Chapter- 04
Yu Zhi, Call Reinforcements
Standing at the door of the houseâ
Yu Zhi couldnât help but laugh in anger.
From her inherited memories, the so-called âfatherâ of the original host was a good-for-nothing scoundrelâreckless, with not a single shred of business sense.
Not only had he squandered away the family fortune and driven the company to bankruptcy, but he was also neck-deep in debt. He drank every day, and when he got drunk, heâd either beat his wife or his daughter. A complete bastard.
Yu Zhi asked the system, âCan I hit him?â
[You canâbut you canât kill him.]
Yu Zhi rolled her shoulders, warming up her muscles.
âWhat are you looking at!â Yu Jianhui (her father) grabbed the remote and hurled it at her. âRaising you was a waste of my damn money!â
Yu Zhi dodged sideways. The remote hit the door with a loud clack, batteries flying out.
She glanced at the remote on the floor, then strode toward Yu Jianhui. Come onâshe wasnât bluffing; in real life, she was a third-dan black belt in taekwondo.
âYouâve really turned against me!â Yu Jianhui staggered forward, reeking of alcohol, his breath hot on the back of her neck. âIâm telling youâahhh!!!â
Before he could finish, Yu Zhiâs spinning kick landed squarely on his stomach.
Yu Jianhui screamed and collapsed onto the floor.
âYouâyou dare hit your father!â he trembled, clutching his stomach and pointing a shaking finger at her. All his previous bluster was gone.
He scrambled on all fours, trying to get upâbut Yu Zhi didnât give him the chance. She rushed forward, planted a foot on his back, and sent her fist crashing into his greasy face.
Yu Jianhui struggled wildly, but Yu Zhi was seeing red. Just as she raised her fist again, a frail figure suddenly threw herself over him.
Yu Zhiâs fist nearly struck the newcomerâs backâshe stopped just in time.
In the living room, a woman clung tightly to Yu Jianhui, looking up at Yu Zhi with tear-filled eyes.
âXiao Zhi, stop, please stop! Heâs your father!â
Yu Zhi looked down at the thin, pale womanâher mother, Shao Jingheâwhose face was marked with bruises.
Seeing that, Yu Zhi dropped her hand and said coldly, âMom, your health isnât good. Go rest in your room. Donât worry about this.â
But Shao Jinghe shook her head, still holding her husband tightly, her frail body shielding him. âXiao Zhi, donât blame your father. He just drank too muchâŠâ
Before she could finish, Yu Jianhui shoved her aside. âShao Jinghe! Look at the good daughter youâve raised!â
He shouted loudly, but his body shrank back in fear. âI mustâve done something terrible in my past life! Raising you two money-sucking leeches!â
Slap!
Yu Zhiâs hand cracked across his face, leaving him stunned.
âSay that again.â
âRaised us?â Yu Zhi pointed at the pile of empty bottles in the room. âHave you ever cared about me? Given me any allowance? You took every cent I earned from part-time jobs! You even used Momâs medical money for alcohol! And you dare say you âraisedâ us?â
Yu Jianhui clutched his cheek and cowered in the corner, his bravado gone. âYu Zhi! IâIâm your father!â
Yu Zhi arched a brow. âSo what? Teaching a scumbag like you a lesson is practically a public service.â
âXiao ZhiâŠâ Shao Jinghe trembled, tugging at her daughterâs hand. âLet it goâŠâ
Yu Zhi looked from her weak mother to the cowardly man in the corner, feeling an ache in her chest.
In a home like this, she couldnât imagine how the original girl had survived this long.
Exhaling heavily, Yu Zhi stepped over the beer cans littering the floor and walked straight to her room.
âYouâve gone too far! Too far!â Yu Jianhui shrieked behind her.
Bang!
Yu Zhi slammed and locked the door. Immediately, his curses filled the hallway, followed by a loud clang.
After a deep breath, Yu Zhi scanned the small, shabby bedroomâbarely ten square meters, with peeling yellow wallpaper and a faded blanket on a single bed.
His yelling continued outside.
Yu Zhi quickly checked the cash in her schoolbag. With a father like that, sheâd better hide her money well.
âYou damn brat! You think you can defy me?!â Yu Jianhui kicked the door again and again.
Ignoring him, Yu Zhi slipped on her earphones.
Lying on the bed, she stared at the moldy ceiling, planning how to squeeze more money out of Pei Nianâan tomorrowâenough to move out of this hellhole as soon as possible.
At that moment, she finally understood why the original host had clung to Pei Nianâan, even at the cost of being called a bootlicker.
Repaying debts aside, at least following Pei Nianâan meant not starving.
[Host, get up, get up! Pei Nianâan just caught Wen Ying and Gu Chengnian together!]
The systemâs voice had barely faded when her phone buzzed. It was a message from Pei Nianâan.
First, a location pin. Then a voice message:
âYu Zhi, get over here! Some bitch just poured wine all over my Chengnian-ge! Call peopleâIâm gonna kill her!â
Yu Zhi jolted upright.
âChengnian-geâ referred to Gu Chengnianâthe male lead of this novel. A third-year finance major at Beijing North University, one year older than Yu Zhi and Pei Nianâan.
And like every clichĂ© Mary Sue story, Gu Chengnian only had eyes for the righteous, pure-hearted female leadâWen Ying.
Before meeting her, he treated Pei Nianâan as a sweet little sister. But once the heroine appeared, Pei Nianâan became his favorite target of disgust.
No matter what Pei Nianâan did, in his eyes it was always petty scheming or deliberate cruelty toward Wen Ying. Eventually, his contempt for her grew unbearable.
In the end, Pei Nianâan became the villain everyone despised, and Gu Chengnianâjust to make Wen Ying smileâpublicly humiliated her. She died miserably, hated by all.
Thinking of that, Yu Zhi quickly texted back:
[Pei-jie, calm down. Hide somewhere and watch first. Iâm on my way!]
Then she grabbed her bag and stormed out, heading straight for the nightclub Pei Nianâan had pinned.
Half an hour earlier.
Nightshade Bar.
Pei Nianâan strutted in, her handbag swinging, heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.
The security guard at the door started to stop herâthen recognized her instantly and bowed. âGood evening, Miss Pei.â
Pei Nianâan adjusted her newly permed curls. The bartender spotted her from afar and hurried over.
âMiss Pei, Young Master Gu is in the VIP section on the second floor,â he whispered. âDrinking with a few friends. No other women around.â
Pei Nianâan smirked, pulling a wad of cash from her purse and slapping it onto his tray.
âA little something for you.â
The bartenderâs grin widened.
The bar was buzzing with music and chatter, but Pei Nianâan didnât rush upstairs. She scanned the room first.
As she walked, the crowd in the dance floor instinctively parted to make way for her. A few rich playboys raised their glasses in greeting.
Satisfied, Pei Nianâan lifted her chin and headed for the stairsâher heels clicking confidently as every eye followed her ascent.