"Ye Tiancheng, you did this on purpose. It seems you know me well and know how to make me suffer and be punished. Isn't this arrangement a bit too much? Do you hate me so much that you only feel happy when I'm miserable?"
"It seems Miss Hou is unwilling. Then there's nothing I can do. It seems Miss Hou's sincerity is insufficient. Moreover, no matter what, you and I are not of the same kind. I can live by begging for food day after day, while you are destined to be the bright moon in the sky, admired by all. Then go back and be admired. I don't need you here, and of course, I won't help you."
It seemed that Hou Mingzhu's habit of playing word games hadn't changed. She even wanted to use her old tricks to manipulate him. If Ye Tiancheng didn't see this woman suffer a bit, how could he easily agree to her request? Since he had nothing to do recently, Ye Tiancheng decided to teach this detestable woman a lesson and let her know that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
"You... I don't know how to clean at all, and I won't do it well. I know you just want to torment me. When I can't do it well, you'll have another excuse, right? If you help me, even if I'm tormented by you for a while, all my efforts will be in vain. Am I right?"
"Miss Hou, I thought your world was full of innocent and kind things. It seems I was wrong. Your world as a young lady is too complicated. How could you have such malicious thoughts to speculate about me? I never thought that. I thought if you did well, I would definitely give you a chance. After all, I am a man who cherishes beauty and is not as heartless as a straight man."
If Hou Mingzhu didn't listen to his advice and work as a cleaning lady here, Ye Tiancheng would find it meaningless. He had finally found some amusement and wanted to play with Hou Mingzhu. Now, she couldn't refuse to cooperate. Ye Tiancheng would definitely find ways to persuade this stubborn woman.
"My world is not complicated at all. I've just learned too many lessons before. You don't trust anyone you see. To be honest, Brother Ye, we don't have any trust between us, so it's normal for me to be suspicious of you. Don't be angry with me. I just don't want to be tricked and still not solve my problem in the end. Since I'm destined to go to prison, why should I waste my time here with you?"
Actually, Ye Tiancheng didn't completely disagree with what Hou Mingzhu said. Although this young girl wasn't old, she was very smart and thoughtful. Ye Tiancheng did have the intention to play a trick on her, but Hou Mingzhu had already guessed it. If Ye Tiancheng acted according to Hou Mingzhu's guess, wouldn't everything be within this woman's expectations? Ye Tiancheng would never be calculated by others; it would make him feel very foolish.
"Believe me, I swear on my gender. As long as you agree to my request, I will definitely find a way to save you."
At this point, the logistics department really had no better options. It was rare for Ye Tiancheng to still be willing to engage with her. Hou Mingzhu had tried to beg for help from her uncles and aunts who had previously cooperated well in the business world, but she was directly kicked out. They no longer recognized her as Miss Hou. After all, her own father didn't care about her, so how could others get involved in this mess and bring trouble upon themselves?
There might be fools in this world, but there were almost no fools among the rich. To gain their current wealth and status meant they had climbed over the interests of others.
These people were all shrewd. As soon as they saw trouble, they would hide far away. Who wouldn't want to earn money and live a good life? Why would they get involved in the troubles of a young lady? Moreover, they had all heard that Hou Mingzhu had a terrible temper and no credibility. In the end, even if they helped, she wouldn't appreciate it, and it would be a waste of effort.
"Alright, Brother Ye, I can clean for you here, but I hope you will consider everything I do carefully and not let all my efforts become a joke for you."
"Alright, let's see how you perform first. As for whether I can agree to save you, that's another matter. If I have to take such a big risk for you to clean for a month, you are also a businesswoman. You know this deal is really a loss for me. I, Ye Tiancheng, never like to suffer losses, so take your time. Don't be too anxious. I'll also observe your progress."
Hou Mingzhu really didn't want to be a cleaning lady, but she had no other choice. She could only reluctantly accept this pathetic fate. Her expression was indescribably ugly, and she wished she could just hit her head against a wall to end her suffering. However, she didn't dare to die, so she had to humble herself and work temporarily at Ye Tiancheng's garden center.
Learning that Hou Mingzhu was having a miserable time every day, and even being ordered around by workers whom the young lady had previously looked down upon, Ye Tiancheng felt incredibly happy. Perhaps being in a good mood truly aided cultivation. In the past few days, every time he meditated at night, he could feel his body becoming more vigorous. Every time he sat in meditation, he felt as if he were about to soar through the clouds.
That night, after Ye Tiancheng had been meditating for a short while, he slowly levitated. A wisp of white smoke surrounded him. Ye Tiancheng knew this must be an illusion; such a thing couldn't actually happen. Otherwise, others would be terrified if they saw it. However, everything in the illusion was beautiful and unreal, making one yearn for it.
This place was already a bit strange, and then Ye Tiancheng discovered another door. This door had never appeared in his divine sense before. Ye Tiancheng was curious. Although a voice in his heart kept reminding him not to go in, Ye Tiancheng still walked over resolutely and opened the door.
As the large door opened, a dazzling white light swept over him. Ye Tiancheng instinctively shielded his eyes, but the discomfort quickly disappeared. Ye Tiancheng saw everything clearly.
"Who are you?"
The figure was a woman. Her silhouette looked somewhat familiar, but Ye Tiancheng couldn't recall her name for a moment. The name was on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't say it, which was extremely frustrating.
"Who exactly are you? Stop playing these tricks and turn around so I can see your face."
"Brother Ye, how have you been lately?"
A familiar voice made Ye Tiancheng freeze as if petrified, unable to utter a word. This was because Ye Tiancheng would never forget the voice belonging to Hou Qing'er. Since her death, she had never disappeared from his heart; instead, her place in his heart grew heavier. After all, the most elusive thing in this world is what one cannot obtain or has already lost.
"Qing'er, how can it be you? Why are you here? Where is this place? Is this the underworld?"
Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but ask, but he wasn't afraid at all. As long as he could see the person he had longed for, the underworld wouldn't matter. At that moment, he even felt impulsive like a young boy, thinking it was worth dying if he could be with Hou Qing'er.
"Silly boy, you've entered an illusion. I am the Nuwa Stone, or as you call me, that stinky rock. You actually imagined me as a woman."
Although she had Hou Qing'er's appearance, her voice was clearly that of the Nuwa Stone.
"Stinky rock, what do you want?"
"That's what I should be asking you. When did you break through so quickly and get into my divine sense? You, you dead thing, get out of here immediately. My inner self does not allow anyone to see it."
Ye Tiancheng immediately understood. No wonder he had such a wonderful experience; he had entered the Nuwa Stone's divine sense. However, the more the stinky rock told him to leave, the more Ye Tiancheng didn't want to go. He wanted to see what this stinky rock was up to.
"Stinky rock, why did you trap my dream lover in your divine sense? Do you miss Hou Qing'er too?"
"Don't talk nonsense. In my divine sense domain, my image is not fixed. My image will be whatever you most want it to be. Who would have thought you'd imagine me as a woman? That's really too much."
So that's how it was. The Nuwa Stone's inner world was quite rich. Ye Tiancheng rushed in and searched everywhere, and as a result, he discovered a shocking piece of news.
"Stinky rock, didn't you say that dead people cannot be resurrected? There is clearly a way here!"
"Don't look, Ye Tiancheng. I warn you, you will regret it after looking."
"No, maybe there's a way to bring Hou Qing'er back. I had already stopped holding onto such extravagant hopes, but after seeing Hou Qing'er today, I realized how much I miss her, and I've never forgotten. I'm lying to myself. I am the truly pathetic one, not even daring to speak of missing someone."
"In any case, I won't let you have your way. Get out of my divine sense!"
Ye Tiancheng's mental power was still insufficient. He was kicked out of the divine sense space by the Nuwa Stone. Ye Tiancheng also woke up instantly. When he opened his eyes, he suddenly found himself in tears, probably because he missed Hou Qing'er too much.
However, after waking up, no matter how Ye Tiancheng tried to question the Nuwa Stone about whether Hou Qing'er could return, the Nuwa Stone remained silent and refused to reveal anything. Ye Tiancheng was also helpless for a moment.
"When will you tell me? Perhaps Hou Qing'er is waiting for me to save her somewhere, and you, this stinky rock, have been preventing me. Do you know you are ruining my destiny? People say it's better to tear down ten temples than to ruin one marriage. I was about to marry Hou Qing'er!"
The thought of that unfulfilled marriage made Ye Tiancheng's heart ache immensely. Now he couldn't even bear to see Little Fatty and Wang Xiaomiao being affectionate. Since they got married, the two of them had been living incredibly happily. Little Fatty had even gained a lot of weight. If Hou Qing'er were still alive, Ye Tiancheng believed he wouldn't be so miserable. He could still eat her delicious home-cooked meals every day, and when he was bored, he could listen to her chatter about trivial matters. But all of this was gone, all because of that damnable fire.
Moreover, even now, Ye Tiancheng still didn't know that the culprit was Hou Mingzhu, and he couldn't avenge her. Everything was so anxious and heartbreaking.
"Ye Tiancheng, please be clear. The dead cannot be brought back to life, and it's been so long. You should have moved on. Don't trap yourself in an inescapable maze. This way, you can't become stronger. Shouldn't you pursue transcendence, escape the passage of time and the threat of life and death, and achieve eternal life?"
"Alright, I've heard these words so many times that my ears are starting to feel calloused. But I find it all meaningless. If I can't control everything, then everything else is just empty talk. It's better not to say it."