Ying Chen shook his head. "My memory has always been good. If you don't believe me, you can ask young Master Liao here."
At this moment, Liao Yifan finally noticed Ying Chen and immediately pointed at him, shouting, "It's him! It's him! It was him who set up a scheme in Jiang Hai and ripped me off for 1.44 billion!"
"And now, shamelessly, he's demanding compensation, raising the debt to 2.88 billion!"
"Dad, you absolutely cannot let him go! You must keep him here!"
Hearing Liao Yifan's cry, Zhuang Ruoting finally believed that Ying Chen had not lied.
The Liao family indeed owed Ying Chen 2.88 billion!
However, why did Liao Yifan claim that Ying Chen had set a trap to harm him?
Zhuang Ruoting looked at Ying Chen with a hint of confusion.
Ying Chen sneered and said, "When you wrote the IOU, you didn't say I was tricking you. When you made the bet with me, you didn't say I was tricking you. Now that you've lost the bet, you don't dare to admit it? That's fine too. As long as you publicly announce that your Jiadelai Auction House sells flawed products as genuine, deceiving customers, I will agree to waive this debt!"
*Swish!*
Liao Yifan and his father's expressions instantly changed.
Admitting to selling fakes by Jiadelai Auction House?
This was tantamount to cutting off the roots of Jiadelai Auction House!
The losses incurred would be far more than 2.8 billion; even 28 billion was possible!
Not only could the Liao family not accept this, but the hidden shareholders behind the auction house also couldn't!
They would also hold the Liao family accountable!
Thinking of the terrifying power of those hidden shareholders, Liao Yifan's father couldn't help but shudder.
Therefore, he refused without hesitation, "Impossible!"
Ying Chen seemed to have expected Liao Yifan's father to say this. He looked at Liao Yifan's father with a sneer and said, "You refuse to repay the money, and you refuse to admit to selling fakes. Then what do you want?"
"Do you want to repay with your lives? Then I'll have to calculate carefully whether the lives of your Liao family are worth 2.8 billion!"
"You... you're asking for death!" Liao Yifan's father's face instantly turned ashen, and he berated angrily.
Seeing the sudden escalation of the situation, with both sides appearing ready to fight, Zhuang Ruoting quickly stepped in to mediate. "Please, calm down, everyone. Calm down."
"Ying Chen, you speak later. Listen to me first. Uncle Liao, you also refrain from speaking for now. I will offer a compromise."
"I've basically understood what happened. Ying Chen bought an item from the Liao family's auction house, and it turned out not to be genuine. So, to protect the auction house's reputation, Liao Yifan wrote an IOU for 1.44 billion, am I right?"
Liao Yifan nodded repeatedly with a fawning expression, "Yes, yes, yes! Ruoting, you are truly intelligent and wise, you guessed it immediately."
"Yes, my foot! You were clearly set up and tricked! You idiot!" Liao Yifan's father was furious and gave his son a hard rap on the head.
As the saying goes, a son of a hero is a hero. Why was it reversed for him?
When he was pursuing women in his youth, he had never acted like such a pathetic sycophant!
It was truly embarrassing!
Back then, at most, he had actively helped his wife take care of her ex-boyfriend who had been in a car accident!
It was precisely because of this opportunity that his wife felt he was dependable and willing to marry him after her ex-boyfriend died from his injuries.
What was this? This was exchanging genuine feelings for genuine feelings!
Zhuang Ruoting ignored Liao Yifan's father's correction and turned to Ying Chen. "After Liao Yifan wrote the IOU, he did not repay the debt within the stipulated time. Therefore, Mr. Ying Chen came to Hong Kong to collect the debt, and due to the breach of contract, doubled the debt, am I right?"
"More or less!" Ying Chen said indifferently.
Zhuang Ruoting clapped her hands. "Then it's clear! In that case, since you are both my friends, let's both give me some face and each take a step back, shall we?"
"Uncle Liao, you pay Ying Chen 1.44 billion according to the original amount; Ying Chen, you can consider it as granting Uncle Liao a few extra days and not pursuing the overdue penalty, only collecting the principal. After all, 2.8 billion is indeed too much."
"This way, both sides have a way to save face, and everyone will be happy."
"What do you say?"
Zhuang Ruoting thought her proposal would surely be accepted by Liao Yifan's father and Ying Chen.
To her surprise, Liao Yifan's father refused outright without even thinking, "1.44 billion? Dream on! I'd give him 14.4 yuan, that would be more like it!"
Ying Chen also revealed a half-smile and said, "I've finally come to Hong Kong. Either I go back with 2.88 billion, or I go back with the lives of three members of the Liao family. It's one or the other, no other options."
"..." Zhuang Ruoting was instantly speechless.
So, all her efforts were in vain!
Neither of them was willing to back down!
Zhuang Ruoting looked at Liao Yifan's father. "Uncle Liao, as the saying goes, harmony brings wealth. After all, your Liao family was in the wrong first. Why not accept my proposal?"
"Uncle Liao, consider it me begging you. Just give me some face, give our Zhuang family some face, alright?"
Upon hearing this, Liao Yifan's father looked at Zhuang Ruoting with a forced smile. "Give our Zhuang family some face?"
"Heh heh... what makes you think your Zhuang family has any face?"
"Let me tell you frankly: your Zhuang family's face is worthless!"
"Otherwise, why do you think you were sent to our Liao family as a daughter-in-law as soon as you were born? It was because your parents were incompetent and could only send you as a gift to the Liao family, hoping the Liao family would help solve your Zhuang family's business crisis at the time!"
*Swish!*
Zhuang Ruoting's face instantly changed drastically.
Her eyes widened, and her pupils were filled with disbelief and shock.
She swayed slightly and murmured, "Is this... true?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! My parents love me so much, how could they bear to sell me like an item?"
"My father told me that the so-called arranged marriage was just something he carelessly agreed to while drunk! It wasn't his intention!"
"Uncle Liao, you must be lying to me, right?"
Liao Yifan's father did not answer, only showing a mocking smile.
Zhuang Ruoting instantly understood.
Her parents had been lying to her all along. Liao Yifan's father was telling the truth!
She had long been treated as an item by her parents and sold to the Liao family!
The term "arranged marriage" was just a nice name for this transaction!
"Ruoting, don't be too sad. Don't worry, after you marry me, I will definitely treat you a hundred times, a thousand times better. No one will dare to bully you! If anyone bullies you, I will..."
Liao Yifan once again showed his sycophantic nature and said ingratiatingly.
However, before he could finish his sentence, a *slap* sound rang out.
Liao Yifan subconsciously covered his face.
But for some reason, he felt no pain on his cheek.
It was as if the slap hadn't landed on his face at all.
The next second, Liao Yifan froze.
This slap had indeed not landed on his face!
It had landed on Zhuang Ruoting's face!
The person who had delivered the blow was none other than his father!
"Hmph, since everything has been made clear today, there's no room for your willfulness anymore! As the daughter-in-law of our Liao family, you are involved with strangers and even speaking up for an outsider. This slap is to teach you the rules of the Liao family!"
"So that you don't do anything embarrassing in the future and disgrace our Liao family's reputation!"