Chapter-16
The Second-Hand Luxury Store
When Gu Chengnian finished speaking, Pei Nian’an looked at him in disbelief. She wanted to say something more, but Yu Zhi suddenly stepped forward, blocking Pei Nian’an behind her.
“Mr. Gu,” Yu Zhi’s voice was surprisingly calm, “don’t you think your way of looking at things is a little too one-sided?”
Gu Chengnian clearly didn’t expect this usually quiet follower of Pei Nian’an to dare speak to him like that. His brows furrowed.
“What did you say?”
“I said,” Yu Zhi met his eyes head-on,
“You only see that Sister Pei hit Wen Ying — but did you ever notice that Wen Ying provoked her again and again? Just because Sister Pei has money, her grievances don’t count anymore?”
Taking a deep breath, Yu Zhi continued,
“I really don’t get it. Compared to some people who just talk big, at least Sister Pei is willing to make a fair exchange with money. It’s a consensual deal — what’s wrong with that?
“Wen Ying can treat money like dirt if she wants, but Sister Pei never forced her to take it! She could’ve just refused openly — why accuse Sister Pei of throwing money at people?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Gu Chengnian interrupted her angrily. “Wen Ying isn’t that kind of person!”
“Then I suppose Sister Pei is the kind of villain you think she is?” Yu Zhi refused to back down.
“Gu Chengnian, you’ve known her for over ten years. Don’t you know what kind of person she really is?”
Pei Nian’an tugged nervously at Yu Zhi’s sleeve from behind, her voice trembling. “Yu Zhi…”
But Yu Zhi couldn’t stop now.
“The real question is — do you even know? You’re not blind to the fact that Sister Pei likes you, right? So why do you keep hurting her just because she does?”
That sentence was like a knife, plunging straight into Gu Chengnian’s heart.
He opened his mouth, but not a word came out.
After a long moment, he took a deep breath and looked at Yu Zhi with a complicated expression. “Pei Nian’an, you’ve sure made a good friend.”
“Fine. You two can keep flattering each other.”
With that, he turned to leave.
“Tomorrow morning, ten o’clock, at the school infirmary. Pei Nian’an — if you don’t come and apologize, don’t bother showing up in front of me again!”
The door slammed shut with a bang.
Only then did Yu Zhi finally exhale in relief.
Pei Nian’an grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Yu Zhi! Are you out of your mind? How dare you talk to Brother Chengnian like that!”
Yu Zhi shrank her neck a little. “I—I just couldn’t stand the way he was talking to you…”
The next second, Pei Nian’an suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.
“Thank you…” Her voice was muffled against Yu Zhi’s shoulder. “No one has ever stood up for me like that… except my brother.”
Pei Nian’an trembled and sniffled against her.
“Since you’re so good to me, whatever you want — just say it!”
Yu Zhi gently patted her back for comfort.
Then she asked, “Sister Pei, in that case… can I come help you clean your closet every month?”
Pei Nian’an: “…”
When they returned upstairs, the servants had already tidied up Pei Nian’an’s walk-in closet. Three giant trash bags, stuffed full, were neatly packed and ready to go.
Yu Zhi lunged toward them, eyes gleaming —
these were bags of money!
She grabbed one in her left hand, one in her right, and tried to hold the third with her chin. Pei Nian’an couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Alright, stop it. I’ll have the driver take you.”
Then she looked at her. “My brother’s not home these days. Do you want to stay and have dinner with me?”
Yu Zhi glanced at the darkening sky. “What about your parents?”
Pei Nian’an pouted. “They’re abroad.”
“Oh.” Yu Zhi looked at the time again. “But it’s getting late, I really have to go!”
Pei Nian’an rolled her eyes. “Then hurry up and get lost.”
Yu Zhi suddenly threw her arms around her for a bear hug. “Next time! I’ll definitely have dinner with you next time!”
“Ugh, that’s so cheesy!” Pei Nian’an pushed her away, but her ears quietly turned red. “Go already. You’re an eyesore.”
The servants helped stuff the three bulging trash bags into the car.
The driver asked where Yu Zhi lived.
“Uncle, I’m not going home yet.” Yu Zhi searched for a second-hand luxury store on her phone and handed it to the driver. “Please take me here first.”
Forty minutes later, the sleek black car stopped in front of a discreetly decorated boutique.
Yu Zhi got out, dragging her “trash bag treasures,” and said to the driver, “You can go back first! I’ll take a cab home when I’m done.”
The driver glanced at the three black garbage bags, hesitated for a moment, then nodded and drove away.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Zhi gripped two bags and hugged the third, marching confidently into the shop.
Ding-ling!
“Welcome—”
The clerk’s voice cut off mid-sentence as soon as she looked up.
“Uh, hello,” she said, forcing a polite smile. “This is a luxury resale store…”
—not a garbage collection site.
“I know that!” Yu Zhi puffed, still hugging the bags. “Come help me out!”
The clerk frowned and stepped back, but reluctantly helped her with the load.
When the bags were set down, Yu Zhi wiped her forehead and tore open the first one with a rip.
Crash!
Five or six luxury handbags spilled out, one of which — a limited edition Birkin — landed squarely on the clerk’s foot.
“Th-this…” the clerk stammered.
Yu Zhi quickly picked the bags up, carefully brushing away imaginary dust as if they were fragile treasures.
Standing up, she pointed to the bags.
“Where’s your manager? I want to sell everything.”
The store manager — a thin middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses — widened his eyes behind the lenses when he saw the contents.
“Quick! Xiao Hong, Xiao Mei, take everything out and check carefully!” he barked.
The staff rushed around, cataloguing item after item.
Yu Zhi sat comfortably on a leather sofa, chin in hand, watching them bustle around.
The manager’s fingers tapped rapidly on a calculator, sweat beading on his forehead.
Over an hour later, he finally removed his glasses and wiped them. “Miss, we’ve finished tallying your items.”
He handed her a detailed list and cleared his throat.
“There are 102 clothing items in total, 78 of which are brand-new with tags; 16 handbags, including 3 limited editions; 14 pieces of jewelry…”
He paused, pointing to a Patek Philippe watch. “This one’s pre-owned, but very well maintained. We can offer 230,000 yuan for it.”
Yu Zhi tried to appear calm, but inside, she was screaming.
The manager went on quoting prices, while Yu Zhi secretly checked a few resale values on her phone — everything seemed fair.
“Our store has an excellent reputation,” the manager added. “We never lowball our clients.”
He handed her the calculator. “Here’s the total.”
Yu Zhi glanced at the final number — and felt like she’d just reached the peak of her life.
The calculator screen showed:
887,600.
