Zhao Qiang blushed: "I'm not a judge."
Mrs. Guo said, "Ah, if you weren't a judge, could this matter be resolved? Ah, I understand, you're a lawyer."
Zhao Qiang said, "Auntie, don't guess, I'm unemployed."
Madam Guo looked at Guo Yang with suspicion, while Guo Yang was even more puzzled. However, he trusted Su Su, so he comforted his mother, saying, "Mom, please don't ask any more questions."
The voices were getting a bit loud. Guo Zhen blinked and woke up. He saw his son glare at him, snort, and turn away. It seemed that Old Master Guo had a problem with his son.
Zhao Qiang stepped forward and greeted him, "Uncle, tell me what you want Liu Mingzhen to do, and Guo Yang and I will take care of it."
The old man became agitated at the mention of the matter. "I just want justice. It was agreed that we'd split the profits 40/60, and he'd take responsibility for any losses. Now he dares to deny it! My good-for-nothing son not only doesn't stand up for me, but he keeps telling me to let it go. Do you think I'll give in? I want him to admit he said those words and return my money."
Mrs. Guo reminded her son, "Your father called your uncle in the United States this afternoon and told him to head back to China. He's determined to fight Liu Mingzhen to the bitter end; he won't give up until he gets the money back." Mrs. Guo sighed deeply.
(Thanks to m3 for their monthly pass support)
Volume Two [713] The Problem
[713] The problem lies in
Guo Yang was surprised to hear his mother's words: "What? Even my uncle has been alerted?"
Madam Guo said, "You know how stubborn your father is. I can't persuade him at all."
Guo Yang said, "The United States has experienced a large-scale virus outbreak. Is he able to come back now?"
Mrs. Guo said, "I heard that the United States has developed a treatment drug, so the virus incident has subsided. Your uncle has survived a great disaster. This time when he returns to China, he may not go back to the United States. As people get older, they have the idea of returning to their roots. But with your father in this state, how will your uncle receive people when he comes home?"
Guo Yang said, "Mom, don't worry, I will definitely make that Liu Mingzhen apologize to my dad."
Madam Guo said, "If only that could be done." After saying that, Madam Guo glanced at Zhao Qiang, as if to say that Zhao Qiang was capable enough to make Liu Mingzhen submit? Her son was just trying to comfort her.
Guo Yang actually knew even less about Zhao Qiang, but he was determined that even if he had to fight Liu Mingzhen to the death, he couldn't let him get away with it. "Mom, keep an eye on Dad, we're going to find him right now." Guo Yang couldn't wait a moment longer.
Madam Guo nodded. Now the pillar of the family is her son. She instructed him, "Yangzi, be careful. Liu Mingzhen is ruthless. You must not let him hurt you. I don't want to see any more accidents happen to my family."
Guo Yang gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, Mom, Zhao Qiang, let's go."
Liu Mingzhen's company is located next to the most bustling square in Jiangquan City. It is a four-story commercial building. Liu Mingzhen bought the first, second and third floors of the store. The first floor is the sales area, which sells several products that Liu Mingzhen represents, mainly bedding and knitwear. The second floor is the office area, where Liu Mingzhen and his son each have their own offices. The third floor is the warehouse and staff dormitory. Although the total area of the three floors is only a little over 200 square meters, it is worth more than a million.
Guo Yang led Zhao Qiang into Liu Mingzhen's company. They entered through the back door, bypassing the first-floor counter and going straight to the second floor. Although it was late, the company hadn't closed yet. At the top of the stairs was a round bar counter, where a woman in her thirties sat. She immediately spotted Guo Yang, placed her hand on the counter, and stood up, asking, "Gentlemen, who are you looking for?"
Guo Yang said rudely, "You know who I'm looking for. Tell Liu Mingzhen and Liu Zhi to come out immediately."
The woman sneered, "Guo Yang, don't think you can boss us around just because you're a third-rate celebrity. I'm not buying it." This woman didn't seem like a good person.
Guo Yang ignored the woman and rushed into the corridor. The woman jumped out from behind the bar and blocked Guo Yang's way, saying, "What are you doing? Are you trying to break into a private residence? Is there no law anymore?"
Guo Yang said, "Fine, you're talking to me about the law, then I'll talk to you about it. My dad's hard-earned money was supposed to be guaranteed to be used for business. You were there when my dad came to deliver the money, so you can be my witness. What did Liu Mingzhen say at the time? Did he say that if there were any losses, he would cover them? That's why my dad handed over the money to him. Now Liu Mingzhen wants to go back on his word. You'll be my witness."
The woman looked a little embarrassed, but quickly regained her composure. She put her hands on her hips, looking like a compass, and said, "You're talking nonsense. There's no such thing as making money without losing money in business. Our boss would never say that. I remember clearly that he said whether we make a profit or a loss, it's all up to fate. Now he wants his money back. Does he think he's getting all the good things in the world?"
Guo Yang's hands trembled with anger: "Let fate decide? I've never heard of such a principle as helping people manage their finances."
The woman said, "There are many things you haven't heard of. If you don't leave, I'm going to call the police."
At this moment, Liu Mingzhen's office door opened, and a young man walked out. He was Liu Mingzhen's son, Liu Zhi. He had just been discussing with his father in the office the unsuccessful acquisition of the Jiayuan Investment. A large part of Qiushi Trading Company's business was taking export orders and then producing for its subsidiaries.
Liu Mingzhen also ran an investment and wealth management business on his WeChat Moments. This business was not public, and he used to do quite well, with almost every investment yielding a profit. His reputation on WeChat Moments was relatively secure. However, the impact of the US virus crisis was too widespread, and there were almost no investments that didn't lose money. Even Jiayuan Investment suffered losses of tens of billions. Fortunately, Jiayuan Investment was financially strong and could withstand the losses, but Liu Mingzhen couldn't. Suffering heavy losses, Liu Mingzhen could only shift the blame onto others.
"What's all the noise about?" Liu Zhi said to the woman with a stern face.
The woman said, "Vice President Liu, it's Guo Yang. He's here to cause trouble again. I warned him that if he doesn't leave, I'll call the police."
Liu Zhi glanced at Guo Yang casually: "Oh, it's the big star Guo. Why aren't you performing and instead you're here at our company arguing? If you want to argue, I can hire a shrew to keep you company."
Guo Yang pointed at Liu Zhi and said, "You, surnamed Liu, know perfectly well that if you don't pay back the money this time, I'll..."
Liu Zhi said casually, "What's wrong with you? Are you going to eat me?"
Guo Yang said, "I'm going to sue you in court."
Liu Zhi shrugged and said, "Welcome. If there's nothing else, I'll go back and wait for the court summons." With that, Liu Zhi turned and went into his office. He knew perfectly well that Guo Yang had no evidence, which was why he was so arrogant.
Guo Yang was so angry that he couldn't say a word. If he had evidence, would he have waited until today to go to court?
Zhao Qiang knew that with Guo Yang's abilities, this was the best that could be done; otherwise, he wouldn't have sought help from Su Su. The woman at the front desk stood triumphantly in front of Guo Yang, her expression smug, proud of having driven a celebrity to desperation.
Guo Yang was truly desperate. He raised his hand to slap the woman, who took a half-step back in fright, but then stepped forward again. "Fine, so you want to hit someone, big star? Go ahead and hit me! Hit me! Tomorrow I'll make you famous all over the internet!"
Guo Yang could only helplessly lower his raised hand. He couldn't hit anyone; even if he did, it wouldn't solve the problem.
At this moment, Zhao Qiang stepped forward. It was his turn; if he didn't act soon, Guo Yang might look down on him. Zhao Qiang suddenly kicked out, knocking the woman to the ground with a thud. The woman was completely unprepared for Zhao Qiang's ruthlessness. She rolled on the ground and tumbled down the stairs, screaming all the way. Liu Zhi, who had already returned to his office, ran out again.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Well, Guo Yang, you actually brought thugs here. You want to compete with me in terms of power? You wait, I'll call security right now." Actually, Liu Zhi's company didn't have any security guards. Liu Zhi just wanted to scare Guo Yang and intimidate him before finding a way to get his face back.
Guo Yang was also terrified by Zhao Qiang. He said, "Zhao Qiang, how could you do this?"
Zhao Qiang said, "How about it? This woman is too annoying. Don't you feel the world is much quieter after kicking her away?"
At this moment, the woman who had rolled down the stairs got up. She wasn't seriously injured, but her leg was a little lame. Holding onto the handrail, she struggled to climb back up. She yelled and lunged at Zhao Qiang, "I'll fight you to the death!" She was the complete image of a shrew.
Zhao Qiang simply kicked her again, and the woman tumbled down the stairs once more. Her skills were hardly worth Zhao Qiang's time. Zhao Qiang's second kick startled Guo Yang. How could the friend Su Su introduced be so barbaric? This was going to escalate the situation.
Liu Zhi was terrified. Despite his usual arrogance, he was actually quite incompetent. If his opponent was stronger than him, he would never suffer a loss. With that thought in mind, Liu Zhi immediately returned to his office and slammed the door shut behind him.
Liu Mingzhen was smoking and deep in thought. The company was in a serious economic crisis. Almost all of its funds were tied up in the stock and futures markets. Now it didn't even have the money to pay the raw materials for the production companies. Moreover, countless investors came to him to collect debts. Hearing his son barge in, Liu Mingzhen said with an annoyed look, "Liu Zhi, can't you make me worry less?"
Liu Zhi said, "Dad, something bad has happened! Guo Yang has broken in."
Liu Mingzhen glared at him: "What did you say?"
Liu Zhi, panting, said, "Guo Yang found some thug somewhere and beat up Sister Fu."
Liu Mingzhen jumped to his feet: "What? The Guo family's son dares to cause trouble at our company?"
Liu Zhi said, "Yes, that guy is pretty skilled. Let's quickly find someone to help us, we can't beat him."
Liu Mingzhen snorted: "Let me go out and meet him."
Just as Liu Mingzhen finished speaking, the office door was kicked open with a bang. Guo Yang stood timidly at the door, while Zhao Qiang led the way and entered first.
Liu Mingzhen glanced at Zhao Qiang, whom he didn't recognize. However, Liu Mingzhen didn't make any rash moves and instead chuckled, "Friend, what's your name?"
Zhao Qiang had already given the receptionist enough of a warning by hitting her, so he wasn't in a hurry to break ties with Liu Mingzhen. He said, "My name is Zhao Qiang. You must be Liu Mingzhen. I'm Guo Yang's friend. I'm here to ask when Guo Yang's father will repay the money. Also, you and your son should go to the hospital to apologize to Guo Yang's father."
Liu Mingzhen sneered, "Such arrogance, young man. This is Jiangquan City, not some rural market. What right do you have to order me around?" While talking to Zhao Qiang, Liu Mingzhen secretly gestured to his son, telling him to call the police immediately.
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't want to talk about seniority, I just want to get justice. Since you promised Guo Yang's father, you should do it. If you can't, you shouldn't have made that boast in the first place. Your current behavior is enough to constitute fraud."
Liu Mingzhen asked, "What did I promise Guo Zhen?"
Guo Yang grabbed him and said, "You lied to my father and said that if the investment lost money, it would be your responsibility, but now you're saying that my father has lost every penny."
Liu Mingzhen laughed loudly: "What a joke! I've never heard of anyone willing to be a fool, sharing profits with you and assuming all losses as their own. Don't you think that's childish? How could I, Liu Mingzhen, do such a thing? Don't try to blame me for the losses. Even if this goes to the Supreme Court, I'll still be in the right. If you're not satisfied, then provide evidence to prove that I ever said those things."
Guo Yang glanced at Zhao Qiang. This was the problem. Liu Mingzhen denied saying those words, and now the Guo family couldn't produce any evidence to prove that he had said them. If this matter really went to court, the Guo family would not benefit at all, and might even be suspected of making trouble and owing money unreasonably.
Volume 2 [714] Helplessness
[714] Helpless
Guo Yang lowered his head. If he didn't know this, would he have let his father get so angry? It was because he had no evidence that he was suppressed by the Liu family at every turn and couldn't even file a lawsuit.
Zhao Qiang said to Liu Mingzhen, "You know perfectly well what the truth is."
Liu Mingzhen said, "You don't need to lie to me so I can record this. I, Liu Mingzhen, am not a three-year-old child."
At this moment, Liu Zhi came out from the inner office and gave his father an OK sign, indicating that the police call had been successfully made and they would arrive soon.
Zhao Qiang said, "Believe it or not, I'll give you one night to think it over. If you don't obediently bring money to the hospital to apologize tomorrow, don't blame me for being impolite."
Liu Mingzhen laughed loudly: "I welcome your impoliteness to Guo Yang. I have already called the police. As a celebrity, you are abusing your power. I think the media is waiting for news like this."
Guo Yang tugged at Zhao Qiang's sleeve, signaling him to leave quickly. The police would arrive soon, and they would have no reason to leave; instead, they would be detained. After all, Liu Mingzhen had thoroughly bribed the police in this area.
Zhao Qiang said to Guo Yang, "Don't be afraid. If you back down in front of him today, he won't care about you anymore."
Guo Yang said, "But the police really will arrest us."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'm here." After saying that, he ignored Guo Yang and began to look around Liu Mingzhen's office. Zhao Qiang used his X-ray vision to examine every document in the office. Although Liu Mingzhen did not know that Zhao Qiang had such advanced X-ray vision equipment, he was a little worried as he watched Zhao Qiang keep looking at his filing cabinet and safe. "What are you looking at?"
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "Can't I even take a look? Is there something you're hiding?"
Liu Mingzhen said, "We are operating legally. There's nothing shady about us. Don't make baseless accusations."
Zhao Qiang said, "Since you are operating legally, there's nothing to worry about. It won't hurt if I just take a look."
Liu Zhi pointed to the door and said, "Get out, this is our private place, you are not welcome."
Zhao Qiang kicked Liu Zhi out of the room with a single kick. Liu Zhi tried to dodge, but Zhao Qiang's foot was like a shadow; he didn't have the time to react and could only watch helplessly as he was kicked in the buttocks and fell to the ground at the doorway. Liu Mingzhen shouted, "Stop!"
Zhao Qiang shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't use my hands at all, I used my feet. Your son is such a grown man and doesn't know how to use polite language. I'm just teaching him. A foul mouth leads to trouble."
Guo Yang was happy to see Liu Zhi being kicked down. He had to admit that the guy Su Su introduced was incredibly arrogant, actually resorting to violence right away. However, he worried that Liu Mingzhen, the local bully, could easily subdue him.
"He's up there, hurry up and arrest him!" The woman at the front desk's voice rang out from upstairs. It turned out she had gone to the door to greet the police. Zhao Qiang was strong and muscular, and it was obvious at a glance that he was no match for them. So the three people from Qiushi Trading Company pinned their hopes on the police. Even the strongest person wouldn't dare to go against the police.
The sound of footsteps running up and down the stairs was the familiar sound of the police officers. These officers had received plenty of benefits from Liu Mingzhen in the past, and now that Liu Mingzhen's company was being harassed, it was their responsibility to help Liu Mingzhen handle the situation. Even if they hadn't received any benefits from Liu Mingzhen, it was still their duty.
Four police officers came up, two in uniform and two in plainclothes. The two in uniform were older and looked like leaders, while the two in plainclothes were very young, only in their twenties. One of them was burly and looked like a wall. Liu Mingzhen was overjoyed to see them. "Chief Wang, arrest them quickly! They came here to cause trouble and even injured my employees. They are lawless and have no respect for the government."
The policeman in uniform, referred to as Officer Wang, glanced at the scene in the office and said to Guo Yang, "You must be the big star Guo." It seems the receptionist had already given Officer Wang a brief introduction when he came up.
Guo Yang said, "I dare not accept that title." Guo Yang really couldn't bear the title of 'big star'; his fame was only average.
Wang said, "You're supposed to be a cultured person, how could you do such a thing?"
Guo Yang retorted, "What kind of thing? We're here to collect a debt from Liu Mingzhen. Is that not allowed? Paying back debts is a matter of course."
Wang said, “Whether or not you collect the debt is my business, that’s a matter for the court. But you’ve disrupted other people’s business order, so you’ve broken the law. You’ve also assaulted someone, which is a serious public order incident. So, you two come with me. As the competent authority for this area, we will deal with you according to the law.”
Guo Yang said, "How can that be? Are we supposed to just swallow our anger after being cheated out of money?"
Wang said, “I’ve already said that’s a matter for the court. If you have a grievance, you can appeal. But now you have to come with me.”
Two plainclothes officers stepped forward to pull Guo Yang away. Guo Yang felt guilty because he had no evidence, so he didn't resist much. This attitude pleased Chief Wang even more. He was worried that Guo Yang would refuse to go back to the station to give a statement. Now that Guo Yang didn't cause any trouble, once the statement was taken and Guo Yang's criminal behavior was confirmed, no matter how capable he was, he wouldn't be able to escape. And then, if they hyped it up online, it would be hard for Chief Wang not to become famous. Getting promoted would be a piece of cake.
Guo Yang was at a loss. He was about to follow the plainclothes officers downstairs when Zhao Qiang grabbed him and said, "Go rest over there. We did nothing wrong. The fault lies with Liu Mingzhen. If you go to the police station, it will be even harder to explain."