Inside the empty rental house.
Lin Jianjun, covered in a foul stench, wore a gloomy expression as he dialed the landlord's number.
Before he could angrily interrogate the landlord to find out Lin Hao and his mother's whereabouts...
A rough, booming voice immediately came from the other end of the phone.
......
"(#`O′) Hello?! Hmm… this number… Good! You finally decided to show up, brat!!!"
"Your whole family just disappeared for a while? Your phone was even turned off? Are you trying to get away without paying the overdue rent?"
"Are you planning to live here for free? Do you even know who I am?!"
"And those pieces of furniture! You actually sold them off without my permission???"
"Many of those were things I bought with my own money before renting the place to you. You bastard, you better pay me back immediately!!!"
"You're still at the rental house, right? Stay right there! I'm bringing people over right now! If you don't pay me back with interest today, I'll make you regret it!!!"
"......"
Ah… what?!
Hearing that the landlord was on his way, Lin Jianjun was completely dumbfounded. How could he dare to stay put?!
He was completely penniless—if he got caught, he'd be doomed!
Panic-stricken, Lin Jianjun instantly forgot about finding out Lin Hao and his mother's whereabouts. He hung up immediately and stumbled out of the apartment building in a desperate escape...
Two and a half minutes later.
On the bustling street, Lin Jianjun walked aimlessly, looking utterly defeated.
With his unshaven beard, tattered clothes, and overwhelming stench, he became the center of a two-meter-wide 'vacuum zone'—no one dared to come near him.
Passersby all instinctively covered their noses, frowning in disgust as they quickly distanced themselves.
......
"What's with those expressions?! What's with those disgusted looks???"
"You have no right to look at me like that! I was once the CEO of a billion-dollar company! You lowly peasants are nothing but trash, ants to me!!!"
"My son, Lin Xuan, is the chairman of Su Group! Do you even know who I am?! I'm his father!!!"
"Lower your heads immediately! You are not even worthy of looking at me! A bunch of useless nobodies, social bottom feeders! Earning just a few thousand yuan a month—losers!!!"
"......"
Noticing the contemptuous expressions of the crowd, Lin Jianjun lost it completely. His wounded pride drove him to shout like a madman in the middle of the street.
Now, even fewer people dared to come near him. Everyone avoided him like a lunatic, watching from a distance as he screamed hysterically.
Seeing that everyone was afraid of him, Lin Jianjun wasn't ashamed—he was proud. He placed his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly.
"See? You're all scared now, right? I am not someone you bottom-feeders can mess with! Hahaha…!"
Vroom—
Just then, the roar of an engine sounded. A van came to a halt beside Lin Jianjun, startling him.
"Damn it! Do you even know how to drive?! You f*ing—uh, you… you…."
Lin Jianjun cursed loudly and kicked the van a few times.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Just as he was about to kick again, the van door suddenly swung open, revealing a menacing face grinning coldly at him.
"Old Lin, I've been looking everywhere for you! Come on, get in the car! Let's have a little chat."
"Hu... Lord Hu, hehe... what a coincidence! Cough, cough... I still have something to do, forget it! Next time if there's a chance, then..."
Looking at Zhao Hu's fierce and burly face, Lin Jianjun was almost scared to the point of wetting himself. He knew well how ruthless the man was, so how could he dare to walk into the tiger's mouth voluntarily?!
"Shut up! Get in the car!!!"
Zhao Hu couldn't be bothered with nonsense. His eyes widened in anger as he roared, making Lin Jianjun tremble all over. Not daring to say another word, he nervously got into the van.
Rumble—
Soon, the car door closed, and under everyone's watchful eyes, the van slowly started up and drove away...
"Old Lin! I sent you a message, why do you always read it but never reply? →_→"
In the back seat of the van.
Zhao Hu touched the black tiger tattoo on the back of his head with one hand while placing the other around Lin Jianjun's shoulder, asking with a sinister smile.
"Uh (òωó?)... Lord Hu, let me make an excuse—I mean, explain! I... I... I've been really busy lately, so..."
Cold sweat dripped from Lin Jianjun's forehead, his eyes darted around frantically as he stammered, desperately searching for an excuse.
But how could Zhao Hu be so easily fooled?
Besides, he had come here with a mission after receiving a call from Lin Xuan—there was no way he would let Lin Jianjun off easily!
Seeing Lin Jianjun still struggling in vain, Zhao Hu's eyes turned ruthless in an instant. He grabbed Lin Jianjun by the throat and shoved his head into his crotch.
Then he lowered his head and viciously threatened in his ear:
"Cut the fucking crap!!!"
"I'm asking you one thing—when are you going to pay back the money you scammed from me? You haven't even paid a single cent in interest yet!"
"........"
Facing Zhao Hu's demand for repayment, Lin Jianjun was so scared that he didn't even dare to breathe.
He owed billions in high-interest loans, and the interest alone was an astronomical amount. Being penniless, how could he possibly repay it???
So even though his neck hurt from being squeezed, Lin Jianjun didn't dare to resist at all. He could only shrink back, burying his head into Zhao Hu's crotch, staying silent, pretending he didn't hear anything like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand.
.......
"Deaf? Or mute? Playing dead, huh?!"
"Hu-Hu... Lord Hu, y-you... just give me some time! I will definitely gather the money to pay you back. You know, my son is a major shareholder in the Su Group—he's loaded!"
"Tch~~ Don't think I don't know! Your son does have plenty of money, but what the hell does that have to do with you?!"
"........"
Zhao Hu sneered coldly.
He really wanted to say that if it weren't for his son's hint, he wouldn't have dared to touch him. It was precisely because of his son's intentions that he had come looking for him again...
But Lin Jianjun was unaware of the underlying reason. Overwhelmed with fear, the only method of saving himself he could think of… was using Lin Xuan's name to bluff his way out.
As the saying goes: "Even if you don't respect the monk, you should respect the temple."
With Lin Xuan's identity and status as backing, normally, few people would dare to physically harm him.
"Lord Hu, listen to me... My son and I do have some minor conflicts."
"But even if bones break, the tendons are still connected! No matter what, I'm still his biological father. Just based on that, there's no way he would let me die without helping."