Chapter 5: Seeing Through the Deception and Outwitting the Conman for One Hundred Thousand in Medical Fees!

Watching the group echoing each other, Jiang Cheng’s expression grew increasingly grave. This was nothing but a bunch of con artists!

How did Jiang Cheng figure it out? Of course, by appraising the value of that bag.

Right when he entered, he had used his eyes to assess the so-called limited-edition LV bag. It showed a value of only 500. A 500-yuan limited-edition LV bag? That wasn’t even a decent counterfeit! Even if it had been splashed with hot oil soup, a 260,000-yuan bag wouldn’t depreciate to just 500! It was obvious without a doubt that it was a fake.

He then appraised the bags of the other women who came with Sister Xu. Their values showed as either 300 or 250, with the highest being Sister Xu’s LV, valued at 500. Most people’s attention was drawn to Sister Xu and her bag, ignoring the other women with her. But Jiang Cheng was different; he immediately noticed the most illogical detail.

A woman who could afford a 260,000-yuan bag would eat at a modest restaurant like Fuyuan? That’s why he’d tried to appraise the bags of Sister Xu and the women with her—and sure enough, they were all fakes!

Seeing the group all harmonizing together, Jiang Cheng was certain—they were all scammers.

Sister Xu’s bag had been ruined by the scalding hot beef oil soup; no ordinary person, let alone a professional appraiser, could distinguish anything now. If it hadn’t been for Jiang Cheng’s unique ability to discern the true value with his eyes, today Gu Zhixia would either have been swindled out of money or her jade pendant!

He also appraised the jade pendant around Gu Zhixia’s neck; it was worth 1.23 million, more than enough to cover Sister Xu’s 2,500-yuan bag.

As for whether the restaurant owner Huang Fuyuan was in cahoots with these people, Jiang Cheng couldn’t tell yet. Whether their goal was to cheat money or to use the charade to steal Gu Zhixia’s jade pendant from the start, he had no idea.

But no matter what, Gu Zhixia was his high school classmate, and he would never let her be deceived!

Without hesitation, he found an excuse to slip away and go to the restroom to relieve himself. There was no other choice—his bladder was about to burst!

When he returned, Jiang Cheng stepped forward without hesitation.

“Jiang Cheng, you…” Gu Zhixia stared at him in surprise, never expecting him to reappear in her life in such a manner. A complex emotion stirred deep within her heart.

Jiang Cheng smiled gently at Gu Zhixia. He took back the hand holding the jade pendant and softly shielded her behind him.

Sister Xu frowned, sizing up the suddenly emerged Jiang Cheng.

“Sister Xu, right? That jade pendant isn’t for you!” Jiang Cheng said coolly.

“Who are you? What the hell is it to you?” Sister Xu shot him a cold glare.

“Exactly! Who do you think you are? Sister Xu felt sorry for her and let her use the jade pendant as collateral for the debt, which was already a mercy. What, you don’t want her to use the pendant? Are you going to pay the thirty thousand yourself?” a woman nearby sneered.

Huang Fuyuan’s expression darkened instantly. “Zhixia, who is this kid?”

“He…” Gu Zhixia was about to speak, but Jiang Cheng stopped her.

“Who I am doesn’t matter! What matters is that I’ve already called the police! No one leaves before they arrive!” Jiang Cheng said coldly.

Huang Fuyuan’s face turned black. “What? You dare call the police? How am I supposed to run my restaurant then?”

“Zhixia, I’m going out on a limb to plead with Sister Xu for you, and you let him call the police? Do you know how much damage that does to my restaurant? Fine, I can’t afford to keep an employee like you. You don’t have to work here anymore. Pay Sister Xu back with the jade pendant and get out of my restaurant!” Huang Fuyuan’s eyes flickered with panic, but he still forced himself to look composed.

“Boss Huang, why are you so anxious? I think something’s fishy here. We should wait for the police to handle it. After all, it’s a 260,000-yuan bag; it can’t be settled so easily!” Jiang Cheng said calmly.

At his words, Sister Xu and the other women panicked.

Huang Fuyuan’s face darkened with anger. “Kid, this was originally just a small civil dispute, and we had already agreed to settle it privately. You messing around like this—don’t you have any respect for me, Huang Fuyuan?”

Jiang Cheng looked at Huang Fuyuan meaningfully. “Civil dispute? Haha! I think it’s a criminal case.”

“Criminal case? Kid, do you know the law? Are you crazy or what?”

“Ha ha, I’m perfectly clear-headed. I think this is a scam, not a civil dispute. If anyone disagrees, they can explain everything carefully when the police arrive!”

No matter what excuses they gave, Jiang Cheng’s stance was firm: “We’ll talk when the police get here!”

The moment the word “scam” was mentioned, the women’s faces changed instantly. They glanced at each other, ready to make a run for it—but Jiang Cheng wouldn’t let them escape.

One person blocked the exit completely. Standing 1.85 meters tall, built from physical labor with muscles bulging, his fierce expression made him look like a street tough.

Blocking the doorway and glaring, the women were so frightened they took several steps back, unable to leave.

Gu Zhixia was even more bewildered. What scam? What was going on?

“Kid, what are you doing? This is my restaurant! What do you mean blocking the door?” Huang Fuyuan said menacingly.

“Boss Huang, I’m just blocking the door. What are you going to do about it? If you think this is wrong, you can report me when the police come!” Jiang Cheng smiled slyly.

“You…”

Huang Fuyuan wanted to explode with rage but was silenced by Jiang Cheng’s words, grinding his teeth and daring not to say more.

The women exchanged complicated glances.

“Heh, forget it, Sister Xu. It’s just a bag, a meal’s worth. The girl is pitiful; let’s just let the thirty thousand go,” one woman said.

“Yeah, just thirty thousand. Sister Xu’s worth much more than that small amount,” another agreed.

“Let’s not involve the police over such a trivial matter. I’m embarrassed enough. Boss Huang, let’s forget it. We won’t eat anymore; we’re losing our appetite. We’ll leave first,” Sister Xu declared solemnly.

Huang Fuyuan quickly put on a show of nodding and smiling. “Alright! Alright! Sister Xu, you’re truly kind-hearted! Take care!”

With that, Sister Xu and her group turned and headed for the private room exit without looking back.

“Wait! Did I say you could leave?”

But just as they tried to escape, Jiang Cheng blocked their path again.

“W-what do you want?” Sister Xu furrowed her brow in anger.

“What do I want? Sister Xu, I think we should wait for the police and have a professional appraiser assess the bag’s value to determine compensation. You can’t let Sister Xu suffer a silent loss of 260,000 yuan, can you?”

Jiang Cheng gave an innocent smile.

But to Sister Xu, that smile was terrifying and sinister.

Jiang Cheng kept saying “wait for the police” and “get an appraisal,” making it clear he knew her bag was fake.

He had deliberately called it a scam earlier!

She knew perfectly well Jiang Cheng had seen through their scheme.

Her own background was already shady. If she didn’t leave now, the police would come, and could she really walk away then?

Wasn’t the big jail meal waiting for her?

They were just actors hired by Huang Fuyuan to stage a play for that jade pendant. She wasn’t about to sacrifice herself for this!

“What do you want?” Sister Xu’s eyes blazed with fury.

“My friend was pushed and slapped by Sister Xu, seriously injured. That’s intentional injury, so I think legal action is necessary. But I’m not trying to make things difficult. Whether to settle publicly or privately, Sister Xu, that’s your choice,” Jiang Cheng said with a faint smile.

“What?” Sister Xu’s face turned green with anger.

Wasn’t this exactly what she had implied earlier? Threatening Gu Zhixia with the police to settle or not, and now, in less than ten minutes, it backfired?

But how could she dare to settle publicly? If the police uncovered her other scams, would she ever escape jail?

They were scamming, but Jiang Cheng was pure “robbery”!

But whether she liked it or not, she had to pay!

If she didn’t settle, she wouldn’t be able to leave!

“Heh heh! Young man, don’t be angry! It’s my fault for hitting someone. I’ll settle privately! Settle privately!” Sister Xu forced a strange smile, more pitiful than tears.

Everyone else was dumbfounded; how had the story flipped so quickly?

Seeing Sister Xu’s panicked expression, could she really be a scammer?

Everyone was at a loss.

“Alright then! For lost wages, medical fees, mental distress, and lost youth compensation, let’s just say 100,000 yuan, Sister Xu,” Jiang Cheng said casually, counting on his fingers.

“100,000? Are you crazy?” one woman nearby snapped angrily. “Are you robbing us?”

They understood medical and lost wage fees, but what was this “lost youth” nonsense?

“What, Sister Xu don’t like it? Then let’s make it public! I want to tell the police the truth anyway. Thirty thousand seems to already exceed the fraud threshold, right? I’m not well-versed in the law, but I’m sure I’m right,” Jiang Cheng smiled slyly.

“Y-you… no, no, let’s settle privately! I was wrong to hit her, this compensation is reasonable! I’ll transfer it now!” Sister Xu shook her head like a rattle.

She never expected that a bag ruined by boiling soup would be instantly recognized as fake!

Not only recognized but reported to the police!

She felt she must have picked a bad day to go out—she was just plain unlucky!

Ten or a hundred thousand was nothing to her, but if she got caught by the cops over this, it would be a huge loss!

Better to lose money than lose freedom!

Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng casually pulled out his phone and started recording.

Smiling at Sister Xu, he said, “Come on, Sister Xu, say it again—you injured my friend, we want 100,000 yuan for medical expenses, no coercion, right? I’m recording this in case you change your mind later when you leave. That way, I’ll have evidence for the police.”

Sister Xu’s mouth twisted in fury.

Why was this being recorded?

Was this even human behavior?

She began to wonder who was actually scamming whom.

Though furious, Sister Xu dared not say more.

If she didn’t leave now, it would be too late.

Bracing herself, she said to the camera, “I admit hitting someone was wrong. I voluntarily offer 100,000 yuan for medical expenses to settle privately.”

Only after receiving the bank notification of 100,000 yuan in her account did Jiang Cheng grin.

“Kid, you’ve robbed money from my gang. Just you wait,” Sister Xu glared at Jiang Cheng fiercely and left without looking back.

“Gang?” Jiang Cheng thought. What was that about?

He just waved it off, clearing a path, and didn’t forget to give one last warning.

“Sister Xu, if my friend suffers any more injuries, I’ll hand this video over to the police! 100,000 yuan is a lot of money; anyone would be upset to lose that. Don’t you agree, Sister Xu?”

This was Jiang Cheng’s blunt threat: if you dare harm Gu Zhixia again, you’ll end up in jail!

“You… you’re ruthless!” Sister Xu’s group gave Jiang Cheng a meaningful look before quickly fleeing without a moment’s hesitation.

Huang Fuyuan’s face darkened like charred coal.

If the sun were any hotter, he might have spontaneously combusted.

Jiang Cheng ignored him and turned to Gu Zhixia with a gentle smile.

“Zhixia, give me your WeChat. I’ll transfer the medical expenses Sister Xu owes you.”

“Huh?”

Even now, Gu Zhixia was still in a daze.

She absentmindedly added Jiang Cheng on WeChat and vaguely received the bank notification of 100,000 yuan.

Her heart couldn’t calm down for a long time.