Although Zhang Yu was forced by the Persona System to curry favor with Jiang Luohan and everyone in the Zhang Family, he wasn't the sort to meekly accept whatever came his way.
He had borrowed money from the Wang Family because they were enemies of both the Jiang Family and the Zhang Family. He had been waiting for a situation just like this.
And he had prepared a fallback plan for everything he did to please Jiang Luohan and the Marquis Estate.
This was only the beginning.
Qin Xuehua looked as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her body lurched, and she would have collapsed if Nanny Zhou hadn't caught her.
She pointed at Zhang Yu, her lips trembling as a shrill, broken sound forced its way from her throat:
"You... How dare you?
You actually borrowed money from the Wang Family?
You... You've forgotten your roots and betrayed us. You're going to get our whole family killed!"
She finally understood. This wasn't a simple debt. It was a poisonous scheme Zhang Yu had carefully laid, using the Wang Family's sharpest blade to carve up the Marquis Estate's and the Jiang Family's reputations and tear their flesh apart.
The Wang Family wouldn't merely dare to do it. They would beat drums and gongs, wishing they could let the whole world know they'd come to collect.
This was stripping the Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family of their dignity and throwing it into the busiest marketplace for all to see.
Zhang Heng was completely panicked, his mind a blank. "Eldest Brother, you've lost your mind! How could you do this to the Marquis Estate and Sister Luohan?"
He realized that his eldest brother hadn't acted out of stupidity. He had done this with a clear head—with ruthless, far-reaching plans for revenge.
He'd borrowed money from his sworn enemy to buy a gift, and even left behind an agreement practically tailor-made for this very day.
It was as if he'd placed Jiang Luohan and both estates over the raging flames of the Wang Family's revenge.
Jiang Luohan's vision went black. Her whole body turned cold, as if she'd fallen into a bottomless abyss.
The last of her hope and courage to tough it out was utterly crushed.
The creditor was the Wang Family—the very family that hated them to the bone and had been looking for an opportunity to retaliate.
The agreement was legal. The Wang Family had power, influence, and motive—and every reason to make a public spectacle of this, ruin her reputation, and disgrace the Jiang Family.
What could she do to stop them?
What could the Jiang Family do?
Would the Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family really go to war with the Wang Family for her sake?
The answer was obvious. Despair and regret gnawed at her heart like venomous snakes.
Zhang Wanning's arrogance was snuffed out completely. Her face was deathly pale, and she gaped soundlessly.
Just moments ago, she'd been shouting, "Who would dare?" Now the creditor was the Wang Family, their sworn enemy—one the Marquis Estate itself had to fear.
Would she dare stand up to the Wang Family?
Would the Marquis Estate?
Her threats from moments ago now seemed utterly ridiculous and childish.
Zhang Qingyue was also shaken to the core by this thunderous move. For the first time, her cool face showed a violent surge of emotion, and she looked at Zhang Yu in stunned disbelief.
This had gone far beyond a fight among the women of the household. He had taken family conflicts, human scheming, and legal agreements to their utmost limits, striking a fatal blow and leaving no room for retreat.
The crowd around them erupted:
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. He borrowed money from his enemy to buy his fiancée a gift, and even left an agreement like this..."
"This isn't debt collection. It's an attack on the heart. The Wang Family must be over the moon."
"The Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family have fallen into a pit this time—and their own son and fiancé dug it for them."
"Let's see them use their power to bully people now. The Wang Family has more power than they do, and they're sworn enemies."
The Heir of Prince Jing could no longer hold back. He clapped his hands and laughed aloud:
"Marvelous. Simply marvelous.
"Using another's blade to kill, pulling the fuel out from under the pot.
"This Brother Zhang is truly a wonder.
"Today, I've certainly had my eyes opened."
Qin Xuehua sagged as if her spine had been pulled out.
Tears streaming down her face, Jiang Luohan looked desperately at Qin Xuehua and Zhang Heng, only to see the same despair and fear in their faces.
Zhang Qingyue turned away, unable to bear watching any longer.
Finally, Qin Xuehua summoned the last of her strength and rasped to Jiang Luohan, who was just as pale as she was, "...Luohan... We can't escape this debt. We can only endure it."
Yet amid this atmosphere of near-despair and surrender, Zhang Qingyue, who was usually so composed and self-possessed, suddenly furrowed her brows.
She looked at Zhang Yu in the cell. He was calm, with even the faintest hint of mockery in his expression. Anger at being deceived and belittled overwhelmed her initial shock.
Her cool voice rang out again, carrying a deliberately maintained air of reason and condescending criticism:
"Eldest Brother, this time... you've gone too far."
Her words drew everyone's attention.
"To get your family to notice you, to make Sister Jiang change her mind, you actually resorted to such a sinister trick, putting the Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family in such an embarrassing position—even going so far as to collude with an outside enemy."
Zhang Qingyue spoke coldly, as though stating an "obvious" fact. "You think this will make us look at you more highly?"
She shook her head, her eyes filled with undisguised disappointment and disgust. "You're wrong. This behavior of yours will only make us see your narrow-mindedness and extremism more clearly. It will only make us... hate you even more."
Even now, deep down, Zhang Qingyue, Qin Xuehua, Zhang Heng, and the others still stubbornly believed, at least in part, that Zhang Yu's "earth-shattering" debt collection today was ultimately meant to "attract attention," "prove himself," or "take revenge out of spite."
His three years of playing the lovesick fool had left such a deep impression that they simply couldn't believe—or rather, refused to believe—that Zhang Yu truly meant to cut ties with them for good, and that he had the ability and foresight to toy with them in the palm of his hand.
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