Master Hong’s phone call was perfectly clear to Ying Chen.
However, Ying Chen couldn’t be bothered to stop him.
The mere Hong Kong, even if it harbored some reclusive masters, would at most be at the shrimp-soldier-crab-general level.
It was unlikely to reach the Dragon King level.
Let alone, even if the Dragon King himself came, Ying Chen could still skin him, chop his bones, and suppress him at the bottom of the sea.
Therefore, no matter how many people Master Hong called, even ten or a hundred, Ying Chen wouldn't care.
It would merely result in more corpses being piled up in the Liao family’s villa, turning the Liao family’s villa into a haunted house in Hong Kong that people would fear to even mention!
“Hey, you… are you sure you want to go in so brazenly?”
Zhuang Ruoting, seeing Ying Chen walking towards the Liao family’s residence without any hesitation, couldn’t help but get out of the car and ask.
Ying Chen glanced back at her sideways. “What? Do you have a more arrogant way of entering that you can teach me?”
“…” Zhuang Ruoting was instantly defeated by Ying Chen’s train of thought.
I was reminding you that barging in like this seemed rash, not that your entrance posture wasn’t arrogant enough!
“What I mean is… forget it, I’ll just be blunt with you! The Liao family isn’t as easy to mess with as you think. The Liao family is practically a tyrannical force in our Hong Kong. The Liao family first made their fortune through horse racing. Do you understand horse racing? Anyway, they colluded with underground syndicates, secretly manipulating races and extorting people for money.
“Especially the San He Men (Three Harmonies Sect), they have a very deep connection with the Liao family. Let alone someone like you who’s here to collect a debt, even someone who legitimately wins a large sum of money at the races will be ambushed by members of San He Men right after leaving the racetrack, beaten to death or crippled, and their money stolen.
“So, going in like this will only have one outcome: getting your limbs broken and being thrown out by the Liao family! I advise you to reconsider and not act impulsively… it would be best to find someone influential to help mediate, and perhaps you could still recover some of the debt.”
Zhuang Ruoting hesitated for a moment before revealing the truth in its entirety.
Although she suspected Ying Chen might be a Xuanmen cultivator, she didn’t believe he was capable of confronting the Liao family.
After all, for so many years in Hong Kong, the ones truly in charge were still the established families and financial conglomerates, not martial arts experts or Xuanmen cultivators.
What did this mean?
It meant that as long as you had money, you could achieve a lot with little effort.
It’s just that their ‘little effort’ was in the form of gold, diamonds, and jade.
“Are you finished?”
Ying Chen looked at Zhuang Ruoting with a half-smile and asked.
Zhuang Ruoting nodded subconsciously. “Finished.”
“If you’re done, then go back. It’s getting late.”
Ying Chen uttered a sentence and walked towards the Liao family’s residence again.
Zhuang Ruoting, on the other hand, froze on the spot, stamping her feet in anger.
“My good intentions were treated as a donkey’s liver and lungs! How can someone be so stubborn?”
“Do you think I want to bother with you! If it weren’t for the fact that we knew each other before, I wouldn’t bother with you at all! Anyway, I’ve done what I can, and that’s about as far as friendship goes. If you insist on being foolish, then don’t blame me!”
Zhuang Ruoting said indignantly.
Then she turned and left.
Opening the car door, she got in.
Just as she was about to start the car and leave this place.
But for some reason, looking at Ying Chen’s retreating back, she suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
“Forget it, to save someone, save them to the end; to send Buddha, send them to the West. If I really just watched him walk to his death like this, I wouldn’t have the face to mention this to Professor Li if I met him later!”
“What a sin!”
Zhuang Ruoting couldn’t help but recall a famous scene from a certain movie in her mind, and at this moment, she deeply understood the feeling of the protagonist when saying those words.
“Wait a moment!”
“Wait for me!”
Zhuang Ruoting took two steps at once, trotting to catch up with Ying Chen.
She walked beside Ying Chen and asked in a low voice, “What’s your name? Later, I’ll say you’re my friend, and perhaps the Liao family will give face to my family, the Zhuang family, and let you have this debt.”
Ying Chen didn't expect Zhuang Ruoting to return and couldn't help but look at her deeply.
Although he found the girl a bit too clingy, he also saw that this girl was different from other young ladies from wealthy families. She wasn’t arrogant or overbearing, but rather kind-hearted.
“My name is Ying Chen.”
Ying Chen replied indifferently.
“That’s an unusual name,” Zhuang Ruoting nodded and remembered it.
Then she moved half a step ahead of Ying Chen, walking in front of him.
And she instructed Ying Chen, “When we go in later, don’t speak immediately. Let me speak for you first.”
Ying Chen was noncommittal.
Zhuang Ruoting, thinking Ying Chen had agreed, continued walking forward with a little more peace of mind.
Soon, the two of them passed through the villa’s garden and entered the living room.
Liao Yifan and his father, who were sitting in the living room, were waiting for Master Hong to arrive. They didn’t expect Master Hong, but instead, Zhuang Ruoting arrived.
“Ruoting, why are you here?” Liao Yifan’s eyes lit up instantly upon seeing Zhuang Ruoting.
“You must know something happened at my house, so you rushed over, right? I didn’t expect you to usually ignore me, but at this critical moment, you care so much about me!”
“Ruoting, I’m so touched!”
Liao Yifan said to Zhuang Ruoting like a devoted follower.
Zhuang Ruoting was speechless.
Just as she was about to explain.
She saw Liao Yifan’s father stand up, looking like he had figured something out, and walked up to Zhuang Ruoting, saying, “Ruoting is here! You came to visit without notifying us, there must be something, right? Don’t worry, with the relationship between our families and your relationship with Yifan, Uncle Liao will definitely help if he can.”
Zhuang Ruoting finally couldn’t hold back and retorted, “Uncle Liao, I truly don’t visit without a reason. But I need to correct one thing: there is no relationship between me and Liao Yifan! This is a civilized and lawful society now, and those outdated things from the past should have been discarded long ago!”
Hearing Zhuang Ruoting’s words, Liao Yifan and his father exchanged glances.
Liao Yifan’s eyes showed heartbreak and sadness.
While Liao Yifan’s father’s eyes showed coldness and sarcasm.
“Alright, I’m not here today to argue with you. I’m here to collect a debt for a friend.”
Zhuang Ruoting took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions.
She pointed at Ying Chen. “This is Ying Chen. He has traveled thousands of miles from the mainland just to collect a debt owed by your Liao family. I know your Liao family is wealthy and powerful, and you might have forgotten this small matter. Let me remind you…”
Zhuang Ruoting said, then asked Ying Chen, “When exactly did the Liao family owe you, and how much did they owe you?”
Ying Chen heard this and replied, “I don’t remember the exact time. As for the amount, it should be 1.44 billion in principal, plus double the compensation. A total of 2.88 billion.”
After speaking, Ying Chen blinked and asked Zhuang Ruoting, “Did I calculate correctly?”
Zhuang Ruoting, upon hearing the figure Ying Chen quoted, was struck by lightning and stood there stunned.
“Two… twenty-eight point eight billion?”
“Are you sure you didn’t misremember?”