Liu Wanyi felt the warmth emanating from Mr. Weng, and her tense nerves gradually relaxed. "Hello, Mr. Weng," she greeted softly.

Yu Bin, clutching his reddened wrist, took a few steps back, his voice still defiant. "Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you barge into my house and lay a hand on me?"

Mr. Weng gently adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a gentle smile on his face, though his eyes carried a cold edge. "Mr. Yu, I merely intervened to prevent you from harming Miss Wanyi. If you truly wish to experience what it feels like to be struck, I’d be more than happy to oblige."

With measured steps, Mr. Weng moved to shield Liu Wanyi behind him.

Xiang Ruixiang quickly grabbed Yu Bin’s arm, trying to give him an out. "Darling, just ignore them. Look at how shabbily he’s dressed—he’s probably just here to scam us out of money!"

Liu Wanyi silently observed Mr. Weng’s attire. The seemingly plain white fabric was, in fact, an exquisite and expensive silk brocade.

Despite the Yu couple’s mockery, Mr. Weng remained composed and elegant. "The family head wishes to express his gratitude for your care of Miss Wanyi over the years. As a token of appreciation, he’d like to offer you two plots of land."

A sharp glint flashed in Xiang Ruixiang’s eyes. "Land? You want us to farm? The Yu family is in business—we make more in a day than you could earn farming for a year!"

Mr. Weng’s expression remained unchanged. "If the land doesn’t interest you, perhaps you’d appreciate the specialty gifts prepared in the car."

"Specialty gifts?" Xiang Ruixiang’s tone grew even more cutting. "What kind of local produce? Cabbage and radishes? We have no use for such low-grade goods!"

Mr. Weng hesitated, his face clouded with unease. "Well..."

Liu Wanyi gently tugged at his sleeve, and he immediately understood, stepping back behind her.

She looked directly at Mr. and Mrs. Yu, her voice calm and composed. "Mr. and Mrs. Yu, if you ever find yourselves in a life-or-death situation, you can call me. I will come to your aid, but remember, you only get one chance."

Yu Bin was still rubbing his wrist, his face twisted in discomfort.

"Get out of here, you heartless wretch! Even if I end up begging on the streets, I won’t come crawling to you! And if you ever starve to death out there, don’t expect me to lift a finger to help you!" he spat out, his voice dripping with venom.

Xiang Ruixiang stood at the doorway, her face a mask of disdain as she waved them off. "Hurry up and leave. Just looking at you makes me sick."

Mr. Weng stood quietly to the side, his expression calm, but his fists were clenched so tightly they had turned white.

Liu Wanyi could feel the anger simmering beneath his composed exterior.

"Mr. Weng, let’s go," she said softly.

Xiang Ruixiang sneered and called after them, "Get out of here already! If you wait any longer, you’ll miss the last bus back to the village. And you know how treacherous those mountain roads can be!"

Liu Wanyi silently pulled her suitcase and walked out. As she stepped through the door, she glanced up at the dark aura swirling above the villa and let out a quiet sigh.

Mr. Weng respectfully opened the car door. "Miss, please get in."

Only then did Liu Wanyi notice the silver stretch Lincoln parked by the roadside. Seeing the luxury car, she suddenly understood why Mr. Weng hadn’t driven it into the courtyard—the custom version was much longer than the standard model, and it would have been impossible to maneuver in the tight space.

The driver took her luggage, and as Liu Wanyi settled into the car, she was momentarily stunned by the opulence of the interior.

The starry sky roof illuminated the crystal glasses, making them sparkle brilliantly.

"Miss Wanyi," Mr. Weng explained with a doting tone, "this car was specially customized for you by the family head. If it doesn't suit your taste, we can always arrange for a different one."

"This one is perfect, thank you for your thoughtfulness," Liu Wanyi replied gratefully.

Just as Mr. Weng was about to speak, his phone rang. He answered immediately, his tone respectful. "Family Head, we've picked up the young lady and are preparing to return."

The car was quiet, and the voice on the other end came through clearly. "Good to hear. Did they accept the gifts?"

"The Yu couple declined," Mr. Weng responded. There was a puzzled tone from the other end of the line.

"Declined? The Yus have been running around, desperate to secure those two plots of land. Why would they suddenly refuse? Could it be that they think the offer was too low?"

Mr. Weng remained silent, unsure how to respond.

The voice on the phone seemed unfazed by his silence and continued, "Well, it makes sense. Adding another plot would only amount to a few billion. That's nothing compared to my daughter's life."

After a pause, the voice asked again, "Did you deliver that thousand-year-old ginseng? I heard the head of the Yu family hasn't been in the best health lately."

Mr. Weng sighed softly. "They didn't accept that either."

He looked visibly embarrassed, as it was difficult to outright state that the Yus had completely disregarded such a generous gift.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone before a soft, almost melancholic voice responded, "Well, it seems the Yu family still has some backbone. They must truly care for Wanyi. These material things do indeed tarnish the years of affection we've shared."

Liu Wanyi nearly laughed out loud upon hearing this. The two insatiably greedy members of the Yu family had no idea what they had just missed.

After hanging up the phone, Old Weng looked at Liu Wanyi with a helpless expression. She simply smiled serenely.

"Don't worry, Old Weng. There's no need to send any more gifts. My connection with the Yu family isn't over yet. They'll come knocking sooner or later. The help I've given them is enough to repay the years of friendship. You don't need to trouble yourself too much."

Though Old Weng was still puzzled, he nodded in agreement.

In truth, Liu Wanyi was also somewhat bewildered. The sudden appearance of relatives had caught her off guard, and this family was entirely different from what she had known.

Yu Weiwei and the others had told her that her biological parents were poor, living off the land in a rural village. But now, it seemed these luxury cars were just their everyday vehicles, and they could casually offer a thousand-year-old ginseng and land worth billions as tokens of gratitude.

As she was lost in thought, the silver bell on her wrist suddenly jingled. The clear, crisp sound seemed to be urging her to do something.

"Stop the car!" Following Liu Wanyi's command, the driver pulled over to the side of the road.

Old Weng, still confused, asked, "Miss Wanyi, did you forget something? Do we need to go back?"

Liu Wanyi didn’t respond. Instead, she reached into her cloth bag and pulled out a compass.

The needle spun wildly before finally settling, pointing steadily to the northwest.

Her eyes fixed on the compass, she quickly moved her fingers as if calculating something.

Her expression grew serious, and she spoke with a firm tone, "Drive straight ahead, take the right turn at the bend, and stop after 300 meters. Someone important needs our help there."

The driver immediately understood and followed her instructions, pulling over at the designated spot and cutting the engine to wait.

"Miss Wanyi, what are we..." Old Weng began hesitantly, his voice trailing off.

"Wait," Liu Wanyi replied, her eyes closed as she meditated, offering no further explanation.

Half an hour passed, and the driver was nearly dozing off.

Old Weng was about to suggest for the third time that they head home when a procession of vehicles suddenly appeared on the mountain road.

Leading the way was a luxurious stretch limousine, followed by an array of high-end cars.

Each vehicle was adorned with white funeral wreaths, and people occasionally tossed paper money out the windows. The fluttering white notes filled the air, casting a shadow over the otherwise clear sky.

It was unmistakably a funeral procession.

Old Weng’s heart sank. He felt it was inauspicious to encounter such a scene while escorting Miss Wanyi home.

He was about to tell the driver to take a detour when he noticed that Liu Wanyi had somehow already stepped in front of the hearse.

With a solemn expression, she stood firmly in the path of the procession and spoke calmly, "I need nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars."

The convoy came to an abrupt halt, and people began stepping out of the vehicles to assess the situation.

As one of the most seasoned stewards of the Liu family, Mr. Weng had weathered countless significant events, but he had never encountered such an absurdity—stopping a funeral procession and demanding money.

He quickly jumped out of the car and grabbed Liu Wanyi's sleeve, his face etched with anxiety. "Miss Wanyi," he said urgently, "our Liu family may not be among the top elite, but we are well-respected in this area and our wealth is substantial. To act in such a manner is truly..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a group of people began to emerge from the halted vehicles.

Each of them was dressed in mourning attire, their faces marked by profound grief, and their eyes burning with an anger that was hard to suppress.

At that moment, a man strode towards them.

His face was dark, his eyes sharp as knives, and he exuded an overwhelming aura of authority that forced Mr. Weng to take an involuntary step back.

When the man spoke, his voice boomed like thunder, "Young lady, this is no place for your reckless behavior!"