Chapter 269 - 229: The Fish Is Hooked

Chapter 269: Chapter 229: The Fish Is Hooked

Haitian Hotel, Golden Yuanbao Private Room.

The private room held only Xu An and Mr. He, yet the table was laden with a full spread of dishes. He had ordered all the delicacies—abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, fish maw—and even the liquor Xu An chose was Maotai.

When Mr. He came in and saw the table, he was taken aback, but also immensely satisfied. Of the three people he had contacted, Xu An might be the youngest, but he was certainly the most savvy.

’Just look at this table of delicacies... Tsk, tsk!’

"Boss Xu, you’re being far too generous, don’t you think?"

"Not at all, not at all. Come, Mr. He, have a taste of this liquor." Xu An raised the bottle high in invitation. "It’s thanks to you, Mr. He, that I have the good fortune to drink such a fine spirit today!"

"Nonsense! It’s clearly me who is basking in your glow, Boss Xu!"

Mr. He didn’t stand on ceremony. He took a large stride and sat down in the seat of honor, picking up his glass to enjoy Xu An’s service with a clear conscience.

After several rounds of drinks and courses of food.

Xu An’s right hand slipped quietly into his pocket. With practiced ease, he pressed the start button before finally getting down to business.

"Mr. He, I’ve gathered all the money—one million, three hundred thousand yuan exactly. Not a single yuan more or less. So, what’s the word on your end? Can we handle the paperwork today? Can we get it all done today?"

If Xu An had asked this question an hour ago, Mr. He would have naturally found all sorts of excuses to stall—pushing it to tomorrow, the day after, or even later. Ideally, he would have delayed until after he had made his getaway.

But just an hour ago, he had received calls from the other two potential buyers. Their wording was slightly different, but the message was the same: something urgent had come up at their businesses and they needed to handle it today. They’d have to discuss the furniture showroom tomorrow.

The two of them were adamant. No amount of persuasion worked; they insisted on waiting until tomorrow.

That morning, both had sworn up and down there would be no problem. Now, less than two hours later, they had both backed out. The sudden reversal in their attitudes gave Mr. He a bad feeling.

’A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.’

’And Xu An was the bird in his hand!’

"No problem, no problem! We’ll go to the bank to verify the funds. If everything checks out, we can go straight to the real estate center to handle the paperwork. How does that sound?" Mr. He was decisive, immediately giving Xu An the answer he wanted to hear.

"Hahaha, you’re a straightforward man, Mr. He! I’ll drink to that!"

After eating and drinking their fill, the two men politely deferred to each other as they exited the Haitian Hotel. They headed straight for Hai City Bank, where they went to a teller’s window to print a transaction statement.

When Mr. He saw the eye-catching sum of "One Million Three Hundred Thousand Yuan" written out in the final column, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

’What a fool. He fell for it!’

Just as Mr. He was about to ask Xu An to transfer the money to his card, Xu An took a rectangular slip from the bank teller and, with a quick turn, stuffed it into his hand.

"Mr. He, this is a cashier’s check for one million three hundred thousand yuan. Once the paperwork is all settled, you can bring it back to the bank and cash it."

Without giving Mr. He a chance to hesitate, Xu An, with a seemingly gentle but irresistibly firm grip, steered him out of the bank and across the street, into the entrance of the Hai City Real Estate Center.

He looked at the check in his hand, then at the sincere smile on Xu An’s face. He thought about how neither Ren Peng nor the tall, sturdy middle-aged man had ever asked him for any documentation. His heart settled a bit.

’It doesn’t matter if the other two birds take the bait. This one is already in the cage. All I have to do is close my hand, and this fat bird goes right into the pot...’

Thanks to some prior arrangements, the relevant paperwork was completed with dumbfounding speed. Once the documents were reviewed, Xu An could come back tomorrow to pick up his land use certificate.

Watching the clerk place all the documents into a manila envelope, seal it, stamp it, and send it to the records room, Xu An felt the heart that had been in his throat finally settle back into his chest. He extended his right hand to Mr. He with a smile. "A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. He. And please, allow me to congratulate your son in advance on his academic success! I wish him a bright future!"

"You’re too kind, Boss Xu, too kind!" Mr. He rubbed his thumb over the check a couple of times. Soothed by the promise of money, his racing heart began to slow. "I also wish you a prosperous business and great fortune, Boss Xu!"

Exchanging polite compliments, the two men walked toward the exit of the Hai City Real Estate Center.

Outside the main entrance, two uniformed law enforcement officers had appeared at some point. They flanked the doorway, looking a bit like security guards, but their sharp, alert bearing was on another level.

The moment his gaze fell upon the two officers, Mr. He’s heart started pounding again, so hard it felt like it would leap out of his throat.

’What’s going on?’

His right hand slipped into his pocket, his thumb once again caressing the check, feeling the raised texture of the ink where "One Million Three Hundred Thousand Yuan" was printed.

But this time, his heart didn’t calm down. Instead, it pounded even faster.

Mr. He had just stepped one foot over the threshold of the Hai City Real Estate Center, his other foot not yet lifted, when the two rock-steady officers turned their gazes on him in unison. They spoke in near-perfect sync: "Excuse me, are you Mr. He Hanlong?"

"I... I’m not..." Mr. He instinctively started to deny it, but one glance at the officers’ sharp gazes made him swallow the last word. Bracing himself, he replied, "I am. Is there something I can help you with?"

"We’ve received a tip from the public that you, Mr. He Hanlong, are involved in a case of fraud. Please come with us." The two officers took hold of Mr. He’s arms and showed him their identification.

"How... How can that be! I didn’t do anything! If you don’t believe me... ask Boss Xu!" Mr. He turned his head in a panic to look at Xu An, as if grasping at his last straw. His eyes were full of pleading. "Boss Xu, please, say something for me! I’m not a con artist, I’m not a scammer!"

A small, standard-issue smile touched the corners of Xu An’s lips. He slowly raised his right hand to his chest and gave Mr. He a gentle wave, silently mouthing a single phrase: "Goodbye, Mr. He Hanlong."

"It was you!" Staring at Xu An, Mr. He’s eyes grew so wide with fury they looked like they would split, bloodshot veins crawling across the whites. "You son of a bitch, you reported me! You two-faced bastard, you went back on your word! The deal is off! Let me go! He’s framing me! This is all a setup! I’m not a scammer!"

Mr. He’s increasingly shrill voice drew the attention of everyone inside and outside the Hai City Real Estate Center. The two officers remained unmoved, resolutely stuffing the desperately struggling man into their patrol car. One of them turned his head and said to Xu An, "Mr. Xu, we’ll need you to come with us as well to give a statement."

Xu An, of course, had no objection. He nodded and stepped calmly into the vehicle, flashing another smile at the glaring Mr. He.

This time, it was the internationally recognized, friendly and benevolent eight-teeth smile.

The station lobby was particularly lively today. The moment the two officers escorted Mr. He inside, a whole crowd of people surged forward.

"He Hanlong, you filthy piece of shit who deserves to have children with no assholes! We’re blood brothers! Blood brothers! You’d even scam your own brother, you’re not even fucking human! I should have let you starve to death back then! I should have just let you starve!"

"He Hanlong you c***sucker, I’ll f*** your entire f***ing family! Motherfucker, you piece of sh**!"

"..."

The crowd that had gathered consisted of the six victims from the three properties He Hanlong had tried to sell. And it wasn’t just the six of them; their relatives were there too, assailing Mr. He with the most vicious, foul, and vulgar curses imaginable.

Mr. He, who was never a man of strong character to begin with, took in the scene. His legs started trembling like sieves, and his body went as limp as a noodle. If not for the two officers holding him up, he would have collapsed into a heap on the floor.

"This is a law enforcement station! Everyone, please control your emotions! Submit your evidence and file your complaints according to procedure!"

The two officers, their path blocked, had no choice but to shout at the crowd. But their roars didn’t calm the enraged mob; it only riled them up further.

"I do! I have evidence right here! I have a signed receipt for the deposit! I have a contract! And I have a recording!"

"Me too, me too!"

"..."

Whether by accident or on purpose, the screen of a digital voice recorder suddenly lit up, and Mr. He’s voice filled the air.

*’...Yes, yes, of course, the apartment is reserved for you. I’ve already taken the deposit, how could I be lying! The sofa, the TV stand, even the refrigerator—all the big items are yours... Hey now, little brother, why the lack of trust? I, He Hanlong, am a man of my word. This apartment, 1203 at Azure Sea Garden, is absolutely, one hundred percent being sold to your aunt, Ms. Ji Qiaomei...’*

As the recording of Mr. He’s voice played, the scene descended into even greater chaos.

Two of the relatives broke through the officers’ cordon, their hands clawing wildly at He Hanlong. Having completely lost the will to resist, four bloody scratches instantly appeared on Mr. He’s round, fleshy face...

With the help of an officer, Xu An was led into a separate room to give his statement. At the end of it, he asked, "I just finalized a deal with Mr. He and registered it at the Hai City Real Estate Center. What will happen to that transaction...?"

"It’s hard to say. But as long as your transaction itself wasn’t part of the fraud, there shouldn’t be a major issue." The officer gave a noncommittal reply before escorting Xu An out of the station.

Outside the building, Lin Xu Yang, Uncle Dongliang, and two of Uncle Dongliang’s brothers were waiting. The moment they saw Xu An emerge, they rushed forward and asked in unison, "How did it go?"

"The target’s in the net. The rest shouldn’t be a problem." Xu An flashed the three of them a victorious smile.

If Mr. He hadn’t been so greedy, trying to scam all three buyers at once and repeatedly lowering the price, Xu An would never have grown suspicious. He wouldn’t have asked Uncle Dongliang to investigate the man, and he wouldn’t have uncovered this monstrous lie. And he certainly wouldn’t have so smoothly acquired a property worth over 1.7 million for a mere 1.3 million...

Xu An glanced back one last time at Mr. He, who looked like a boneless heap being hauled into the interrogation room by the two officers. He mouthed one final phrase to the man. This time, what Xu An mouthed was—Thank you!