This means they won't let her go.

Zhu Jinchao looked away in disappointment, no longer daring to look at Zhu Xingye, nor daring to bargain.

Zhu Xingye stared at her for a long time before slowly releasing her chin. Before releasing it, he subconsciously stroked the skin that he had pinched red.

"Midterm exams are coming up soon, go back and study hard, stop thinking about these trivial things."

"I understand." Zhu Jinzhao agreed obediently on the surface, but a bold idea popped into her mind as she turned around.

—If neither explicit nor implicit suggestions will let her leave, fine, she'll sneak away! She'll leave tonight!

Staying in the Zhu family meant certain death, and she wouldn't be fooled by the illusion of peace. She had to leave, whether she had to be a beast of burden, a security guard, or even a screwdriver... anything was acceptable!

Although she wasn't the brightest, she was willing to work hard. She believed that as long as she didn't deliberately slack off, she could earn money to support herself!

But the prerequisite is that she has to escape from the Zhu family, that cannibalistic den of monsters!

"Every morning."

Just as he was about to leave the study, Zhu Xingye suddenly called out to Zhu Jinzhao.

"Huh?" Zhu Jinzhao turned around blankly.

Zhu Xingye smiled gently at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Chaochao has always been very well-behaved, she shouldn't lie to her older brother, right?"

“I…” Zhu Jinzhao paused for a moment, then mustered his courage to lie, “Of course I wouldn’t lie to my elder brother.”

Zhu Xingye: "That's good."

"Hmm..." Zhu Jinzhao gave him a stiff smile, turned around and walked out of the study, closing the door behind him.

Outside the study, Zhu Mingyue stood openly in the corridor, eavesdropping without any attempt to conceal her presence.

When Zhu Jinzhao saw her, he was stunned for a moment before rushing forward to explain, "Mingyue, don't misunderstand, I didn't say anything bad about you."

Zhu Mingyue nodded: "I know."

"Ah..." Zhu Jinzhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and stood obediently in front of Zhu Mingyue with his hands hanging down.

Zhu Mingyue sized her up, and after a moment, she suddenly laughed: "Zhu Jinzhao, your methods are quite clever, aren't they?"

"...Huh?" This was the first time someone had described Zhu Jinzhao as having "brilliant methods," and Zhu Jinzhao was genuinely happy about it.

"Really? You really think I'm clever?" she asked cheerfully, grinning broadly.

Zhu Mingyue sneered: "Of course. You know I'll target you, so you preemptively struck, putting on a sensible and aggrieved act before I even made a move, leaving me in a dilemma of whether to act or not."

"Such a method is certainly ingenious."

"..." This doesn't sound like a compliment to her.

Zhu Jinchao's surprised smile became somewhat stiff.

Zhu Mingyue glanced at her disdainfully: "Zhu Jinzhao, don't be so smug. I grew up in a poor and remote place, unlike you, who has been pampered since childhood. Your little tricks are nothing in my eyes."

“I know…” Zhu Jinzhao truly knew.

Zhu Mingyue: "Just wait, I'll show you what real skill and cunning are!"

After saying that, she turned her gaze away from Zhu Jinzhao and went downstairs.

I hope you're completely baffled today.

"I didn't provoke you either..."

Late at night, Zhu Jinzhao figured that everyone in the Zhu family should be asleep, so he quietly took his luggage out of the closet.

To make her escape easier, she packed some more things, making sure she had everything she needed without making the bag too bulky. She also contacted the fake heiress's only close friend in advance to pick her up outside the Zhu family villa.

With everything ready, and all the lights in the Zhu family villa turned off, Zhu Jinzhao picked up his luggage and left.

The Zhu family members are all shrewd and clever. In order not to make a fuss and be discovered by them, Zhu Jinzhao didn't even dare to wear slippers and went out barefoot.

...

The Zhu family villa was eerily quiet late at night. Apart from the rustling of Zhu Jinzhao's clothes as she moved around and her deliberately tense breathing, there was no other sound.

Third floor, second floor, first floor...

Zhu Jinzhao counted the stairs as she walked to the living room, but the short distance seemed to take her an eternity.

"call……"

As the villa gate drew closer, Zhu Jinzhao couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Almost there, almost there, we're about to escape... The hope of survival is right in front of us!

Zhu Jinzhao stared intently at the tightly closed door in front of him, his mind filled with the joy of his impending escape, completely unaware that Zhu Mingyue was standing on the stairs behind him.

Zhu Mingyue, dressed in her pajamas, looked at the furtive Zhu Jinzhao with a puzzled expression.

Zhu Jinzhao picked up her tattered luggage again, and unsurprisingly, she was going out to work and start her own business again.

What's going on... Zhu Mingyue was full of questions.

There's no need to make it so convincing just to act sensible. It's the middle of the night and everyone in the family is asleep. Who can see Zhu Jinchao acting like this?

This brat, is she really that meticulous? She's gone to such extremes with her attention to detail?

No, we can't let her get away with it!

"Every morning."

Before Zhu Jinzhao could leave, Zhu Mingyue quickly interrupted her spellcasting.

"!!!"

Zhu Jinzhao's heart skipped a beat, and two words flashed before her eyes—"Wanla" (a spicy meatball)...

The queen of feuds is here to catch her!

She froze on the spot, too afraid to move.

Zhu Mingyue stared at her stiff back with a half-smile: "Chaochao, where are you going to play so late? Big brother clearly said that we are not allowed to go out and fool around in the middle of the night."

"I, I, I..." Zhu Jinzhao stammered "I" for a long time, unable to come up with a single nonsense.

Zhu Mingyue fiddled with her long, loose hair, and was about to walk downstairs when her expression suddenly changed and she stopped in her tracks.

Zhu Jinzhao had her back to the living room and was unaware of what was happening behind her. She only felt a sudden chill rush to her back, and then her collar was grabbed.

Wishing you a prosperous day!

Zhu Xingye's gritted teeth came from above her head.

"...Huh?" Before Zhu Jinzhao could react, Zhu Xingye threw away her carefully packed luggage for the third time, and then dragged her into the study on the third floor without saying a word.

"Bang!"

The loud slam of the door slammed echoed through the villa, and Zhu Mingyue was panting with hatred.

I see, I see!

She said that Zhu Jinzhao wouldn't be putting on a show in the middle of the night for no reason!

It turns out that she had anticipated that Zhu Xingye would be squatting at the door, so she deliberately staged this scene to make Zhu Xingye feel more sorry for her!

That's incredibly cunning!

Only two days after returning home, Zhu Jinzhao displayed an extraordinary level of shrewdness. Zhu Mingyue really couldn't let her get away with this anymore; she had to control Zhu Jinzhao!

"Well done."

In the study, Zhu Xingye gave Zhu Jinzhao a thumbs up.

"Zhu Jinzhao, you're really great."

"..." Zhu Jinzhao stood in the middle of the study with his head down, not daring to utter a single sound.