Chapter 63: This Really Is a Trouble!

Chapter 63: This Is Really Trouble!

“Xiao Feng, this pot of soup must have cost a fortune, right?” Yang Ming asked in disbelief.

That warm feeling inside his body was truly incredible. At the very least, he could sense that his constitution had improved significantly; the lightness and ease throughout his whole body were extraordinary.

If he hadn’t experienced it himself, he would never have believed such a thing possible.

At that moment, Yang Ming’s phone rang. Seeing the number, he paused for a moment and said to Lu Feng, “It’s your mom!”

Lu Feng was puzzled. Why would his mother call his cousin when everything was fine at home?

Yang Ming also knew that if this aunt suddenly called him, there must be a problem. He pressed the speakerphone button and asked into the phone, “Auntie, what’s going on?”

Lin Shuang’s voice came immediately: “Ah Ming, your second aunt’s family has some trouble. Your cousin Xiaoyong has been tricked by some people from society. Can you help?”

“What happened to Chen Yong?” Yang Ming frowned slightly upon hearing the name of this cousin.

Lu Feng also furrowed his brow.

His mother had two sisters: one was Yang Ming’s mother, and the other was this second aunt, named Lin Mei. She had a son named Chen Yong, whom they also called cousin.

However, this cousin was not well-liked by them, mainly because he was arrogant and conceited, thinking himself a high-quality civilized person just because he got into a top university.

To Yang Ming, this cousin was nothing but a social scoundrel. He often said, “My cousin is always messing around; sooner or later, he’ll end up like my uncle-in-law.” His father was frequently used as a negative example.

Yang Ming worked in a factory, and his cousin would often scold him, “Xiao Feng, you shouldn’t have dropped out of school. Look at you, working yourself to death in a factory for just a few thousand a month, while I graduated and work in an office, easily making fifteen thousand a month.”

Last year, the second aunt’s family had their house demolished and received compensation including a new home and a sizeable sum of relocation fees. This second cousin, with his inflated ego, looked down on everyone in the county and rarely bothered to greet people, seeing himself as superior.

“Xiao Feng, go home and check on your family. The second aunt is at your place,” Yang Ming said after hanging up, turning to Lu Feng.

“Okay,” Lu Feng nodded.

They didn’t like Chen Yong, but the second aunt was a very kind person who treated them well. Moreover, when his father was deeply in debt, the second aunt had helped them considerably.

No matter how big or small the favor, it had to be repaid.

Lu Feng took his cousins back home, where they found his mother comforting the second aunt, Lin Mei, who had red, teary eyes and looked helpless.

“Auntie, what exactly happened?” Yang Ming asked Lin Shuang as soon as he entered.

Lin Shuang quickly explained, “Ah Ming, it’s about Xiaoyong. He started dating a girl who somehow dragged him to a gambling table. He kept losing more and more, not only losing all the relocation money from your second aunt’s family but also falling into debt. Now there are loan sharks holding IOUs at the door, claiming Xiaoyong owes one million yuan.”

Lu Feng frowned. “The government strictly regulates loan sharking related to gambling. Such IOUs aren’t legally valid!”

Yang Ming shook his head. “It’s not that simple. This is a classic ‘pig-butchering’ scam. Chen Yong was targeted by a scammer. People from demolition families, who are arrogant and conceited, are the easiest targets. Besides, the IOUs wouldn’t say ‘gambling debts.’ They probably claim the money was borrowed to start a business. They might even have rented a shell office for him. They could sue him in court for repayment.”

Lin Mei became anxious. “Just as Ah Ming said, the IOUs say Xiaoyong borrowed money from them to start a company and now must repay it. We can’t find that girlfriend either.”

“Uh!” Lu Feng was stunned. “They actually signed those IOUs? Isn’t that like giving the other side an immunity badge to chase debts? And he’s still in college—what stupidity!”

“They all went gambling. What brains can you expect?” Lin Shuang said sharply, harboring a deep hatred for gambling.

Yang Ming added, “Gambling makes people reckless. When they lose badly, even if it’s a trap, they think they can win it back immediately. But once caught in a pig-butchering scam, there’s no way to recover.”

Then he asked Lin Mei, “Second aunt, where is Chen Yong now?”

Lin Mei shook her head helplessly. “The debt collectors came to the door but never saw him. His phone is unreachable. Now they come every day to harass us at home.”

“That irresponsible brat,” Yang Ming muttered, then asked, “Second aunt, do you know who set up Chen Yong?”

In You City, everyone in the underworld knew each other. Yang Ming was no stranger to shady dealings. If someone was scamming his relatives, a word from him would make the other side tread carefully and not go too far—no one wanted a conflict that would ruin the racket.

In the end, they might settle by paying 200,000 or 300,000 yuan of the million owed.

Otherwise, if everyone knew the truth and a fight broke out, both sides would lose. But to negotiate, you must know who you’re dealing with. If it’s someone fearless, it’s tough.

Lin Mei said immediately, “They mentioned the name ‘Boss He from Xianlin Town’ several times, but I don’t know who that is.”

“He Jin?” Yang Ming frowned. “That’s troublesome.”

Abao and Dafei also frowned.

In You City, people from Xianlin Town spoke loudly because they were more powerful. He Jin was a boss in Xianlin Town, and many troublemakers there answered to him.

The key was that he was truly wealthy and influential. Even Ming Ge had no way to wrestle with him before.

Yang Ming frowned again and pulled out his phone to call a number. Though they didn’t have much contact, he still had He Jin’s number.

After a moment, the call went through.

A voice on the other end said, “Yo, isn’t this Ming Ge? What brings you to call me?”

Yang Ming frowned and said, “Boss He, one of my cousins went to play at your place and accidentally owes you one million yuan. I hope you can show some mercy and be lenient.”

“Heh heh heh!” He Jin laughed. “Ming Ge, I don’t know what you’re talking about. If your cousin owes me one million, it must be from borrowing money for business and losing it. That money has to be paid back. It’s not like you can just say a few words and I’ll give up on the million.”

“Speaking of mercy, I heard Ming Ge is now backing a Feng Shao nobody’s ever heard of. That’s a bit of a loss of face. How about you have that Feng Shao talk to me? Heh heh…”

Yang Ming was about to reply when the call was abruptly cut off, deepening the crease in his brow.

Indeed, when dealing with someone more powerful, they wouldn’t give him any face, nor would they forgo a million yuan owed.

Moreover, the other side’s words seemed to be a veiled jab at his cousin Lu Feng, probably because rumors spread that Lu Feng had teamed up with Chen Bo and was capable of standing up to them.

In the underworld, face is everything. If He Jin heard that, he would definitely be displeased.

Nowadays, with better law enforcement, things might not have escalated. But a few years ago, the other side might already have come looking for trouble.

“It sounds ridiculous, but that’s how society was years ago,” Yang Ming mused.

“Ah Ming, what now?” Lin Shuang asked with a frown.

Yang Ming shook his head. “Chen Yong signed that contract; they won’t give up that million just because I say so.”

“Cousin, can you tell me about this He Jin?” Lu Feng asked, frowning.

He had heard of him. Back in school, many reckless students bragged about connections with this guy.

It seemed impossible that He Jin would just let go of that million, and Lu Feng wouldn’t let the second aunt pay that debt.

Though Chen Yong was unpleasant, the second aunt had done a lot for their family, so they couldn’t ignore this.

Besides, the whole thing was a pig-butchering scam.

Now, the question was how to get He Jin to drop that million himself.

Yang Ming explained, “He Jin is one of the earliest gangsters from Xianlin Town. He’s opened several bars and KTVs, but that’s just a front. His real business is shady dealings, like pig-butchering scams. When he finds a fool, it’s easy to make millions. Even if something goes wrong, someone else steps in to take the hit.”

“Right now, his main focus is online. He has a network account called ‘Fighter Aji,’ promoting a boxing internet celebrity who once fought Huang Zhui.”

Lu Feng had seen videos of Fighter Aji and frowned. “Cousin, this can’t be just simple celebrity promotion, right?”

Yang Ming replied, “Of course not. Think about who He Jin is. He arranges people to throw fake boxing matches with Aji, but they actually hit each other hard—no fakery. People online love watching that. Aji always beats his opponents senseless, so naturally, he gets attention.”

“Also, online operations involve a lot of illegal and dirty money. During Aji’s live streams, there are ways to send gifts and push rankings. Special guilds require giving 30% to the platform, and the rest can be laundered.”

“Of course, to avoid suspicion, the streamer needs a solid fan base as cover. They usually do PK matches to attract big spenders’ tips. That’s the usual scheme.”

“Right now, He Jin values this Fighter Aji account highly.”

Lu Feng’s eyes lit up. “Cousin, can we target Fighter Aji? They need this account to operate, and arranging fake fights is meant to convince people Aji is truly strong.”

“If someone could easily defeat Aji without resistance, everyone would think he’s just a clown who only beats weaklings.”

“Then we can record it and negotiate with them. They wouldn’t want the Aji account damaged, right?”

In fact, Lu Feng had a better idea. He still had a laser pistol and rifle in his backpack that could easily take care of He Jin under the cover of darkness.

But since he had no personal grudge against He Jin, killing him would escalate things dangerously in real life.

“That’s an idea,” Yang Ming said, surprised. “If they don’t want the account harmed, giving them the video could solve the problem. After all, there’s no need to make an enemy out of them over Chen Yong’s mess.”

But then he shook his head. “Still, it’s tough. Aji is trained; even Huang Zhui might not be able to beat him. Who could make him helpless?”

“Xiao Feng can!” Huang Zhui suddenly pointed at Lu Feng. “I have no chance against him!”

“???” Yang Ming looked at Lu Feng in astonishment.

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(End of chapter)