“You always manage to show up right on time, like a goddess descending from the heavens, little sis!”
Those were the words, but even so, Ye Zhibai had no intention of just letting Yun’er protect her like this.
She appreciated the sentiment, but deep down, Ye Zhibai still clung to a stubborn sense of pride.
This was her own affair to begin with. Besides, if she couldn’t even beat an old lady like this, it would be too humiliating!
With great resolve, Ye Zhibai patted Yun’er’s shoulder, signaling her to step back a little.
“Let me handle this feeble old woman on my own!”
But then…
After steadying herself, Liu Dayi glared with a fierce expression and struck a bizarre pose!
“Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!”
“…”
There it was.
Damn it all, it was that long-lost folk secret art!
The shameless Liu Dayi saw that she was outnumbered, with two young girls and a strangely dressed woman lurking behind them, ready to strike. Knowing she stood no chance, she simply gave up and threw a tantrum, putting on a public display of “retreat”!
Stop retreating already! That doesn’t hurt anyone at all!
Even Guang Yu’s two fox ears drooped down, flattening against her hair as if to block out the noise.
But Guang Yu… you still have your human ears too, making you a four-eared creature. What good does that do?
Ye Zhibai half-covered her ears and sincerely advised Liu Dayi.
“Stop making a scene… We can talk this out. If you keep causing trouble like this, I’ll call the police.”
“Go ahead! Call them! You think I’m scared of the cops?! I want them here to judge this! Look at you fancy-dressed girls beating up a poor old lady in broad daylight! Oh no, I think my leg’s broken! Ow, it hurts!!”
You were just “retreat, retreat, retreat” a second ago! How’d you end up on the ground so fast?!
What the hell?
If it came to a real fight, Ye Zhibai might have risked her life to salvage some dignity.
But…
Against an opponent this thick-skinned and shameless, she felt powerless, like she had all this energy with nowhere to direct it!
Ye Zhibai pulled a sour face and glanced back, rather spinelessly seeking Yun’er’s help with her eyes.
Ahem! This was just the most efficient way to punish evil and promote good—no shame in that!
The moment Ye Zhiyun caught that cool, aloof look in her sister’s eyes…
Ye Zhibai noticed her face flush bright red in an instant!
What now?!
Ye Zhiyun was thrilled!
That look from her sister clearly meant: This woman’s a total pain—handle it for me, and make it quick, or you’re in for a punishment.
So cool, sis!
Order received!
Ye Zhiyun composed herself once more.
A punishment sounded nice, but letting her sister down would be far worse.
Ye Zhiyun didn’t need to lift a finger herself. She merely glanced sideways at the person behind her and issued the command.
“Head Maid, deal with it.”
When Yun’er said this, she deliberately drew out the ending with a sharper edge.
It gave the impression that she was scheming something.
“Understood, Second Miss.”
With that, the Head Maid stepped forward without hesitation.
Huh?!
Ye Zhibai started to panic.
Given Yun’er’s temper today, she wasn’t about to beat the old lady, was she?!
That woman didn’t look like she could take a stick to the body.
So…
At least use a thinner stick!
But no blows came.
Hitting a scammer pulling this porcelain-bumping stunt would just play into her hands and make things worse.
The Head Maid had dealt with these unreasonable types plenty of times before. She knew exactly how to resolve it with maximum efficiency.
Towering over the thrashing Liu Dayi, the Head Maid pulled out her wallet and extracted a thick wad of bills!
—The kind that made your eyes spin just looking at it!
Whether it dazed the others or not, Ye Zhibai felt collateral damage!
Liu Dayi’s flailing froze stiff.
She’d never seen so much cash!
The Head Maid wasted no time.
She plucked a single bill from the stack with her fingers and placed it beside Liu Dayi’s head. Just one bill.
Pulling out that much just for one? Was it all for show?
But even a single bill was enough. Liu Dayi snatched it up, stuffed it in her pocket, stood, and glanced around warily without a word.
A hundred-yuan note! She could sell a whole truckload of junk and not make that much!
The Head Maid got straight to the point. “Take the money and go. Don’t make this bigger than it needs to be—it’s no good for anyone.”
“Hey, you older folks sure know how to handle things better than these kids! Fine, fine, with money involved, we’re square! I’m not unreasonable, you know. As for this junk, do whatever. I didn’t see anything valuable anyway—that guy who lived here before was a total broke loser! No ambition!”
Ye Zhibai seethed with anger!
What does my lack of ambition have to do with eating your rice or breathing your air?!
She really ought to scrap with her after all!
Liu Dayi strutted off triumphantly, clutching her hundred-yuan bill, looking ever so smug.
She’d hoped to scam more, but these people dressed expensively and seemed like trouble. Better to quit while ahead!
It left Ye Zhibai fuming inside!
Sure, the annoying pest was gone, which was a relief, but they’d just wasted a hundred-yuan bill for nothing!
Yet… things might not be as simple as Ye Zhibai thought.
Once Liu Dayi was well out of sight—down the stairs and pedaling away on her junk-collecting tricycle…
The Head Maid watched her sharply from above and suddenly asked, “Second Miss, what next?”
Ye Zhiyun’s gaze turned icy, a sly curve tugging at her lips.
“Send someone to bribe every junkyard she sells to after her rounds. Tell them to keep the buy prices the same for everyone else, but for this old lady, fiddle with the scales—just enough that it’s not obvious. Short her a little weight per pound, over and over, until she’s lost that hundred yuan… no, make it two hundred. Call it mercy.”
“…”
“Mercy,” she said.
Some mercy!
Ye Zhibai was genuinely shocked.
If they followed through on Yun’er’s plan… on the surface, the old lady pocketed a hundred-yuan bill, but in reality, her earnings would dwindle bit by bit over a long stretch!
So ruthless… utterly ruthless.
Killing without a trace—not literally, but straight to the heart.
As expected, anyone playing the money game had a dirty mind!
Except for Yun’er, of course. Yun’er was a little angel; she didn’t count.
“Yun’er, you handled that perfectly. Extremely well.”
“Thank you for the praise, sis~” Ye Zhiyun laced her fingers together, hesitated for a long moment, then leaned in close to Ye Zhibai’s ear to whisper, “But I feel like I could have done even better… I hope you’ll give me a punishment when we get home, to teach me a lesson…”
“!”
You’re starting again, huh!
Why does anyone in this world want to be punished?!
Ye Zhiyun had whispered it, so the Head Maid couldn’t hear.
But Guang Yu, that bundle of curiosity glued to Ye Zhibai’s side, definitely caught it!
She waved her arms excitedly and sent a mind transmission to cheer Ye Zhibai on!
“Punish her! Then stick! Punish her, then stick!”
Well… whether to punish Yun’er or not, that could wait.
But punishing the scummy fox? That was a sure thing.
Go for it, Guang Yu.
—All that flailing today would turn into tears tomorrow.
Under the immense pressure of Yun’er’s expectant gaze, Ye Zhibai finally nodded reluctantly.
Before Ye Zhiyun could bounce with joy, Ye Zhibai darted into Room 203 like a streak of smoke!
Do whatever!
Right now… she needed to retrieve something utterly crucial.
She just hoped it was still there.
