Chapter 4: The Fallen Campus Belle, Gu Zhixia

The commotion within the private dining room quickly drew a crowd of onlookers. Before long, a pot-bellied, middle-aged man pushed through the throng and stepped inside.

"I’m the owner. What’s going on here?"

"Boss, you have to be the judge. What kind of servers do you hire? She’s so clumsy she can’t even carry a dish properly. This purse I just bought—I haven’t even had it for a week—and she goes and ruins it completely with a bowl of boiled beef! If she doesn’t pay for my bag today, I’m calling the police!"

The middle-aged man glanced at Gu Zhixia, then at the women in the room, and finally at the shattered remains of the boiled beef on the floor and the oil-stained handbag. His expression darkened instantly.

He barked furiously, "Gu Zhixia! I took pity on you and gave you a job, and this is how you repay me? You can’t even carry a plate?"

"Boss, she’s lying! She pushed me on purpose..." Gu Zhixia’s eyes were red, her face etched with grievance.

The young woman sneered, "I pushed you on purpose? Out of all the servers in this restaurant, I chose to push you? Do I have a vendetta against my own brand-new limited-edition LV bag? Fine! Not admitting it, are you? Let’s call the police! Let’s have the officers come and decide what kind of place this is and what kind of low-quality staff you hire!"

When Huang Fuyuan heard the mention of the police, his face turned black. As a restaurant owner, police involvement would be detrimental to his reputation. How would he stay in business if word got out? He was determined to resolve the matter quietly.

Huang Fuyuan quickly put on a fawning smile and tried to appease the woman. "Hehe, now, miss, this is just a civil dispute. There’s no need to trouble the police officers. They’re so busy, let’s not bother them with such a trivial matter, shall we?"

The woman crossed her arms and said coldly, "Fine! Since you’ve asked, we’ll settle this privately. My bag is a seasonal limited-edition LV, and it cost 268,000. Pay up!"

"W-what? 268,000?"

Even the onlookers gasped in shock.

Huang Fuyuan’s face turned grim, and he cursed viciously, "Gu Zhixia, look at the mess you’ve made! I feel like strangling you! Pay her! I don’t have the money to cover for you!"

"B-boss, she pushed me on purpose, I..." Gu Zhixia’s face was deathly pale; her mind was a complete blank. 268,000! Even if she sold herself, she couldn't afford that! She tried to explain, but her words felt so weak and futile. She was absolutely certain that the woman had deliberately pushed her, causing her to lose her footing and spill the beef.

Her family had gone bankrupt. Her father had been swindled by a friend into gambling in Macau, losing 100 million and accumulating a mountain of usurious debt; their furniture factory had collapsed. Debt collectors came knocking every day, and unable to bear the pressure, her father had jumped to his death. To make matters worse, her mother had just been diagnosed with stomach cancer, requiring 300,000 for surgery.

The family’s house, cars, storefronts, and factory had all been auctioned off. Because of her father’s situation, her credit was ruined, and she had lost her job at the bank. As a graduate of the Jingdu University of Finance and Economics, she couldn't even find decent work. She had contemplated suicide, but seeing her mother’s emaciated form in the hospital bed, she knew she didn't even have the right to die. Desperation had led her to become a server at the Fuyuan Restaurant.

Who could have imagined she would encounter something like this? She didn't understand why fate was so cruel, or what she had done to deserve such suffering. She wanted to dash her head against the corner of the table, but her mother was in the hospital—if she died, what would happen to her?

"I... I don't have any money," Gu Zhixia whispered, her head bowed, her spirit completely broken as tears blurred her vision.

The woman shrieked viciously, "No money? Heh! If you don't have money, then we call the police!"

Huang Fuyuan quickly stepped forward to stop the woman from taking out her phone. "No, no, no, miss, you don't understand. This girl’s family went bankrupt, her father jumped to his death, and her mother has cancer. She’s truly pathetic. 268,000 is just too much!"

Hearing this, the onlookers looked at Gu Zhixia with pity.

Jiang Cheng watched the tearful Gu Zhixia with a complex expression. He was reminded of his own life. It was so similar. After his foster parents died in an accident, he had to drop out of school to support his younger sister. Then came the car accident that left him blind in one eye and cost him his only job. His heart felt heavy.

At that moment, a woman beside the young lady tugged her arm and advised, "Sister Xu, she looks really pitiful and clearly has no money. Why don't you ask for less?"

Sister Xu pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and said, "Fine. Since you look so pathetic, I won't press you. Just pay me 30,000, and I’ll consider it settled!"

The woman next to her immediately began to flatter Sister Xu. "Sister Xu is so generous! You have such a kind heart!"

"Exactly! Think about Sister Xu’s status—a bag like that is just the price of a meal to her. Girl, Sister Xu is really taking care of you by only asking for 30,000. You’re lucky!"

Huang Fuyuan immediately put on a smiling face. "Sister Xu is generous and kind-hearted. How about this—I’ll cover the bill for your table today! Zhixia, Sister Xu isn't holding a grudge, hurry up and give her the 30,000!"

Gu Zhixia stared blankly at Sister Xu, her expression full of distress. "Boss, I... I really don't have any money!"

"What? Sister Xu has been so lenient, only asking for 30,000, and you’re pushing your luck!"

"Forget it. I think she’s just putting on an act to get sympathy. Who in this society doesn't have 30,000 in savings?"

"Exactly! I think she’s just trying to welch on the debt because she sees how kind Sister Xu is! Let’s just call the police!"

Upon hearing the word "police," Huang Fuyuan panicked and roared at Gu Zhixia, "Zhixia, what is wrong with you? Isn't that jade pendant on your neck worth something? Give it to Sister Xu to pay off the debt!"

"A jade pendant? How much could a cheap pendant be worth? Boss Huang, don't try to fool me into thinking I don't know quality!"

Huang Fuyuan quickly explained, "How could I? Before her father went bankrupt, he was quite wealthy. I had some dealings with him, and I know this pendant is a family heirloom—Hetian jade, passed down through generations. It’s worth tens of thousands."

A faint, imperceptible smirk touched the corner of Sister Xu’s mouth, but Jiang Cheng saw it clearly.

"Fine! We'll take the jade! Boss, you run a business here, so you can't just run away, and you wouldn't dare lie to me. Since you said so, let's do it!"

Gu Zhixia touched the pendant at her throat, her eyes reddened with tears. "No! This is the only thing my grandmother left me. I can't give it to her!"

Huang Fuyuan raged, "Fine! Gu Zhixia, I’ve been trying to plead for you, and you’re trying to play me for a fool? That’s it! I don’t need a worker like you! You’re fired! I don’t care about your business anymore; do whatever you want!"

"No, Boss Huang, please don't let me go! My mother is sick, she needs money! If I lose this job, what will happen to her?"

Hearing that Huang Fuyuan was going to fire her, Gu Zhixia nearly collapsed. Her hand, clutching the pendant, trembled slightly. This was the only thing her grandmother had left her. No matter how hard things got, she had never considered selling it. Her grandmother had said it was an heirloom, but it wasn't worth much. She had never had it appraised and had never paid it much mind. But now, faced with this situation, it seemed she wouldn't be able to keep it.

Just as a desperate Gu Zhixia slowly began to remove the pendant to hand it over to Sister Xu, a young man’s voice suddenly echoed through the room.

"Wait! She cannot have that jade!"

The person speaking was none other than Jiang Cheng. Everyone looked at the suddenly appearing Jiang Cheng, completely bewildered, having no idea what he was doing.

"Ji... Jiang Cheng? You..."

Gu Zhixia looked up and instantly saw a handsome face. Why was he here?