He Yusheng paused for a moment, tilted his head, and then laughed out loud, "Ah, right, you're right, families like the Cui family are indeed capable of anything."
They have no regard for kinship; they'd probably even be shameless enough to destroy evidence.
Cui Zhiling, standing behind He Yusheng, glared at him through gritted teeth, then turned her gaze to An Le, her face contorted with resentment.
“A mere commoner girl dares to gossip and slander my family’s reputation. If she dares to speak nonsense again, I’ll send her to court to be flogged and imprisoned.”
Anle crossed her arms and rubbed her chest, exclaiming with an exaggerated expression of fright, "Oh dear, I'm so scared!"
Anle took the IOU from He Yusheng, put it away, and watched He Yusheng leave.
Cui Zhiling stabbed An Le in the back and chased after He Yusheng.
The Cui family.
"Accounts? What accounts? Where did these accounts come from? What nonsense are you spouting here? If you're not coming back, then don't come back. But as soon as you do, you start spouting this rubbish."
Madam Zhou, the matriarch of the Cui family, sat at the head of the table, looking down at He Yusheng below, feigning ignorance while her face was full of sharpness.
He Yusheng stood calmly below, looking straight ahead at Zhou Shi at the head of the table. Facing the oppressive aura emanating from Zhou Shi, he showed no fear, and a faint mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"Heh—" So you're playing this trick on him? Pretending nothing happened?
"What are you laughing at, child?" This child is really different from before. Although he was unreliable and cynical before, he was still respectful and well-behaved in front of her and would not have shown such disrespect to his elders.
Now, her status as the old lady of the Cui family is completely useless in front of this child!
"What are you laughing at? Are you laughing at me for only getting to know the true face of the Cui family today, and for knowing what kind of thing you are, Madam?"
Whether or not you renege on this debt is a matter for the Cui family.
Whether or not to demand it back is my, He Yusheng's, problem.
Since they refuse to acknowledge it, I have no choice but to appeal to the court and ask the government to seek justice for He Yusheng.
"When the time comes, Madam, please don't blame me, He Yusheng, for putting righteousness before family and valuing money over people!" With that, He Yusheng leisurely sat down on a chair to the side, leaning back lazily with his legs crossed, looking as if he had no bones.
A nonchalant smile played on his lips, exuding an air of arrogance and coldness. Finally, he slowly looked at Old Madam Cui and uttered a meaningful sentence.
“I still have the IOU from your Cui family. You can’t renege on it even if you want to. You can’t avoid paying it back just by denying it.”
Zhou's expression changed drastically; the sharpness on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a pale complexion and a growing panic.
Do you still have the IOU?
Even though the person is dead, they still left her with this trick. It's clear they never intended for the Cui family to gain such a huge advantage!
Otherwise, why would the IOU still be kept?
Although the Cui family did issue an IOU, it was merely a formality, a way to save face and maintain the dignity of the Cui family. They had no intention of actually repaying it.
Unexpectedly, after so many years, that IOU back then didn't save face for the Cui family, but instead brought them trouble.
Immediately, Zhou's arrogant and domineering aura subsided considerably. A forced smile appeared on her lips as she looked at He Yusheng below, her expression seemingly kind, but her attitude had completely changed.
"I... I seem to remember something like that, but it's been so long that I've forgotten about it."
"As you get older, your memory just gets worse. Look at my head!"
He Yusheng chuckled lightly, his eyes revealing sarcasm. Although his words were gentle, he exuded a chilling aura.
"Oh, you remember now? Well, it wasn't for nothing that I helped you recall. Madam Cui, when can you return this money to me?"
"This...this amount of silver is not a small sum, and it's really a bit difficult for me to repay it in such a short time."
We're all family here. Why are you talking to me about money? I'm sure I'll never shortchange you.
Now that you're back, just stay here and make yourself at home. We're all family, so let's not stand on ceremony—"
He Yusheng raised his hand to interrupt Madam Cui.
"Oh, wait, Madam Cui, don't try to get close to me here. We need to settle accounts and pay back what we owe. What do you mean by 'we're family, we don't need to talk like family'? We're actually two different families."
I clearly remember you saying that to me before. Would you like me to remind you again how you humiliated me by kicking me out of the Cui residence that day?
Zhou's kind face immediately stiffened, and the smile in her eyes completely disappeared.
This kid's direct sabotage was too much for her to handle; she hadn't expected him to be so stubborn and vengeful.
"Since you've put it that way, I'll be blunt with you. My Cui family did something to wrong you recently, but we've treated you well before."
Your child shouldn't only remember the hatred and not the kindness. When your father was alive, the Cui and He families were—”
He Yusheng interrupted with an impatient sneer, "Enough! You said that was when my father was still alive. If my father hadn't passed away, I really wouldn't have been able to see what kind of true colors the Cui family really has!"
And my mother, when she died, not a single one of you came to offer condolences or send your regards?
When has your Cui family ever respected my mother?
When did you start treating my father like one of your own? It's only because you see him as useful, someone who can send money to your Cui family, that you're giving him this much face.
But after my father died, what did your Cui family do? They completely severed ties with my He family.
They severed all kinship with me and didn't treat me like family at all.
To your Cui family, I, He Yusheng, am nothing more than a useless pawn that can be discarded like worn-out shoes. Because I am useless and can no longer generate benefits for your Cui family, I can simply abandon you.
From now on, you don't need to pretend in front of me anymore, and don't send anyone to harass me. Don't try to use any threats or honey traps on me. I, He Yusheng, won't fall for any of those tricks!
Remember this: I'm only giving the Cui family three days. If the money hasn't been delivered to Paradise Dessert Shop by then, I'll go straight to the court and beat the drum, suing the Cui family in court.
"Then I'll see if your Cui family still has the face to stay in Jincheng, and if you still have the reputation to maintain your status as a prestigious family."
Having uttered those harsh words, He Yusheng stood up expressionlessly and left without looking back.
Zhou's face turned deathly pale instantly, her body swayed, and as she watched He Yusheng's departing figure, her hands clenched tightly together, her long nails digging into the flesh of her hands.
That little brat is really ruthless!
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