The Marquis Estate's Confidence

Although Zhang Yu was constrained by the Persona System to curry favor with Jiang Luohan and the Zhang family, he was hardly the type to suffer in silence.

Borrowing money from the Wang Family—since the Wangs held a grudge against both the Jiangs and the Zhangs, they had been waiting for exactly this kind of situation.

Moreover, every move he made to ingratiate himself with Jiang Luohan and the Marquis Estate had been backed by a contingency plan.

This was only the beginning.

Qin Xuehua felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her body swayed violently, and had Nanny Zhou not supported her, she would have collapsed entirely.

She pointed at Zhang Yu, her lips trembling, and squeezed out a voice so shrill and distorted it seemed to come from her very throat:

"You... how dare you?

You actually borrowed money from the Wang Family?

You... this is forgetting your ancestors, this is betrayal, this is dooming our entire family."

She finally understood—this was no simple debt. It was a meticulously crafted scheme by Zhang Yu, using the Wang Family as the sharpest blade to flay the honor of the Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family, to sever their flesh and blood.

The Wang Family wouldn't just "dare"—they would beat drums and gongs, desperate to let the whole world know as they came to collect the debt.

This was stripping the dignity of the Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family naked and throwing it into the marketplace for all to see.

Zhang Heng was utterly panicked, his mind blank: "Eldest Brother, you've lost your mind. How could you harm the Marquis Estate and Sister Luohan like this?"

He realized this wasn't his brother's stupidity—it was a cold, ruthless, and far-sighted act of revenge.

Borrowing money from a sworn enemy to buy gifts, and leaving behind an agreement tailor-made for this very day.

This was nothing less than roasting Jiang Luohan and both households over the vengeful flames of the Wang Family.

Jiang Luohan's vision went dark. Her body turned ice-cold, as if she had fallen into an abyss.

The last shred of hope and the courage to tough it out were utterly shattered.

The creditor was the Wang Family—the ones who hated them to the bone and had been aching for a chance to retaliate.

The agreement was legal. The Wangs had power, motive, and every reason to blow this up, to ruin her reputation and humiliate the Jiang Family.

What could she use to stop them?

What could the Jiang Family use to stop them?

And would the Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family really dare to wage an all-out war with the Wang Family over her?

The answer was clearly no. Despair and regret gnawed at her heart like venomous snakes.

Zhang Wanning's arrogant flame was completely extinguished. Her face turned deathly pale, her mouth hanging open, but not a single word came out.

Just moments ago, she had been shouting, "Who dares?" Now the creditor was the Wang Family—the sworn enemy even the Marquis Estate had to tread carefully around.

Would she dare to clash head-on with the Wang Family?

Would the Marquis Estate dare?

Her earlier threats now seemed so laughable, so childish.

Zhang Qingyue, too, was shaken to her core by this thunderous move. For the first time, a violent emotional fluctuation crossed her usually cool face, and her eyes at Zhang Yu were filled with an incredulous shock.

This had far exceeded the scope of inner-courtyard scheming. It was the ultimate application of family conflicts, human calculations, and legal agreements—a single, fatal strike with no room left for mercy.

The surrounding reactions erupted:

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant—borrowing from an enemy to buy gifts for his fiancée, and leaving such a clause in the agreement..."

"This isn't debt collection; it's soul-killing. The Wang Family must be overjoyed."

"The Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family have fallen into a ditch, and it's their own son and fiancé who dug the pit."

"Now let's see them throw their weight around. The Wang Family has more power, and they're mortal enemies."

The Heir of Prince Jing could no longer hold back his laughter, clapping his hands:

"Marvelous, absolutely marvelous.

Killing with a borrowed knife, pulling the firewood from under the cauldron.

This Brother Zhang is truly a divine man.

I have seen something new today."

Qin Xuehua, as if her spine had been ripped out, slumped in defeat.

Jiang Luohan, tears streaming down her face, looked desperately at Qin Xuehua and Zhang Heng, only to see the same ashen despair and fear.

Zhang Qingyue turned her face away, unable to bear watching any longer.

Finally, Qin Xuehua, using the last of her strength, rasped to the equally pallid Jiang Luohan: "...Luohan... this debt... we can't escape it. We have no choice but to endure."

Yet, just as the atmosphere of near-total surrender settled in, the always composed Zhang Qingyue suddenly furrowed her brows.

She looked at Zhang Yu inside the cell, his expression calm, even carrying a faint hint of mockery. A surge of anger at being fooled and belittled overwhelmed her initial shock.

Her cool voice rang out again, carrying a deliberately maintained rationality and a condescending critique:

"Eldest Brother, this time... you have gone too far."

Her words drew everyone's attention.

"To get your family's attention, to make Sister Jiang change her mind, you actually resorted to such a venomous scheme—putting the Marquis Estate and the Jiang Family in this humiliating position, even colluding with outside enemies without a second thought."

Zhang Qingyue's tone was icy, as if stating an "obvious" fact. "Did you think that would make us think any more highly of you?"

She shook her head, her eyes filled with undisguised disappointment and disgust. "You're wrong. This kind of behavior only shows us how narrow-minded and extreme you are. It only makes us... loathe you even more."

Even at this moment, deep in their hearts, Zhang Qingyue—and Qin Xuehua, Zhang Heng, and the others—still stubbornly clung to the belief that Zhang Yu's "earth-shattering" debt-collection today was ultimately driven by that same laughable need for "attention," "validation," and "spiteful revenge."

Three years of playing the "simp" had branded that image too deeply into their minds. They simply couldn't believe—or rather, refused to believe—that Zhang Yu truly intended to sever ties with them completely, and that he possessed both the ability and the foresight to toy with them at his whim.