CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 92: DEMANDING MONEY

Chen Shouyi walked into Cao Lili’s office.

Cao Lili was very polite, even made a cup of tea, and asked a lot about him.

During their conversation, Chen Shouyi mentioned Zhang Xiaoyue. She seemed a bit surprised, but quickly understood. Young love isn’t unusual, not even in junior high, let alone high school.

She told him what she knew, but unfortunately, she didn’t know much about Zhang Xiaoyue’s situation. The transfer procedures were handled by Zhang Xiaoyue’s father, and he hadn’t mentioned where she was transferring to.

Chen Shouyi didn’t stay long in the office and left the school soon afterwards.

Walking on the street, he couldn’t help but feel a bit lost inside.

It seemed like fate was playing a joke on him, giving him hope only to bring disappointment.

...

He wandered aimlessly and unknowingly found himself near the unfinished building again.

He noticed the building and surrounding structures had been demolished, with high cement walls erected around them. Passing by the entrance, he saw several soldiers on guard, indicating that it had been turned into a military camp.

Chen Shouyi took a glance and quickly left.

...

After having lunch outside, Chen Shouyi accompanied Mrs. Chen to an office building.

It’s equipped with a generator, so there’s no power shortage.

They took the elevator to the seventh floor.

Seeing the company doors still open, Mrs. Chen let out a sigh of relief.

Chen Shouyi glanced at the company name "Yuanlongsheng Investment Company."

It seemed most of his family’s money was invested here.

Jiangnan Province has always valued commerce, with numerous small and medium enterprises. These enterprises often find it difficult to get loans from banks, as the process is lengthy and the approval slow and inflexible, leading to a flourishing underground finance sector.

...

"Sister Jiang, I’m sorry, the boss is busy. Please wait!" After explaining their purpose, a flamboyantly dressed receptionist guided them to the reception room.

Soon, two cups of tea were served.

Chen Shouyi played with the tea cup while looking out the window at the office outside.

The company was small, with just over a dozen people, some of whom were muscular and burly, obviously trained in Martial Arts.

After sitting for about five or six minutes, the boss walked in with big strides.

He appeared to be around forty-five, middle-aged, bald, and looked amiable. As he came in, he smiled and said:

"Sister Jiang, I’m sorry for the delay. How rare it is to see you today!

Is this your son? He’s grown so much. I held him when he was little."

Mrs. Chen, whose name is Jiang Fen, laughed and said, "Yes, call him Uncle Huang. We all used to be from the same village. You might not recognize him."

"Hello, Uncle Huang!" Chen Shouyi felt a bit helpless, but greeted him.

Then Mrs. Chen complained, "Why would I want to invest money? We’re moving away. I’m here today to get my money back."

Upon hearing this, Boss Huang sighed and said with difficulty, "We’re all from the same village. I won’t hide it from you, the money has been a bit tight lately. You know how bad the situation is now; many businesses are closing down. We can’t get the money either, and we need to wait a bit longer until I can process the collateral and return it to you."

"That’s not what you said initially. We can do without the interest, but we still want the money back," Mrs. Chen said.

The boss frowned slightly as he listened and said, "Ah, Sister Jiang, don’t you trust me? Give me some more time, and when I gather the funds, I’ll repay you first with double the interest. I really can’t do it now."

Mrs. Chen, who is soft-hearted despite seeming strong, hesitated when she heard this. After all, they’ve known each other for many years, and his reputation has always been excellent. She wavered and asked:

"How long will it take? I really need the money urgently!"

Boss Huang breathed a sigh of relief and said firmly, "Give me one month, at most one month, and I’ll return the money immediately. My word is as good as a bond."

Watching Boss Huang’s earnest promises, the more Chen Shouyi listened, the more he doubted.

In fact, he already found it odd that the company hadn’t closed down with the boss running away.

Although such company loans usually require collateral, mostly real estate, storefronts, or luxury cars, even if these collaterals were smoothly collected.

But Dongning City is not Hedong. Continuous power cuts and the cult incident have severely impacted commercial activity. Many capable and wealthy people have probably already left Dongning.

This kind of asset is now not only significantly devalued, even if they can be disposed of, it would still be a problem. Even if Dongning City resumes power and lifts martial law, it’s a distant hope to return to its former prosperity.

Most of the investment company’s funds are not its own but are sourced through illegal private lending from the public’s savings.

In a sense, they have already gone bankrupt.

Thus, the company still operating normally seems somewhat amusing.

Seeing Mrs. Chen about to leave, Chen Shouyi quickly said, "Mom, let’s not be in such a hurry. How much did our family invest in total?"

"About 3.8 million!"

Chen Shouyi almost choked; he had suspected the amount wasn’t small, but he didn’t expect it to be so much.

But thinking about it, it made sense. Their family restaurant had been running for years, and they didn’t have to pay rent.

Both parents are frugal people. Over the years, their biggest expenses, besides his and his sister’s tuition and training fees, was buying the minivan that was recently destroyed by fire, which only cost over a hundred thousand.

This money was their painstaking savings, bit by bit, set aside through frugality and investment.

...

Chen Shouyi set the teacup down with a "bang": "Let me say something. Boss Huang, is it? I don’t care what you’re trying to do, but our family’s money must be returned today!"

Huang’s face showed a flash of anger, but it was fleeting. He quickly smiled and said, "Your son is quite impulsive. Don’t worry about the money; in a month, it will bring both principal and interest back to you. Sister Jiang, I’m sorry, but I have some documents to handle, so let’s not chat today."

He stood up as if preparing to leave.

Chen Shouyi smiled, "It seems you didn’t hear me clearly. I said the money must be given to us today. If you run away, who will we ask for it?"

Huang’s face darkened, his cheek muscles twitched, but his deep-seated cunning quickly produced a smile again:

"You might not understand me, young man. I’ve always had a longstanding relationship with your parents. The money your family invests here every year, and I’ve never shorted the interest, always at the highest rate.

Then he turned to Mrs. Chen: "Sister Jiang, your son is wronging me. Please speak for me!"

Mrs. Chen also sensed something was off, especially with the word "runaway" being so sensitive. The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Her face also darkened: "I listen to my son!"

Huang shook his head, no longer bothered to pretend, lit a cigarette, leaned back in the chair, and exhaled a puff of smoke: "If you’re being unreasonable, I can’t help it, there’s really no money left at all."

As he spoke, he knocked on the table.

Two burly men approached the door, scanning the two of them, then asked, "Boss, what’s up?"

"Escort these two out!"

"Haha! I like it straightforward; what’s the point of beating around the bush?" Chen Shouyi laughed loudly.

Saying this, he suddenly grabbed the red table in front of him, which weighed over a hundred kilograms. To his current strength, it was as light as grabbing a straw. In the next moment, he hurled it towards the door.

He didn’t dare to use too much force, fearing the two might not dodge in time and be crushed to death.

In the next moment, there was a loud "bang," shaking the entire floor. The office’s partitioned walls were instantly smashed, and the doors flew out amidst flying dust.

As for the two burly men, they had already fled head over heels.

Chen Shouyi stepped over and grabbed the still-shocked Boss Huang: "The interrupters are gone. Now we can have a good chat."

Boss Huang came to his senses, sweat pouring from his forehead, saying with a forced calm, "Young man, don’t get impulsive. The world is more complicated than you think. Force doesn’t get you far; some people shouldn’t be messed with."

"No matter how complicated, if I can’t resolve it with force, then the force must be too weak." Chen Shouyi took out a document, slapped it on his face:

"This is my Martial Artist Certificate. Now, tell me who you are connected with?"