoring. Without a trace of politeness, Ye Zhen roughly shook him awake and told him to go to his bedroom to sleep.

As soon as Father Ye woke up, he grabbed Ye Zhen's hand and asked, "Where's Beichuan? Where's my dear son-in-law?"

Ye Zhen rolled her eyes at him. "Your dear son-in-law went upstairs."

Father Ye sat up and patted his head a few times to clear up his mind. Seeing that there was no one else around, he pulled Ye Zhen down to sit on the couch. "Zhenzhen ah, can you help dad with something?"

His breath was full of alcohol. Ye Zhen silently scooted slightly away from him. "What did you need help with?"

"I saw that Beichuan treats you quite well. After you go back, talk with Beichuan and have him increase the Lu Family's investment in dad's company. Dad recently has my eyes on a new project. It's definitely a worthwhile purchase!"

... here comes another one.

After thinking over her answer, Ye Zhen extremely helplessly said, "But dad, mom asked me for help too. She wants me to talk to Lu Beichuan too. She wants him to look for older sister. I haven't been married to him for long, it wouldn't be good for me to bring up one request after another..."

As soon as Father Ye heard Ye Zhen's words, he became anxious. "Don't concern yourself with what your mom wants. Anyone can look for your old sister. Don't help your mom, okay? It's your mom's fault that your older sister is so spoiled, that's why she dared to run away with a man. If word got out about that, what will happen to my reputation? Dad is telling you that dad's company is more important. Talk that over with Beichuan, okay?"

Ye Zhen had a conflicted expression. "But mom..."

"I'll talk to your mom!" Father Ye stood up. His expression was agitated. "It serves your older sister right! She gave up on the chance to be Mrs. Lu to run away with a poor man. Don't worry about her! Let her run away!"

After saying this, he made a racket as he went up to the third floor.

As for what Father Ye said to Mother Ye, Ye Zhen wasn't sure. She only knew that afterwards, Mother Ye's eyes were red during dinnertime, and Father Ye looked fearful and nervous. He didn't dare to speak loudly.

At the dining table, Lu Beichuan casually mentioned, "I heard from Ye Qing that she has a younger sister. Her name is Ye Zhen, right? How come I haven't seen Ye Zhen yet?"

The family of three immediately became alarmed.

"She... went abroad... to... Oh, she's always had a fun-loving temperament. Don't worry about her."

Lu Beichuan looked at Ye Zhen. He added a piece of beef to her bowl. "A fun-loving temperament? The difference between two identical twins seem quite big."

Embarrassed, Ye Zhen picked up the piece of meat that Lu Beichuan had given her and slowly ate it.

Before coming over, Lu Beichuan had planned on staying the night here. However, Mother Ye was very obvious about not wanting Lu Beichuan and Ye Zhen to sleep in Ye Qing's room, and Ye Zhen's room was hardly presentable. Thus, a guest room had to be prepared for them.

Ye Zhen was running hot water in the bathroom to prepare a bath for Young Master Lu.

Lu Beichuan turned the wheelchair, blocked the bathroom's doorway, and suddenly asked, "Aren't you the one that Lin Zhan likes? Why did he run off with your younger sister?"

Ye Zhen had leaned over to check the water temperature. Her back suddenly stiffened. She did her best to conceal her emotions before turning around and deliberately said in a shocked voice, "You had me investigated!"

"I woke up and suddenly had a wife. Of course I had to investigate your background to gain a clear understanding. Besides, this isn't is a secret."

Miffed, Ye Zhen rambled on as if she had been provoked. "That doesn't mean you can investigate my personal affairs. If you want to know something, you could have directly asked me!"

"Sure, then I'll ask you." Lu Beichuan languidly leaning back on the wheelchair as he watched her. "Lin Zhan likes you and you like him, so why did he run off with your younger sister?"

Ye Zhen silently looked at him.

This was practically assigning her an essay topic!

How should she answer him?

Right now, she was suppose to be Ye Qing, and the real Ye Qing had ran off with Lin Zhan. The Ye Family were using Ye Zhen's name to covertly look for Ye Qing and Lin Zhan. But, if anyone casually asked any of Ye Qing's friends, they would find out that it was Ye Qing and Lin Zhan that were crazy in love with each other.

How do you explain why someone that was deeply in love with the older sister would run off with her younger sister instead?

And, based on Lu Beichuan's attitude, he was going to insist on getting to the bottom of the matter.

Ye Zhen thought it over, but she couldn't figure out a good explanation. Would she have to cut off her escape path to move forward? Biting her lip and acting as if she had been silently enduring heart-sticken pain, she quietly said, "Actually... I don't have a good relationship with my younger sister. Even though my younger sister is the type to not say much since we were kids, she's always liked to snatch my things. Lin Zhan and I are truly in love with each other, but... my younger sister also likes him. She repeatedly got between Lin Zhan and I. In the end... in the end..."

During those last few words, Ye Zhen was crying so much that she couldn't get remaining words out.

"I truly love Lin Zhan, but Ye Zhen is my younger sister. I can't harm her. Since she also likes Lin Zhan, I can only step back and support them. But, what shocked me was how much my younger sister loves Lin Zhan. I can't believe she ran off with Lin Zhan just because our parents didn't approve of their relationship." Ye Zhen looked at Lu Beichuan with eyes full of tears. "I discussed this with my mom before dinner. My parents are now willing to support my younger sister and Lin Zhan. Can you help me find Ye Zhen and bring her back?"

"Your younger sister snatched away your sweetheart and you still want to help your parents find her?"

Ye Zhen sorrowfully said in a quiet voice, "She's still my younger sister. No matter what happens between us, I should still forgive her, right?"

A double meaning, ah.

Ye Zhen felt that she was quite resourceful and quick-witted.

Not only did she put a green hat on Lu Beichuan, she had disparaged herself and raised up Ye Qing. She also found an escape path for herself!

After all, she had told the truth. "Ye Zhen" really did like Lin Zhan.

Lu Beichuan looked at her from his seat in the wheelchair. Although he was sitting down and lower in height than Ye Zhen right now, his imposing manner hadn't diminished. Below his straight, black eyes brows, his eyes slightly narrowed. His lips were half-curved up in a smile. Being looked at like this was bound to make people apprehensive. He looked at her as if he was watching a play.

"You like Lin Zhan that much?"

Ye Zhen gritted her teeth and nodded. She added oil to the fire as she said, "I like him. In this lifetime, I'll never be able to forget him!"

A normal man wouldn't be able to sit still if his wife was so blatant about her affections for another man.

This was a matter of his dignity and face. Even a turtle wouldn't be able to keep enduring, right?

Not to mention, he was an extremely ruthless great villain, who was the Lu Family's successor too.

Lu Beichuan smiled. Starting from his throat, he started unbuttoning his shirt. "Put down your thoughts of your sweetheart for now and come over to help your husband undress so I can take a bath."

"?" Could it be that the villain had a strange hobby of enjoying being cheated on?

As soon as the words "take a bath" were said, the temperature in the bathroom suddenly greatly increased. The heat from the bathwater's overflowing steam caused Ye Zhen's cheeks to turn bright red.

Before Ye Zhen could recover enough to respond, Lu Beichuan had already finished unbuttoning his shirt. If you looked down from his chest to his abdomen, the strong, neat lines of his muscles were truly a feast for the eyes.

Lu Beichuan leisurely sat there and looked at Ye Zhen's hesitant expression. "When a husband is unable to walk, shouldn't his wife look after him?"

Although this was true...

When Lu Beichuan had been unconscious, Ye Zhen had wiped his entire body for him every day, but it was different now. Back then, she had been able to wipe his body because she had regarded it as a piece of sculpture. Now that a conscious, living person was before her, she really couldn't make herself do it.

But, in Lu Beichuan's current state, if she didn't help him, he wouldn't be able to take a bath by himself.

Ye Zhen wasn't an unreasonable person. Just as she was preparing to heroically sacrifice herself to the cause, Lu Beichuan disdainfully looked at her. "Enough, you're so clumsy. You won't be able to do anything right. Get out."

"You want me to leave?"

Lu Beichuan nodded. "I'll do it myself."

Ye Zhen doubtfully looked at him. "Are you sure you'll be able to?"

Words like "able to" really shouldn't be asked.

Lu Beichuan leaned back on his wheelchair and coldly looked at her. "Do you want to try it out?"

Having dug a hole for herself, Ye Zhen stayed silent.

"If you don't want to try, then get out."

Ye Zhen wouldn't force someone to do something. Slightly smiling, she said, "I'll go out then. Take your time washing up."

Hopefully, this bastard would fall to his death!

Lu Beichuan watched his little wife angrily leaving the bathroom. The tension on his face had relaxed a lot. The corner of his mouth quirked up, then he stood up from his wheelchair, took off his clothes, and stepped into the bathtub.

***

In a second-tier city that was about four hundred kilometers away from the Ye Family's villa, there was an old neighborhood that been peacefully existing for a long time.

The buildings and passageways were poorly illuminated with exposed electrical wires and heaps of traps everywhere. Because the rent was cheap here, this neighborhood was a top choice for many young workers that were just starting out.

Ye Qing had never expected that she would relive this day again.

After opening her eyes, she propped herself up on her elbows, leaned against the headboard, and blankly looked around.

This was was a fifty square meter, one-bedroom apartment. The furnishings were simple. In the narrow room, there was a shoddy wooden bed, an unvarnished wooden desk, and a small double-door wardrobe. After arranging these three pieces of furniture, there wasn't much space left.

Ye Qing had been pampered and spoiled since childhood. This had been her first time living in such a cramped, simple, and crude place. After leaving home for the first time, she felt totally lost and helpless. It felt as if every cell in her body objected to this rented apartment. Under the pressure of her mental state and physical body, she had fallen into a fever.

Lin Zhan came over with a bowl of warm, white congee. He scooped up a spoonful of congee, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to Ye Qing's lips.

"You got a fever last night. You haven't eaten anything all day. Drink some congee to warm up your stomach first."

Ye Qing saw the spoonful of congee in front of her and opened her mouth, but she didn't eat it. Instead, she asked, "Lin Zhan?"

As soon as she spoke, a hoarse voice came from her throat.

"Don't say anything. Your fever just subsided. You need to properly rest."

Ye Qing shook her head. She urgently looked at Lin Zhan. "What's today's date?"

Lin Zhan knit his brows slightly. "What's wrong? You seem off. Are you feeling unwell?"

"Tell me today's date first!" Ye Qing suddenly became agitated. Shouting like that made her sore throat worse. She ended up lowering head as she coughed.

"Relax." Lin Zhan put the bowl of white congee down on the nearby desk. Pulling a tissue out, he worriedly and gently wipe the corners of her lips for her. "Today is October 7th."

After a severe coughing fit, Ye Qing's face was flushed. Leaning back on the headboard, her forehead was scrunched up. Her dry, cracked, utterly pale lips murmured, "The 7th? October 7th?"

"What's wrong?"

Ye Qing shook her head and lowered it to hide the guilt in her eyes. "I... It's nothing. I just feel a bit tired."

After saying this, she lied back down and buried most of her face underneath the quilt.

"Are you feeling unwell? That's not good. Qingqing, I'll bring you to the hospital!"

Ye Qing shook her head. Underneath the quilt, she said in a low, muffled voice, "No need, I'll feel better after I get some more sleep. You can do your own stuff. I can take care of myself."

"But..."

Ye Qing peered out from the quilt. Her eyes looked somewhat tired, but she forced herself to smile as she said, "I'm fine, really. Don't worry."

Lin Zhan knew that she had a stubborn temperament. She would rather obstinately bear the trouble on her own than bother him. He could only helplessly look at her. He tucked the corners of the quilt around her. "Okay, have a good rest. But, if you're not feeling well anywhere, you have to call for me."

Ye Qing nodded. She watched him through a crack in the quilt.

At this time, Lin Zhan was still very young. His soft, black hair wasn't deliberately combed upwards. Instead, it was left hanging over his forehead. There was less of the eliteness that had come with maturity and experience, and there was more of the softness of youth. His facial features were still very gentle. He looked very youthful in his simple, white T-shirt.

A boy like this, at such an age and experience, he was a fantasy come to life for so many young women. He would be the first choice for a boyfriend.

However, after experiencing society's hardships, she understood that while this boy was suitable as a boyfriend, he wasn't husband material.

Ye Qing buried her face into the quilt. The painful prickling feeling as her saliva went down her throat reminded her that this wasn't a dream. This was reality! She had really reborn!

Right now, it was one month after she had run away with Lin Zhan.

In her previous life, she had thought about this several times. If only god would let her go back in time, she definitely wouldn't choose to run away with Lin Zhan again.

However much she loved Lin Zhan in her youth, that was how much she regretted it later on.

In youth, people were frivolous. Innocent, unblemished youths had no idea how hard it was to live in the migratory population. Her life had been too easy under the shelter of her parents' protective wings. She had thought the outside world would be a safe shelter like her parents' home. However, it was only after she had experienced it for herself that she understood. She had spent the rest of her life struggling and all she got was a 100 square meter home. If you didn't have any power or influence, you could only be at the mercy of other people.

All of the love she once felt for Lin Zhan was worn down to nothing by time and the necessary minutiae of daily life.

Later on, she saw Ye Zhen sitting inside a Bentley. She looked as glamorously beautiful as before.

She and Ye Zhen were identical twins. Their appearances had once been exactly the same. Only ten years had passed, and she was forced to rush about for her livelihood while Ye Zhen's appearance had remained unchanged from their youth. Her face was as fair and exquisite as before. Behaving as if she was still a little child, Ye Zhen acted cutely spoiled towards the coldly indifferent man sitting next to her. Even when her cute and sensible son pretended he was getting goosebumps in an exaggerated manner, that man from the Lu Family, who was a man of his word, only helplessly looked at her. He quietly listened to her speak. From time to time, he would gently kiss her lips and face.

At that time, she had come to a sudden realization. Other than having a touching story that was appealing to the masses, the love you had in your youth was useless. It couldn't even be compared to a filling meal or a house.

In the present, lying on the hard wooden bed, Ye Qing shivered from the cold. She couldn't help but curl up.

If it was Ye Zhen that was sick, Lu Beichuan would definitely send her to the hospital in panic. He would find her the best doctors. She would be using the very best medical instruments and medicine.

No, that was wrong. How Ye Zhen even get sick under Lu Beichuan's care?

Ye Zhen was the treasure in Lu Beichuan's hand. How could he possibly be careless enough to let his treasure get sick?

But, why?! That wasn't fair!

Back then, she should have been the one that married Lu Beichuan. Ye Zhen had just taken her place in marrying Lu Beichuan. Ye Zhen had sat down in the seat that belonged to her. She should be the one sitting in that Bentley and enjoying that man's gentle gaze!

From childhood to adulthood, she had been more outstanding than Ye Zhen. She was the one that received everyone's praise. The outstanding her should have gotten a perfect life and a happy marriage. It was Ye Zhen that had snatched away the life that should have belonged to her.

In her nighttime dreams, there were many times when she dreamed about not having run away from her marriage back then. In her dreams, she had married Lu Beichuan and become his wife. She had given birth to a lovable son. Their family of three lived a blissfully blessed life.