Chapter 366: Go ahead, try moving!

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Yuan stood at the entrance of Gao Pharmaceutical Group.

This group building is over 30 stories tall, located in the center of Hangchengshi; clearly Gao Pharmaceutical Group is very wealthy.

Being able to build a headquarters tower in the provincial city center shows ample funds.

At the entrance of Gao Pharmaceutical Building, two security guards stood on duty maintaining order.

Seeing Lin Yuan approach, the two guards' gazes swept over him, with a hint of scrutiny.

Lin Yuan ignored them, pushed open the glass door and walked straight into the lobby; behind the front desk sat a girl with light brown hair, head down playing on her phone, fingers flying across the screen.

"Hello, I'm Deputy Director Lin Yuan of the Wind Control Department at Su Group. I'd like to see your company's Chairman Gao Qiming to discuss repayment." Lin Yuan walked to the front desk and stated his purpose in a steady voice.

The front desk girl finally looked up, her gaze sweeping over him, then she glanced down at the business card Lin Yuan handed over, curled her lip, her tone full of indifference.

"The Chairman is not here; he's out."

She said this, tossing the business card casually into the clutter at the corner of the desk, her fingertip still tapping the phone screen, her eyes never leaving it.

Lin Yuan frowned, looking at the business card tossed into the clutter, suppressed his discomfort, and asked: "May I ask roughly when Chairman Gao will return? I can wait for him."

The front desk girl finally lifted her eyes, rolled them, her tone sharper: "I don't know. The Chairman's schedule isn't something we can ask about; he might not come back today."

She paused, then sized Lin Yuan up and down with a hint of sarcasm: "Isn't Su Group quite big? Why are you short on this bit of money, having to come block people?"

Lin Yuan didn't take her bait, merely pointing to the sofa in the lobby corner: "Then I'll wait here until he returns and we can talk."

The front desk girl snorted, ignored him, and continued playing on her phone; the sound of her fingers tapping the screen was especially clear in the quiet lobby.

Lin Yuan picked up his briefcase, walked to the corner sofa and sat down, placed the briefcase on his lap, took out his phone and set it to silent—

He was afraid of missing the time when Gao Qiming would return.

The lobby's air-conditioning breeze was a bit cold, making people's arms feel stiff.

Lin Yuan pulled his coat together, his gaze falling toward the front desk…

Occasionally an employee came out of the elevator, hurrying outward, nobody glanced at him.

After more than half an hour, the front desk girl answered a call, her tone instantly becoming respectful.

After hanging up, the front desk girl picked up the insulated cup on the desk, took a sip, then glanced at Lin Yuan, her eyes holding a hint of schadenfreude.

Lin Yuan didn't mind.

He took out the documents, quietly flipping through them; they recorded Gao Pharmaceutical's recent years' revenue situation, with several places marked "abnormal."

Before he knew it, it was four o'clock in the afternoon.

The number of employees in the lobby gradually increased.

They were off-duty employees; as they passed the sofa, some would glance at him curiously, others walked straight by, and nobody came over to talk.

The front desk girl packed up her things, slung her bag over her shoulder, walked up to Lin Yuan, her tone tinged with impatience: "I'm telling you, you're still waiting? It's almost quitting time; the Chairman definitely won't be back—come again tomorrow."

Lin Yuan looked up at the wall clock—four-ten—and shook his head: "Wait a bit longer."

The front desk girl pursed her lips, said nothing more, and walked out of the lobby in her high heels; the guards at the entrance changed shift, and the new guard's gaze at Lin Yuan was even more stern than before.

After waiting another hour, the sky gradually darkened, the lobby lights came on, harsh white light spilling onto the floor, making it feel especially desolate.

Lin Yuan pulled out his phone to check the time—five-thirty, the normal quitting time; Gao Pharmaceutical's employees had practically all left, leaving only the two guards at the door and himself.

He stood up, stretched his numb legs, walked to the front desk, intending to ask the guards again if they had any news of Gao Qiming.

"Sir, may I ask if your Chairman will be back today?" Lin Yuan asked one of the guards.

The two guards at the entrance gave him a cold glance and replied in a cold voice: "What's the point of asking so much? The company's off work; if you don't leave, don't blame us for throwing you out!"

Lin Yuan glanced at the two guards, saw no point in pressing further, and could only leave Gao Pharmaceutical Group.

……

The next workday.

Lin Yuan had just sat down at his office when not long after, Fei Fanjin suddenly came to see him.

Fei Fanjin pushed open the Wind Control Department office door and headed straight for Lin Yuan's workstation, clutching a stack of documents, her steps quicker than usual, her brows furrowed.

She reached Lin Yuan's desk, and without waiting for him to speak, she asked: "Deputy Director Lin, did you return safely from Gao Pharmaceutical last night? I kept worrying while reviewing the documents, afraid you'd run into trouble."

Lin Yuan shook his head: "It's fine; I just wasted a trip, waiting from afternoon until night, and Gao Qiming never showed up."

Fei Fanjin breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately placed the documents on the desk, lowering her voice: "Take a look at this—it's a copy of our contract with Gao Pharmaceutical; I stayed late cross-checking and found a major issue."

Lin Yuan set down his pen, picked up the contract, and Fei Fanjin already pointed to a corner of one page: "Look here, hidden in the supplementary clause is a trap—'Overdue repayment requires mutual agreement before legal enforcement can be initiated.'"

Lin Yuan's fingertip traced the small print, his face gradually sinking: "I missed this when I first read the contract; does this mean legal recourse is blocked?"

"This contract is a deliberate trap set by Gao Pharmaceutical!" Fei Fanjin nodded, her tone tinged with anger: "They planned to default all along, inserting this hidden clause; even if we sue, without their consent it's hard to enforce collection."

Lin Yuan set the contract on the table, lightly tapping his fingers on the surface, silent, his mind turning over the earlier collection difficulties.

Fei Fanjin leaned in further, her voice even lower: "There's also this: I asked a friend in Legal to look into Gao Qiming's background—he has underworld ties and his methods are ruthless."

Lin Yuan lifted his eyes to her: "Oh? How ruthless?"

Fei Fanjin's tone carried concern:

"Many on the street give him face; I heard that before, a supplier came to Gao Qiming to collect a debt, not only got no money, but when he returned his warehouse was smashed—he could only chalk it up to bad luck… Many have been stiffed by him, and when those people tried to demand payment, lots were beaten badly by Gao Qiming, and some creditors even had their legs broken! Lin Yuan, you must never confront him alone head‑on; this kind of person, we can't afford to provoke."

Lin Yuan pinched his brow, recalling the unfriendly gazes of the security guards at Gao Pharmaceutical's lobby last night, and had a rough idea: "I understand, thanks for making the special trip to warn me."

Fei Fanjin still uneasy, she added: "Don't think you can handle it alone; let's brainstorm together—maybe report to Director Su and see if the company has other channels to communicate with Gao Qiming."

Lin Yuan nodded: "Don't worry, I won't act rashly; I'll handle it properly."

Seeing that he had taken it in, Fei Fanjin relaxed a little, picked up her own files: "If anything comes up, feel free to find me; I'll also dig into Gao Qiming's other connections—maybe we'll uncover useful leads."

Having said that, she glanced at the bill on Lin Yuan's desk, then turned and left the Wind Control Department office.

After Fei Fanjin left, Lin Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

Heh? Gao Qiming? Involved with the underworld?

Kind of interesting—I want to see how long you can keep dodging your debts.

……

In the morning, Lin Yuan didn't even eat lunch, and went straight to Gao De Pharmaceutical Group again.

Just after ten in the morning, Lin Yuan walked into the Gao De Pharmaceutical lobby with his briefcase, his leather shoes clicking on the floor tiles.

The receptionist didn't even lift her head, her fingers flying over the keyboard, her tone blatantly impatient: 'Who are you looking for? Do you have an appointment?'

Lin Yuan approached the desk and said calmly, 'I'm Lin Yuan from the Wind Control Department of the Su Group. I was here yesterday. I'm still here to see Chairman Gao Qiming about the repayment.'

The receptionist glanced at him, smirking: 'Why is it you again? Our President Gao is out.'

Lin Yuan raised his eyebrows: 'President Gao is out again?'

Lin Yuan frowned: 'When will he be back?'

'I don't know!' the receptionist rolled her eyes, ignored him, and kept typing on the computer, her fingers striking the keys harder, as if venting her dissatisfaction.

'Fine, I'll keep waiting for him here.' Lin Yuan didn't hold a grudge, turned around, and sat on a sofa near the desk.

He placed his briefcase on his lap, took out the Gao De Pharmaceutical debt documents, flipped through them page by page, occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook.

The lobby was quiet; the clock's minute hand went round and round, sunlight streamed in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a shadow that slowly crept from east to west across the floor.

As it neared noon, Lin Yuan closed the documents, rubbed his sore neck, looked up at the receptionist, about to ask another question, but saw her arms crossed, giving him a cold smile.

'Why are you still sitting? Didn't you hear? President Gao is on a business trip; he might not be back for half a month. What's the point of you hanging around here? Get lost, don't take up space.'

Her voice wasn't soft; the two other people waiting in the lobby turned to look, their eyes showing a hint of gawking.

Lin Yuan lifted his head, closed his notebook, his tone even: 'I'll wait for him to return, no matter how long; he'll come back eventually.'

Having said that, he leaned back into the sofa, closed his eyes, and rested for a few minutes.

After staring at documents all morning, his eyes were a bit tired.

Not long after, his stomach suddenly let out a 'gurgle,' especially loud in the quiet lobby; the receptionist let out a 'pfft,' as if she'd heard a joke.

The receptionist crossed her arms, her gaze toward Lin Yuan full of contempt, raising her voice a few notches so everyone in the surrounding office area could hear.

'You're a fine lapdog of the Su Group, helping Su Mo Nong collect a debt, and you can't even afford lunch? How pathetic.'

Lin Yuan sat on the lobby sofa, scrolling on his phone, not even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard her.

He opened a food delivery app, searched for 'Haidilao delivery,' selected a double portion of butter hot pot base, added tripe, duck intestines, fatty beef rolls, and even ticked the 'extra numbing and spicy' note.

……

Ten minutes later, the Haidilao delivery person brought the induction stove, hot pot, and all the ingredients.

The delivery person carried two large red insulated bags into the Gao De Pharmaceutical lobby, also holding a silver induction stove; the 'Haidilao' logo on the bags was conspicuous, and he walked straight to Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan stood up to take them, pulled open the folding table's stand with one hand—'click' it locked—and placed the induction stove in the center of the table.

He then took out a bottle of mineral water from the insulated bag, unscrewed it, and poured half into the pot.

He actually set up and cooked hot pot right there in the Gao De Pharmaceutical Group lobby.

The receptionist with a high ponytail, who had been flipping through the ledger, caught sight of this scene; her neutral pen 'clacked' onto the keyboard, her eyes widened: 'You, you're going to cook hot pot here?'

'I'm hungry, don't I get to eat? I have plenty of money; ordering a few Haidilao items is no big deal.' Lin Yuan said with a cold smile.

He tore open the butter hot pot base package and dumped the whole chunk of red-hot chili oil into the pot, along with Sichuan peppercorns and chili flakes, making the receptionist suck in a breath of cold air.

The induction stove was powered on, the red light lit up, the water in the pot quickly began to bubble, the chili oil gradually melted, and a pungent spicy aroma rose with the heat, instantly filling the entire lobby.

The receptionist clapped a hand over her nose, about to shout, but the spicy sting made her sneeze 'ah-choo,' tears streaming down.

Just then, two men in dark blue security uniforms hurried over; the leader reached out to flip the table: 'Who let you cook here? Clear it up now, or we'll throw you out!'

Lin Yuan reacted swiftly, grabbing the man's wrist, and before the security guard could react, kicked him in the knee!

The security guard cried out 'ouch,' stumbled and fell to the ground, grimacing in pain.

The other security guard, seeing this, reached out to grab Lin Yuan's arm.

Lin Yuan sidestepped, his voice low and cold: 'I'm a creditor of the Su Group; you Gao De owe us twenty million in medicine payments, and you've delayed repayment for two years!'

He pointed at the boiling hot pot, the chili oil still 'gurgling' bubbles, the spiciness intensifying: 'What's wrong with me eating a bite of hot pot in the lobby? I'm not blocking your door, not disrupting your work—yet you hide all day and still want to lay hands on me?'

The security guard who had fallen struggled to his feet, dared not approach further, only pulling out his walkie-talkie to shout: 'Someone's causing trouble in the lobby! They even hit people! Hurry over!'

Lin Yuan ignored him, sat back down, took out the beef rolls from the insulated bag, and dumped them into the pot with a 'splash,' the red spicy broth instantly coating the meat.

The two receptionists could barely hold on; one clutched a tissue box, sneezing nonstop, wiping her nose on sheet after sheet; the other slumped over the table, coughing, her face flushed red, unable to even flip the ledger.

'Can, can you turn off the heat… it's too spicy…' the ponytail receptionist rubbed her eyes, her voice hoarse like sandpaper, all her earlier mockery gone.

Lin Yuan picked up a piece of cooked beef, blew on it, put it in his mouth—his lips went numb from the spice—but he didn't stop: 'When your boss Gao Qiming comes out to see me and we settle the repayment, I'll naturally leave.'

He chewed the meat, his gaze sweeping over the doorway.

The people the guard had called hadn't arrived yet, but the spiciness in the lobby grew stronger; passing employees covered their noses and detoured, no one daring to approach.

Just then, the elevator suddenly chimed 'ding.'

Immediately after, the elevator doors opened.

More than a dozen people in black security uniforms poured out, gripping rubber batons, their leather shoes clicking on the marble floor, the 'thud-thud' echoing in the spacious lobby.

The leading security team captain had a crew cut, with a half-visible wolf-head tattoo on his forearm.

The security team captain walked up to Lin Yuan, spat on the ground, and snarled: 'You damn dare to eat hot pot in the Gao De Pharmaceutical Group? And you dare to hit our security? Do you know whose turf this is?'

The remaining security guards immediately closed in, circling Lin Yuan and the hot pot table!

The security guards gripped their rubber batons, eyes full of menace, even passersby staff flinched and stepped aside.

Lin Yuan had just picked up a chopstickful of tripe, didn't even glance at the approaching guards, slowly placed it in the red oil pot, waited a few seconds before fishing it out, then blew on it to cool.

'I'm Lin Yuan from the Su Group, here to collect the twenty million yuan in medicine payments owed by Gao De Pharmaceutical. Your boss isn't at the company; I'm waiting for him in the lobby, grabbing lunch on the side—how did that become causing trouble?'

The security team captain reached out to flip the table!

Lin Yuan set down his chopsticks, moved quickly to press his hand on the table edge, his eyes icy: 'Go ahead, try moving it.'