Chapter 4: The Original Owner’s Girlfriend
Yang Chen smiled and said to Zhou Chunxia, “Landlady, didn’t you say earlier that you’re not afraid whether it’s the police or the court? Show me that spirit again—I believe you can handle these departments.”
Yang Chen pulled his leg free and followed Wang Wenkang away.
Zhou Chunxia scrambled, trying to cling to Yang Chen’s leg, but the aides of the three department leaders blocked her.
The onlooking tenants clapped and cheered, seeing Yang Chen off.
“Brother, you’re awesome!”
“Well done, brother!”
...
A convoy of red-flagged cars left the village, heading straight for Jiangcheng Bay No. 1 Villa District.
Jiangcheng Bay No. 1 is the most upscale residential area in Jiangcheng, filled entirely with detached villas. While the average housing price in Jiangcheng is a bit over 10,000 yuan per square meter, the cheapest villa here costs at least 150 million yuan, with some of the larger or better-located ones exceeding 300 million yuan.
Wang Sihai’s villa had an excellent location: a small golf course in the backyard, beyond which flowed the Yun River. On the riverbank were fishing spots and a dock, where private yachts could be boarded for a leisurely cruise at sea.
Since Wang Sihai fled abroad, the court had sealed the property, but now all the seals were removed, and the keys handed over to Yang Chen. From this moment, he held the right to reside and use the villa.
Wang Wenkang invited Yang Chen and the bank presidents to sit down, then said, “The municipal government understands Yang Chen’s predicament. Without startup capital, nothing can be done. But it’s impossible for you to get a loan of one billion yuan; no one dares to approve such a sum. After discussions with the bank presidents, we’ve decided that five banks will each approve a loan of 20 million, totaling 100 million yuan for you. This is the maximum assistance we can offer. Take it or leave it.”
Fortunately, Yang Chen was experienced in bargaining and had asked for one billion upfront. Had he directly asked for 100 million, they might have only offered 10 million.
One hundred million it is—just enough to meet the system’s task requirement.
Yang Chen immediately said, “Actually, I can accept whatever amount you give me. But the more capital I have, the more I can earn; the less capital, the less profit I make.”
Wang Wenkang laughed heartily, “One hundred million is sufficient. At least let us see your capability first; we can discuss more later.”
Yang Chen nodded, “Alright, one hundred million it is.”
Wang Wenkang continued, “However, each bank has conditions. They can’t simply hand over 100 million for you to squander. So each bank will assign an investment advisor to assist you with your investments. That’s acceptable, right?”
In other words, they wanted to monitor Yang Chen and prevent him from wasting the money on personal expenses; it must be used for genuine investments.
Yang Chen smiled, “I understand your concerns and accept investment advisors, but I will only consider their advice. The final decision rests with me. I won’t accept others making decisions for me while I bear the consequences.”
Wang Wenkang consulted with the bank presidents, and they all agreed to Yang Chen’s terms.
Yang Chen picked up a pen and signed the loan agreement. The bank presidents immediately called their loan managers to disburse the funds into the designated account of Sihai Financial Management Company.
Yang Chen shook hands with Wang Wenkang and the bank presidents, smiling, “Thank you all for your support. Mayor Wang, can I now use everything inside this villa?”
Wang Wenkang nodded, “Exactly! You have the right to use everything in this villa.”
“OK, got it. Mayor Wang, please notify that I will hold a shareholders’ and senior management meeting tomorrow at 3 p.m. All shareholders and department managers and above of Sihai Group must attend,” Yang Chen said with a smile.
“Sure! I’ll notify them. If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave,” Wang Wenkang replied warmly.
Yang Chen nodded and saw Wang Wenkang and the others off.
After they left, Yang Chen quickly wandered around the villa.
No one had cleaned for half a year; dust and fallen leaves were everywhere. After reorganizing, Sihai Group would hire a professional team to clean.
While practicing golf swings, the system issued a reminder.
“Congratulations, host, on completing the task and securing a 100 million yuan loan. System rewards: illegal and criminal records of Sihai Group’s main shareholders and senior executives.”
His pocket moved; Yang Chen pulled out a USB drive.
He hurried back to the villa, plugged the drive into the computer, and opened it. Inside were dozens of gigabytes of files—each shareholder’s and executive’s illegal activities documented with files, photos, and videos.
For instance, Secretary Wang Song was caught repeatedly accepting bribes from institutions and assisting them in insider trading to manipulate Sihai Group’s stock price.
Another example: Group President Xia Yuliang not only embezzled and took bribes but also kept a mistress and even had an affair with a subordinate’s wife. There were photos and videos of hotel stays.
Yang Chen watched the videos while commenting, “The technique is too basic, and the duration too short. If it doesn’t work, try some medication.”
After watching a few videos, Yang Chen went to the bathroom. Upon returning, he suddenly felt everything was dull and tasteless.
He printed some of the shareholders’ and executives’ incriminating evidence to bring to tomorrow’s meeting—guaranteed to hold them firmly in check.
Dinner time had arrived.
Suddenly, Yang Chen realized he didn’t even have money to eat.
He opened the debtors’ group chat and sent a message.
Yang Chen @ all: Dear creditors, V me 50 yuan. No money for food. I can’t starve while earning money to pay you back, right?
Li Jun from ICBC: Wow, how tough you are! You didn’t mention this when you were here earlier.
Huang Ancheng from Binjiang Grand Hotel: Chairman Yang, just come eat at Binjiang Grand Hotel. Order anything you want. After eating, just tell the cashier your name; it’s on me. When you earn money, remember to pay me first.
Yang Chen @ Huang Ancheng: Mr. Huang, you’re generous. When I have money, you’re first in line. I’m starving, dear creditors, I’m logging off now to eat.
Yang Chen put away his phone but couldn’t help grumbling about the original owner—he could have lived like an emperor with those 3 trillion in debts but foolishly sought death. What a fool.
He went to the garage, chose a Rolls-Royce Ghost, and drove off.
Soon, Yang Chen arrived at Binjiang Grand Hotel. The greeter saw the Rolls-Royce and hurriedly guided him to park in the VIP area.
Yang Chen didn’t fuss, took a seat by the window, and ordered dishes he had never tried before.
“Caviar, seared foie gras, cream truffle soup…”
Names he had only heard of in online novels and movies—today he would finally taste them. Thanks, 3 trillion debts.
The waiter soon brought the dishes, and Yang Chen ate heartily.
“The taste isn’t great; I’d rather have a spicy hot pot,” Yang Chen complained as he ate.
Full and satisfied, Yang Chen let out a burp.
At that moment, his girlfriend who had fled over three months ago, Zhang Xinyue, appeared, arm in arm with a chubby man dressed in Burberry.
What rotten luck!
Yang Chen strode forward, grabbed Zhang Xinyue, and slapped her hard.
“You finally show up! I thought you disappeared from the face of the earth. I took the blame for you, but you stole money and ran. Do you even have a conscience?” Yang Chen scolded.
Zhang Xinyue looked terrified, stammering, “You… how are you here?”
“I’m here to eat, of course! Didn’t expect to run into you. Where’s the one million you owe me? Hand it over now!”
“That was your breakup compensation. Why should I give it back?” Zhang Xinyue shamelessly replied.
Yang Chen searched the original owner’s memory—there was no such compensation; Zhang Xinyue had taken off with the money without warning.
“Cut the crap! You caused a huge mess; I stood by you and got schemed against. And you? You stole money and ran! Are you even human?” Yang Chen demanded.
Zhang Xinyue’s new boyfriend, Wang Qi, is a project manager at Jiangcheng Construction Group, currently overseeing a project in the neighboring He City.
Zhang Xinyue fled with the money to He City, met Wang Qi at a party, and they hit it off. They started living together.
Wang Qi had returned to report on his project, and Zhang Xinyue came back with him. Unexpectedly, they ran into Yang Chen here.
Seeing his girlfriend being bullied, Wang Qi pushed Yang Chen and raised his foot to kick him, but Yang Chen dodged.
Yang Chen initially only wanted to teach Zhang Xinyue a lesson and retrieve the one million. He had no intention of fighting Wang Qi, but now that Wang Qi had made a move, Yang Chen would not hold back.
Yang Chen grabbed a serving tray and smashed it at Wang Qi. Taking advantage of Wang Qi covering his head with his arm, Yang Chen charged forward and kicked him. Wang Qi, being heavy, fell to the ground with Zhang Xinyue.
Waiters rushed over to break up the fight and called the manager, Zhang Liang.
Seeing Wang Qi beaten, Zhang Liang hurried up, “Manager Wang, what’s going on? Let’s talk this through.”
Wang Qi angrily cursed, “That lowlife hit me and my girlfriend. How can I talk nicely? Damn it, Manager Wang, tell your waiters to beat him up—I’ll take responsibility for everything.”
Zhang Liang quickly calmed Wang Qi down, then said to Yang Chen, “Sir, welcome to Binjiang Hotel. But fighting isn’t allowed here. Please apologize to Manager Wang. We’ll try to mediate to avoid involving the police. Is that okay?”
Yang Chen laughed lightly, “No.”
“Sir, Manager Wang is a project manager at Jiangcheng Construction Group. You don’t want to cause yourself trouble,” Zhang Liang whispered.
“What? I thought he was someone important. So he’s just a project manager? Listen, Wang, take my advice and step aside now. Don’t interfere while I collect my debts from Zhang Xinyue—it’s better for you,” Yang Chen warned.
Naturally, Wang Qi refused to step aside. Clenching his fists, he tried to attack Yang Chen but was stopped by Manager Zhang Liang.
“Manager Wang, calm down, calm down. Let’s talk,” Zhang Liang urged, then turned to Yang Chen, “Sir, maybe you should leave. Otherwise, you two will definitely fight. Please settle the bill quickly and leave.”
“I finally caught Zhang Xinyue. There’s no way I’ll leave so easily. Call the police if you want. This needs police intervention. She stole one million from me—minimum ten years in prison,” Yang Chen said.
Just then, the waiter brought the bill, “Sir, here’s your bill.”
Yang Chen waved him off, “No need. I’m not paying.”
“Damn! What makes you think you don’t have to pay?” Wang Qi shouted.
“My name is Yang Chen. Ask Manager Zhang if I need to pay for my meal,” Yang Chen replied.
Zhang Liang immediately let go of Wang Qi, his face lighting up as he shook Yang Chen’s hand, “Oh, you’re Chairman Yang! I thought you hadn’t arrived yet. Mr. Huang told me you could eat whatever you want for free. So you must be friends with Mr. Huang. Manager Wang, why not apologize to Chairman Yang and step aside? Your girlfriend stole a million from him—that’s a huge crime with a heavy sentence. You’d better not get involved,” Zhang Liang smiled.
Zhang Liang’s flip-flopping was obvious. He had just asked Yang Chen to apologize to Wang Qi, but now, knowing Yang Chen was Mr. Huang’s friend, he told Wang Qi to apologize instead.
Wang Qi angrily said, “Zhang Liang, can you be any more indecisive?”
Zhang Liang smiled, “Manager Wang, I’m only doing this for your own good. Anyone who can be friends with Mr. Huang is no ordinary person. Why stir up trouble? Besides, Chairman Yang is right.”
“Well, I’m the Construction Group chairman’s cousin! Am I afraid of him? Damn! Yang Chen, huh? I want to see how powerful you really are!” Wang Qi said defiantly, then called the chairman of Construction Group, Gao Han.