Chapter 28: Extortion (Patreon)

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The middle-aged woman's tone was anything but polite, her expression and mannerisms dripping with disdain towards Jiang Zhenzhen, or rather, towards people like Jiang Zhenzhen, looking down on their entire ilk.

Since the middle-aged woman wasn't Jiang Zhenzhen's aunt, what did Jiang Zhenzhen mean by addressing her as "aunt"?

Anyone could tell this was merely a courteous form of address. Yet, this middle-aged woman, upon being politely addressed by Jiang Zhenzhen, responded with sneering remarks and an arrogant attitude.

Her words tightened the furrow in Yang Haoran's brow, seated beside Jiang Zhenzhen.

Facing the middle-aged woman's attitude, Jiang Zhenzhen felt awkward, unsure of what to say.

"You, girl, you're something else. You've only been in my house for a few days, and you've nearly demolished it. All my furniture was brand new. Now it's either smashed or broken. Walls are slashed in multiple places with a kitchen knife. Worst of all, the front door, you actually cut it with a chainsaw. Damn it, there's not a single decent spot left in the entire house. How do you plan to compensate me?" The middle-aged woman yelled angrily at Jiang Zhenzhen.

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran was certain of the middle-aged woman's identity. She was Jiang Zhenzhen's landlady.

From the moment the middle-aged woman appeared, he had some guesses about the identity of this plump woman, although he wasn't certain. Now, the middle-aged woman's words confirmed her identity as the landlady.

Jiang Zhenzhen wasn't aware of the situation inside the rental house at this moment because when she was taken away from the rental house, she was still unconscious. Therefore, she had no idea about the condition inside. Hearing about the damages, she became even more nervous.

While Jiang Zhenzhen wasn't fully aware of the situation inside the rental house, Yang Haoran knew a bit about it. However, due to his focus not being on this matter at that time, his knowledge wasn't very detailed.

But one thing was certain: the situation wasn't as exaggerated as the middle-aged woman claimed. Moreover, Yang Haoran had visited her rental house the night before, precisely to observe it thoroughly for the sake of their performance. Even the tiniest corner hadn't escaped his scrutiny. From his observation, there weren't many pieces of furniture inside, and what was there seemed old, contrary to what the middle-aged woman claimed.

To prove her words, the middle-aged woman took out several photos from her bag and threw them onto Jiang Zhenzhen's sickbed, continuing her rant, "I've taken photos of the whole mess in the house. Take a good look! See how crazy you were last night!"

Jiang Zhenzhen nervously reached for the photos on the bed, but Yang Haoran, who was beside her, stopped her.

At some point, Yang Haoran's furrowed brow had relaxed. He smiled at Jiang Zhenzhen and said, "You rest. I'll take a look."

Perhaps due to nerves, confusion, or trust in Yang Haoran's expertise, Jiang Zhenzhen's hand hesitated as she reached for the photos, then she gently nodded at Yang Haoran and withdrew her hand.

After Yang Haoran stopped Jiang Zhenzhen, he picked up the photos on the bed and examined them closely. The scenes in the photos were indeed distressing. Everything in the living room and bedroom that could be smashed was smashed, everything that could be pushed was pushed.

When Yang Haoran was taken out of the rental house, even though he hadn't paid much attention to the situation inside, he had a general impression of the chaos. It was indeed messy inside the rental house, and some things were broken, but he could confirm it wasn't as severe as depicted in the photos.

Leaving aside other possibilities, such as Jiang Zhenzhen's enemies or the landlady's enemies, it was also possible that the current landlady staged the second round of destruction herself to claim more compensation from Jiang Zhenzhen.

With the photos in hand, Yang Haoran examined them carefully, his smile growing more pronounced. It was unclear what he was thinking.

Seeing Yang Haoran's expression, the middle-aged woman's displeasure was evident as she grumbled, "Who do you think you are? Trying to be the one to pay up?"

The words of the middle-aged woman made Yang Haoran pause in his actions. He placed the photos on the bed and then looked at the middle-aged woman, smiling as he spoke, "Heh, sister, you're quite thoughtful. You even went to the trouble of getting the photos developed. Fortunately, there's no one in the photos. Otherwise, I might have thought you were trying to blackmail us."

Yang Haoran's response didn't directly address her question, but the middle-aged woman's expression changed upon hearing it. She seemed to feel there was an underlying meaning in Yang Haoran's words and didn't press him further on his identity. She kept a cold face and said, "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to evade responsibility for damaging my property?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhenzhen became anxious, wanting to explain herself. She had no intention of dodging responsibility. If she had damaged someone else's property, she knew she had to compensate. However, before she could speak, Yang Haoran intervened.

Ignoring Jiang Zhenzhen, Yang Haoran continued to address the middle-aged woman with a smile, "Sister, there's no question about compensating for damages. I just want to ask, are you absolutely certain that the damage inside the rental house wasn't caused intentionally by someone else?"

The middle-aged woman's expression stiffened, then turned furious as she roared, "Intentionally caused by someone else? Who the hell would have the time to do such a thing? Can you be sure that the damage inside the rental house wasn't caused intentionally by someone else?"

"I can certainly be sure because I was there. I was the only one among the three of us who was sober when we were taken out of the rental house. Can you imagine?" Yang Haoran replied with a smirk.

Clearly, the middle-aged woman hadn't expected Yang Haoran to be one of the parties involved. Nevertheless, she didn't back down. She continued to shout, "I don't care about that! The house was rented by her from me. If there's any problem with the house or its contents, she's the one I'll hold accountable. It's only right and just. Even if the heavens themselves come down, I won't budge an inch!"

"Sister, calm down. Let me tell you what happened last night first. You can get angry later if you want. Last night..."

"Last night, my foot! You brat, stop jabbering here! This matter either gets settled with compensation or we'll see each other in court!" Seemingly struck by something Yang Haoran said, the middle-aged woman's emotions seemed extremely stirred.

Despite the smiling expression on Yang Haoran's face, there was a hint of chill in it. He wasn't intimidated by the middle-aged woman's words. He might not have encountered situations like this frequently, but he had encountered many people like the middle-aged woman over the years, so he remained calm.

"Old lady, I called you 'sister,' but you didn't appreciate it. Well then, since you put it that way, you can take these photos and go to court if you want. Just don't back down. Otherwise, I'll lose respect for you. Oh, and about what I was saying earlier, last night... Last night, there was a ghost in that rental house of yours. Hehe, wasn't that thrilling?"

Looking at Yang Haoran's harmless smile and hearing his words, the middle-aged woman's expression momentarily froze, a flash of fear passing through her eyes. Although it was brief, Yang Haoran caught it.

Yang Haoran smirked. He didn't continue speaking, waiting instead for the middle-aged woman to regain her composure.

When the middle-aged woman regained her senses, Yang Haoran's light voice once again entered her ears.

"That old lady, you should recognize her, right?"

Yang Haoran's voice wasn't loud, but since they were not far apart, every word fell into the middle-aged woman's ears.

The middle-aged woman's body trembled, her face turning ugly as she hurriedly walked towards the door of the ward. After taking only a few steps, she turned back, took the photos from Jiang Zhenzhen's bed, and said, "Let's wait and see!"

Leaving behind a harsh remark, the middle-aged woman slinked out of the ward under the glaring stares of the others. If she didn't leave soon, the more irritable family members might have beaten her.

After the middle-aged woman left, Jiang Zhenzhen's face showed worry. Yang Haoran noticed her concern and said, "Don't worry, that old lady is all bark and no bite. You don't have to be afraid of her. If anything happens, give me a call, and I'll handle it for you."

With Yang Haoran's words, Jiang Zhenzhen seemed to feel a bit more reassured. She nodded heavily at Yang Haoran.

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 29: Master Jiang