Chapter 17 Meng Jinzhi
Chu Ci carefully examined the little girl in front of him.
She was about seven or eight years old, wearing a pretty little dress, with a trendy princess hairstyle, and a thin layer of white powder on her face. Her features were childish, and her eyes held a spoiled and arrogant look.
As Chu Ci sized her up, she was also sizing up Chu Ci.
Meeting Chu Ci's smiling eyes, she raised the corners of her lips in a distinctive way.
"You're the master my aunt was talking about?"
"It doesn't look very good either, like a pretty but useless vase."
She raised her chin and glanced at Chu Ci with a haughty air, her tone condescending.
"I didn't want to have my fortune told by you. Many masters in Hong Kong are frauds, but my aunt insisted that I come, so I had no choice."
"Second Miss".
The maid glanced cautiously at Chu Ci's expression, then looked at her mistress with a troubled expression, "Madam instructed you before she came to be polite to Master Chu. Master Chu is truly amazing!"
The girl's haughty smile vanished instantly.
She abruptly turned her head and stared at the servant with a gloomy gaze, like a hyena eyeing its prey, ready to pounce at any moment.
maid:"……"
The maid's breath hitched, and she avoided Chu Ci's gaze with a grim expression, giving her an apologetic smile.
The little girl rolled her eyes, her expression suggestive.
“I don’t like servants who act like they’re the masters. They always like to boss their employers around and don’t understand their own place.”
The maid seemed used to being spoken to like that by a seven-year-old child, and silently closed her eyes.
This wasn't the first time Chu Ci had seen a girl like this. She had seen many such unruly children before, and many teenagers who went astray were like this when they were young.
"What's your name?" she asked casually.
"My name is Meng Jinzhi."
The little girl was very satisfied with her name. When she mentioned her name, her face lit up with a smile, and she didn't seem to care about Chu Ci's coldness.
“My mother said that I was born no less than other people’s daughters, and that I was destined to be a precious daughter of the royal family sooner or later.”
The ambition in his words was palpable.
"Is this what your mother said?"
Chu Ci was very curious about her deceased mother.
Her deceased mother played a significant role in shaping her personality.
"Yes, my mom said so."
When talking about her mother, Meng Jinzhi's face showed a hint of pride.
"It turns out my mom was right."
She didn't treat the servants around her like human beings, happily pinching the little dress on her body and touching the little crown decoration on her head.
"Now I'm a rich kid! My aunt dotes on me, she always puts me first, and treats me better than her own daughter. I'm a golden princess!"
The maid next to her rolled her eyes when Chu Ci wasn't looking, but quickly forced an awkward smile when she met Chu Ci's gaze.
Seeing Meng Jinzhi's relaxed state, Chu Ci asked a few unimportant questions.
For example, how old she is this year, what she ate yesterday, what her favorite subject is, who braided her hair, etc.
Meng Jinzhi was in a good mood at first and answered patiently, but she quickly lost patience.
Just as she was starting to get impatient, Chu Ci suddenly spoke up:
"You just said that your mother thinks you were born no less capable than others, and that you were born to be a precious person. Who is that 'other person'?"
"It's Cheng Ya..."
She blurted it out and hurriedly covered her mouth.
Meeting Chu Ci's knowing gaze, she widened her eyes and glared angrily: "You tricked me into telling me!"
She jumped off the stool, turned around and left, shouting, "Liar! I don't want a liar to tell my fortune!"
Although the maid didn't like the second young lady, it was her job after all, so she hurriedly chased after Meng Jinzhi who had run away.
"Second Miss, there are many cars around here, please don't wander off!"
The frantic screams echoed in the hallway until she chased Meng Jinzhi into the elevator.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Hearing the noise in the hallway, He Lihua opened the door, and her grandmother peeked out from behind her.
Seeing Chu Ci's indifferent expression, Grandma understood. "Another one who doesn't believe you?"
"No, this hasn't been calculated yet."
"They ran away before even calculating the costs?"
Grandma watched the elevator doors slowly close, then came out carrying a handful of green vegetables.
"Never mind if it doesn't count. Come on, Grandma will make you claypot rice today!"
Chu Ci sighed helplessly, "Grandma, your chest wound hasn't healed yet, take a rest."
"It's been so many days, I'm already better! If I keep resting like this, my bones will start to mold!"
Grandma waved goodbye to He Lihua while muttering to herself, then went into her kitchen to start cooking.
"Grandma, a broken rib doesn't heal that quickly." Chu Ci stopped her grandma, who was about to chop vegetables. "You should rest a little longer. We'll buy food for you for the next few days."
"How can we eat out every day!"
Grandma disagreed.
Finally, the two compromised, with Grandma providing guidance and Chu Ci making the food, which turned out to be edible.
But it's only edible.
Grandma was very pleased, "Not bad, not bad. For your first time cooking, you've already surpassed 90% of people."
Chu Ci ate the not-so-good food, thinking that her grandmother was just being biased.
After finishing her meal and washing the dishes, she was about to rest for a while when more people came into the shop.
Li Fushui, holding the hand of a disgruntled Meng Jinzhi, stood at the door. Seeing Chu Ci looking over, she gave him a fawning smile:
"I'm so sorry, Master. It's all because my niece is so ignorant. I brought her here to apologize to you."
"Auntie, she's a fraud! Don't believe her!"
Meng Jinzhi tried to argue back, but Li Fushui glared at her, and she shut her mouth, looking aggrieved.
Seeing that Chu Ci did not ask them to leave, Li Fushui quickly pulled Meng Jinzhi to sit down next to the spirit communication table.
“Master, I’m so sorry. I originally wanted to bring her here myself, but my mother-in-law fell ill after seeing the living corpse, and I couldn’t get away.”
After saying that, she changed her smile, glared at Meng Jinzhi with a stern face, and said firmly, "Apologize to the master, quickly, don't make Auntie say it a second time!"
Meng Jinzhi was afraid of Li Fushui, so she glared at Chu Ci and lowered her head to apologize in a humble manner.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you a liar..."
Li Fushui smiled slightly, but seeing that Chu Ci was still looking at Meng Jinzhi beside her with a blank expression, she pursed her lips, put her arm around Meng Jinzhi's shoulder, and pulled her closer to her.
"Master, to be honest, I have come to you this time to ask you to save Jinzhi's life."
"Save her?" Chu Ci frowned as she looked at the displeased Meng Jinzhi.
She was held in Li Fushui's arms, her little face puffed up with anger, and while Li Fushui wasn't paying attention, she was making faces at Chu Ci.
He had a mischievous and playful demeanor, showing no signs of being near death.
"right."
Li Fushui touched his niece's face, nodded firmly, and his face turned pale.
"Master, since I'm asking for your help, I won't hide it from you. I feel like my Jinzhi has been haunted."
Upon hearing this, Chu Ci suddenly looked up. "A ghost? You saw it?"
“I didn’t see it, but I have evidence.”
She gestured for Meng Jinzhi to stand up, and gently unzipped her skirt, revealing the girl's back.
On Meng Jinzhi's chubby back, between her shoulder blades, there was a small black handprint.
Chu Ci looked at the handprint, then at Meng Jinzhi's hand.
Meng Jinzhi's hands were slightly smaller and did not match the handprint on her back.
Li Fushui: "I found this when I was giving Jinzhi a bath the night before last. It seems to have appeared suddenly, and I can't rub it off no matter how hard I try."
"Moreover, on the day this handprint appeared, Jinzhi encountered some strange things..." She paused, then hugged her niece even tighter.
When Meng Jinzhi heard her mention this, her arrogant expression finally changed. Her eyes widened in fear as she shrank into her aunt's arms, her body trembling.
"aunt……"
Chu Ci pressed, "What strange thing?"
"Jinzhi was pushed down the stairs... No, not just any ordinary push!" Li Fushui hurriedly explained.
"I saw it with my own eyes. There was clearly no one behind Jinzhi, but she was suddenly pushed and fell down the stairs."
"I saw Jinzhi being pushed down and I tried to help her up, but for some reason, I couldn't get close to her."
"Then I saw Jinzhi get up by herself and try to go down the stairs, but she was pushed down again. This happened several times until Jinzhi's cries attracted the servants, and the torment finally ended."
Li Fushui lifted Meng Jinzhi's skirt, showing Chu Ci the bruises on her legs.
Meng Jinzhi's knees were bruised and covered with wounds of all sizes, some of which had just scabbed over.
"And Jinzhi's hands."
Li Fushui pried Meng Jinzhi's hands off.
Her small hands were covered with various scrapes and abrasions, which had just scabbed over, all left from when she rolled down the stairs.
“And I asked Jinzhi, and she said that when she came down the stairs, someone pushed her.”
She wanted to say something more, but she opened her mouth and didn't say anything.
"Jinzhi, can you tell the master what happened that day?"
Meng Jinzhi hesitated and looked at Li Fushui. Li Fushui nodded affirmatively at her, and she swallowed hard, describing the events of that day in a trembling voice.
"That afternoon, I had just finished watching TV in my room and wanted to eat some snacks, so I wanted to ask the maid to bring them up to me. But I called the maids several times and no one heard me, so I had to go downstairs to get them myself."
"But as soon as I stepped out of the room, I think... I think I saw Cheng Yana..."
As she recalled that day, her hands unconsciously gripped her little dress, and large, terrified tears fell onto the back of her hands.
"I was so scared that I wanted to find someone, but as I was going down the stairs, I suddenly felt someone push me from behind."
"I was sure it was Cheng Yana, so I called out loudly for my aunt. But my aunt didn't come looking for me, so I decided to go downstairs to find her myself. But as soon as I started running from the corner of the stairs, someone pushed me from behind!"
She huddled in Li Fushui's arms, and as she spoke, she began to scream and cry.
Li Fushui held her tightly in his arms, his eyes red and swollen, and looked at Chu Ci. "Master, I've already lost Yana, I can't lose my sister's child too. Please, help us, I'll give you any amount of money!"
Chu Ci looked at the two people who were crying with their heads in their hands, and said nothing.
Her gaze fell on the terrified, sobbing Meng Jinzhi, and she asked, "When were you pushed down the stairs?"
"It was the day before yesterday, around afternoon," Meng Jinzhi said, her voice choked with emotion.
"The day before yesterday? Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure!"
Meng Jinzhi was the kind of child who absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to go against her wishes. Seeing that Chu Ci didn't believe her, she wasn't even afraid anymore and stood up to slam her fist on the table with Chu Ci.
"What's wrong with you, you liar! Don't you believe me?!"
"Golden Branch!"
Li Fushui stopped him and glared at her.
"What did you promise your aunt before you came? How could you be so rude to the master!"
Meng Jinzhi glanced at her aunt, then at Chu Ci, who was staring at her expressionlessly, and lowered her head, suppressing her anger.
"I'm sorry, Master, I was too impulsive."
She sat back down and answered honestly:
"It was during the day the day before yesterday, I'm very sure."
Chu Ci looked her up and down. "Are you sure?"
"I said, I'm absolutely sure!"
“Alright,” Chu Ci stared at her probingly, “I helped you find Cheng Yana’s body yesterday. The day before yesterday, you probably didn’t know that Cheng Yana was already dead.”
"Since you didn't know Cheng Yana was dead, Meng Jinzhi, shouldn't you be happy to see the missing Cheng Yana? What are you afraid of?"
"I……"
Meng Jinzhi's face, which had been trying to suppress her anger, turned deathly pale.
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Author's Note: Twenty small red envelopes as usual, thank you for your support, my darlings! [Kiss][Kiss][Kiss]
My next book, "[90s] The Daily Life of a Mentally Ill Female Supporting Character Going Crazy," is available for pre-order. Please add it to your favorites if you like it! [Please][Please][Please]
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