Shen Yanyan was going insane.
First, Lu Junyue had sent someone to smash her mouth, and now Shen Zhiyi was dragging her by the hair and beating her like a dog.
“Shen Zhiyi, how dare you hit me?”
She could hardly believe her eyes.
Shen Zhiyi had always been submissive in front of her, enduring all her humiliation and bullying.
But now, Shen Zhiyi actually dared to strike her!
“You’re exactly who I’m hitting.” Shen Zhiyi slapped her again.
“On what grounds…”
“On what grounds? Shen Yanyan, aren’t you clear about what you’ve done all these years?”
With the original host’s memories, Shen Zhiyi listed Shen Yanyan’s crimes one by one.
“As a child, you stirred up trouble and falsely accused ‘me’ of stealing money, nearly getting ‘me’ beaten to death.”
“In school, to seize ‘my’ recommendation spot, you spread rumors that ‘I’ was having an affair with the homeroom teacher. You got the teacher fired and made ‘me’ a target of bullying and isolation!”
“Later, jealous that I got into Tsinghua and Peking University, you persuaded my stupid parents to take ‘my’ scholarship money to send you abroad.”
“After that, you pretended to be the White Moonlight who saved Ji Yanli, acting like a pure, innocent schemer in front of him, causing him to misunderstand and hurt ‘me’ over and over.”
There were too many incidents like these.
“The ‘debts’ you owe me are beyond repayment. So why not…”
Shen Zhiyi’s icy gaze fixed on Shen Yanyan’s face.
Shen Yanyan seemed to sense something. “Y-You, what are you planning to do!”
Shen Zhiyi smiled sweetly, picked up a fruit knife from the coffee table, and pressed it against Shen Yanyan’s cheek.
“You’re so looking forward to marrying Ji Yanli beautifully… Wouldn’t it be interesting if the bride showed up disfigured at the wedding?”
Terrified, Shen Yanyan turned to run.
The next second, a hand clamped around her neck.
“Shen Zhiyi, I’m about to become Mrs. Ji. How dare you—”
Before she could finish, Shen Zhiyi raised the knife and slashed. A silver flash cut across Shen Yanyan’s face.
Blood beads seeped out, leaving a crimson trail on her cheek.
Shen Yanyan reached up and felt nothing but blood.
“Ah! Ah! Ah!She screamed in collapse.
Ji Yanli snapped out of his daze, immediately held Shen Yanyan, and called for his private doctor.
Lu Junyue approached and thoughtfully took out a wet wipe to clean the blood from Shen Zhiyi’s hand.
As if she were at home, Shen Zhiyi casually took the main seat on the sofa, crossing her slender, snow-white legs.
That single motion made Madam Ji cover her own face in fear.
“S-Shen Zhiyi, I w-won’t make you pay for the vase. J-Just don’t hit me.”
A sweet, obedient smile spread across Shen Zhiyi’s face.
“What are you saying, Madam Ji? Why would I hit you? We’re in-laws, after all. I’m here to collect a debt.”
Madam Ji breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she wasn’t going to be beaten or disfigured, anything was negotiable.
“But, what do you mean by ‘collecting a debt’?”
Shen Zhiyi held out her palm.
Han Ming promptly and solemnly brought over a scroll and placed it in her hand.
With a flick, Shen Zhiyi unfurled it.
The long scroll dropped from the air, rolling all the way to Madam Ji’s feet—absurdly lengthy.
Shen Zhiyi said, “This records all the money spent on Shen Yanyan, this adopted daughter, in our family. Plus, the scholarships she stole from me, compensation for the emotional distress and physical injuries she caused me, nutritional fees, and so on.”
“My demand is simple: repay tenfold.”
She smiled confidently at Madam Ji.
“Since your Ji family is marrying her, it’s only natural that you cover this expense.”
Madam Ji glanced at the bill—three million.
Ten times that would be thirty million.
What an outrageous demand!
Madam Ji was fuming but didn’t dare show it.
She took out a check, swiftly filled in the amount, and handed it to Shen Zhiyi.
All she wanted was to get this troublemaker out of the house as soon as possible.
Shen Zhiyi accepted the check but showed no intention of leaving.
“Now that the debt is settled, let’s discuss the bride price between our two families.”
“???”
Madam Ji was completely baffled.
Nearby, Shen Yanyan, who had just finished having her wounds bandaged, was furious.
“Shen Zhiyi, what right do you have to demand a bride price?”
Shen Zhiyi smiled at her. “Isn’t this what you always say? ‘The elder sister is like a mother.’”
“You!” Shen Yanyan was left speechless, unable to refute.
She looked to He Ying, hoping she would say something.
But He Ying was too terrified to even breathe, her head bowed so low it almost touched the floor.
Madam Ji’s only thought now was to get Shen Zhiyi to leave quickly.
Her heart simply couldn’t take much more.
“200,000 for the bride price. Take it and go,” she said, placing a bank card on the coffee table and pushing it toward Shen Zhiyi.
Shen Zhiyi took the card but was far from satisfied.
“200,000? I heard Madam Ji spent more than that on a pet dog last month. Are you saying Shen Yanyan, your daughter-in-law, is worth less than a dog?”
Shen Yanyan’s face turned even uglier.
Madam Ji was getting a headache. “Just name your price!”
Shen Zhiyi: “Madam Ji, the dog (Ji Yanli) has feelings, and the pig (Shen Yanyan) is willing. It wouldn’t be right for us to stand in the way of true love among animals, would it?”
“Since you’re sincere, I’ll ask for a lucky number.”
“For the bride price, let’s go with this.”
Shen Zhiyi held up six fingers.
Madam Ji had no fondness for this family. “Six million? What part of Shen Yanyan is worth six million?”
Shen Zhiyi shook her head. “Who said six million? The bride price we’re asking for is 600 million.”
Madam Ji gasped sharply. “600 million! Are the Shen family selling their daughter?”
Shen Zhiyi replied seriously, “The price is negotiable, no need to get worked up! I’ll even give you a discount—580 million. How auspicious!”
Madam Ji: “580 million? I wouldn’t even pay 580!”
Originally, she had wanted her son to marry the daughter of the Ye family, a match of equal social standing. But her foolish son insisted on repaying some so-called “life-saving favor” and refused to marry anyone but Shen Yanyan!
Shen Zhiyi slapped the table decisively. “Fine! Then the bride price will be 380!”
Madam Ji was stunned.
Shen Zhiyi’s tactics were endlessly unpredictable, always catching her off guard.
Han Ming, along with the butler and servants nearby, couldn’t hold back their laughter. Their gazes all fell on Shen Yanyan.
Negotiating a 600 million bride price down to 380—this was a spectacle they had never seen before.
What a shift this had turned out to be!
The mocking laughter and scorching stares made Shen Yanyan burn with humiliation and rage.
She felt like a joke! Like cheap goods at a market, being haggled over by Shen Zhiyi and Madam Ji!
Shen Yanyan glared at Shen Zhiyi with pure hatred.
She wished she could tear her to pieces!
After receiving the 380 transfer from Madam Ji, Shen Zhiyi stood up, satisfied.
Before leaving, she left He Ying at the Ji residence.
“Oh, and my dear sister, aren’t you the kindest and most filial? From now on, you’re responsible for taking care of our mother.”
Shen Yanyan’s face darkened. Who wanted to take care of this dying old woman?
But on the surface, she had to maintain her image of kindness and filial piety.
“Sister, mother likes following you…”
“I don’t want that! Yanyan, you treat me the best. I want to stay with you.”
He Ying clung to Shen Yanyan’s hand, her voice trembling with fear.
She absolutely didn’t want to follow Shen Zhiyi anymore!
She wanted to live in the villa with her younger daughter and enjoy a comfortable life!
“…” Shen Yanyan remained silent, having already cursed He Ying hundreds of times in her heart.
Watching Shen Yanyan’s frustrated expression, Shen Zhiyi felt completely relieved.
Didn’t He Ying despise the original host while constantly praising her adopted daughter? Now she could fully experience Shen Yanyan’s “filial piety.”
For He Ying, who was critically ill and nearing death, this was the most fitting retribution.