The similarity in appearance is superficial; the disparity in souls is vast, to the point where they cannot even be compared.
"Of course, I have that confidence. After all, my appearance is something others cannot imitate. You can treat me as a substitute, but you can't find a better one."
"Your face has become immune to me. After seeing your ugly heart, if I were to treat you as a substitute again, I might be too disgusted to bear it."
Ye Tiancheng's words were firm, but sometimes men say one thing and mean another. At this moment, Hou Xiaolin was unsure if Ye Tiancheng was just speaking out of anger or if she truly no longer held a place in his heart.
"Is that so? I don't believe it. Men in this world are all the same, rough around the edges. Especially since you were a farmer before, I believe you can't easily distinguish between two people, particularly when we look almost identical now. Having me around is much better than you having no substitute at all to remind you of me."
"Isn't that face of yours the result of plastic surgery? Perhaps I can ruin it."
Hou Xiaolin suddenly grew fearful because Ye Tiancheng's tone was calm, and his gaze was cold. It seemed Ye Tiancheng wasn't joking.
"Ye Tiancheng, I was wrong. I truly regret it after leaving you. Can you forget all the unhappiness from before, and can we start anew?"
"It's impossible. I've already given you a chance. If you dare to harass me again, I will make sure this face of yours is completely ruined. You won't have the chance to spend the money you earned before."
"Fine, say whatever you want. I don't believe you. I believe time will prove everything. No matter how much you dislike me, I will be around you every day until you are willing to accept me."
"Heh, it seems you won't understand my capabilities unless I show you a thing or two."
Ye Tiancheng directly ordered someone to rush in and bring a very thick rope, tying up Hou Xiaolin. She was bound tightly with several coils from head to toe, leaving no possibility of escape.
"What do you want? Stay away from me! I'm warning you, if you tie me up with ropes again, I'll scream 'indecent assault'!"
However, Hou Xiaolin's noisy protests were useless. She was still tightly bound, lying on the ground, motionless like a silkworm in its cocoon.
"Brother Ye, I was wrong. I'll never come near you again, and I'll never dare to harass you again. Please untie me quickly. I truly know my mistake now. Give me one more chance, and I promise I'll never provoke you again!"
"Hou Xiaolin, I've suddenly realized something. The reason you could deceive me time and time again is all because of this face. It seems that to ensure I don't make mistakes in the future, I must destroy this face of yours."
Realizing the danger in Ye Tiancheng's tone, Hou Xiaolin's voice began to tremble.
"You, Ye Tiancheng, what do you want to do to me?"
"People shouldn't live in illusions. It's better to return to your original appearance. Wearing Hou Qing'er's face, I think you are utterly unworthy."
Hou Xiaolin's pleas came too late. Ye Tiancheng directly had her thrown into a plastic surgery hospital, where all the implants were removed, and the hyaluronic acid injections were dissolved, instantly restoring Hou Xiaolin to her former appearance.
She was once considered delicate and charming, but after this ordeal, anyone would find her face rather unappealing, with an indescribable strangeness.
Upon receiving the news, Hou Mingzhu immediately rushed to the hospital to check. Seeing Hou Xiaolin's face covered in bandages, she was terrified.
"Sister Mingzhu, save me! I only came to take risks in front of Ye Tiancheng because you told me to. Now that I've ended up like this, you can't abandon me."
"Hou Xiaolin, if you dare to reveal my identity to Ye Tiancheng, I will kill you!"
After saying this, Hou Mingzhu hurried away, afraid that Hou Xiaolin would latch onto her. She could no longer associate with this woman who had no value to her, as it would only lower her status, and perhaps even lead Ye Tiancheng to suspect her over time.
How could Ye Tiancheng easily let Hou Mingzhu go, this woman who manipulated everything from behind the scenes? She was too audacious. Without Hou Mingzhu, there wouldn't have been so many twists and turns.
Ye Tiancheng then had Hou Xiaolin bound and thrown directly at Hou Mingzhu's doorstep. This move, a warning to others, was truly effective, leaving Hou Mingzhu sleepless all night.
In the end, Hou Mingzhu had to clean up the mess, sending Hou Xiaolin abroad and ensuring that woman would never appear before her again. As for why she didn't kill her directly like Hou Damao, it was because Hou Mingzhu was afraid. Ever since Ye Tiancheng took Hou Mingzhu to the back mountain last time, she had indeed become fearful.
However, sending Hou Xiaolin away did not significantly improve Hou Mingzhu's situation. Soon, Hou Mingzhu fell into another immense predicament.
The counterfeit company she had built, mimicking Ye Tiancheng's pharmaceutical company, had been dealt with by Ye Tiancheng.
This was not just a matter of losing money; Hou Mingzhu could potentially go to jail for fraud. This matter could be either major or minor. In her pursuit of profit, Hou Mingzhu had indeed tampered with the ingredients of the medicine. With irrefutable evidence, Hou Jia did not want to abandon Hou Mingzhu, so they tried every means possible to save her.
Hou Mingzhu had been investigated several times and was now extremely frightened, like a startled bird. Any slightest disturbance made her seriously suspect that the investigators were coming for her to harm her.
All these events had unfolded within a week. These seven days had been incredibly difficult for Hou Mingzhu. Many changes had occurred. Not only could Hou Mingzhu no longer live a normal life, but she had also become depressed, losing over ten pounds in the last two days. She looked as if she had been skinned, visibly gaunt.
With no other options, Ye Tiancheng was perhaps Hou Mingzhu's last hope, especially since Hou Mingzhu's father had already seen her.
This old father had initially tried hard to save his daughter, but he eventually found it impossible. Helpless, he had to discard Hou Mingzhu as a pawn, also to protect himself.
Hou Mingzhu, in a state of disarray, found Ye Tiancheng, tears streaming down her face as she begged for his forgiveness.
"Ye Tiancheng, I have no one to rely on now. I can only rely on you. I was wrong before, it was all my fault. Can you forgive me and erase everything from the past? Just say the word, and I will do whatever you say. I will be obedient. Please, save me. Even my own father has abandoned me."
Ye Tiancheng remained calm in the face of Hou Mingzhu's pitiable state. He had guessed that Hou Mingzhu was a self-serving individual and would not come to beg him unless she was pushed to the brink.
"Stop crying. Your tears don't move me at all, so don't waste them. Actually, I knew you would come, so I've been waiting for you. Hou Mingzhu, I should hate you, but for some reason, you've been secretly working against me. I truly don't understand where this deep hatred comes from that makes you want me dead. Hou Xiaolin was your spy, and you've gone to great lengths to kill me!"
Ye Tiancheng was usually a man of few words, but thinking that today might be the day to settle his grievances with Hou Mingzhu, he felt he should ask all his questions and leave no regrets.
"It's all my fault, Ye Tiancheng. I just felt resentful. I couldn't accept that someone who didn't deserve me before, someone I banished to a remote place to farm like a peasant, suddenly became so powerful. I just couldn't stand it, so I kept opposing you. Of course, I must admit that I developed a strong interest in you, and I wanted you to notice me. I've done so many things, and I realize now how naive I was. I deeply regret it. Ye Tiancheng, please give me another chance. I promise I will be reborn and never do anything to make you angry again."
As Hou Mingzhu spoke, she was sobbing uncontrollably. A primal instinct for survival made her dare not show any further dissatisfaction before Ye Tiancheng. Now, apart from Ye Tiancheng, no one else would be willing to extend a helping hand.
When that happened, and a person reaches rock bottom, Hou Mingzhu suddenly realized a problem: her social circle was truly poor. At critical moments, no one could be her support, not even her parents.
Hou Mingzhu cried as if she were about to faint. In the past, her attempts to please Ye Tiancheng were mostly for personal gain, mere acts forced upon herself. But this time, it felt truly different.
Hou Mingzhu spoke with genuine sincerity, but Ye Tiancheng felt no emotion whatsoever. He simply thought of her as cunning and deceitful, wondering what scheme she was concocting. This thought, in turn, made him feel a bit disgusted.
"We have too many grievances between us. Do you think a few brief words can make all our past conflicts disappear? Hou Mingzhu, please stop acting. I strongly suspect this is some strategy from your Hou family, sending you here to try and sway me. Your Hou family is so wealthy; a pharmaceutical company should be easy to handle. At worst, you can find a scapegoat. Your Hou family has plenty of despicable methods, so you shouldn't need me to teach you."
"There's truly no other way, Brother Ye, otherwise, why would I abandon my pride and beg you? I believe only you can save me."
Ye Tiancheng let out a cold smile. Since Hou Mingzhu had chosen to play along, Ye Tiancheng could certainly reciprocate.
"Alright, since you trust me so much, I certainly can't disappoint you. You've come all this way to find me, and if I were to refuse you outright, it would make me seem rather uncouth. How about this: we're severely short-handed at the garden center right now, especially lacking a cleaning lady. Of course, besides sweeping, there will be other miscellaneous chores. Would you like to come and help?"
Ye Tiancheng deliberately posed a difficult challenge, wanting to see how humble Hou Mingzhu could become, or if this woman was truly so naive as to believe that these words would make him fall into her trap and do whatever she commanded.
Indeed, it is normal for a dashing hero to be unable to resist a beautiful woman and fall into her tender embrace, but that absolutely does not apply to Hou Mingzhu. This woman is utterly unworthy.
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's proposed condition, Hou Mingzhu's face showed a look of pain. Regardless, Hou Mingzhu was a young lady of the Hou family. For so many years, she had been cherished, with everyone around her doting on her. How could she possibly endure any hardship? Hou Mingzhu had never cleaned anything in her entire life since childhood. Yet, Ye Tiancheng was asking her to clean. This was simply asking the impossible, or rather, it was a profound insult.