Hongguang Road, a side alley.
Chen Yang knocked on Aunt Zhou's door for a while before she finally peeked out. Upon seeing Chen Yang, Aunt Zhou tensed up, looked around, and then let him into the yard.
"Auntie, what happened? Didn't we agree on everything yesterday? We even signed the agreement. How could you change your mind overnight?" Chen Yang asked angrily as soon as he entered.
"Xiao Fang, I know I was wrong, I apologize," Aunt Zhou sighed. "I'll return the deposit you paid yesterday..."
With that, Aunt Zhou went inside to get the money.
Chen Yang quickly stopped her, saying,
"Wait! Auntie, the agreement we signed yesterday clearly states that the penalty for breach of contract is 100,000 yuan. That means you not only have to return my 50,000 yuan deposit, but also compensate me with an additional 100,000 yuan."
"Ah?" Aunt Zhou was shocked, her face turning pale. She stammered, "Xiao Fang, you see my family's situation. Where would I get the money to compensate you? Please, just pretend this house purchase never happened, okay?"
Upon hearing about the 100,000 yuan compensation, Aunt Zhou was immediately terrified and at a loss. What should have been a happy occasion had now become a major headache for her.
Chen Yang, however, didn't bring up the compensation issue again, and instead asked, "Auntie, can you tell me why you suddenly changed your mind?"
"Ah...no...no reason. I thought about it all night, and I still can't bear to part with this old house, so I don't want to sell it anymore," Aunt Zhou said guiltily, then turned to Chen Yang, her eyes filled with pleading, "Xiao Fang, just think of me as senile, don't hold it against me, okay?"
Chen Yang smiled slightly and said, "Auntie, I came here in person to try and solve this problem. How can I help you if you don't tell me anything?"
Chen Yang considered himself fairly good at judging people. Based on their interaction yesterday, he felt that Aunt Zhou wasn't the type to go back on her word, and selling the house would solve her immediate problem, so he believed she was just as eager as he was to complete the transaction.
Therefore, Chen Yang knew that there must have been external interference that caused Aunt Zhou to change her mind at the last minute. What he wanted to do now was find out the reason and then figure out a way to solve the problem. This was Chen Yang's first real opportunity to make money since his rebirth, and he didn't want to let it slip away easily, nor did he want the deal to end so abruptly and unclearly.
"Xiao Fang... please don't ask anymore!" Aunt Zhou said hesitantly. "If you really want to help me, take back the deposit today, and consider the deal canceled, okay?"
"Auntie, that's hard to say!" Chen Yang said, feigning anger. "We signed an agreement about buying the house. If you want to back out, fine, but we'll stick to the agreement. The 100,000 yuan penalty for breach of contract, not a penny less!"
"This... Xiao Fang, I'm only doing this for your own good. I'm afraid saying anything will only hurt you!" Aunt Zhou wrung her hands nervously, looking somewhat at a loss.
Seeing that the situation was ripe, Chen Yang softened his tone and said amicably,
"Auntie, you just need to tell me who threatened you. I'll try to mediate. If the problem is resolved, our deal will continue. If I can't resolve it either, then our deal will be canceled, and I won't ask you for the penalty. Is that alright?"
"Sigh!" Aunt Zhou sighed deeply and said, "Xiao Fang, since you insist on asking, I'll tell you! Not long after you left yesterday, Yue Lei came to our door with a group of his men, saying I'd sell this house to anyone, but not to you..."
Chen Yang frowned slightly and asked suspiciously,
"Who is Yue Lei?"
"He's the head of the local gangs around Hongguang Road." "I watched him grow up. He's always been a troublemaker, causing trouble for the neighbors in the alley." Recalling Yue Lei's menacing appearance yesterday, Aunt Zhou couldn't help but shudder with lingering fear. She said, "Xiao Fang, I'm not selling you the house for your own good. You can't afford to mess with Yue Lei. He's a gangster, used to running rampant, even the police are afraid of him! You'll still have to live here even if you buy the house, right? If he doesn't want you to have a good life, you won't be able to live in peace. He's capable of anything!"
Chen Yang's mind raced. He was completely bewildered. Yesterday was his first time in this area, and he had only just heard the name Yue Lei from Aunt Zhou. How had he inexplicably gotten into trouble with him? After thinking for a moment, Chen Yang decided to investigate further, so he asked:
"Auntie, where does this Yue Lei usually hang out?"
Aunt Zhou, upon hearing this, waved her hands frantically, saying:
"Xiao Fang, you're not really going to go find him, are you? You absolutely mustn't go! Those kinds of thugs won't reason with you!"
"Auntie, don't worry! I don't even know what he looks like, how can I find him?" Chen Yang said calmly, "I have a friend who's been in the underworld for many years. I want to ask my friend to help mediate, so any misunderstandings can be cleared up!"
"Really?" Aunt Zhou asked doubtfully, "Alright then! Auntie will tell you, but you absolutely mustn't be impulsive! You can't beat him!"
Chen Yang nodded with a smile. Aunt Zhou continued,
"He often hangs out at that billiards hall run by A Biao at the alley entrance, but he's usually there in the afternoon or evening; I rarely see him in the morning."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie!" Chen Yang said with a smile. "Then I'll be going now."
After saying that, Chen Yang walked towards the door, and Aunt Zhou called after him,
"Hey! Xiao Fang! That deposit..."
Chen Yang waved his hand without turning around and said,
"Keep it for now! If the problem really can't be solved later, I'll come back for it!"
After leaving Aunt Zhou's house, Chen Yang went back to school first, spent the morning with Su He in the library, and then the two had lunch together at the third canteen.
After dropping Su He off at her dormitory, Chen Yang drove the Land Rover towards Hongguang Road.
Ning Qiaoqian hadn't returned to Rongcheng, and A Cheng and the other man were naturally both in Xiamen, so Chen Yang had been using the car, although he rarely used it.
At the intersection of Hongguang Road and Hengxiang Alley, there's a grocery store. The owner has set up a tarpaulin canopy over the open space in front of the store, and set up several pool tables. The intersection is bustling with people, and the pool tables are doing quite well; by the afternoon, there are practically no empty tables.
Chen Yang parked his car next to the pool tables, sat in the driver's seat, lit a cigarette, and waited quietly.
Before he finished his cigarette, Chen Yang saw a group of thugs dressed in a non-mainstream style escorting a young man in his early twenties out of the alley. Passersby in the alley instinctively made way for the group, their eyes showing a hint of fear.
The young man wore a white, tight-fitting tank top; his thick arms were covered in menacing tattoos, and a heavy gold chain hung from his chest. A smug smile played on his lips; he seemed to enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by his entourage.
Chen Yang's intuition told him that this was Yue Lei, the man he was looking for today.
The young man walked straight to the newest pool table, where a young couple was playing. As the girl bent down to aim, the young man walked up behind her and gave her a hard pinch on her pert buttocks.
The girl screamed and sat up straight, turning to glare at him. But when she saw the young man's face, the anger in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by deep fear. The girl stammered,
"Brother Lei..."
It really was him! Chen Yang thought to himself.
"Xiao Hui, you're getting more and more beautiful!" Yue Lei leered at the girl's full breasts, swallowing hard.
Xiao Hui's face flushed red, and she nervously lowered her head. At this moment, Xiaohui's boyfriend approached with a forced smile and said,
"Brother Lei, Xiaohui and I have something to do, so we'll leave first. We won't disturb your game..."
He then winked at Xiaohui. Xiaohui quickly nodded and said,
"Yes, Brother Lei, you guys have fun, we'll go back first..."
Yue Lei moved his face closer to Xiaohui, his breath hot on her face. The strong smell of smoke made her frown, but she didn't dare to move away. Her body trembled slightly as she looked at Yue Lei anxiously.
Yue Lei leaned close to Xiaohui's ear and said calmly,
"Without you, how can I possibly have fun?"
Seeing this, Xiaohui's boyfriend wanted to come to her rescue, a struggle flashing in his eyes, but intimidated by Yue Lei's imposing presence, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.
Xiao Hui, her voice trembling, said:
"Brother Lei, please stop teasing me, I really have something to do..."
Yue Lei stared at Xiao Hui for a moment with a playful, cat-and-mouse smile, then laughed and waved his hand. Xiao Hui and her boyfriend, as if granted a reprieve, quickly left the pool table without looking back.
"Brother Lei, Xiao Hui is getting more and more beautiful, how about..." A henchman with a buzz cut and a huge earring approached, revealing a lewd smile.
Yue Lei smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Forget it! We all grew up in the same alley, if we can avoid using underhanded tactics, we won't!"
"Brother Lei is so kind!" The buzz-cut man and the henchmen immediately showered him with flattery.
Yue Lei changed the subject, saying dreamily,
"But that pretty boy next to her...it wouldn't hurt to teach him a lesson sometime."
Sitting in the car, Chen Yang couldn't help but laugh. This Yue Lei was truly arrogant, making his bullying of women sound so noble.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" the crew-cut man immediately chimed in, "An out-of-towner dares to come to our alley to pick up girls, he's asking for trouble! Brother Lei, before they go far, I'll take a few brothers over and teach him a lesson!"
"No rush!" Yue Lei said leisurely, "Let's play a few rounds of pool first, Young Master Yan is treating us tonight, that's the important business!"
Young Master Yan?
Hearing this, Chen Yang's heart skipped a beat. He opened the car door, got out, and walked towards the pool table.