Chapter 3: You won't pay me back? Believe it or not, I'll report you!

As Zhang Xiao spoke, she stepped forward to try and take her hand, but Xia Zhi dodged her imperceptibly and said with sarcasm, "Then your family is quite unlucky."

Zhang Xiao's face darkened, and she stared at her unpleasantly with pursed lips.

Why did it feel like Xia Zhi wasn't quite herself today, as if she had swallowed gunpowder?

Hao Liping's eyes lit up upon hearing this; this Xia Zhi really dared to scold anyone.

She stepped forward to link her arm with Gu Yunshen, feigning grievance as she leaned into his embrace.

In reality, she shot a provocative glance at Xia Zhi.

"Brother Yunshen, I know you're afraid of making Sister sad, but a marriage without love is imperfect. Why force it?"

A flicker of hesitation flashed in Gu Yunshen's eyes upon hearing this. He indeed did not like Xia Zhi; she was always chirping away and following him around like a shadow every day.

Besides, since they were children, the people in the compound loved to tease him and Xia Zhi about each other, and he had long since grown to loathe it. What kind of good girl from a decent family acted like her, running to other people's houses every day without any shame?

Seeing that Zhang Xiao also agreed, Hao Dazhuang stood up and said, "This... since things have come to this, then..."

"Wait!" Xia Zhi quickly spoke up to interrupt.

Gu Yunshen frowned unpleasantly and said with disgust, "Xia Zhi, that's enough. We are only engaged, not married; don't go too far.

Furthermore, you aren't nearly as interesting as Liping. It annoys me every time I see you coming to my house.

Now that I have found true love, you should be sensible."

Initially agreeing to the engagement was nothing more than thinking there would be someone at home to take care of things. Now that he had someone he liked, he naturally wanted to break it off.

After a month of spending time together, Liping gave him a very comfortable feeling, unlike Xia Zhi, who understood nothing and couldn't help him at all.

The corners of Hao Liping's mouth curled into a triumphant smile as she approached pitifully, "Sister, Brother Yunshen and I are true love."

Then, she whispered provocatively in an extremely low voice, "Heh, Xia Zhi, in the eyes of the Gu family, you're nothing more than a maid."

Xia Zhi watched her with cold eyes, suppressing the anger in her heart.

Even if she were to break the engagement, she had to take back what belonged to her.

"I agree to break the engagement with Gu Yunshen, but on the condition that the Gu family returns the money they spent on me and used from me over these years, right? You can't have your cake and eat it too."

Gu Yunshen immediately retorted, "Bullshit! When has our Gu family ever spent your money!"

It was clearly she who had been mooching food and drink from the Gu family all this time.

As if thinking of something, a flash of panic crossed Zhang Xiao's face. "Oh dear, Zhizi, we're family, there's no need to speak like strangers..."

"Bah! Who is family with you? I'll tell you, two years ago you said Gu Yunshen would marry me. You kept calling me 'daughter-in-law' to trick me into working for your family, saying that in order for Gu Yunshen to go to university, I should work hard and that good days would come in the future.

And now you want to marry Hao Liping? Fine, no problem.

But then I won't be considered a member of your Gu family. Since we all live in the same compound, I'm sure everyone has seen how I've treated the Gu family.

Hao Liping is right; I am just a maid for your Gu family.

Then, according to the market rate for a maid at twenty-five yuan a month, I have painstakingly served you for two years, which makes six hundred yuan!

Also, Gu Yunshen's books were all bought with money I earned from digging sweet potatoes. Either convert them into cash for me, or give me the books!"

Xia Zhi stood with her hands on her hips, pointing and scolding. This family was truly shameless; knowing the original owner hadn't been educated, they had found every way to deceive her. It was utterly detestable.

Upon hearing this, the people around them immediately began whispering among themselves.

"That's right, Zhizi and Yunshen were engaged two years ago. Zhang Xiao didn't even call her by name, just kept calling her 'daughter-in-law' to get Zhizi to do this and that for them."

They had been so envious back then; where else could one find such a capable and obedient daughter-in-law? They often praised Zhang Xiao when they gathered together.

In the end, they thought the two would marry soon after the engagement, but Gu Yunshen said he wanted to study at home and wait to take the university entrance exam after it was reinstated, so he kept dragging it out.

Xia Zhi hadn't said anything; she had encouraged him while working hard and without complaint. Now that this had happened, they couldn't just take advantage of her for nothing, could they?

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world!

Upon hearing the amount of six hundred yuan, Hao Liping immediately became unhappy. "Cousin, how can you be like this? Besides, no one forced you to do this; wasn't it all of your own free will?"

Gu Yunshen immediately chimed in, "Exactly. Xia Zhi, it's not like I asked you to serve me. And those books, didn't you buy them for me yourself?"

Xia Zhi gasped in anger upon hearing this. They were truly shameless!

How could the original owner have fallen for such a person and been so devoted to him?

"Gu Yunshen, for someone who has even gone to school, you can actually say such shameless things. First of all, you used the engagement to deceive me—does that count as fraud? Secondly, Gu Yunshen, this is cheating!

If I report all the filthy things your Gu family has done to the Education Bureau, I'll see who dares to take a morally bankrupt college student like you!"

"Xia Zhi, how dare you!" Gu Yunshen hurriedly stood up to bark at her, a flash of panic crossing his face.

Zhang Xiao also grew anxious upon hearing this and tried to step forward to pull her back, but she accidentally slipped and nearly fell.

Fortunately, she landed right at Xia Zhi's feet, grabbing her pant leg and speaking pitifully.

"Oh dear, oh dear, I was wrong about this matter, Zhizi, I was wrong. But at that time, I truly regarded you as a daughter-in-law. Look, how about I kneel to you? Please, whatever you do, don't report this matter!"

A glint of calculation flashed in Zhang Xiao's eyes as she made a motion as if she were about to kneel.

"Hey, this... this... how can an elder kneel to a junior? Zhizi, if you ask me, let's just let this matter go."

"Exactly, no one knew this kind of thing would happen..."

Seeing Zhang Xiao's pitiful appearance, the people around couldn't help but feel some sympathy. They all lived in the same compound; this was perhaps going a bit too far.

Xia Zhi looked at the several middle-aged women standing by, speaking without any skin in the game, and grinned.

"Since you aunts are so kind, then how about everyone helps pay this money? After all, you know.

I, Xia Zhi, am an orphan with no parents. You can't have a whole group of people bullying a single, lonely woman, can you?"

The crowd immediately shut up upon hearing this. This was six hundred yuan, not sixty cents; how could they possibly produce such an amount?

Watching the reactions of the people around her, Xia Zhi's gaze turned toward Zhang Xiao, and she happened to catch a flash of impatience in Zhang Xiao's eyes. As expected, they were all wolves in sheep's clothing.

The original owner was always an outsider; how could this group ever treat the female lead as one of their own?

"Aunt Zhang, I'll say it again: give me the money and the books I bought. If you don't, I'm going to report you!"

Xia Zhi stood with her arms crossed, looking askance at the people beside her. The original owner had taken after her mother, being petite, delicate, and beautiful.

Unfortunately, having been ravaged by this group, she had almost become a haggard woman. She was clearly in the prime of her youth at twenty, yet she lived like a thirty-year-old housekeeper.

It was truly a waste for the original owner!

Zhang Xiao was suddenly at a loss. They really couldn't produce six hundred yuan in the short term.

Besides, if Yunshen were to marry Hao Liping, he would still need bride price money, banquet money, and...

"Zhizi, Aunt will give it to you, it's just that things are a bit tight lately and I can't produce that much right now. Can you give me some more time?" Zhang Xiao looked at her with a face full of difficulty.

"That's right, Xia Zhi. Aunt Zhang said she would give it to you, so don't be so unforgiving."

Chen Xiuping also stepped forward. "Zhizi, this matter was Liping's fault, but we are all neighbors. Tearing faces like this isn't good for anyone."

Normally, Xia Zhi listened to her most. Besides, if they could just bluff their way through this today and wait until Liping and Yunshen's matter was settled, as for the money, they could delay it for as long as possible.

"Xia Zhi, that's enough!" Hao Dazhuang shouted with a dark face.

Looking at this bunch of people who sided with their kin instead of the truth, Xia Zhi felt a chill in her heart.

(End of Chapter)