Chapter 49: Chapter Forty-Two: The Gold Client, Boss Fang

The shopkeeper’s wife bit her lip, took a deep breath, and spoke cautiously: “We know hitting someone is wrong, and we came here with sincerity, hoping to apologize face-to-face to Master Luo. I—”

“Miss, don’t put me in a tough spot,” the clerk said, spreading his hands. “Qing Shu is the boss here. Whatever he says goes—I don’t have the authority to overturn it. If I let you in, I don’t know if your matter will succeed, but I’ll definitely get a scolding.”

The shopkeeper’s wife felt helpless in her heart, glanced at the clerk, and understood he was telling the truth.

Chen Yan lightly patted the clerk and whispered, “Brother, we won’t make things hard for you. But even if your boss said he won’t see us, surely he’s made his stance clear, right?”

While the clerk hesitated, the shopkeeper’s wife—being a business owner—reacted quickly, pulling a pack of prepared Huazǐ cigarettes from her coat pocket and slipping them swiftly into his hand.

The clerk froze, then quickly tucked the cigarette pack into his sleeve.

He finally spoke slowly: “Qing Shu is furious—he’s absolutely firm. His stance is no reconciliation. This incident cost Qing Shu a huge loss of face, so… he’s decided to make the three attackers suffer.”

“You’d better look for solutions elsewhere.”

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow: “No room for negotiation? We can pay more—medical fees, compensation for mental distress—we’ll pay more.”

The clerk originally didn’t want to respond, but seeing the cigarettes, he glanced around and lowered his voice: “Brother, I’ll be straight with you.”

“Qing Shu isn’t poor—he doesn’t need money. Besides, the injuries were minor, just slight bruising. How much could you possibly compensate for medical costs?”

“Do you know what Qing Shu was doing when he got beaten? He was feng shui consulting for a client inside the mall—with the mall’s big boss right beside him.”

“And your brother—what a brute—came out and beat Qing Shu right there, leaving him humiliated.”

“Do you have any idea how much face he lost? Right in front of his gold client!”

Chen Yan immediately understood.

This Luo Qing must’ve scammed another rich man somehow—feng shui consulting?

He’d definitely put on a full display of that high-master aura.

Then suddenly, three lowlifes rushed out and pinned him down, pounding him mercilessly.

What would the gold client think?

Wouldn’t the high-master image collapse instantly?

Not just loss of face—he’d lose money too. Maybe even lose the whole deal.

“No negotiation at all?” Chen Yan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The boss said no negotiation,” the clerk waved dismissively. “I’ve told you enough already. Don’t make things harder for me—just leave.”

`

Though unwilling, the shopkeeper’s wife had no choice but to leave Luoyunzhai with Chen Yan.

After walking a few steps in silence down the street, she finally looked up at Chen Yan: “Chen Yan, you—”

“Shopkeeper’s wife, you’re not thinking of going back to beg again, are you?” Chen Yan shook his head. “Useless. Just now, that clerk—I bet half of what he said was scripted by Luo Qing himself.”

“His stance is crystal clear. Begging now won’t change anything.”

The shopkeeper’s wife took a deep, forceful breath: “But what can I do? I can’t just abandon them.”

Chen Yan thought for a moment: “Going door-to-door begging won’t work. Go back, think—can you find someone connected to him, someone with influence? Have them mediate. Better than getting shut out.”

The shopkeeper’s wife pondered seriously—it wasn’t a real solution, but it was the only option left.

“Alright… I’ll ask around.”

Chen Yan sighed in relief, seeing her to the roadside of the commercial district, then suddenly slapped his forehead: “Oh no! Shopkeeper’s wife, lend me fifty yuan for a taxi—I’m out of cash.”

The shopkeeper’s wife glanced at Chen Yan in confusion, then immediately added him on WeChat and transferred two hundred.

“Go rest too. And…” she looked deeply at Chen Yan, “Xiao Yan, you’ve graduated and started working now—don’t waste your salary! Save some money. You never know when it’ll come in handy.”

Chen Yan smiled as he saw her off to the curb, watching her get into a car and drive away.

In truth, his earlier words were just to comfort her—to get her to leave.

After seeing her off, Chen Yan turned back toward the commercial street, wandered for a while, didn’t return to Luoyunzhai, but instead visited two other shops.

He bought a set of brushes, a block of pine-patterned ink, a box of yellow talisman paper. No top-grade cinnabar in stock, so he bought a box of slightly inferior quality.

It cost him nearly ten thousand yuan.

Carrying the bundle, Chen Yan wandered into a restaurant on the commercial street and booked a private room.

He ordered a few dishes and a pot of corn juice, ate and drank, then slammed his hand on the table.

This won’t do—accounts don’t balance.

The shopkeeper’s wife paid him two hundred.

He spent nearly ten thousand on supplies.

Last time helping Lu Sisi was the same—he took only 120 yuan from the girl, but spent tens of thousands himself! (Compensating for the house.)

I, Chen the Great Benefactor, can’t keep running at a loss forever!

Chen Yan gritted his teeth: I need a gold client to cover the costs!

He picked up his phone and dialed Fang Zong’s number.

The call connected, and Chen Yan smiled: “Fang Zong, how’s your recovery going?”

Fang Zong laughed cheerfully: “Ha! Master Chen, thank you for your concern—I’m doing great! These past few days have been peaceful, and I’m recovering well. Your talisman really works—I’ve been rock-solid, nothing happened.”

“Hmm,” Chen Yan nodded, then softly said: “You got sick, lost money, ended up with a broken leg… are you really okay with that?”

“…,” Fang Zong fell silent for several seconds, then spoke seriously: “Master Chen, please wait a moment.”

Fang Zong sat in his office. The room had been thoroughly cleaned—all items replaced, not even a scrap of paper left from before.

Holding his phone, he cast a subtle glance. His assistant Yan immediately understood, turned, and left, closing the door behind him.

“Master Chen, what’s your advice?” Fang Zong leaned back in his chair, smiling.

He… was far from satisfied!

Plainly put: the beating Luo Qing received two days ago was arranged by Fang Zong.

Assistant Yan had tracked Luo Qing for days, learning his routine.

Then, through a middleman, three out-of-town hotheads from the Dongcheng university district were hired to teach Luo Qing a lesson.

The operation was clean—the three attackers didn’t even know the middleman’s name, no bank records, just a sealed envelope with ten thousand yuan in cash.

Fang Zong got word the same day Luo Qing was beaten.

But… was that enough?

How much suffering had he endured?

A serious illness—he nearly died in the hospital!

A cargo shipment wrecked—losses of millions!

He ended up with a broken leg—he was still in a cast!

And Luo Qing? Just a few punches and kicks—maybe some soft tissue bruising.

That’s it?

Definitely not enough!

But Fang Zong dared not go further—he wasn’t a saint, but neither was he a pure criminal.

If he caused serious injury, he feared it would backfire.

So originally, his plan was: I’ll have someone beat him once, then repeat it every few months.

Ten or eight times a year—even light hits, over time, would break his spirit.

If not enough, next year, do it again!

This was slow, steady torture.

But Chen Yan’s sudden call gave Fang Zong a far better option.

·

Fang Zong relaxed in his chair, stretched his legs flat, then spoke into the phone in a low tone: “Master Chen, explain in detail.”

Chen Yan wouldn’t spell it out. He smiled gently: “I can’t articulate it clearly, but I know one truth: good and evil always return—the Dao rewards in kind.”

“Some people commit evil deeds—perhaps heaven itself will bring them misfortune or illness.”

“Justice may be late, but it never fails.”

“Isn’t that right, Fang Zong?”

Fang Zong’s eyes lit up. He reached for a cigarette on the desk, lit it, and took a deep drag.

“Master Chen, you’re absolutely right,” Fang Zong smiled. “Your words have cleared my mind.”

“Oh, by the way, Master Chen—I have a favor to ask.”

Chen Yan smiled: “Fang Zong, please go ahead.”

Fang Zong cleared his throat: “You’re living in my house, right?”

“Lately, I’ve had an idea—this house is quite old. Maybe something’s worn out—leaking pipes, falling bricks. I want to buy new furnishings and renovate it properly.”

“But you know, year-end’s busy—everything’s piled up! My staff are all swamped.”

“So I thought—since you’re living there, could you please handle this for me?”

Chen Yan chuckled.

This Fang Zong was very cooperative.

He spoke calmly: “How much budget do you have in mind for the renovation?”

Fang Zong probed: “What if I spend two hundred thousand? Would that make it look decent?”

Chen Yan laughed: “Fang Zong, this house is a mansion. For a place like this, spending too little won’t make any impact—it won’t match the status.”

Ah—he wanted more money.

Fang Zong paused, thinking of his illness, his financial loss, his broken leg…

He frowned: “Four… hmm, five hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand should be enough to properly fix the house.”

“That’s sufficient,” Chen Yan nodded immediately.

"However, rebuilding the house is complicated; since I've entrusted this matter to you, Chen Laoshi..."

Chen Yan smiled: "Understood! I’m the one overseeing the construction, so if any trouble arises, I’ll handle it."

"Good!"

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