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Chapter 141: Chapter 128: Drawing out the firewood under the pot (Seeking subscriptions!)_1
The duty officer looked surprised but still politely responded, "I’m sorry sir, usury is considered an economic dispute, it’s not within our purview."
Of course, they often received such calls, mostly about loan sharks using methods like physical assault, threats, and harassment to force repayment. There were also cases like Yan Fei who uncovered loan sharks, but unless there was physical or mental harm inflicted, the police couldn’t possibly arrest someone based on the brief description of the ’case’ that Yan Fei gave. This operator couldn’t even bother to ask about the possibility of injuries.
"You... isn’t usury illegal? Don’t you arrest them?" Yan Fei stammered. He remembered seeing people who loaned money at high interest rates being arrested on TV.
"I’m sorry, our country does not have a specific law against usury, there is not even a provision for detention. Excessive interest is considered an economic dispute. Please negotiate or take it to court for resolution. Has anyone been physically injured?" the female voice patiently explained. Seeing that Yan Fei knew nothing about this, she had no choice but to provide him with some basic knowledge, otherwise he may pester them about it. Many people could be quite annoying, fussing over trifles and incessantly demanding police intervention. Of course, there’s no such thing as a trivial matter when it comes to serving the public, but there’s certainly a difference in priority when you have to compare a burglary case to an argument about your dog biting my cat, especially when the police are already understaffed.
"Yes, yes, yes, I was just beaten by the guy who loans money at high interest rates. He’s the owner of the Baiwei Restaurant in West City." As soon as Yan Fei heard this, he immediately perked up. He wasn’t interested whether usury was illegal or not, he just knew that societal condemnation was loud and clear. He had also seen many news reports on TV about loan sharks being brought to justice. However, he never paid attention to the specific charges. Nonetheless, while usury may not be against the law, he knew that assault definitely was. He had been assaulted, and the police would surely take care of that.
The duty officer fell silent for a moment. Yan Fei was unlucky. This duty officer and Officer Wang from West City Police Station were old classmates. At a gathering, Officer Wang mentioned that the Baiwei Restaurant in West City was under the protection of Qin Yugang. Now, Qin Yugang was a rising star in the Public Security System of the city. Ever since a certain individual from the province took his position, Yugang’s future was unimaginable.
There were even rumors that Qin Yugang might be promoted to Deputy Director of the Municipal Bureau in the first half of the next year, or even be transferred to a county to serve as the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. Although the statements were inconsistent, one thing was certain - Yugang might become her boss one day. She should not be careless about matters involving her future leader.
The duty officer decided to help her own people in a flash, even though she had to make sure she wasn’t being too obvious about it.
"Sir, how severe are your injuries?" the duty officer asked again. She had to figure out the severity of the situation on the ground to judge the extent of her favoritism. If the injuries were too severe, she wouldn’t be able to help. However, judging from Yan Fei’s voice, he seemed to be doing quite well.
"He slapped me twice and kicked me once, it doesn’t hurt much right now." Yan Fei honestly replied. Tang Qing had controlled his strength, mainly to vent his anger rather than to hurt anyone, so Yan Fei didn’t feel too much pain in the areas where he had been hit. Even his face no longer felt any pain, although the feeling of humiliation still lingered.
When the duty officer heard this, she immediately understood the situation, and decided to handle the matter. "Sir," she said, "we’re currently short staffed, and the West City Police Station is dealing with an important case. Please wait at your current location, it’s estimated that someone will come to handle your situation in about two hours."
She was obviously stalling.
An ’experienced’ person would have known that they were messing around with him right away. They were certainly not following the rules. Yan Fei, who had never reported to the police before, didn’t realize that they were fooling him.
"But... what’s the use of you guys coming after two hours? By then, the person will have left." Yan Fei retorted angrily. In two hours, it would be too later for anything. He certainly couldn’t follow the police officers to school to arrest Tang Qing after two hours, could he? He wasn’t that silly. On top of that, it was not certain whether the police would be willing to proceed with the matter given his minor injuries, and without any witnesses, there was nothing he could do. Especially when the ’dirty money’ would surely be moved within two hours, there would be absolutely no point in reporting this matter to the police.
"We deeply apologize for this inconvenience." The duty officer breathed a sigh of relief when Yan Fei was fooled. She even snickered inwardly about his naivety. How did someone as unintelligent as him even think about reporting to the police?
So, Yan Fei angrily hung up the phone.
Looking at the bustling Baiwei Restaurant filled with people, Yan Fei was indignant. Knowing that he had lost all his face in just one day, he was about to explode with anger.
"Damn it, you all just wait and see."
After saying that, he turned around and left.
....
When Tang Qing saw off Yan Fei, he returned to Room No.6, where some dishes had been served.
Zhou Li was drinking baijiu. He also poured a cup of flower tea for Tang Qing.
"Little Tang, I’m truly sorry for causing you trouble. I don’t know what’s gotten into Yan Fei today. I hope you won’t take it to heart," said Zhou Li apologetically. Even though Zhou Li didn’t hold Yan Fei in high regard, the latter was after all the son of his old friend. Now that Tang Qing had driven him away, the responsibility to apologize fell upon Zhou Li. Whether it be sincere or not, he needed to settle this matter.
"It’s no big deal. I’m too busy to bother getting mad at him," Tang Qing laughed it off.
"Hehe, that’s good to hear," Zhou Li sighed with relief and continued, "Yan Fei’s dad and I are old friends. Even though I don’t think highly of Yan Fei, his dad asked me for my help, and I couldn’t refuse. I’ve toiled hard my whole life, but Yan Fei remains to be an underachiever. I can’t imagine what a mess he would make if his father leaves the factory to him. I really envy your parents for having such an understanding and responsible child like you." Zhou Li sounded quite wistful, pondering what kind of a family could raise a young man as outstanding as Tang Qing.
"Uncle Zhou, you’re too kind. As sons, our duty is to share our family’s worries. At the very least, we shouldn’t cause any trouble. Heh, if Uncle Yan feels that Yan Fei isn’t fit to take over the factory, why not sell it?" Tang Qing sipped his tea and laughed.
"Little Tang, your words are insightful. Old Yan has indeed thought about it, but he’s too attached to the factory. After so many years, he is unsure whether the new owner would treat his old employees well," Zhou Li sighed. It’s hard for old people to let go of their past. He couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about his factory. Even if the offer exceeded the factory’s worth by fifty percent, he would not let it go.
"Why doesn’t Uncle Zhou just take it over?" Tang Qing suggested, chuckling.
"Haha, Little Tang, you’re overestimating me. His factory is about the same size as mine. You would need at least four to five million to acquire it. And I certainly don’t have that much money," Zhou Li laughed heartily. He had considered this before, even Yan Guangting had proposed merging their factories, with Zhou Li controlling the majority of the shares. However, Zhou Li had declined his proposal.
Zhou Li wasn’t willing to go into business with a close friend. He had seen too many failed partnerships. Friends could endure hardships together, but when it came to success, one side would inevitably become overpoweringly dominant, dampening the other’s ambitions. If the factory’s shares were to be transferred to Yan Fei, and he was even appointed to be part of the management team, Zhou Li couldn’t help but shudder at the thought. He would not allow such a person to be part of his thriving factory.
Yan Guangting must have sensed his apprehension then. He just sighed and didn’t say a word more.
"You may not have the money, but... I do." Tang Qing stated, revealing a slight smile. This was his plan all along to cut off Yan Fei’s source of power. Without his position in the factory, Yan Fei would lose his audacity. Yan Guangting was too old to start afresh with a new factory. He no longer had the drive, nor the strength.
Tang Qing had a singular goal: to strip Yan Fei of his position as the factory heir, preventing him from tormenting more innocent girls. Not everyone who came to work in the factory had an easy life. Many were still underage, naive, and timid. Many girls who were violated wouldn’t dare to speak out. The thought of it infuriated Tang Qing. Yan Fei, being the scumbag that he was, deserved a lesson if they were to meet again.
"Little Tang, this... This isn’t just a couple of hundred thousand, and I don’t have much in the way of collateral, nor a guarantor," Zhou Li stuttered as he spoke. It was only then that he remembered the young man before him was a major financier. Whereas he previously thought Tang Qing only had control over one hundred to two hundred thousand, now he realized he had severely underestimated him. Tang Qing could decide on loans of up to four to five million. Just how wealthy must his family be to allow their child such leeway? He didn’t hear of any big businessman surnamed Tang in Qingyan City. Even in the private lending circle, Tang was a name unheard of.
"No need for collateral or any guarantor. The reason why I chose to lend money to you, Uncle Zhou, was because of my trust in your character. Your creditworthiness is worth that loan," Tang Qing responded shaking his head. For the sake of curbing Yan Fei’s arrogance and preventing him from harming more innocent girls in the future, he must lend this money. Even if it meant spending all the money he had just earned, he would not feel a pang of loss, as long as he could achieve his goal.
Tang Qing could tell Zhou Li was intrigued. He had probably been eyeing Yan Guangting’s factory for some time but lacked the means to purchase it. Tang Qing was merely doing a kind deed, earning the reward of good karma.
"This..." Zhou Li was momentarily at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to respond to the trust Tang Qing had placed in him. It was a substantive loan, without collateral or guarantor, and the interest was also low. Zhou Li was genuinely touched, a feeling he had not experienced in a long time. However, being a businessman, he instinctively became cautious and hesitant. He wondered what Tang Qing’s true intentions were.
PS: First Chapter, the second Chapter is expected around six o’clock. Some ticket votes, please,
