Chapter 2 The Willful Fiancée
The siblings entered the classroom one after the other. By this time, most of the students had already arrived. Upon their entry, everyone greeted Ye Yunqi, but no one paid any attention to Ye Fei. It seemed that Ye Yunqi, the eldest sister, still held considerable sway.
Ye Fei didn't mind this and slowly made his way to his seat, where he smiled at the girl sitting next to him, saying, "Ling, long time no see. How was your summer?"
Ling, a girl who was no less stunning than Ye Yunqi, even slightly surpassing her in figure, didn't give Ye Fei a warm reception. She just snorted and turned her head away, muttering under her breath, "Good-for-nothing!"
Ye Fei couldn't help but smile wryly. However, he wasn't angry. It was no secret that Ling had a special relationship with him. They were betrothed since childhood. Her father was a close associate of Ye Fei's father. Over a decade ago, both fathers perished in a big fire, leaving behind two families of widows and orphans. Ling's family had it worse than Ye's. While Ye's family had at least five children, Ling's family consisted only of her and her mother.
Ling's full name was Lin Ling. When they were young, her relationship with Ye Fei was very close, and she knew she would be his bride one day. She used to affectionately call Ye Fei "Brother Leaf," implying that they were like leaves in a forest, inseparable. However, at some point, Lin Ling became distant towards Ye Fei, changing her address from "Brother Leaf" to casual terms like "hey" or "oi."
Even with Ye Fei's intelligence, he couldn't understand why she had changed. It was likely due to his physical condition. Who would want a weak and sickly fiancé? Despite consulting numerous famous doctors since childhood, none could help him. According to traditional Chinese medicine, his body's meridians were naturally obstructed, a condition beyond anyone's control. Unless there were extraordinary treasures from nature to improve his condition, which were rare in this era of environmental destruction, his family's wealth couldn't solve his health issues.
While Ye Fei was feeling despondent about his health, Lin Ling suddenly touched his arm and asked, "Hey, I heard you went to a military camp during the summer. Did it have any effect?"
It was normal for her to know Ye Fei's whereabouts since her mother was Ye Fei's mother's deputy and the second-largest shareholder in the company. Moreover, due to their families' relationship, it was impossible for her not to know about his affairs.
Ye Fei turned to her with a warm smile at her slightly concerned expression and replied, "It had some effect. I feel a bit stronger than before the summer. I think if I keep it up, there should be good progress. Thank you for caring, Ling."
Upon hearing about his increased strength, Lin Ling's eyes lit up momentarily, but she ultimately snorted and said, "Who cares about you? With your useless self, are you worth my concern?" With that, she turned away again, focusing on her desk without saying anything more.
Ye Fei had a moment of realization, understanding why she was so distant and frequently called him useless. Despite her seemingly willful nature, his fiancée's feelings for him had never changed.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunqi managed to break free from the classmates fawning over her and sat down next to Ye Fei. Suddenly, she stood up again, leaned towards Lin Ling, and asked with a playful smile, "Sister-in-law, what are you writing?"
Lin Ling didn't notice Ye Yunqi approaching until she called out, prompting Lin Ling to quickly hide what she was holding in her desk, scolding, "Yunqi, how many times have I told you not to call me sister-in-law? I will never marry this waste of space!"
"You can't say that about my brother!" Ye Yunqi's heart ached upon hearing Lin Ling's words, her face turning slightly unpleasant. "He is not a waste! If you speak of him like that again, I won't talk to you!"
The two girls had been close friends since childhood, despite Lin Ling becoming distant towards Ye Fei later on. However, her relationship with Ye Yunqi remained as strong as ever, just like in their childhood. It was unexpected that a single comment would elicit such a strong reaction from Ye Yunqi, which startled Lin Ling. She quickly said, "Yunqi, just consider it a slip of the tongue, I'm sorry." While saying this, she couldn't help but feel a bit strange, remembering that before the break, she didn't object to Ye Yunqi calling Ye Fei that way and sometimes even joined in calling him a waste.
Most of Ye Yunqi's previous anger was actually directed towards herself. She didn't want to lose Lin Ling as a good sister, so she quickly put on a bright smile and said, "It's okay, we're good sisters, aren't we? But..." Here, she leaned close to Lin Ling's ear and whispered, "Please don't call him 'brother' like that anymore. He's really pitiful, always been weak since childhood, and he really likes you. If you keep speaking of him like that, he will definitely be hurt."
Lin Ling smiled and leaned in to whisper back to Ye Yunqi. The two girls chatted quietly for a while, after which Ye Yunqi briskly moved Ye Fei to her seat and sat with Lin Ling, continuing their discussion.
Ye Fei sat on the side, watching the two exceptionally beautiful girls whispering to each other. Their faces alternated between smiles and moments of concern. His heart was filled with warmth. Regardless of what they were talking about, as long as he knew they cared about him, it was enough for him.
After chatting for a while, Ye Yunqi stood up and said to Ye Fei, "Hey, useless brother, come back to your seat, the teacher is about to arrive!"
Ye Fei was momentarily surprised. Why was his sister angry with Lin Ling earlier because of this term, but now she was using it herself? However, he quickly understood and became more certain of his earlier speculation.