"How would I know? You're the one who should be asking that question!" Li Yang retorted.
"Is it related to the recent demolition issues?" Guan Ling knew about the recent demolition issues, where Li Yang's home was, and was also aware of the conflicts between them.
"Guan Ling, don't focus on Li Yang. The criminal charges at the hospital are the key to the case. After all, Li Yang and the others are victims," Lin Feng whispered a reminder.
"But... alright!" Guan Ling was somewhat unwilling, but she had no choice but to agree. She had always been prejudiced against Li Yang, but after her recent promotion and many things that happened, her understanding had changed somewhat. However, she still couldn't completely change her previous perception and was still somewhat allergic to Li Yang.
"Can I ask a question?" Li Yang asked.
"Huh? What's the problem?" Lin Feng asked in surprise.
"Officer Guan, why do you call Jiang Xinyue 'Sister Jiang'?" Li Yang asked Guan Ling.
“This involves my personal matters, and I refuse to answer!” Guan Ling retorted.
Damn, this woman is unbelievable. She's so petty and vindictive. Do you think I don't know? So what if she knows Jiang Xinyue? Your father is the Director of the Public Security Bureau, and Jiang Xinyue's father was once a high-ranking official in the city. It's not surprising that you two, the children of officials, know each other and become friends!
What followed was a series of questions, all related to the case.
...
White River.
The area where Li Yang's family lives is characterized by its dilapidated and dirty state. It's a persistent problem for Jiangdong City, a major city in China, and a shantytown that city leaders are determined to demolish and rebuild.
A few hundred meters from Zhao Ran's supermarket, at an intersection, there was another small supermarket, and two restaurants nearby, both selling inexpensive, everyday food. Their customers were mostly poor, ordinary people from the neighborhood. They didn't serve anything fancy, just simple home-cooked meals, making a little money. The supermarkets mainly sold beer, fireworks, and raw rice, supporting the restaurants' livelihood.
It was already late, past dinnertime, and the restaurants were nearly empty, as were the supermarkets. The two owners had been neighbors for over a decade; one was called Lao Zhang, and the other Lao Wang. Lao Zhang ran a restaurant, and Lao Wang ran a supermarket.
"Old Zhang, how's business today?" Old Wang asked, taking a drag of his cigarette after sitting down on a small stool by the door.
"Sigh, business is getting harder and harder. This place is going to be demolished soon. How are we supposed to survive?" Old Zhang sighed and sat down at the door, smoking dejectedly.
"Yes, I heard the demolition compensation is pitifully low, only a thousand yuan per square meter. Isn't that suicidal?" Old Wang said with a mournful face.
"Damn real estate developers! May their children be born without an anus!" Old Zhang cursed fiercely.
"Have you heard? It's said that the reason the demolition compensation is so low this time is because of Li Yang's family!" Old Wang gossiped.
"You believe such rumors? You've wasted all these years!" Old Zhang cursed.
"Damn, I don't believe it, but a lot of people are saying it. Apparently, Li Yang offended the CEO of Hongtu Group, and that's why the CEO deliberately lowered the price!" Old Wang said excitedly.
"Even if this is true, I'm not standing with the real estate industry! Those bloodsucking, man-eating beasts! Do they think I'm a three-year-old child, so easy to fool?" Old Zhang cursed.
"You mean they said that on purpose?" Old Wang also realized what was going on.
"Think about it, how powerful is Li Yang's family now? They're the most powerful family around here, but why don't they move away? Isn't it because they've lived here as old neighbors for half their lives and are used to it? It's true that Li Yang and his boss don't get along. Damn it, if he wants to tear our houses down, you think you can stand up to his boss? If you don't fight him to the death, I'll take your surname!" Old Zhang said, somewhat agitated. It's true that Li Dongming has done a lot of good business for his family over the years, and the two get along very well. Besides, even after Li Dongming's son became powerful, he's not arrogant at all; he's always smiling when he sees them and offering them good cigarettes. Do you think people like that are bad? It's obvious that those heartless real estate developers are trying to smear them.
Old Wang's face turned somewhat grim as he retorted, "But that's exactly what they said. If they hadn't offended their boss, he was willing to compensate them three thousand!"
"Three thousand? Are you out of your mind or something? You're accepting three thousand?" Old Zhang exclaimed, agitated. "Damn it, five or six thousand in compensation for a location like this might be worth considering, but three thousand? That's robbery! Even if they offered five or six thousand, they wouldn't demolish the house if they could avoid it. They'd be damned if they didn't get that much. Where would they live? Would they starve? What about their son? They're so short-sighted!"
Old Wang blushed and said, "Three thousand is better than one thousand, right? They even said they'd give us three thousand as soon as Li Yang's family moved out!"
"You're a complete idiot! You actually believe what those heartless real estate developers say? You must be out of your mind. Don't you understand they're using a scheme? You, a nobody, can't possibly fight against these big bosses, right? In the end, won't you have to rely on Li Yang's family to fight back? As long as Li Yang's family is around, let me tell you, they won't be able to demolish our property. They're using a scheme to deliberately make us drive Li Yang's family away. Then, when that happens, they'll break the contract, not raise the price, and only give you a thousand yuan. Do you think you can bite their balls off? Naïve, so innocent!" Old Zhang jumped up and cursed excitedly.
Chapter 639: Is there a hidden story?
Old Wang was also embarrassed and upset by the scolding. He felt like a complete idiot. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that Old Zhang's words made sense, but what if it wasn't true? What if they really did compensate him three thousand?
But even if what you say is right, you can't just open your mouth and curse at me, can you? I'm a grown man, standing up and peeing, and you're just going to curse at me without me daring to talk back?
"Old Zhang, you son of a bitch, I'm giving you face, don't push your luck! You think you're so smart, so insightful! I'm a fucking idiot! I'll fuck your daughter!" Old Wang had long coveted Old Zhang's daughter, who was in college. The girl was incredibly pretty, with a lovely face and a nice butt, and she was also sensible, helping out at home during holidays. He liked to squat by the door watching her work, staring at her big butt while smoking. Today, in a fit of anger, he finally blurted out his true feelings. So satisfying!
"Fuck your sister! Fuck all the bastards in your family! You bitch, you finally said what you really wanted to say! You dog, you drool over my daughter every time you see her, don't think I don't know! I'll let it slide since you're old enough to be rude. Men are men, I understand! You dare to turn against me today, believe me or not, I'll chop you up with a knife!" Old Zhang was truly enraged, spitting and cursing at Old Wang, almost ready to rush back to the kitchen, grab the cleaver, and give him a good thrashing!
Old Wang felt ashamed and embarrassed after his secret was exposed in front of so many people. Enraged, he jumped up, grabbed a stool, and rushed at Old Zhang, intending to knock him down with one blow!
"Stop! Stop!" the onlookers shouted, trying to break up the fight.
"They're all neighbors, how did they end up fighting over just a few words..."
"Don't ruin the harmony; everyone's upset, but let's avoid infighting..."
The crowd rushed forward, restrained the two, and prevented a bloody incident from happening before their eyes.
"Hehehe... We haven't even made a move yet, and you've already started fighting. Keep fighting, kill one of them!" A sinister laugh suddenly rang out from outside the crowd. The voice sounded extremely unpleasant, neither male nor female, neither yin nor yang. If you only listened to the voice, you couldn't tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
Everyone froze, turning to look. They all gasped in shock. A dark mass of people, wielding galvanized steel pipes and chains, were staring menacingly at them. They had been so focused on breaking up the fight and trying to calm things down that they hadn't noticed such a large group of people behind them; they were clearly not good people.
Old Zhang and Old Wang stopped fighting and also looked over.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Old Zhang asked warily. In fact, he already had a guess and a bad feeling was creeping over him.
"Who are we? Hehe... We are your enemies, here to destroy your homes. The smart ones should hurry up and pack up and get out of here, offering up their beautiful wives and daughters. Otherwise, our fists don't discriminate, they show no mercy!" The androgynous leader chuckled as he spoke. In the darkness, under the dim streetlights, his eyes flickered with a ghostly light, eerie and terrifying.
"Who owns this supermarket? Let's start here. The location is excellent, very eye-catching! Consider it a warning and an example for you." The man walked up to the supermarket as if no one else was there, glanced around, and said with a smile.
"What, what did you say? You, you..." Old Wang almost fainted and fell to the ground. Holy crap, this isn't murder! I might as well be killed!
"I said tear down this supermarket. What are you all standing there for? Why aren't you doing it?" The seemingly male guy waved his hand lightly. He was wearing a tight-fitting bodysuit, and his muscle lines were extremely smooth. His body was as well-proportioned as a bodybuilder, but there was no stiffness from the piled-up muscles. His long hair was tied in a ponytail and hung down his back. His face was extremely handsome, so handsome that even women would be jealous.
"You, you, none of you can touch my supermarket! I, I'll fight you to the death!" Old Wang excitedly waved his stool, his face contorted as he blocked the supermarket.
"Wow... How impressive. Are you all deaf? Didn't you hear me?" The handsome man, who could not change gender, looked at his underlings with a sinister gaze.
"Attack!" someone shouted immediately, waving something and rushing forward.