“What kind of nonsense are you spouting? The person in charge here is a woman named Lin, and she never mentioned any boss for this shop!” the man surnamed Xu said with a cold sneer.
No one believed Li Zhonglou’s words.
After all, renting a nearly thousand-square-meter shop in the Ginza CBD would cost over a million in rent alone each year.
It wasn't something just anyone could afford.
Li Zhonglou was unremarkable in appearance. If not for his extraordinary skills and sharp gaze, he would have looked like any other nobody.
He was tall and thin, with no trace of the oily smoothness of a businessman.
He had seen plenty of businessmen and couldn't be mistaken.
“Watch your language!” the male police officer immediately glared at him, “If you dare to curse again, we’ll take you in and cuff you.”
Although his voice wasn’t loud, the pressure from authority and the law instantly tightened the Xu-surnamed man’s expression.
He forced a smile and said, “Don’t do that, officer. I have very good relations with your bureau leaders.”
“Why don’t you take this thief back and question him properly?”
Despite relying on his connections, he still didn't dare to be too presumptuous when speaking with the police.
The political climate was clean now, vastly different from over a decade ago.
Even with connections, one wouldn’t dare to be so arrogant.
“Come with us. We’ll investigate thoroughly. If you’re not a thief, you’ll be released,” the female officer said, holding his ID and gesturing for Li Zhonglou to follow.
Li Zhonglou remained motionless, looking at the female officer. Their eyes met, and he showed no sign of weakness.
This gaze was interpreted as blatant provocation by the female officer, and an unnamable anger surged within her. She shouted, “Don’t you understand human language?”
She represented the legal machinery, the authority of the state, yet this man from Qin Zhou dared not comply.
He even dared to look at her so arrogantly.
His eyes seemed to hold something that made her instinctively want to avoid them, something that instilled a sense of apprehension.
As she spoke, the male officer reached for his waist, drew his handcuffs, and moved to grab Li Zhonglou.
“Speak your piece here. I’m short on time and have a lot to do,” Li Zhonglou’s eyes flashed with a cold glint, and his fingers behind his back twitched.
While he didn't want to resist arrest and end up in prison again, he was certainly not one to be bullied.
The greasy man surnamed Xu was clearly trying to frame him. These two police officers seemed honest, but he wasn’t sure if their honesty was genuine.
He had no time to go to the police station, nor did he like the idea of being handcuffed again.
“Hmph, you have a lot to do? I think you’re just trying to waste time ogling the shopkeepers in this mall,” the male police officer sneered, his mind already made up, labeling Li Zhonglou as a thief.
“Stop!” Just as he was about to touch Li Zhonglou and handcuff him, Lin Weiwei’s voice rang out from the doorway.
The young woman, her forehead beaded with sweat, appeared at the entrance, carrying a small bag and panting. Her white shirt was damp with perspiration, clearly indicating she had run all the way.
Upon returning to the mall, she had heard from security that there might be trouble in the shop.
The police had even been called.
She immediately sensed something was wrong, suspecting it might be related to her new boss, Li Zhonglou.
As expected, when she ran back, she saw the police about to handcuff him.
They thought he was a thief.
“Miss Lin, we’ve caught a thief for you. You should thank me…” the Xu-surnamed man said, his face contorting into a disgusting oily smile as he tried to take credit upon seeing Lin Weiwei.
“He is my boss, the owner of this shop. You’ve got the wrong person!” Lin Weiwei interrupted him sternly before he could finish.
Her words stunned everyone present. All the workers were dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief.
The oily smile on the Xu-surnamed man’s face instantly froze.
Even the two police officers exchanged glances, their faces filled with awkwardness.
“He’s your boss?” the female officer inquired, trying to ease the tension.
Lin Weiwei quickly walked into the shop and reiterated Li Zhonglou’s identity.
Seeing that he had made a grave error, the Xu-surnamed man was filled with regret. He prided himself on his keen judgment, but today, he had completely misjudged.
He had mistaken the owner for a thief and had even berated him several times.
It was over now…
“Weiwei, change the construction team immediately,” Li Zhonglou instructed calmly. “Find someone with integrity you can trust.”
The renovation of the antique shop involved many security aspects.
If the man surnamed Xu tampered with anything, it would cause significant trouble later on.
Although Li Zhonglou hadn’t personally experienced such things, he had heard of many such cases.
With people like this, it was best not to offend them. If you did, you should eliminate them completely, leaving no room for revenge.
His words caused the Xu-surnamed man’s face to turn pale, and his eyes darkened. “Li, you want to replace me?”
“Who do you think you are, to just replace me as you please? We have a contract.”
“If you fire me, you’ll have to compensate me, at least two hundred thousand!”
He had initially intended to apologize to Li Zhonglou and try to continue working, but he hadn’t expected Li Zhonglou to be so ruthless, giving him no leeway.
Anger surged through him, and disregarding the presence of the police, he threatened him on the spot.
They had indeed signed a contract with Lin Weiwei. If the contract was terminated due to the client’s reasons, they would have to pay 10% of the project cost.
If it was only labor without materials, it would be tens of thousands, but if it included labor and materials, it would be two hundred thousand.
If they couldn’t do the work, getting paid two hundred thousand for nothing wouldn’t be a loss.
“Officers, someone is trying to extort me. Will you handle this?” Li Zhonglou asked the two officers without even looking at the Xu-surnamed man.
He had asked Lin Weiwei about the contract; it was for labor only, without materials.
He didn’t mind paying the liquidated damages; 10% would only be a little over fifty thousand.
This man surnamed Xu demanding two hundred thousand – wasn’t that blatant extortion?
“This… this is a contractual matter between you two, so you’ll have to discuss it amongst yourselves…” the female officer said helplessly.
She wasn’t privy to the contract details.
This was the first time she had been called out today, and it turned out to be such a trivial misunderstanding.
She’d have to write a report, which was a hassle.
“Did you hear that? The officers won’t help unscrupulous businessmen like you. You’ll pay whether you want to or not!” Upon hearing this, the Xu-surnamed man became even more smug and arrogant.
“Xu Ligen, who are you demanding money from?” Just then, a middle-aged man accompanied by bodyguards entered the room and asked.
“Mr. Zeng, why are you here?” The Xu-surnamed man turned around upon hearing this, his face immediately displaying a fawning expression upon seeing the middle-aged man.
The newcomer was none other than Zeng Wang, the chairman of Ginza.
He had just received a message from Lin Weiwei stating that the police were at the shop and asking for his assistance.
So, he immediately brought his men down.
He happened to witness Xu Ligen threatening Li Zhonglou for money.
His old face immediately flushed with embarrassment.
He had gone to great lengths to win over Li Zhonglou and enlist his help in finding treasures, offering money and a place.
He thought he had the advantage, but who knew his benefactor would be threatened by a mere foreman, and on his own turf?
Worse yet, this foreman was someone he had introduced to Lin Weiwei.
“How dare you extort my friend? Who told you to do this?” Zeng Wang roared angrily.
“F-friend?” Xu Ligen was stunned. “You can’t possibly mean this bumpkin from Qin Zhou…”
*Slap!*
Before he could finish speaking, Zeng Wang slapped him across the face, cutting him off.
Xu Ligen’s head jerked to the side, nearly causing him to fall.
A large welt instantly appeared on his face.
Some workers immediately moved to help him, but he stopped them.
“How can you hit someone!” the female officer exclaimed, unable to contain herself upon witnessing this scene.
As soon as she spoke, her companion pulled her back, gesturing for her to pretend not to see.
Zeng Wang, the esteemed CEO of Ginza, was someone she, a police officer of seven years, couldn’t possibly not recognize.
This was his territory. If he disciplined his subordinate, the police could only stand by.
Unless Xu Ligen reported it himself, it would be meddling.
With the female officer restrained, she flushed crimson with frustration, trying to break free but unable to.
However, in the next moment, Xu Ligen’s reaction nearly made her eyes pop out.
He touched his face, then resumed his fawning smile, bowing his head obsequiously. “Mr. Zeng, I was wrong today. I didn’t have eyes.”
“I’ve offended your friend, and I can’t continue with this project. I don’t need him to compensate me anymore.”
“Please let me off the hook. I still have many brothers to support…”
Although Xu Ligen harbored intense hatred, he knew he had to bow his head under these circumstances.
Zeng Wang was like a parent to him. If he offended him, with a single word, Ginza could deny him entry, and he would be completely ruined.
How much money would he lose?
Without money, he was nothing, and all his workers would likely turn against him.
Therefore, he immediately lowered his head and admitted his mistake.
“Who are you apologizing to me for? Apologize to him!” Zeng Wang said, flicking his eyes towards Li Zhonglou.
Xu Ligen quickly turned around.
Before he could speak, Li Zhonglou said impatiently, “Alright, let’s put this matter to rest. Weiwei, transfer one hundred thousand yuan to their account.”
“Fifty thousand is for liquidated damages, and the other fifty thousand is for the medical treatment of some of the injured workers.”
“You can leave now.”
People like Xu Ligen, who relied on others’ power, were mere paper tigers. There was no point in getting entangled with him.
These workers, though prone to causing trouble, were ordinary people, and there was no need to hold grudges against them.
Breaching a contract and paying compensation was a normal occurrence.
Since Xu Ligen was Zeng Wang’s man, one had to consider the owner when disciplining a dog, especially since they would encounter each other in the future.
Lin Weiwei would also rely on Zeng Wang for support.
Upon hearing this, Xu Ligen acted as if he had received a great pardon, his face filled with gratitude. He immediately beckoned his workers and fled with their tails between their legs.
Seeing this, a hint of admiration arose in the female officer’s beautiful eyes.
She hadn’t expected Li Zhonglou to not only let Xu Ligen go but also give an additional fifty thousand to the workers.
This man’s inner character was so different from his outward appearance. He was so calm and composed. Her understanding of his previous arrogance now made sense; it was called righteous indignation, neither humble nor overbearing.
Such people were rare nowadays.
“Since it was all a misunderstanding, we’ll be going now. Goodbye, Mr. Zeng, Mr. Li…” the male officer said, not wanting to linger any longer, and prepared to leave.
“Wait.”
A sharp glint flashed in the female officer’s beautiful eyes as she walked up to Li Zhonglou and returned his ID. “Li Zhonglou, you’re quite an interesting person. Can I have your phone number?”
“Judging by your skill, you should be a person of interest. This is just a preliminary report.”
Although her words were not entirely pleasant, her eyes held a cunning sparkle.
She clearly had other intentions.
Li Zhonglou was taken aback. He really didn’t want any dealings with the police.
But judging by the look in this young woman’s eyes, she wouldn’t give up until she got what she wanted.
This was truly troublesome.