Volume 1, Chapter 18: Do people even give advance notice before robbing others these days?

When Ji Shu arrived at the restaurant, a man and a woman were already seated at the table.

The moment the woman caught sight of Ji Shu, her face bloomed into a smile. She quickly rose, trotted over to Ji Shu, and affectionately took hold of her arm with both hands.

"Oh my goodness, Xiao Shu! It’s been so many years; you’ve grown even more beautiful!" the woman exclaimed, beaming with delight.

Ji Shu offered a slight smile and responded politely, "Thank you for the compliment, Aunt."

The woman gestured to the seat beside her and said, "Oh, and Xiao Shu, this is your cousin, Ji Chengye. You two used to play together when you were little; I wonder if you still remember." She turned to the man, "Chengye, hurry up and greet your cousin!"

Ji Shu looked in the direction her aunt was pointing. From the moment she had entered, she had noticed her aunt trying her best to curry favor with her son, but the cousin showed no reaction to his mother's fawning, displaying only extreme impatience. Now, even with the instruction to greet her, he kept playing with his phone, not bothering to lift his head.

The aunt gave an awkward laugh and beckoned her to sit. "Xiao Shu, why don't you order?" She held out the menu toward Ji Shu.

Ji Shu shook her head gently and pushed the menu back, saying softly, "It’s better if you and my cousin order first."

"Oh, how could we do that?" The aunt looked troubled, but she insisted on pushing the menu back to Ji Shu.

Just as they were at a stalemate, Ji Chengye, who had been silent until now, slammed his phone onto the table. "Stop putting on an act! If neither of you is going to order, I will!" He snatched the menu from his mother and began to order on his own.

The aunt hurried to explain, "Xiao Shu, your cousin has this kind of temperament—he’s quite blunt. Please, don’t take it to heart."

Ji Shu gave a slight nod to show she didn't mind.

"Waiter! I want this, this, and this..." Ji Chengye rattled off enough items to cover half the menu.

The waiter stood by, eyes widening. For the past half hour, these two guests had been sitting there; the waiter had asked several times if they were ready to order, only to be rebuffed after their initial glance at the menu. It was only five minutes before this woman arrived that they had finally asked for the menu again.

After double-checking the order, the waiter put on a professional smile. "Sir, once these items are ordered, we cannot accept returns unless there is an issue with the quality of the food. Let me confirm with you once more: you have ordered..."

Upon hearing this, Ji Chengye’s expression turned dark. He slapped the table and roared, "What is that supposed to mean? Do you think we can't afford it? You’re just a waiter carrying plates; how dare you speak to me with that attitude! Do you want me to file a complaint against you right now? Are you laughing? Are you mocking us?"

With that, he grabbed the menu and flung it onto the floor, then jabbed his index finger repeatedly at the waiter’s chest.

"I’m sorry, sir, that’s not what I meant."

"Then what—"

Seeing the situation about to spiral out of control, Ji Shu stepped in. "That’s enough, cousin! Confirming the order is part of their job."

The waiter gave Ji Shu a look of gratitude, and she offered a faint smile. "It’s fine, just place the order as he requested."

The waiter nodded, picked up the menu, and hurried away.

Once the waiter was gone, Ji Chengye sneered, "What’s with the 'good person' act? Don't you look down on us just like he does? I heard the best restaurant in North City is Yue Yuan. If you really cared, you should have taken us there. Who wants to come to this dump?"

A flicker of annoyance crossed Ji Shu’s eyes. "Yue Yuan requires reservations three days in advance, and I only just received Aunt’s call." She trusted that both of them could understand the subtext.

Ji Shu looked at the woman across from her and continued, "Aunt, you didn't come all the way to North City just to have dinner with me, did you?"

Ji Chengye scoffed, unimpressed. "You think too highly of yourself." He continued with an air of entitlement, "My father's company has run into some cash flow trouble, and I’m getting married soon. As my cousin, shouldn't you be doing something to help?"

Ji Shu’s face darkened. "What should I be doing?"

Ji Chengye curled his lip. "Don't you know what you should be doing? Besides money, what else could you possibly offer?"

Ji Shu took a small sip of the lemon water in front of her. "So, you’re here to borrow money?"

"What do you mean 'borrow'? When your father died, my parents traveled all the way from Yun City to help you handle the funeral. You’re not married yet anyway; it’s only right that your money goes to us."

Ji Shu’s heart sank. So it wasn't a loan—it was a robbery. It seemed that these days, people robbed others with such brazen confidence that they even felt the need to give prior notice.

She looked at her aunt, who had been silent until now. When their eyes met, the aunt guiltily looked away. Ji Chengye nudged her elbow hard, and she gave a forced smile. "Xiao Shu, your cousin is getting married this year, and your uncle’s company is in trouble. We really wouldn't have come to you if we had any other choice."

Hearing this, Ji Shu gave a mocking laugh. "How much?"

The two lit up, sensing an opportunity. The aunt reached out and took her hand, her face full of relief. "Not much, just three million."

"Three million?"

"Your cousin needs to buy a house to get married, and since your uncle's company hit a snag, we don't have the money for it right now."

Ji Shu paused, pretending to think. "Three million isn't enough, is it? Housing prices have gone up quite a bit in the last few years."

The aunt’s eyes gleamed, her smile practically overflowing. "Xiao Shu, I don't know how to thank you for being so thoughtful toward your uncle and cousin. If you could provide a little more, we would be even happier."

"Forget about thanks. Tell you what, Ji Shu, if you provide the money, you won't need to give a gift for the wedding," Ji Chengye chimed in, as if being exempt from a wedding gift was a huge favor to her.

The more Ji Shu heard, the colder her heart grew. "What makes you think I have three million?"

"We’ve already looked into it. You’ve been at that studio for three years; you must have saved up quite a bit. Plus, the car you drove here today is worth half a million, and I heard you live in Emerald Mansion—that's a wealthy neighborhood in North City," Ji Chengye said with absolute confidence.

So that was it. They had done their homework. *The innocent are punished for their wealth.*

"Yes, Xiao Shu, please just help your uncle and cousin this once."

Ji Shu looked coldly at the two of them. "Aunt, after my father passed, you and my uncle already took more than half of his assets; what I received was not even half. Have you ever wondered how I’ve lived these past three years?"

"That... well, we were in Yun City, you were in North City, and it wasn't convenient to travel such a long distance..."

Ji Shu sneered. "No need to explain, Aunt. As for this three million, you’ll have to find another way. I will provide the standard wedding gift, but I won't be attending the wedding."

"Ji Shu, that’s not right of you. When your mother died, your uncle and I helped take care of you when your father was busy. Later, when your father died, we flew to North City overnight. We are your only remaining relatives in this world—you’re going to break your uncle and aunt’s hearts!" The aunt wiped away crocodile tears as she spoke.

Ji Shu’s lips curled in mockery. The "care" the aunt spoke of had been locking her in a room with only one meal a day and taking the school projects Ji Shu had worked so hard on to let Ji Chengye pass them off as his own. When her father was alive, her uncle had exploited their brotherly bond to extract dividends, and that "overnight flight" to North City had only been to carve up her father's assets.

The only relatives left in the world?

Ji Shu looked at her hand being held. At the Lu residence, Jiang Suqing had begged her in the same way to let Lu Jinchuan go. Now, her own "family" was using the same moral kidnapping of kinship to try and squeeze the last drop of blood from her. She had been so desperate for family, but the result... reality had slapped her hard in the face. It turned out she wasn't worthy of love, and even less worthy of family.

"Ji Shu, you’ve been in North City for so long. Your father must have left you a lot of money before he left. You can't possibly spend all that money by yourself in North City; what’s the harm in helping your cousin?"

Ji Shu pulled her hand away forcefully. "Aunt, that is my money. How it is used is my decision, not yours."

"And one more thing, Aunt—you’ve been misinformed. The house in Emerald Mansion is not mine, and I bought the car with a loan that I am still paying off. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to check my property records."

She stood up, looking down at the two of them. "I don't have a single cent of that three million. If you're in such a hurry, Aunt, you can take out a loan."

"What do you mean by that?" The aunt grew anxious, her face turning sullen. "Ji Shu, you are being too selfish! How can you have the audacity to suggest that I take out a loan?"

"If you aren't willing, then let my cousin do it!"

Ji Shu had no desire to tangle with them any further; she only wanted to leave.

"Ji Shu, you stay right there!"