Chapter 268 - 228: The Scheme is Set, Walk Into the Trap

Chapter 268: Chapter 228: The Scheme is Set, Walk Into the Trap

"My tire got a nail in it. It’s flat, and I can’t move..."

When Ren Peng saw someone arrive, it was as if he’d found an outlet. He babbled on, explaining the whole situation from beginning to end. After getting a nod of understanding from the stout young man, he felt the frustration bottled up inside him finally start to dissipate.

"I’m in a bit of a hurry, but do you have a jack in your car, buddy? I can help you change the tire." The stout young man got out of his car and enthusiastically helped Ren Peng get the spare tire down.

"Thanks."

As they worked, the stout young man was wondering how to bring up a topic naturally. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted several packs of tissues in the car printed with the words ’Haitian Hotel.’ An idea immediately came to him.

"Hey man, you a regular at the Haitian Hotel?" the stout young man asked casually, pretending to nonchalantly pull out a tissue to wipe the grime off his hands.

"I run a small business, so I have to go to the Haitian Hotel for most of my client dinners. I guess you could call me a semi-regular," Ren Peng said with a smile.

"Hah!" The stout young man suddenly sighed, then said through gritted teeth, "I’m actually on my way to the Haitian Hotel right now to settle a score with someone!"

"Settle a score? What happened?"

Besides matters of life and death, gossip is something humans can never resist. Ren Peng was no exception.

"A relative of mine found a house they liked. The initial talks went well, the deposit was paid, the contract was signed—all that was left was the handover." At this point, the stout young man slapped his thigh, his eyes practically shooting sparks. "But that son of a bitch actually promised the house to two different families! He took deposits and signed contracts with both of them! Don’t you think I should go demand an explanation?"

"Wow! You definitely need to demand an explanation for that." Ren Peng nodded in complete agreement.

"Right?!" The stout young man continued, filled with righteous indignation. "It’s outrageous, isn’t it? But it gets even more outrageous. The damn house was also mortgaged to the bank..."

At first, Ren Peng just thought he was hearing a piece of gossip. But as the stout young man revealed more and more details, he gradually sensed that something was wrong. When he heard the name ’Mr. He’ from the stout young man’s lips, it finally clicked.

’Mr. He... why is that name exactly the same as the owner of the furniture store!’

"This Mr. He, is he the same Mr. He from the furniture store on Zijing Road’s Qianjin Street?" Ren Peng asked, feigning curiosity.

"You know Mr. He, buddy?!" The stout young man’s eyes went wide as he glared at Ren Peng, as if Ren Peng were Mr. He’s accomplice.

"We had some business dealings before, met a few times." Seeing the stout young man’s hostile attitude, Ren Peng quickly distanced himself from Mr. He.

The conversation continued, but Ren Peng’s mind was no longer on the topic. His thoughts were consumed by what the stout young man had just said—Mr. He sold one house to two families and also mortgaged it to the bank!

’If he’d do that with a house, what about the shop? Could he be doing the same thing? The furniture store I’m interested in—did he promise it only to me, or did he promise it to several other people, just like the house?’

At this thought, Ren Peng suddenly felt a wave of relief.

’It’s a good thing my car broke down. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met this stout young man, and I wouldn’t have found out about this. If Mr. He really did promise the shop to several people while I was kept in the dark, wouldn’t I lose everything?!’

’Maybe it wasn’t just the car breaking down. Maybe, from the moment I left the house today, fate has been warning me not to go out, not to go see Mr. He...’

The stout young man saw the change in Ren Peng’s expression and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

’With my Oscar-worthy performance, the target has realized something is wrong. His next step will definitely be to verify if the information I gave him is correct. I’ve bought us some time!’

While Ren Peng’s mind was racing, the two of them finally finished changing the tire. After grabbing a carton of cigarettes from his car and stuffing it into the stout young man’s hands as a thank you, Ren Peng eagerly jumped into his vehicle, slammed on the gas, and sped away.

’Over a million is no small sum. It’s better to miss out on the deal than to be scammed and lose everything!’

After watching Ren Peng drive off, the stout young man returned to his car. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered he had to retrieve the sign he’d placed at the intersection.

At that moment, a tow truck pulled up to the spot, and the driver looked at the "Road Under Maintenance" sign, his face a mask of frustration.

Meanwhile, after leaving Ren Peng’s residential complex, Monkey walked straight to a taxi, put on a taxi driver’s jacket, and drove to the entrance of another complex. The moment he stopped the car, a tall, sturdy middle-aged man walked out, looking around for something. His gaze suddenly landed on the taxi Monkey was driving, and he walked over with a pleased expression.

"Driver, you going to the Haitian Hotel?" the tall, sturdy middle-aged man asked, tapping his knuckle on the car window.

"Yep, get in!" Monkey unlocked the doors, and the tall, sturdy middle-aged man got into the taxi without a hitch.

The first half of the trip was smooth, but about halfway there, a phone rang inside the car. Monkey glanced apologetically at the tall, sturdy middle-aged man, slowed down, pulled his phone from his pocket, hit the answer and speakerphone buttons, and placed it on his thigh to talk to the caller.

"Wei, something’s happened with the house at Azure Sea Garden! It’s over, it’s all over! We’re not getting the deposit back!"

"Bro, don’t panic. Tell me slowly, what happened?"

"The owner of the Azure Sea Garden house, Mr. He—he sold one house to two different families! He also mortgaged it! The deed can’t be transferred at all!"

"How did you find this out, bro?"

"I had a friend ask someone who works inside the bank. He said it’s not just this one house—another property under Mr. He’s name was handled the same way!"

"..."

Sitting in the back seat, the tall, sturdy middle-aged man’s ears perked up. As he listened, he involuntarily leaned forward toward Monkey, until his head was practically pressed against the back of the driver’s seat, taking in every word of the conversation between Monkey and his "brother."

At almost the same time, Xu An and Uncle Dongliang received messages from Monkey and the stout young man. Both messages were identical, containing just two simple letters: OK!

The moment he saw the message, Xu An hit the call button. The phone only rang twice before the other end picked up.

"Mr. He, this is Xu An, the owner of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. Yes, that’s right. I have the money ready. Shall we find a place to talk and sign the contract?"

"Hahahaha, that’s right, 1.3 million yuan, down to the last cent!"

"I’ll pick a place? How about the Haitian Hotel? The property registration center is nearby, so it’ll be convenient for us to handle the paperwork."

"Alright, alright, see you at the Haitian Hotel in half an hour!"

After confirming the meeting time and place, Xu An opened QQ and sent a message to one of his contacts.

’Ten o’clock. Haitian Hotel, Golden Yuanbao Private Room.’

The other person seemed to be waiting by their phone. Almost the instant Xu An sent the message, a reply came back.

’Roger.’

Once things were settled on his end, Xu An turned to look at Uncle Dongliang. He saw his uncle wave a hand toward the door, and two burly men, who were a match for Xu Dongliang in both height and weight, walked in.

’Everything’s ready!’