"I am sorry, Mr. Zhou. Our new recruit was unfamiliar with his duties and let an unrelated person in, disturbing Ms. Yun. It is entirely our responsibility! On behalf of the Pingshan Residential Area property department, I apologize to you, Ms. Yun! I am so deeply sorry!"
Qian Chang bowed deeply to Yun Hua.
Summoned by a phone call from Zhou Yu, he had only just learned of his subordinate's careless blunder—letting Ms. Yun's ex-husband through the gates.
Was anyone living in Pingshan Residential Area an ordinary person?
He had to apologize immediately, hoping this generous Ms. Yun would be magnanimous and spare their security department. Countless people broke their heads trying to secure such a wonderful job; missing out on this opportunity was unthinkable.
By now, Yun Hua had regained her composure. "I remember making it very clear to the guards on my very first day here: whenever this man Mu Yongcheng shows up, there is no need to ask me—just throw him out!"
Qian Chang bent his waist even lower, cursing his own bad luck internally. "Yes, yes, absolutely! It is entirely our fault! Any punishment you see fit is completely deserved!"
"Security Guard Qian, I suggest you send a photo of this Mu Yongcheng to your security group chat and tell everyone to be on the lookout! This kind of harassment of residents must never happen again."
Seeing that Yun Hua's response to Qian Chang's apology was cold and seemingly reluctant to accept it—and knowing that firing a working-class wage earner over a single mistake would be an excessively harsh punishment—Zhou Yu spoke up in time.
Zhou Yu's voice broke the tense atmosphere.
Qian Chang cast a subtle glance at Zhou Yu, his eyes filled with profound gratitude. This Mr. Zhou was a veritable rain in a drought; with elderly parents and young children to support, his entire family depended on him for their livelihood. He truly could not afford to lose this job.
"Forget it, we will do as Mr. Zhou suggests."
Yun Hua sighed. Xiaolan had told her that Mr. Zhou was the one who brought her back, which meant he was a benefactor. Since her benefactor had spoken, she had to give him some face.
Overjoyed, Qian Chang thanked them profusely and endlessly. "Thank you, Ms. Yun! Thank you, Mr. Zhou! Thank you so much!"
Zhou Yu waved a hand, telling him to take his men and throw the unconscious Mu Yongcheng out.
"Xiaolan, how could you run off without telling Mommy? Do you know how scared and heartbroken Mommy was when she couldn't find you?"
Pouting her chubby face, Yun Yun finally realized her behavior had been inappropriate. She wrapped her tiny arms around Yun Hua's neck and apologized, "I'm sorry, Mommy, I won't do it again! Oh, look, these are the flowers I picked for you! Are they pretty? I picked them from the big garden at the older brother's house on top of the mountain! The older brother's garden has so many flowers, and they're so pretty!"
Preoccupied with her worries earlier, Yun Hua hadn't noticed the bouquet Yun Lan was holding.
But looking at them now, her eyes went wide with shock.
Scarlet Magnolia, Feng Lingxiao, Purple Immortal Residence, Rouge Face, Inviting Moon Crown, Beauty Jade Hairpin...
They were all extraordinarily precious and rare flowers and plants!
Yet here they were, clutched casually in her daughter's little hands, along with several other blooms she couldn't even name.
As a flower lover herself, seeing these priceless blossoms carelessly snapped off made Yun Hua's heart bleed.
She figured this young Mr. Zhou hadn't just come to drop off the child—he must have come to demand compensation.
Wait, what had Xiaolan said just a moment ago?
A huge house on top of the mountain—wasn't that Longfu Palace?
Hiss...
Yun Hua drew a sharp breath, swallowing hard as panic gripped her heart.
So many flowers, and that pot of Scarlet Magnolia in particular—she had seen it featured in the news, valued at thirty-five million!
She was now left with only this small villa in Pingshan Residential Area. Even if she sold the villa, it would barely cover the value of a single pot of flowers.
And the rest...
Yun Hua felt her head spin!
Her voice trembling, she pulled Yun Lan over to Zhou Yu and bowed deeply.
Zhou Yu looked at the mother and daughter bowing to him, completely baffled. "Ms. Yun, what are you doing? I only brought Xiaolan back; there's no need for such a grand gesture!"
"No, this is only right! Please tell me how much damage Xiaolan has caused to your flowers and plants, and I will do everything in my power to compensate you!"
Huh?
Zhou Yu was even more confused. What flowers and plants?
"Xiaolan is too young and doesn't know any better! It's my fault for failing to teach her properly, picking so many precious flowers and plants. I apologize to you on her behalf!"
Seeing the bouquet in Yun Hua's hands, Zhou Yu finally understood why she was apologizing.
"System, are those flowers really that valuable?"
[Of course! Would ordinary flowers be grown in Longfu Palace? Take that pot of Scarlet Magnolia alone—it once fetched a sky-high price of thirty-five million at auction! You're just a silly blockhead who didn't know any better and personally took the little girl flower-picking. Regretting it now, aren't you?] The system snickered gloatingly.
Zhou Yu ignored it. He helped Yun Hua up and said with a faint smile, "Don't blame Xiaolan; I was the one who took her to pick them. She only wanted to make you happy, and flowers are meant to bring joy in the first place! If they lose that value, then no matter how precious a flower or plant is, it's worthless in my eyes."
Yun Hua had already prepared herself to swallow her pride and beg her family for help. Yet, young Mr. Zhou didn't care at all!
She cautiously asked, "Are you the owner of Longfu Palace, Mr. Zhou?"
Zhou Yu nodded.
No wonder. The ultra-wealthy who could afford Longfu Palace could be counted on one hand, yet she had never heard of a young Mr. Zhou. Could he be some sort of invisible billionaire who had returned from overseas?
Even if he didn't mind, it didn't mean she could just pretend nothing had happened.
"I checked the broken stems; it looks like only the flower stalks were snipped, and the roots are completely undamaged, right?" Aside from her career in the entertainment industry, Yun Hua's greatest hobby had always been cultivating flowers and plants. Seeing the flora she had nurtured with her own sweat bloom and bear fruit was her ultimate joy.
"Yes, Xiaolan and I were very careful not to damage the roots!"
Yun Hua let out a relieved breath.
"That's wonderful! If you don't mind, could you let me take care of those pots of flowers? Don't worry, I have quite a bit of experience in horticulture. Once I nurse them back to health and they bloom again, I'll send them back to you!"
Zhou Yu hadn't expected Yun Hua to be so attached to these plants. To ease her guilt, he readily agreed.
He drove back to Longfu Palace, dropped the flowers off at Yun Hua's Villa No. 28, said goodbye to the mother and daughter, and returned to campus.
When it came time to park, what a coincidence!
It was his original parking space, flanked on the right by Gong Liyang's car and Li Qiang's red Ferrari.
Locking his car, Zhou Yu walked between the two red Ferraris and stroked his chin in appraisal.
Before he could offer any commentary, a group of young punks rushed over from across the street.
The leader spotted Zhou Yu, pulled out his mobile phone to check his photo against him, and shouted, "That's him! Smash it!"
Without a word of explanation, the mob brandished clubs and began hammering away indiscriminately at Gong Liyang's five-million-yuan red Ferrari, creating a tremendous clatter.
Zhou Yu quickly stepped back out of the way to avoid getting hurt by flying shards of glass.
Had Gong Liyang offended the underworld?
Tsk tsk, looks like there's some serious bad blood here, judging by how thoroughly they were wrecking this sports car. The windows, the headlights, and the side mirrors were all smashed to smithereens.
While directing his underlings to keep pounding away with all their might, the leader sneered viciously around a cigarette and grinned at Zhou Yu.
"Kid, go back and have a good long think about who you've offended, and get over there on your knees to apologize! Don't cross our paths next time, or we won't just be smashing your car."
With that, he tapped his own temple.
Zhou Yu blinked. "But that's not my car!"
"Who do you think you're fooling? Isn't that red Ferrari on the far left yours?"
Zhou Yu felt somewhat lost for words. "If that were my car, do you think I'd look this unbothered?"
A flicker of unease crossed the punk leader's mind.
Zhou Yu was now basically certain that these punks had been hired by Li Qiang to smash his car. Only, his red Ferrari was parked at Longfu Palace, and he had swapped it for a blue Lamborghini instead, throwing the thugs completely off.
It seemed Li Qiang's hired muscle weren't very competent—they hadn't checked the license plates at all, relying solely on the parking spot.
"Could the young master have gotten it wrong? Not the left, the right!"
Seeing Zhou Yu keeping watch by the car on the right all this time, the punk leader waved a hand.
"Forget it, smash 'em all!"
Li Qiang's Ferrari was soon riddled with seven holes and six craters as well...
With such a massive commotion, passersby had long since called the police, and the officers arrived promptly.
With a kick apiece from Zhou Yu, every single punk crumpled to the ground clutching their severely battered stomachs, groaning in agony.
After receiving compliments from the officers and completing a brief report, Zhou Yu strolled leisurely back to his dorm!
What a wonderful day!
If Li Qiang ever found out that the thugs he hired had wrecked his own car, heaven knows what his reaction would be.
And besides, Gong Liyang certainly wasn't going to let him off the hook either!