Standing nearby and enjoying the spectacle, Zhu Yuanting rarely heard Yu Zhizhi say something so refined.
It sounded quite scholarly.
Especially that last sentence—he couldn’t understand it at all.
Driven by curiosity, Zhu Yuanting grinned and asked,
“Why are flowers so red?”
Yu Zhizhi gave him a mysterious smile.
“I advise you not to be so curious.”
Zhang Lei immediately flared up.
“Hurry up and tell him! Otherwise, the compensation you owe me for flipping my table yesterday will be doubled!”
Ignoring him, Yu Zhizhi turned to Zhu Yuanting.
“You really want to know?”
This Zhu Yuanting wasn’t any better than Zhang Lei. He had talked plenty of trash about the original owner in the past.
This time, she would teach him a lesson on the original owner’s behalf.
Zhu Yuanting nodded eagerly.
“Of course! Tell me!”
The moment he finished speaking, Yu Zhizhi threw a punch.
In her previous life, she had trained in Sanda. The punch landed directly on Zhu Yuanting’s nose—fast, precise, and ruthless.
“Ow!”
“My nose hurts!”
Clutching his nose, Zhu Yuanting suddenly felt something warm gush out.
“Mother! Blood! My nose is bleeding!”
Yu Zhizhi flashed a fake smile.
“Now you know why flowers are so red.”
At that moment, the happiest person present was undoubtedly He Yang.
Boss was so cool!
Zhang Lei stared at the scene before him, eyes as wide as saucers and mouth hanging open.
When had Yu Zhizhi become this formidable?
That punch had been incredible.
When he finally recovered from the shock, he immediately exploded.
“Yu Zhizhi, you despicable villain! We came here to demand compensation, and you actually dare hit your creditor! Do you have no respect for the law?”
He Yang immediately stepped forward in her defense.
“You people are ridiculous. You’re blaming others for your own mistakes.”
“My boss already warned him kindly. He refused to listen and insisted on asking for trouble. Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Curiosity killed the cat’?”
Hearing this, Zhu Yuanting hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away the blood from his nose.
But his curiosity had only grown stronger.
“What does ‘Curiosity killed the cat’ mean?”
Zhang Lei couldn’t bear to watch.
He should never have brought this pig-headed teammate along to collect compensation.
“Zhu Yuanting, if you don’t want your other nostril bleeding too, then shut up immediately.”
Then he strode up to Yu Zhizhi and glared at her fiercely.
“The Prime Minister’s Residence refuses to compensate us for our losses, so we’re demanding the three hundred taels from you. Are you paying or not?”
Yu Zhizhi thought for a moment before calmly replying,
“Have you forgotten? Yesterday, you deliberately provoked me first, which is why I flipped the table in anger.”
“So both sides are at fault. It’s only fair that we each bear half the responsibility. Therefore, I’ll only compensate you with one hundred and fifty taels.”
The moment Zhang Lei heard this, his expression darkened.
“No!”
Yu Zhizhi sneered, a sly smile curling her lips.
She slowly leaned closer and whispered in his ear.
“No? Then don’t blame me for talking too much.”
“Yesterday, the soup you ordered contained deer antler, an extremely expensive medicinal ingredient.”
“As everyone knows, deer antler is a powerful tonic that strengthens the kidneys and boosts male vitality.”
“If word got out that Young Master Zhang needs that kind of help in the bedroom, it might not look very good.”
Zhang Lei’s face instantly turned ugly.
He had never expected Yu Zhizhi to use this against him.
At that moment, he realized he was completely outmatched.
“Just give me the one hundred and fifty taels!”
Yu Zhizhi looked at him smugly, as though she had expected him to give in all along.
Meanwhile, He Yang couldn’t help asking,
“Boss, do you even have one hundred and fifty taels?”
Yu Zhizhi blinked playfully and grinned.
“No. Do you? Lend it to me first, and I’ll pay you back later. This time I promise I’ll keep my word.”
He Yang sighed helplessly.
“Fine. Who told me you’re my boss?”
Yu Zhizhi asked Uncle He to bring paper and brushes.
She wrote out two agreements. After both parties signed and pressed their fingerprints on them, she handed Zhang Lei the silver and one copy of the agreement.
“I don’t have time to keep playing games with you people. I suggest you stop provoking me.”
With that, Yu Zhizhi dragged He Yang back into the Yun Residence, leaving Zhang Lei and Zhu Yuanting standing there in confusion.
Even though she was usually the one who started trouble.
Losing one hundred and fifty taels in a single blow made Yu Zhizhi feel as though her heart was bleeding.
The pain was real.
The system hadn’t even assigned her a task yet, and she was already drowning in debt.
What rotten luck.
Still, there was no helping it.
She had to clean up the mess left behind by the original owner.
So far, she had only dealt with one disaster.
There was still another major problem waiting for her—apologizing to the Sixth Prince.
Before the Sixth Prince came looking for trouble, she decided it would be wiser to apologize first.
After all, her status was no longer what it used to be.
She couldn’t afford to offend powerful nobles anymore, especially someone as influential as the Sixth Prince.
A verbal apology alone clearly wasn’t enough.
She felt she needed to show her sincerity through action.
So Yu Zhizhi decided to personally cook a meal and invite the Sixth Prince.
She believed that if she could make him happy and satisfied with good food, both of them would benefit.
She also planned to prepare a unique dish.
However, that would require silver to purchase ingredients and perhaps commission a special cooking pot.
The tragic reality was that her current net worth stood at negative one hundred and fifty taels.
Thus, Yu Zhizhi turned her gaze toward the big, gullible fish walking ahead of her and called out sweetly,
“Yangyang~”
The voice was so soft that even she found it unbearable.
Oh no.
Every time Boss used that sweet tone, something bad was about to happen.
He Yang covered his ears and pretended not to hear.
Yu Zhizhi walked up beside him.
“Yangyang~ Lend me another fifty taels.”
“I promise this is the last time.”
He knew it.
In the end, He Yang obediently handed over fifty taels and looked at her pitifully.
“Boss, you have to spend this fifty taels carefully!”
Back then, Boss spent money even more recklessly than he did.
Now that she was no longer the true legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s Residence, he was afraid she would continue spending as freely as before.
Yu Zhizhi assured him,
“Don’t worry. Every tael will be spent where it matters most.”
Only then did she tuck the silver into her pouch.
Afterward, she asked curiously,
“Why did you bring so much silver with you today?”
If others saw him carrying that much money, they might think he was planning to elope with her.
Fortunately, he had brought it.
Otherwise, things would have become troublesome.
She could have shamelessly asked Uncle He for money.
But she didn’t want to.
She would rather borrow than ask her biological parents for silver on her very first day back at the Yun Residence.
As long as she had the ability to earn money herself, she would never live off her parents the way the original owner had.