Chapter 218 - Noise (1)
"What do you mean by you can't afford to take out a million or two? Didn't we have a deal that as long you pay us by the month, we'll leave your factory alone without trouble?" one of the thugs that surrounding this individual said.
From the look of it, these thugs were doing him a favor by leaving his business untouched as long he paid the protection fee. But based on their current conversation, it seems there's some disagreement between them.
On the businessman's side, he seems to be reluctant to be giving them the sum they're asking. While on the thug's side, they look like they're trying to get more than what they're entitled to. The two eventually continue with their argument without bothering if there's anyone else hearing them.
Their discussion was quite interesting at first, but it seems that the thugs have started to lose their patience after a while. These people began to get rougher by venting their anger on the nearby wooden cases. These were set aside for recyclers to pick up first in the morning.
"I hate to say this, but you left me with no option. Listen here..." the thugs that were dealing with all the speaking sounded like he lost all the patience to discuss this matter.
"You have time until the middle of afternoon tomorrow. If we don't see the two million Dongcheng Dollars cheque when my men come and collect it, you can say goodbye to your business." the thug said.
He looked like he would leave after finishing what was in his mind, but it came with a twist as he grabbed the businessman's face and continued. It was an old trick to pretend you're done speaking to catch your opponent unaware.
"Golden Stars Retail Co, am I correct? How many sub-branches do you have around the town again? Eleven? Twelve? I wonder how quick your business gonna fall if we come over to start making trouble." he added.
The businessman was left alone after the thugs got on their vans and drove away. From the dim illumination of the nearby streetlight, a puddle of water can be seen flowing to the lower ground direction.
It seems that the shock caught up with him, to the point he wet his pants.
Zhang Qin Feng felt like he shouldn't get involved in this matter. Unfortunately, he underestimated what fate got for him. But that was in the future.
Taking a long way home, Zhang Qin Feng pressed the password on the keypad to access the main entrance. It seems that the car he was driving was already in the garage by the time he got home.
"Feng, you're home?" Wang Yufei's sweet voice came from the kitchen as he dropped his wallet and phone in a nearby basket for personal belongings. The fragrant aroma of the plant-based steak was all around the kitchen when Zhang Qin Feng walked past the sliding doors.
He reached out to the remote and turned the ventilation fan on. Although the steak's aroma smells appetizing, it wasn't when the diner smelled like a piece of cooked meat when they're resting in the living room.
"Yes, I'm home. How's the business today?" Zhang Qin Feng asked. He went to the Food Processor he assembled at a kitchen corner and plugged a memory stick in. The machinery immediately downloads the file into its recipe book before securely ejecting the memory stick.
(New Food Module Downloaded. Would the user like to activate the automatic preparation function?)
(Yes/ No)
The option appeared on the touch panel. Knowing that it won't be enough to have just a steak tonight for dinner, Zhang Qin Feng opted for the machine to make enough for four portions.
(Processing...)
The machine was on automatic mode as he went to Wang Yufei's side. It seems their dinner for tonight was some baby potatoes cooked in oil, some stem, and root vegetables like asparagus, celery, broccoli, and carrots.
The vegetables were sauteed in high-quality butter before being topped with some herbs. They smell heavenly with a dash of salt and pepper. As for the main, it was the plant-based steak. Although this imitation meat comes from flour and soy protein, its nutrition was much better than eating the real deal.
Because it was crafted purely from plant-based material, this steak can be considered a pure vegetarian option. Even someone with a dieting program can have this without worries. This was also why Wang Yufei could freely enjoy the food without worrying about maintaining her shape.
"The business is a little slow recently. Perhaps it's because the summer is coming to an end soon. Those wedding bookings were starting to get slower as the season is over." Wang Yufei replied.
Zhang Qin Feng hugged Wang Yufei from the back.
"Feng... Don't you need to go back to Xiyang City to monitor the progress of your factory's business?" Wang Yufei asked. She's happy that Zhang Qin Feng was accompanying her daily, but not in exchange for compromising his focus.
She's happy, but she's worried that Zhang Qin Feng was doing this because of the incident with Jun Minji. Although it felt good to have this man by her side all the time, she's not selfish to the point of keeping him around just because she loves him.
After all, Zhang Qin Feng is still a man. Someone that could do many things if he was to be released into the wild.
"For now, Alice Moon will be handling everything on my behalf. The company was not my primary concern because my intention was not to expand that business but build credibility. Only with good credibility can I go much further in my investment in both Xiyang City and Shuiyue City." Zhang Qin Feng said.
"What you're intending to do if that business was just to build your credit rating?" Wang Yufei asked. While speaking, she removed the cooking pan from the flame and allowed it to shut down automatically.
"Do you know that except for the instant noodle business in Xiyang, I've invested in the Yu Family's health supplement drink program too? With this plant-based food processor, I'm sure we're able to make a new upcoming trend in the food industry." Zhang Qin Feng said.