Chapter 19: Chen Hu, the Usurer

Upon seeing the fat, bald man, Gu Zhixia’s eyes were instantly filled with hatred and apprehension.

The man was Chen Hu, a loan shark operating out of the casinos in Aokou. Her father, misled by so-called friends, had traveled to Aokou and lost over 100 million in a single night. A portion of that was usurious debt owed to the casinos. After the courts auctioned off her family’s assets, most of the debt had been settled, but 2 million remained—a sum she had no way of paying. This was the loan Chen Hu had issued to her father.

"Little lady, you’re living quite comfortably, aren't you? Cold beer and barbecue. It was quite a trek for me to come all the way from Aokou to find you! Look, I’m running a small business here, and money isn't easy to come by. Tell me, when are you going to pay back the 4 million your father owes me?"

Chen Hu squinted, his eyes roaming wantonly over Gu Zhixia’s graceful figure as he flashed a lecherous grin.

"F... four million? How? My father only borrowed 2 million," Gu Zhixia gasped, stunned.

"My dear, have you never heard of compound interest?" Chen Hu laughed, even more brazenly than before.

"You... you know this is illegal, right?" Gu Zhixia’s body trembled with rage. Two million was already an astronomical figure for her. With compound interest added on top, she could never pay it off in her lifetime.

"Illegal? Ha! It might be illegal on the mainland, but do you think it’s illegal in Aokou?" Chen Hu gave a mocking smirk and didn't elaborate. "Oh, by the way, I heard 400,000 was just deposited into your mother's hospital account. Tell me, what would happen if I went over and pulled her oxygen tube while she’s in surgery? Wouldn't that be exciting?"

"Hey, Qiangzi, which ward is her mother in? Give Knife a call. She’s sick, so let’s not be too violent—after all, it’s a hospital. Heh heh heh..." Chen Hu tilted his head back, letting out a perverse laugh. It was a threat, a naked, brazen threat.

"Please! Brother Hu, I beg you, spare my mother! She’s sick and can’t take any more torment. I’m begging you!" Hearing this, Gu Zhixia lunged to grab the hand of the young man who was about to make the call, collapsing to her knees, tears streaming down her face like rain.

"You have money, yet instead of paying me, you have the nerve to spend it on your mother’s medical bills? Are you tired of living?" Chen Hu’s face turned icy, his bloated features twisted with malice. He crushed the wine glass in his hand, splashing liquid everywhere.

Jiang Cheng watched everything quietly, roughly grasping the fat man’s identity and the sequence of events. He stood up, hurriedly helped Gu Zhixia to her feet, and shielded her behind him.

"Brother Hu, is it? It’s not very honorable for a grown man to threaten a young girl like this, is it?" Jiang Cheng said with a cold laugh.

Chen Hu finally looked at the young man he had been ignoring. "Who are you? Debt must be repaid. I’m here to collect—does that have anything to do with you?"

"Ha, debt must be repaid? Brother Hu, you know that, but did Gu Zhixia owe you this money?" Jiang Cheng asked coldly.

Chen Hu frowned. "Kid, are you trying to play games with me? She didn't borrow it, her father did!"

Jiang Cheng smiled. "If it’s her father who owes you money, then go find him! Brother Hu, aren't you looking for the wrong person?"

A subordinate with yellow hair beside them suddenly changed color. "Who the hell are you to talk to Brother Hu like that? Do you believe I’ll break your legs?"

Chen Hu waved his hand, signaling the subordinate to back down, and studied Jiang Cheng with interest. "You’re quite the comedian, aren't you? If someone owed you a hundred million and jumped off a building to end it, would you just walk away from the money?"

Jiang Cheng feigned seriousness. "You're right. Zhixia, why don't you let Brother Hu kill you? Your mother has stomach cancer anyway and doesn't have long to live. If you die, the debt is settled! Everyone wins!"

At these words, Chen Hu’s smile vanished. Gu Zhixia looked at Jiang Cheng with complex eyes. In her memory, he would never have said such things. But then again... she thought, how could she ever pay back 4 million? She didn't know what Chen Hu’s men had done to her mother, and if anything happened to her, there was no point in living. She had nothing left—what was there to cling to?

"You’re quite the joker, kid. If I kill her, what good does it do me?"

Jiang Cheng smiled faintly. "Since you don't want to kill her, why spend all day hounding her? Do you think scaring her will produce money? Or do you want to finish off her mother so she has nothing left to lose and can just join her?"

Another subordinate grew increasingly angry. "Kid, it doesn't matter how much you talk; if she doesn't pay, we’ll sell her to the Durian Country to work off the debt!"

Jiang Cheng laughed even harder. "My friend, have you done the math? Let’s say, just for argument's sake, she earns 10,000 Dragon coins a day working for you. What is your interest rate? How many years would she have to work to catch up to your compound interest?"

The subordinate was stumped. Chen Hu frowned. "Kid, what are you getting at? Are you saying I should just forget about my money?"

Jiang Cheng shook his head and offered a meaningful smile. "Brother Hu, let me break it down for you. If you sell her to work in the Durian Country, at most she earns 2 million a year while she’s young. In a couple of years, she’ll be older and less valuable, earning maybe 500,000 a year. Let's say she works for five years—that’s 10 million."

"According to your compound interest, doubling every month, after 12 months that’s a factor of 4,096. 2 million becomes 8.1 billion in a year. Do you really think she could pay you back even if she worked until she died?"

Chen Hu scratched his head, looking bewildered. Was his interest rate really that high? In truth, the 4 million figure was just something he’d pulled out of thin air—the way of the trade was to demand more if they didn't pay and use intimidation. He didn't actually dare to cross certain lines; this was the mainland, not Aokou. He had no idea the math added up to such a staggering amount.

His subordinates looked at each other, equally lost. 8.1 billion—she couldn't pay that even if she were sold a thousand times over! What was the point of even asking? Chen Hu scratched his head, his hair standing on end. "Kid, you've said so much, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Jiang Cheng smiled lightly. "I’m saying that for the 2 million in principal, if you agree, she will pay you 3 million in one month, and the debt will be wiped clean. If that’s not good enough, go ahead and sell her!"

Chen Hu slammed the table, displeased. "3 million? Do you think I’m an idiot? No deal!"

"If you don't like it, suit yourself! But remember, Brother Hu, don't push her too far. If she’s driven to suicide, you won't even get that 2 million!" Jiang Cheng didn't waste any more words and stepped aside.

Chen Hu ground his back teeth, wanting to retort but finding himself speechless with frustration. "You!"

Jiang Cheng quickly caught Gu Zhixia’s eye, and she understood immediately. She sobbed, "3 million, how will I ever pay that back? Brother Hu, just go ahead and pull my mother’s oxygen tube! I don't want to live anymore!"

With that, Gu Zhixia grabbed a beer bottle and made a move to smash it against her own forehead. Chen Hu jumped, grabbed the bottle from her, and smashed it on the floor instead.

"Damn it! Fine! I agree!"