Chapter 216

Chapter 216: Stolen by the Other Woman

As soon as Yu Zhi Yi stepped off the stairs and heard what the young lord said, she frowned: “Are other restaurants selling spicy strips that taste the same?”

These days, plenty of places have tried to copy spicy strips, but none have matched the flavor from Fortune Hall.

Those imitations are either too spicy or too salty; or they are neither spicy nor salty, yet still missing something.

So even though spicy strips have popped up like bamboo shoots after rain, they have not shaken Fortune Hall’s business.

“It’s Drunken Flower House,” the young lord said: “I went there for a drink today, saw spicy strips on their menu, and ordered some. I was ready to judge it, but the taste was exactly the same as the spicy strips you supply to Fortune Hall!”

Red Luan frowned: “I haven’t supplied anyone except Fortune Hall.”

“Then what happened?” the young lord said with a sigh: “Do you think someone on your side turned into a mole?”

Red Luan’s mouth twitched: “You think this is a stage play with a traitor? I’m not some pampered rich miss. I do everything myself. Unless I’m the mole.”

Yu Zhi Yi glanced at Red Luan’s face and said calmly: “Someone cracked the recipe, and that person is someone we know.”

Red Luan froze, blinked, and said: “You don’t mean… You Bing Yue, right?”

Yu Zhi Yi nodded: “Yes.”

“Darn it! What is wrong with that woman?” Red Luan planted her hands on her hips and snapped: “You already gave that scumbag back to her. Why won’t she stop haunting us?”

She didn’t think You Bing Yue did this to target her. After all, they had no grudge. The spicy strips came out of Yiluan Charity, and in the eyes of the public, Yu Zhi Yi was the face of Yiluan Charity. Ordinary people would assume anything that leaked from inside had to do with Yu Zhi Yi.

Yu Zhi Yi had not expected Red Luan to suffer because of her. She could not let Red Luan’s hard work go to waste, so she stood up and said: “I’ll go talk to her.”

Red Luan grabbed her hand: “Don’t. You finally cut ties with that scumbag. Don’t get pulled back in.”

She rose, chest out and full of spirit, and said: “I’ll go find her!”

Yu Zhi Yi felt a bit uneasy, but when the corner of her eye caught the bracelet on Red Luan’s wrist, she relaxed: “Fine, you go. If Du Zi Heng is there and tries to throw his rank around to bully you, I’ll step in.”

The young lord snorted: “This doesn’t need Official Yu to act. It’s only Du Zi Heng. If he dares use official power to press us… hmph.”

Red Luan slanted him a look: “Now that I look at you, you’re a little easier on the eyes.”

The young lord fell silent: [So we’ve worked together this long, and she still couldn’t stand me?]

The two of them set out to settle accounts with You Bing Yue.

Yu Zhi Yi, meanwhile, began carefully reviewing the files of everyone in need whom Yiluan Charity had taken in.

Red Luan had given her a line of thought.

She agreed: [Teaching people to fish is better than giving them fish.]

But that’s easy to say and hard to do. It’s tough for ordinary people, and even tougher for those with disabilities.

If she wanted them to learn skills, she first had to spark their passion for life.

[Disabled people… passion for life…]

[Only one person came to mind.]

On the other side, Red Luan and the young lord reached the front of Drunken Flower House. After a quick talk, they decided to wait outside for You Bing Yue to walk into the net.

At noon, You Bing Yue really did arrive, carrying a box of freshly made spicy strips.

Red Luan stepped in front of her first.

Seeing the woman who suddenly appeared, You Bing Yue frowned and said: “Jiang Red Luan?”

Not many people knew that Red Luan was Yu Zhi Yi’s friend, but You Bing Yue had always kept an eye on Yu Zhi Yi and already knew about the two of them.

As if she had just figured something out, she sneered: “That woman didn’t dare come herself, so she sent you, her little attack dog?”

A cold light flashed in Red Luan’s fox-like eyes as she said: “Every time you open your mouth, garbage flies out. I don’t know what Du Zi Heng saw in you. He threw away a pearl and took home a fake glass bead.”

“You want to die!”

Scowling, You Bing Yue grabbed the box with one hand and reached for Red Luan with the other.

Even though she was weak now, she was still a trained killer. Taking down an ordinary person should have been easy.

Then it happened.

She flew.

Before her hand could touch Red Luan, a familiar force slapped her away.

You Bing Yue hit the ground hard, and the spicy strips scattered everywhere.

Already weak, she could not even get up.

Shocked, angry, and on the verge of breaking down, she shouted: “Another talisman! Is that woman capable of nothing else?”

Red Luan put one hand on her hip and pointed at You Bing Yue with the other as she said: “There are so many weapons you could train with, yet you had to pick the low and dirty kind. Aren’t you ashamed?”

“If you can’t win with words, you start swinging. If you weren’t a woman, I’d suspect you were some hyper-macho brute!”

“You don’t like hearing this, do you? I’ll say it anyway. Du Zi Heng is blind, blind, blind to fall for someone with rage problems like you, who can’t stand anyone else having anything good. You thought spicy strips were made by Zhi Yi, so you rushed to jump into the same pit.”

“You love snatching Zhi Yi’s things so much. If someone said even a pile of poop smelled sweet, would you pull out a spoon to taste if it’s salty or not?”

Her words poured out like a drumbeat. You Bing Yue’s face went green, then purple, and looked terrible.

Suddenly, as if lightning struck, You Bing Yue seized on a gap in the talk and said: “Wait… you’re the one who crossed over?”

Red Luan choked for a second and said: “Huh?”

You Bing Yue struggled to her feet and stared at Red Luan, her expression shifting: “So the spicy strips are yours?”

Red Luan chuckled: “That’s right. Surprised? Didn’t see that coming?”

You Bing Yue took a deep breath, more certain of her guess than ever.

But she only got angrier: “You and I are the same kind of person. Why are you helping that woman? You know that at the start she stole my man! She is the third party! She is the one who should be despised!”

“Even if the whole world doesn’t understand me, you should know I’m the victim. You should be on my side!”

Red Luan gave a cold laugh: “Don’t morally blackmail me. Any speech that ignores the bigger picture is just playing the rogue.”

“Even if we ignore the bigger picture, at the start she was also an unknowing victim. She was the one hurt by a mistress.”

“You love throwing punches. Why don’t you smash that iron fist into the scumbag man? Bullying another victim doesn’t prove any skill.”

The ruckus drew a crowd.

Soon everyone understood they were talking about the scandal that had spread through the Capital City not long ago: two women and one man.

Though men having several wives was considered normal in this era, people still believed a husband and wife should be loyal to each other.

So both men and women disliked the word “mistress.”

Many people had thought Yu Zhi Yi interfered in Du Zi Heng’s relationship and was a shameful other woman.

Now, hearing this, they realized it might not be so.

For the first time, people heard a new phrase: being “thirded,” meaning being the one a mistress harms.