Chapter 83: The Slippery One

After Ren Jifu left the hospital, leaning on his cane, he returned to Dahong’s casino the very next day. It wasn’t his desire to be discharged, nor was it an uncontrollable urge to gamble—he simply had no choice. The high-interest debt he owed to Dahong’s casino had snowballed, growing larger and larger. The other party involved in the accident had indeed been generous, leaving him with a hundred thousand yuan; after spending over forty thousand on medical expenses, the remainder was all seized by Dahong’s men.

He still owed Erzi ten thousand yuan as “compensation for mental distress.” If he didn’t leave the hospital, he wouldn’t even be able to pay the hospital fees. He hadn’t dared to formally check out; instead, he snuck out in the middle of the night, taking the two thousand yuan he’d hidden under his pillow.

Upon returning to Gaogang Village, he found it had already been demolished.

In the dead of night, he stared wide-eyed at the ruins of Gaogang Village, stewing in frustration all night.

Half-disabled, with nowhere to go, he could only return to the casino and resume his old tricks, helping Dahong set up schemes to swindle others. At least he’d have a place to stay and something to eat. With luck, maybe he could snare a big catch and turn his fortunes around.

“Ren Jifu, you’re dumbstruck, aren’t you? Didn’t I tell you you’d be poor all your life?” Dahong jeered as he snapped photos of a naked woman. “Tell me, are you an idiot or not? You sold your house for seventy thousand! If you’d waited till now, you could’ve gotten twenty grand more!”

“Damn it, Dahong, it’s all that Zhao bastard’s fault! And my cousin’s no good either—if he hadn’t egged me on, I never would’ve sold the house!” Ren Jifu gritted his teeth in anger at the thought, and, venting his frustration, he struck the girl being photographed with his cane, cursing, “Damn it, spread your legs! How’s my big brother supposed to take the shot like this?”

The thugs nearby snickered, and Dahong gave Ren Jifu a sidelong glance, mocking, “You really are a born scoundrel! Listen, you still owe the casino. Better figure something out, or don’t blame me for being ruthless. I won’t bother taking your picture—I’ll just smack you down, got it?”

“Dahong, it’s not that I don’t want to pay. That Jiang guy is protecting Zhao, so I’m out of options.” Ren Jifu complained bitterly.

“Jiang Xuan? He’s done for lately. The boss saw him on TV during the disaster relief—he’s running some construction crew now, and the boss isn’t happy about it.” Dahong sneered.

Ren Jifu’s eyes lit up. “Right, Dahong, last night I think I saw him at Gaogang Village—he was there with a bunch of people, working on some project!”

Dahong was startled. “What? He’s working on the Gaogang Village demolition? Damn, is he spreading his wings to fly solo? Even Mr. Song couldn’t get that contract, and he’s eating alone? Are you sure it was him?”

“Absolutely. I remember him too well to mistake him,” Ren Jifu replied.

“I’ll have to tell Mr. Song about this. Keep taking photos—make sure both mouths, top and bottom, are clear in the shots!” Dahong shoved the camera at Ren Jifu and turned to leave.

“Dahong, what about the money I owe? I really have nowhere to get it.” Ren Jifu called after him.

Dahong paused, glanced Ren Jifu up and down, and shook his head. “Are you stupid? Do you really think Jiang Xuan would kill someone? Here’s a trick for you, guaranteed to work.”

“What trick?”

Dahong eyed Ren Jifu’s crippled leg and said, “You’re already disabled—what’s there to be afraid of? Just stick to him, endure whatever he dishes out, and don’t leave unless he pays you. He bought your house, you’ve nowhere to live, so who else should you blame?”

Erzi, nearly blinded by Jiang Xuan last time, scoffed, “If you really get hurt, even better—you’ll be set for the rest of your life.”

Ren Jifu hesitated for a long while, then gritted his teeth. “Alright, let’s do it.”

“Hurry up. If you don’t pay up soon, you know the consequences.” Dahong threatened before leaving.

Once outside, he immediately dialed Mr. Song. “Boss, Jiang Xuan is something else now—he’s started his own company and even got the Gaogang Village demolition contract!”

A raspy voice answered on the other end, “Is that so? What makes Jiang Xuan qualified to get that contract?”

“I swear, my guy saw it himself—Jiang Xuan was leading a crew, working in Gaogang Village!” Dahong embellished, “Boss, he definitely used your construction company’s resources. Damn traitor, eating from your bowl and stabbing you in the back!”

There was a moment of silence. “I knew it—Jiang Xuan is an ungrateful wolf, damn it, climbing over me to get ahead! I want to see how many claws he has!”

Dahong, having suffered a setback from Jiang Xuan last time, was eager for revenge. “Boss, I can bring a few guys right now and get Jiang Xuan for you!”

Mr. Song paused briefly, not responding.

The disaster relief incident with Jiang Xuan was all over the news; Mr. Song had seen it on TV, but he hadn’t heard about Jiang Xuan starting a company and getting the Gaogang Village contract. Given the history between Dahong and Jiang Xuan, it was possible Dahong was stirring up trouble.

“What’s the rush? You’re always unreliable—don’t make mistakes. I’ll look into it first. In the meantime, focus on collecting the casino debts.”

...

Most of Gaogang Village’s residents had already moved out. Once demolition began, nineteen companies participated in the project; apart from a few wealthy giants like Provincial Construction No. 2, who could afford hotels and chauffeured cars, most companies set up simple temporary offices near Gaogang Village for convenience.

These temporary offices were the kind you’d find on construction sites—thin metal cabins strung together, one for office use, others for workers’ lodging.

Liang Shi stood at the entrance of Zejian’s metal office, furious.

At the doorway, a man lay sprawled out, his cane beside him, blocking Zejian’s entrance completely.

“How can you behave so shamelessly? This is an office! What do you think you’re doing lying here?” Nearby company employees pointed and whispered from a distance, some coming closer to watch the spectacle.

The crippled man on the ground had shown up early in the morning. Without a word, he lay at Zejian’s entrance, shouting that Zejian had cheated him out of his money and his house. The commotion was so loud that the demolition office sent officials to investigate, and the impact was extremely negative.

“Listen up! My name is Ren Jifu. Zejian’s boss Zhao Zejun swindled me out of my house. I’m here today to demand justice!” Ren Jifu, like a mangy dog, lay on the ground, raising his voice whenever someone passed by.

Zejian’s foreman, Old Chen, rushed over, fuming. “Engineer Liang, are you just going to let him cause trouble? He’s ruining our company’s reputation! Get some guys and haul him away!”

“It’s useless!” Liang Shi was at his wits’ end with this sticky troublemaker. Ren Jifu was blocking the door, and Liang Shi couldn’t ignore it. Earlier, he’d had some workers carry Ren Jifu away, but before long, he was back, lying at the entrance again.

“Damn it, I don’t believe this! I’ll bash your head in!” Old Chen grabbed a heavy iron hammer from the corner and threatened Ren Jifu’s head.

Ren Jifu, instead, sat up in a flash and shoved his head forward. “Go ahead, hit me! If you’ve got the guts, kill me! Your company already crippled me—I’m not afraid to die! If you kill me, Zejian will be finished! I’m telling you, if you so much as lay a finger on me, not only will I keep blocking your door, but I’ll eat, drink, and relieve myself right here!”

Old Chen, hammer raised, found himself unable to strike. Ren Jifu, smug, tilted his head and shouted, “Come on, hit me! If you don’t, you’re a coward’s bastard!”

Old Chen’s face turned dark red with rage, almost as if poisoned. Teeth clenched, he raised the hammer for another blow, “Damn it, I’ll kill you!”