86: Chapter 86 Departure for Zhanghua Mountain Villa

Ruan Shu pulled up her contact list, her finger stopping on the name "Zhao Ya." This girl used to always follow her around, helping her throw Song Zhiwei's homework into the toilet and spreading rumors that "Song Zhiwei only attended school thanks to Young Master Pei's charity." She was a ruthless character who could "handle Song Zhiwei."

Without hesitation, Ruan Shu sent a message: "Ya Ya, Young Master Pei is treating us to dinner at Zhanghua Mountain Villa tonight. I can bring you along, but the spot fee is 1,000 yuan—this is a one-time opportunity. If you want to get into a place like this, it won't be this cheap in the future!"

Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Zhao Ya called, her voice filled with urgency: "Shushu! Is it really Zhanghua Mountain Villa? I'll transfer the money to you right now, you absolutely must not leave me behind! I've never seen such an expensive place in my life!"

Ruan Shu paused intentionally, pretending to be in a difficult position: "Oh, there were only a few spots to begin with. Li Na and Huang Mao were both scrambling for them... but since we're usually on good terms, I'll save one for you."

After hanging up, 1,000 yuan arrived instantly. Looking at the 2,500 yuan balance, Ruan Shu was so happy she swung her legs—this was enough for two new lipsticks and a little dress. It was practically free money.

"It's just as well that Lin Meng isn't coming; that's an extra 500 yuan earned!" Ruan Shu hummed a little tune as she started rummaging through her wardrobe for clothes, calculating how to impress Young Master Pei tonight. It would be best if he could give her another designer bag. "That fool Song Zhiwei actually thinks Young Master Pei can't live without her. Tonight, I'll show her that there are plenty of sensible girls around him!"

Meanwhile, in the classroom, Lin Meng was sitting in the back row, her phone screen stayed on Ruan Shu's message, her fingers gripping it until they turned white.

She thought about what Song Zhiwei had just said regarding "why the Song family children are surnamed Pei," and then she touched the imported fountain pen in her pocket that Song Zhiwei had given her last week.

She had seen that pen at a specialty counter; it cost over two thousand yuan. It was definitely not something a "servant's daughter" could afford.

Looking again at the 500-yuan "spot fee" Ruan Shu was asking for, Lin Meng suddenly snapped out of it: Ruan Shu wasn't taking her to see the world; she was clearly using Pei Yunxiao's name to make dirty money!

After hesitating for a few seconds, Lin Meng bit her lip, took a screenshot of Ruan Shu's message, and sent it to Song Zhiwei with a note: "Zhiwei, Ruan Shu told me to pay a 500-yuan spot fee to be brought in. I think something is wrong with her, so I'm letting you know."

After sending it, she still felt uneasy, afraid that Song Zhiwei would think she was meddling, and even more afraid that Ruan Shu would cause trouble for her later.

On the other side, Song Zhiwei had just gotten into Zhang Fan's car when Lin Meng's message popped up on her phone.

She opened the screenshot, and seeing the words "500-yuan spot fee," her fingertips paused before she silently put her phone away.

This Ruan Shu was truly petty. The tip for a single meal at Zhanghua Mountain Villa was more than that, yet here she was, making this tiny bit of money by selling "dinner spots," 500 yuan.

With this kind of narrow-mindedness, how could she have thought Ruan Shu was a "true friend" in her past life?

And Pei Yunxiao, using her supplementary card to pose as a rich second-generation heir, hadn't even noticed Ruan Shu was using his name to extort money. This was as far as his potential went in this life.

In her past life, she had been kept in the dark by the "pretentiousness" of these two; it was truly laughably stupid.

Song Zhiwei leaned against the car window, her heart churning with silent criticism, though her face didn't show it. The phone rang again; the caller ID showed Ruan Shu.

She glanced at Zhang Fan and pressed the answer button. Ruan Shu's arrogant voice immediately came through: "Song Zhiwei, don't forget about dinner tonight! I'll send you the address in a bit. Don't be late; Young Master Pei is waiting!"

"I won't forget." Song Zhiwei's voice was calm, but her fingers quietly tightened around the hem of her clothes.

In her past life, her wedding was at Zhanghua Mountain Villa. It was there, in front of Ruan Shu, that Pei Yunxiao had stabbed her to death while she was wearing her wedding dress, while Ruan Shu, wearing an identical wedding dress, stood by laughing hysterically.

In this life, she would never repeat the same mistake, nor would she ever become a stepping stone for this wretched couple.

"At least you're sensible." Ruan Shu snorted and hung up. Not long after, the address was sent over. Song Zhiwei opened it, and as expected, it was Zhanghua Mountain Villa.

"President Zhang," Song Zhiwei turned to look at Zhang Fan, her fingertips quietly clutching her skirt, her eyes carrying a hint of imperceptible pleading, "Could you... stay with me for a bit longer? Come with me to Zhanghua Mountain Villa for dinner tonight."

"Zhanghua Mountain Villa?" Zhang Fan's eyes instantly widened, his fingertips even twitched a bit, and the little calculator in his mind began to click away.

He had heard Gu Jingshen complain about this place countless times, calling it the "membership-only fortress" of Jiangcheng's top luxury. Those without qualifications couldn't even touch the front gate. Even with Gu Jingshen's reckless nature, he still had to sigh at their membership rules.

Just thinking about the legendary scale of the place made him feel intrigued: the most basic Mountain View Room cost 240,000 yuan a night, and the tea sets in the rooms were all antique Ming and Qing dynasty pieces—you had to be extremely careful just touching them;

The ultra-luxury "Cloud Top Suite" was even more ridiculous. Not only did it cost 3.6 million yuan a night, but the modern and contemporary master paintings hanging in the study were each worth enough to buy a small three-bedroom apartment in the suburbs of Jiangcheng.

As for dining, even a "regular dinner" was a luxury item here. Without at least 100,000 yuan, you couldn't even get a decent River Fresh Banquet. Sometimes, even if you had the money, if you didn't have membership status, you'd still be barred at the door.

Not to mention how high the membership threshold was—you needed a recommendation from an old member who had spent over 50 million yuan, and you had to make a one-time deposit of 10 million yuan to get that Gold-stamped Black Card primary card;

Even for supplementary cards, a single primary card could only open two at most, and their permissions were limited everywhere;

Ordering dishes over 150,000 yuan required confirmation from the primary cardholder, and using a suite required authorization from the primary cardholder. To put it bluntly, it was a "companion card," with no right to act as the "owner" at all.

At a place that even Gu Jingshen couldn't get into, being able to score a free meal was an absolute steal!

But Zhang Fan hadn't forgotten that he had just cleared up the misunderstanding with Zhou Yurou this morning; he couldn't afford another mishap.

He quickly pulled out his phone, his finger pausing on the dial button, intentionally making his tone sound relaxed: "Yurou, I might be back at the office a bit late tonight. I'm accompanying Song Zhiwei to Zhanghua Mountain Villa for dinner. She has some things that need a hand, so I'm letting you know."

There was a two-second silence on the other end. The expected anger didn't come; instead, Zhou Yurou's gentle voice came through the receiver, carrying a bit of post-work softness: "Understood. Stay safe, and let me know if anything happens. By the way, regarding the overseas version plan for star path, I discussed some details with the publisher this afternoon. We'll meet and discuss it when you're back."

Zhang Fan's heart, which had been hanging, fell back into place with a "thud." He hung up and immediately turned to Song Zhiwei, laughing out loud: "Alright! I'll go with you! But let's get this straight, I'm going for a heavy-duty free meal. I've never seen such an expensive place before!"

Song Zhiwei was amused by his blunt "desire for a free meal," and most of the tension in her heart dissipated.

She looked at the street scenery passing by the window, her fingertips lightly stroking the Song family emblem on her phone case, her voice carrying a hint of self-deprecation: "The primary card for Zhanghua Mountain Villa belongs to my father. I was foolish before and gave Pei Yunxiao a supplementary card. As a result, he's always told everyone it was his own primary card. He chose that place tonight for nothing more than to show off his wealth in front of me, hoping I'll regret it."

"Showing off his wealth with your supplementary card?" Zhang Fan rolled his eyes directly, his tone full of disdain, "This Pei Yunxiao is too pathetic. He even has to rely on a woman's card to eat, yet he has the nerve to challenge you? Where's his shame?"

Song Zhiwei didn't respond. She just looked at the mountain road ahead that was gradually becoming clear, her hand quietly releasing her skirt.

The images of Zhanghua Mountain Villa from her past life emerged again—she was wearing her wedding dress, lying in a pool of blood, Pei Yunxiao clutching a blood-stained knife, and Ruan Shu laughing in an identical wedding dress...

But this time, although her heart was beating fast, the fear from her past life was gone.

Zhang Fan beside her was like a stabilizing pill. For tonight's dinner, she would not only expose Pei Yunxiao's hypocrisy but also make this wretched couple pay a small price for what they did in her past life.