Chapter 22: 22. Dog bites dog, a mouthful of fur!

“Ah… ah! My money! My money!”

THUMP! THUMP!

Ma Lao San wailed, his heart breaking as he slumped to the ground.

The others went berserk, scrambling on the ground and pawing at the thick layer of ashen money. But the ashes were too fragile, disintegrating at the slightest touch, just like their own shattering hearts.

“Why is my life so miserable!”

“The God of Wealth himself smiled upon me, but I’m the one who refused him!”

“Zhang Qiang! You son of a bitch, didn’t you say this money was fake? You have to compensate us! You must pay us back!”

Some collapsed to their knees, pounding the ground in despair. Others trembled as they held handfuls of black ash, sobbing uncontrollably. Several more rushed Zhang Qiang, grabbing his collar and raising their fists in rage.

“Are you fucking crazy? You’re the ones who burned it, it has nothing to do with me!” Zhang Qiang’s face was filled with panic, but he stiffened his neck and struggled to break free.

He blustered, “Who the hell do you think you are, laying your hands on me? Believe it or not, I’ll call my aunt and have every last one of you thrown out of Haicheng!”

Hearing this, the expressions of the men holding him changed. They sobered up slightly, and their hands subconsciously loosened. Indeed, Zhang Qiang was not someone to be trifled with. Behind him stood the mighty Su Family.

“That’s right! Zhang Qiang, you said it yourself!” Ma Lao San shouted, charging right up to Zhang Qiang’s face, spittle flying. “If it turned out to be real money, you would compensate us!”

“When the fuck did I say that? Do you have evidence?” A flicker of guilt crossed Zhang Qiang’s eyes, but he defiantly tilted his chin up. “If you keep spouting bullshit, believe it or not, I’ll smack you right in the face!”

“You! You two-faced, lying bastard!” Ma Lao San clenched his fists in grief and fury.

The others were incensed, yet they were helpless against Zhang Qiang. It had just been an offhand promise. Even if they took it to the authorities, there was no guarantee they would see justice.

“Hmph! I think you’ve all gone crazy over money! I have things to do at my shop; I can’t be bothered wasting time with you broke-ass losers!” Zhang Qiang straightened his collar, his face a mask of arrogance.

He was certain they wouldn’t dare to touch him. As long as the Su Family had his back, these lowlifes wouldn’t even dare to fart in his direction!

“Who says there’s no evidence?”

The next moment, Lin Fan walked over, staring coldly at Zhang Qiang. “You said you would compensate these people even if the money was real.”

“Lin Fan! Don’t you think I’m afraid of you! Stop being a busybody!” Zhang Qiang’s body shook with rage, his face contorting. He was already jealous that the great beauty of the Yuan family gave Lin Fan special treatment. Now, being publicly exposed by Lin Fan made his face burn with humiliation. “Don’t think you can go up against me just because you have some backing. I have the Su Family behind me! I’m not afraid of you!” Zhang Qiang yelled, pointing a finger at Lin Fan’s nose.

“I just can’t stand the sight of people like you,” Lin Fan’s gaze darkened as he pulled out his phone, bringing up the surveillance footage from the clinic entrance.

Ma Lao San and his group were just as detestable. But for Zhang Qiang to cause a huge scene and then expect to just walk away? On what grounds? These heartless bastards should be left to tear each other apart. Let the dogs fight.

As expected, Lin Fan’s phone screen lit up, playing a video of Zhang Qiang’s arrogant face from earlier. His voice boomed from the speaker, “What the hell is there to be afraid of! Even if it’s real, I’ve got more than enough money. I’ll compensate every one of you!”

“Zhang Qiang! What the fuck do you have to say for yourself now?”

“You son of a bitch, we never should have come here with you to cause trouble!”

“Look at Lin Fan, then look at yourself! You’re worse than an animal!”

Seeing the proof, Ma Lao San and the others’ eyes lit up as if they’d grabbed a lifeline. They surrounded Zhang Qiang, hurling vile insults at him. A few of them turned red with shame, too embarrassed to even meet Lin Fan’s gaze.

“Hmph! So what? I was just talking out of my ass!” Zhang Qiang’s face turned green. He shot Lin Fan a look so ferocious it seemed he wanted to eat him alive.

That was ten million! Even if his entire family were chopped to bits and sold off, he still couldn’t pay it back!

“Zhang Qiang! Don’t think you can weasel out of this! You were the one who led us to burn our money, and you didn’t lose a thing!” Ma Lao San’s face flushed with fury. “If you don’t pay up today, believe it or not, we’ll beat you to death right here!”

As he spoke, the other men and women also clenched their casserole-sized fists, a murderous light glinting in their eyes.

“Fine! It’s just ten million, right?” Zhang Qiang’s expression changed drastically. He shrank his neck and yelled, “My backer is the Su Family! You think I can’t afford it?”

Zhang Meili doted on him. If he went and cried to her a little, she’d surely help clean up his mess again, right?

“Write an IOU! You have to write an IOU first!” Ma Lao San’s breathing grew ragged, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

The others exchanged glances and nodded firmly, lowering their fists.

“I’ll write it! What’s there to be afraid of? I have the Su Family’s backing!” Seeing them back down, Zhang Qiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and fumbled in his small leather bag for a pen and paper.

“I’m afraid the Su Family won’t be able to help you.”

At that moment, Yuan Youwei, who had been observing from the side, couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “They are now like a clay Buddha crossing a river—unable to save even themselves.”

After returning last night, Yuan Youwei had looked into Su Pharmaceutical. She discovered their rise to prominence began right after Lin Fan married Su Mengqing four years ago. Yuan Youwei immediately guessed the crucial connection and couldn’t help but feel that Lin Fan had gotten a raw deal. Then, on her way over this morning, she’d received explosive news: Su Pharmaceutical was truly finished.

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan’s expression shifted, his mind racing. Beside him, President Luo seemed to realize something and discreetly took out his phone.

“Hehe, Miss Yuan, don’t joke around. The Su Family has a huge business; a mere ten million is nothing to them,” Zhang Qiang’s cheeks twitched as he shook his head with a forced smile. He no longer dared to show any disrespect to Yuan Youwei, but her words planted a seed of unease in his heart.

With a few quick strokes, he scrawled out more than a dozen IOUs. With the papers in hand, Zhang Qiang immediately regained some of his confidence and snarled at Ma Lao San and the others. “Satisfied? Now get the hell out of here!”

“…So when do you plan on paying?” Ma Lao San and the others clutched the IOUs, looking at each other as their anger cooled considerably.

“Damn it, are you afraid I won’t pay you back? When have I, Zhang Qiang, ever…”

Just as Zhang Qiang was about to continue his blustering, a familiar, portly figure came rushing through the door.

“Xu Juan? Aren’t you supposed to be at work? What are you doing here now!” Zhang Qiang’s expression soured as he snapped irritably at the newcomer.

The woman was his wife, Xu Juan, who worked at a nearby bank. However, her appearance was plain, and Zhang Qiang was always reluctant to be seen with her in public, fearing she’d embarrass him. As a result, he held her in low regard.

“Zhang Qiang! Hurry up and sell all of our Su Pharmaceutical stock! If you wait, we’ll lose everything!” Dressed in a bank teller’s uniform, Xu Juan screeched to a halt in front of him. Her face was slick with sweat from the effort, and she was panting heavily. “I heard that the Su Family has been dumping shares like crazy since early this morning. The stock price of Su Pharmaceutical has crashed!”

“Holy shit, she’s right! I’ve already lost a ton!” President Luo, who was staring at his phone, suddenly yelled out. His eyes nearly popped from their sockets as he slapped his thigh in frustration.

The words struck Zhang Qiang like a thunderclap. His face changed dramatically, and even Ma Lao San and the others couldn’t help but shudder.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep