Chen Lin didn’t get the money he was hoping for, but he did get a visit from the Devil himself.
His second brother told him that Jia Xiufang struck it rich, although he didn’t know exactly who she’d gotten involved with. He had heard that she was doing very well, having taken on a demolition and construction material recycling job that supposedly earned her a lot.
Qian didn’t allow Jia Xiufang to get too close to these forr relatives. Apart from keeping in touch with the Fourth Uncle’s family, she cut ties with the others. As such, even the second uncle wasn’t sure who Jia Xiufang was connected with, he only knew she had money now.
Since the divorce, Chen Lin had been down on his luck. His mistress left him, and the house was taken by Qian for Jia Xiufang. Having spent a lifeti idling without a care, he suddenly found himself out on the streets with nothing and wasn’t willing to find a decent job to support himself.
Jia Xiufang had treated him too well before. When she ran their dry cleaning business, she managed everything at ho and work, leaving him free to gamble and keep a mistress while pretending to be a small-ti boss.
After falling from grace, still not having recovered from the blow of being thrown out with nothing, he heard his ex-wife had beco wealthy.
This was a psychological collapse he couldn’t bear. The demolition of the old house had already hit Chen Lin hard. After all, he had lived there for many years, only hearing rumors of its demolition but never seeing action. As soon as he got divorced, it was torn down, and the money and property didn’t involve him.
Eating barely enough to stave off hunger and lacking any legitimate inco, he sold the few tileroofed houses in his hotown, but that money was quickly squandered. He opened a ga room only to have it shut down after soone reported it, and later turned to selling fruit. Working from dawn till dusk, he found it too tiring, often working for two days and taking three off. His produce wasn’t fresh, custors were fewer, and in the end, he had to close it down too.
A man used to living lavishly and lazing about didn’t want to work under others, preferring to be the boss. Since hawking goods was too exhausting, he thought he could live off gambling. Mingli had warned everybody off playing big gas with him, so he only played small-stakes mahjong, but the few bucks won or lost weren’t enough to maintain any dignity. Besides, no one always wins at gambling, losing more than winning, making life increasingly difficult.
When Chen Lin couldn’t fill his stomach, he dropped by his brothers’ houses, sponging off their als and borrowing money, asking for two to three hundred at a ti, refusing to leave until they gave him so. Whoever gave him money, he’d imdiately go gamble with it—a true old rascal.
His brothers were all dual-inco retirees who weren’t short on money, but no family can withstand such behavior. Apart from the Fourth brother, who valued fraternity, the rest weren’t too fond of him.
Chen Lin didn’t dare to go to the Fourth brother. Although the Fourth brother was kind and in contact with Qian and Jia Xiufang, his mother was living with him, and she had a heart condition that Chen Lin’s hooligan ways might aggravate fatally. He avoided troubling the Fourth brother, tornting the other houses instead. After pestering them a few tis, soone would eventually cave in.
The second uncle’s wife encouraged him to tip Chen Lin off about Jia Xiufang’s newfound wealth but intentionally left out the fact that she might have a powerful backer.
After learning this, Chen Lin lay awake in bed for days, seething over Jia Xiufang’s prosperity while he scraped by. He couldn’t swallow his resentnt.
He beca manically jealous, unable to accept how a woman he had once beaten and scorned had suddenly struck it rich.
After his jealousy subsided, what remained was a deep-seated bitterness and malice. He pondered for a long while before coming up with what he thought was a flawless plan.
He had heard from others that loan sharks’ debt collectors were terrifying, often resorting to breaking limbs, taking compromising photos, even things beyond that!
Chen Lin still thought of Jia Xiufang as the old fool who would laugh over a simple tomato, thinking she still saw him as her world. He decided to take this opportunity to scare her into forking out so money, hoping this ordeal might even rekindle their relationship, which would be ideal.
After all, they had two children—he didn’t believe Jia Xiufang could survive without him. All he’d have to do was kneel and lant about his destitution, surely he could win her over?
The only person who made him apprehensive when executing this plan wasn’t anyone else but his elder daughter, Chen Xiaoqian, whose temperant had suddenly transford.
Qian had beco utterly inscrutable, like she was in command of everything, and Chen Lin was often frightened of her.
But this ti, Chen Lin felt hopeful, considering that he was, in na, still Qian’s father. Qian had called him dad for so many years—how could she disregard their bond entirely?
Even taking the worst-case scenario into account, that Qian truly had no regard for their relationship, if he didn’t benefit, he could always spread malicious rumors, saying the girl was ungrateful. If things turned dire, he’d bring in his mother. Should Qian anger his mother into a crisis, he’d have moral high ground to pressure her. He couldn’t let the little wench live too comfortably.
However, Chen Lin never expected that less than an hour after his hired thugs were dispatched, soone would already co knocking.
But instead of bringing money, they brought terror.
Chen Lin had just bought two at buns at ho and hadn’t had a chance to take a bite when he heard a commotion outside in the yard. Thinking it was the hoodlums he’d hired returning, he joyously jumped up, only to find a different group of people.
These people entered and chased away others in the yard. Residents of the few other households residing in the small courtyard were petrified. These intruders were clearly well-trained and hostile.
Chen Lin tried to leave with everyone else, but a glance from the leader stopped him, and he was hauled back and thrown into a room, guarded from the outside so he couldn’t leave.
Chen Lin nervously attempted to inquire about their intentions, only to receive a cold response that he would find out in due ti and to not ask things he shouldn’t be.
These people did not hit, curse, or break anything but simply prevented Chen Lin from escaping. This alone was torturous, and Chen Lin was scared out of his wits.
If these people had announced their purpose, perhaps Chen Lin might not have felt such gripping fear. But they said nothing, didn’t beat him, curse him, or break anything, and remained silent to all inquiries. If pressed, they simply stared him down with piercing eyes, more terrifying than revealing their intentions.
Just as Chen Lin was about to be scared to death by his own imagination, the door opened.
"Lang!"
The person leading the group imdiately greeted Yu Minglang with reverent respect upon seeing him enter, his face showing admiration.
Yu Minglang asked, "Xiaowu, how’s your leg injury recovering?"
"Thanks for your concern, Lang! It still aches when it rains or is cloudy, but it doesn’t hinder my main duties. I was really thrilled when you called today."
"Keep up the good work! It’s an honor for too when the people I bring up excel like this."
Yu Minglang patted his shoulder, and Xiaowu was pleased by the praise from Yu Minglang.
"Do you need any further assistance from ?"
"No, you’re good to recall your team. I can handle this myself."
Yu Minglang dismissed his n, adopting an icy deanor as he pushed open Chen Lin’s door and walked in.
He intended to confront this useless father and understand why this man continuously hurt his precious girl.
Hurting Qian was like hurting him—this was an affront he couldn’t tolerate.
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