Chapter- 04
Yu Zhi, Call Reinforcements
Standing at the door of the house—
Yu Zhi couldn’t help but laugh in anger.
From her inherited memories, the so-called “father” of the original host was a good-for-nothing scoundrel—reckless, 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, he’d either beat his wife or his daughter. A complete bastard.
Yu Zhi asked the system, “Can I hit him?”
[You can—but you can’t kill him.]
Yu Zhi rolled her shoulders, warming up her muscles.
“What are you looking at!” Yu Jianhui (her father) grabbed the remote and hurled it at her. “Raising you was a waste of my damn money!”
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 on—she wasn’t bluffing; in real life, she was a third-dan black belt in taekwondo.
“You’ve really turned against me!” Yu Jianhui staggered forward, reeking of alcohol, his breath hot on the back of her neck. “I’m telling you—ahhh!!!”
Before he could finish, Yu Zhi’s spinning kick landed squarely on his stomach.
Yu Jianhui screamed and collapsed onto the floor.
“You—you dare hit your father!” 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 up—but Yu Zhi didn’t 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 Zhi’s fist nearly struck the newcomer’s back—she stopped just in time.
In the living room, a woman clung tightly to Yu Jianhui, looking up at Yu Zhi with tear-filled eyes.
“Xiao Zhi, stop, please stop! He’s your father!”
Yu Zhi looked down at the thin, pale woman—her mother, Shao Jinghe—whose face was marked with bruises.
Seeing that, Yu Zhi dropped her hand and said coldly, “Mom, your health isn’t good. Go rest in your room. Don’t worry about this.”
But Shao Jinghe shook her head, still holding her husband tightly, her frail body shielding him. “Xiao Zhi, don’t blame your father. He just drank too much…”
Before she could finish, Yu Jianhui shoved her aside. “Shao Jinghe! Look at the good daughter you’ve raised!”
He shouted loudly, but his body shrank back in fear. “I must’ve done something terrible in my past life! Raising you two money-sucking leeches!”
Slap!
Yu Zhi’s hand cracked across his face, leaving him stunned.
“Say that again.”
“Raised us?” Yu Zhi pointed at the pile of empty bottles in the room. “Have you ever cared about me? Given me any allowance? You took every cent I earned from part-time jobs! You even used Mom’s medical money for alcohol! And you dare say you ‘raised’ us?”
Yu Jianhui clutched his cheek and cowered in the corner, his bravado gone. “Yu Zhi! I—I’m your father!”
Yu Zhi arched a brow. “So what? Teaching a scumbag like you a lesson is practically a public service.”
“Xiao Zhi…” Shao Jinghe trembled, tugging at her daughter’s hand. “Let it go…”
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 couldn’t 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.
“You’ve gone too far! Too far!” 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 bedroom—barely 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, she’d better hide her money well.
“You damn brat! You think you can defy me?!” 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 Nian’an tomorrow—enough to move out of this hellhole as soon as possible.
At that moment, she finally understood why the original host had clung to Pei Nian’an, even at the cost of being called a bootlicker.
Repaying debts aside, at least following Pei Nian’an meant not starving.
[Host, get up, get up! Pei Nian’an just caught Wen Ying and Gu Chengnian together!]
The system’s voice had barely faded when her phone buzzed. It was a message from Pei Nian’an.
First, a location pin. Then a voice message:
“Yu Zhi, get over here! Some bitch just poured wine all over my Chengnian-ge! Call people—I’m gonna kill her!”
Yu Zhi jolted upright.
“Chengnian-ge” referred to Gu Chengnian—the male lead of this novel. A third-year finance major at Beijing North University, one year older than Yu Zhi and Pei Nian’an.
And like every cliché Mary Sue story, Gu Chengnian only had eyes for the righteous, pure-hearted female lead—Wen Ying.
Before meeting her, he treated Pei Nian’an as a sweet little sister. But once the heroine appeared, Pei Nian’an became his favorite target of disgust.
No matter what Pei Nian’an 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 Nian’an became the villain everyone despised, and Gu Chengnian—just to make Wen Ying smile—publicly 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. I’m on my way!]
Then she grabbed her bag and stormed out, heading straight for the nightclub Pei Nian’an had pinned.
Half an hour earlier.
Nightshade Bar.
Pei Nian’an strutted in, her handbag swinging, heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.
The security guard at the door started to stop her—then recognized her instantly and bowed. “Good evening, Miss Pei.”
Pei Nian’an adjusted her newly permed curls. The bartender spotted her from afar and hurried over.
“Miss Pei, Young Master Gu is in the VIP section on the second floor,” he whispered. “Drinking with a few friends. No other women around.”
Pei Nian’an smirked, pulling a wad of cash from her purse and slapping it onto his tray.
“A little something for you.”
The bartender’s grin widened.
The bar was buzzing with music and chatter, but Pei Nian’an didn’t 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 Nian’an lifted her chin and headed for the stairs—her heels clicking confidently as every eye followed her ascent.
