Chapter 26: Having Many Influential Relatives

Thanks to the landlord’s efforts, the once cozy room was soon covered in adhesive tape.

The landlady smiled smugly and said, "You’ve all seen it for yourselves; there’s so much damage here that it certainly requires compensation. Let’s set the rate at 10 yuan per point—that’s very reasonable, isn't it? Come, let’s count them one by one and see how many there are."

Yang Chen and his group didn't interfere, choosing instead to watch the landlady’s performance from the sidelines.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, the landlady grinned and said, "There are 245 spots needing repair. I’ll give you a discount; just pay 2,000 yuan in total. You already gave me a 1,500 yuan deposit, so I’ll keep that, and you just need to give me another 500. I’m going to check the utilities, and we’ll settle everything together in a moment."

She ran off to check the water and electricity meters, calculating the cost at 1.5 yuan per unit of electricity and 5 yuan per ton of water, demanding another 200 yuan from Chen Xi.

"There we go, just pay me 700 yuan more," the landlady declared.

Chen Xi explained, "Some of this so-called wear and tear was already here when I moved in, and the rest is just reasonable wear and tear covered by the rent I’ve already paid. You know that what you’re doing is illegal, right?"

The landlady sneered, "It seems I wasn’t clear enough before. I don’t feel like talking to you anymore. If you don’t pay the 700 yuan, you’re not taking a single thing out of here. I’ll go head-to-head with you no matter where you take this. I’m not even afraid if you tear the house down. Understand?"

Chen Xi was so angry her face flushed red, but since the woman claimed she wouldn't even care if her house were demolished, Chen Xi felt helpless and looked at Yang Chen with a grievance-filled expression.

The five investment consultants immediately spoke up for Chen Xi, berating the landlady, but someone capable of such shameless extortion wouldn't be bothered by shame—otherwise, they wouldn't have done it in the first place. The landlady’s combativeness was truly off the charts; she held her own perfectly in a one-versus-six argument.

Yang Chen quickly signaled for Chen Xi and the others to stop. Once they quieted down, he said, "Let’s go to the village committee."

The landlady laughed heartily. "My husband is the village chief, my son is the accountant, and I have relatives working as officials in every department. Go wherever you want. If I so much as frown, I’ll pay you 700 yuan myself. That’s how confident I am."

"Oh, a local clan power? I love dealing with those—it gives me such a sense of accomplishment," Yang Chen said with a smile.

Yang Chen walked out of the room and called Zhang Jinsong, the Vice President in charge of real estate at Sihai Group. "Hello, VP Zhang, is the group planning a project in Yuangang Village?"

Zhang Jinsong replied immediately, "Yes. Wang Sihai insisted on developing that area. All aspects had been negotiated, but he fled right as we were about to begin demolition, so the project was shelved. However, the 10 billion yuan the group allocated for the first phase of that project was embezzled by him. Sigh..."

So that was it; Wang Sihai had developed high-end housing in the middle of nowhere just to create an excuse to embezzle funds.

"Bring some people over now—bring plenty. I’ll be waiting for you at the village committee office," Yang Chen said.

"Understood, I’m gathering the team and heading there immediately," Zhang Jinsong replied.

After hanging up, Yang Chen said to the landlady, "Landlord, let’s go to the village committee to discuss this."

The landlady replied indifferently, "Whatever, we can talk anywhere."

The group arrived at the village committee. After hearing the situation, Village Chief Wang Changgui chuckled and said, "Young people, if you rent a car from a dealership and pay the full rent, do you have to pay for compensation if you get into an accident on the road?"

"Don't change the subject," Yang Chen countered. "Normal wear and tear in a rental property is like the natural friction on a steering wheel, engine, tires, or seats—it’s not an accident. An accident would be if I actively or passively damaged your house. What you’re doing is pure extortion."

"Should I call the police to handle it for you?" Wang Changgui asked with a smile.

"Damn! Who do you think you’re looking down on? Calling the police every time something happens is so beneath me—it makes me look like a pushover," Yang Chen said dismissively.

Wang Changgui shrugged. "Then you aren't leaving."

"Even if you let me leave now, I wouldn't," Yang Chen replied.

Yang Chen got into the car with the six women to wait. Wang Changgui, a sly old fox, had his men place logs in front of Yang Chen’s car.

"These people have no respect for the law!" Huang Wei said indignantly.

"There’s no helping it. That’s how things are down here. To be honest, this is actually considered quite 'civilized,'" Bai Zhi remarked.

Yang Chen smiled and said, "Chen Xi, go back and get the laptop."

Bai Zhi nodded and ran back to fetch the laptop for Yang Chen. The flash drive containing the evidence of illegal activities by all the shareholders and executives of Sihai Group—a reward from the system—was vital, and Yang Chen carried it with him every day. Now, it would come in handy.

Yang Chen remembered seeing the name "Wang Changgui" on the drive. He opened it and searched, finding a record within Wang Sihai’s files. Wang Sihai’s driver, Wang Changle, was Wang Changgui’s own brother. The demolition and development of the village had been orchestrated by Wang Changle, and Wang Changgui had used various means—threats and inducements—to force the villagers to agree to the demolition.

The brothers had naturally profited handsomely from Wang Sihai, with hidden transfer records totaling 12 million yuan, and Wang Changgui was rumored to have over 5 million in cash hidden in his home. This was money belonging to Sihai Group; it couldn't be allowed to stay in the hands of the Wang brothers. Since Wang Changle had fled abroad with Wang Sihai, Yang Chen had no choice but to go after Wang Changgui.

Yang Chen sent the evidence to Chen Le, the captain of the municipal criminal investigation detachment, and told him to bring a team to make an arrest immediately.

After finishing, Yang Chen put the flash drive in his pocket and returned the laptop to Chen Xi.

A moment later, the landlady walked over, grinning. Her confidence was so extreme it bordered on arrogance.

"It’s pointless to stall here. You don't look like people who are short a few hundred yuan, so why waste your time? Let me tell you this: even if you call the police, you’ll still have to pay me every cent. Do you understand human speech? My family’s connections are more powerful than you can imagine, understand?" the landlady said haughtily.

Yang Chen smiled and replied, "The more you say that, the more I want to see just how impressive your family really is. Call all your powerful relatives right now. Tell them that the Chairman of Sihai Group, Yang Chen, is being held hostage in the village, and tell them to hurry over and help you deal with me."

The smile on the landlady’s face vanished instantly. She asked nervously, "Who... who? Who are you?"

Yang Chen replied with a serious expression, "My name is Yang Chen, and I am the Chairman of Sihai Group. Your tenant is my secretary; extorting her is the same as extorting me. Didn't you say Sihai Group was going to demolish this place and your family would get over 10 million in compensation? I’m telling you now: Sihai Group is canceling the project. You said you weren't afraid of the house being torn down? Today, I’m going to make sure the entire village tears down every single illegal addition because of you. You have so many powerful relatives? Call them now—I want to see who dares to show their face to help you. If they show up, I’ll take them down immediately. I won’t show any mercy!"