Volume One, Chapter 18: Hard to Enter the Halls of Refinement

"Yes, yes! You’d better return the money to them quickly!"
"I don’t think they’ll get the money back. That family just moved here a few days ago and have been causing trouble one after another. They’re definitely not good people…"

The crowd, seeing Xu Yun’s pitiful state—raising a daughter only to have her taken away, and now asking for some compensation—felt it was only fair. Especially with Xu Yun dressed so poorly and lamenting her plight, it seemed quite believable. They all began to criticize Lin Yue and her son.

"How much money did my daughter spend in your Xie family? Tell me, and I’ll pay you. But don’t come to my house crying and wailing like a shrew!" Lin Yue, unwilling to witness this dirty scene any longer, said firmly and was about to take out money.

On the other side, some were puzzled. Isn’t the Xie family relatively well-off? Yet Madam Xie’s appearance was even more impoverished than Xu Yun’s… Maybe she should go buy an outfit like that someday.

Seeing Lin Yue ready to pay, a sharp glint flashed in Xu Yun’s eyes. She wiped her tears and sobbed, "From the time she entered the school until graduation and internship, the expenses for food, clothing, and tuition add up to at least fifty million!"

Fifty million??

The villagers around, mostly rural folk, exchanged bewildered looks at this absurd figure.

Chu Xian snorted coldly, "That’s not much. Looks like my sister lived worse in your Xie family than a dog I raised!"

Chu Mian: ???

Xu Yun was now confused. The Chu family was in ruins like this, yet they dared to talk big? Could they really come up with fifty million?

"Fifty million to sever all ties between your Xie family and my daughter Chu Mian. From now on, no one from the Xie family is allowed near my daughter!"

"Naturally."

Xu Yun was more than willing. Who wanted to stay stuck in this mountain village?

"Wait!" Chu Mian stepped forward sternly, glancing at the tear-streaked, filthy Xu Yun. "What nonsense are you spouting here? Who used your Xie family’s money?"

Xu Yun’s eyes darted nervously. She hadn’t expected Chu Mian to return so quickly. She forced herself to say, "Chu Mian, you’ve lived in my Xie family for fourteen years. Am I slandering you?"

Meanwhile, Chu Mian thought, ‘That word "nonsense" is hardly refined enough!’

"Yes, you’ve been a servant in the Xie family for fourteen years!" Chu Mian mocked coldly.

"You’re talking nonsense!" Xu Yun refused to admit it. She believed that Chu Mian lived a life like a wealthy young lady in the Xie household, only occasionally asked to wash clothes or clean up! She never treated her like a servant.

"Then prove it with evidence." Chu Mian pulled out her phone. "You said I used a lot of your family’s money, right? Everyone take a look—did I spend your family’s money, or did the Xie family endlessly exploit me?"

She displayed their WeChat records, almost all of which were transfers from Chu Mian to Xu Yun, sometimes tens of thousands, sometimes a few thousand.

Each transaction record was clearly visible to the crowd.

Xu Yun panicked and scrambled to her feet. "Chu Mian, who knows if any of this is true? You came to the Xie family at ten years old—how could someone so young earn money? Are you saying you supported yourself? Lies have their limits!"

"Oh, right!" Chu Mian raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, I almost forgot. When I first came to the Xie family, you made me sleep in the doghouse and wash your underwear by hand in the freezing cold because you said those were expensive and had to be hand-washed. I got frostbite and was hospitalized with a high fever for three days and nights. The hospital records are there. Want me to pull them out so you can recall clearly?"

The underwear story was fabricated, but the frostbite and fever were real—caused by being forced to kneel outside the Xie family’s gate for a whole day and night.

Xu Yun’s face showed shock, her cheeks flushed with anger as she shouted, "When did I ever make you wash—" She suddenly stopped, feeling the piercing gaze of Lin Yue drilling into her, silencing her words.

That wretch! She dared to slander me!

"You don’t acknowledge the transaction records? Then show proof that your Xie family spent money on me. If it’s true, I’ll repay you a hundredfold!"

Chu Mian said coldly, composed and unshaken.

The crowd looked at Xu Yun again, seeing her trembling and unable to produce any evidence, and they sighed in sympathy.

"You don’t have any, do you?" Chu Mian moved closer to Xu Yun. "What a coincidence—I do!"

"These," she said, showing her salary statements from Saint Capital Hospital, "I earned eight thousand a month, and seven thousand five hundred of that was transferred to you! Also, on the day I left the Xie family, Xie Anyue stole my things and tried to insult me with fifty thousand yuan. The surveillance footage captured everything clearly! Madam Xie, what do you have to say now?!"

She played the saved surveillance video on her phone, exposing everything that happened that day to the crowd.

Xu Yun was stunned and looked at Chu Mian, "Where did you get that surveillance footage?"

"You don’t need to worry about that, Madam Xie."

Chu Mian had anticipated the Xie family’s tricks long ago and hacked into their security system to keep this evidence. She hadn’t expected to use it so soon.

"You vile woman! How could you treat my daughter like this!"

Lin Yue’s heart tightened in pain watching the video. Her precious daughter had suffered so much! Tearing Xu Yun to pieces wouldn’t ease her heartache.

"Mom, don’t be angry," Chu Mian steadied Lin Yue, feeling her trembling with fury, a bit regretful. She shouldn’t have shown the video of her being bullied…

Lin Yue grabbed Chu Mian’s wrist and grit her teeth, furious at Xu Yun, "You just want the money, right? Fifty million, I’ll give it to you to sever all ties with Mianmian and your family! But my daughter endured so much in the Xie family, and they should die to atone!"

"Heh," Xu Yun was unafraid and rolled her eyes at Lin Yue. "Can your family really come up with fifty million? In this remote backwater, do you plan to sell blood or your lives to gather the money? You want me to pay with my life? You’ll probably die before the money is even repaid! Pathetic poor people!"

Hearing Xu Yun insult her mother like that, Chu Mian’s face darkened. "Xu Yun, no matter how poor my Chu family is, we’re more honest than your Xie family full of bloodsuckers."

"Chu Mian, you just moved out of the Xie family a few days ago? Already forgotten the kindness they showed you?"

"Kindness requires actual nurturing to be kindness."

Xu Yun couldn’t believe Chu Mian had gone blind and sided with the Chu family. The Xie family was wealthy, and compared to the poor, remote Chu family, wasn’t the Xie family obviously better? Any sensible person would choose the Xie family.

Xu Yun was certain Chu Mian was crazy.

As they argued, Xu Yun’s phone rang. She took it out and answered. After hearing the caller, her eyes suddenly lit up. "Fine! I’ll come back immediately!"

"Chu Mian, I’ll let your family off for today," Xu Yun said, her triangular eyes glancing coldly at the Chu family. "Step aside!"

The crowd parted to the sides in surprise, watching Xu Yun cause such a scene, then leave hurriedly without a proper resolution.