"No debt? I've been working hard at the Zhou Group for over half a year and haven't received a penny. My house back home is still waiting for repairs, and my sister's college tuition still isn't covered! And you say there's no debt?"
The burly man, upon hearing Zhou Hanyu's argument, slammed the iron hammer in his hand heavily onto the ground, producing a dull thud.
Standing at nearly two meters tall, he surprisingly argued with Zhou Hanyu with a hint of grievance.
"Boss Zhou, my brother is an honest and hardworking man. Your family is big and prosperous; you must have forgotten about this issue! Please settle my brother's wages—the elders back home are in the hospital and waiting for this money to save their lives!"
At this moment, the woman who had remained silent all along finally spoke up.
Her words were extremely polite and well-organized; she didn't seem like someone unreasonable.
"Please wait a moment. Let me first inquire about the situation."
Zhou Hanyun seemed to have thought of something, then took out her phone and said to the brother-sister pair who had come to demand the debt.
She dialed the phone but heard a message indicating that the phone was turned off.
She walked a few steps and dialed another number.
Only a few dozen seconds later, Zhou Hanyun returned with a dejected expression.
"The person in charge on the real estate side has absconded with the money..."
Zhou Hanyun bit her lip hard and said, looking devastated.
"Damn it, that's too bold, isn't it? How much money?!"
Yang Yan quickly asked.
The amount of money seemed to be his greatest concern.
"A total of three hundred and twenty-two thousand yuan, the wages for all the workers at Zhou Real Estate..."
Zhou Hanyun, seemingly drained of spirit, muttered.
"Damn! Boss, I'll go catch that guy for you! Daring to do such a thing is like he's disregarding Zhou Family's secret agent 007."
Yang Yan suddenly jumped out, imitating Zhou Xingchi's signature move from the movie "From Beijing with Love," and pretended to speak nonchalantly.
Seeing everyone looking at him suspiciously, Yang Yan raised his eyebrows and said to the brother-sister pair:
"You two come in and sit down first. Give me some time to catch that bastard and make sure he spits out every cent!"
The siblings exchanged a glance, then quickly scanned the Zhou Sisters, and seeing no reaction, they actually followed Yang Yan's suggestion and walked straight inside.
The initially aggressive Zhou Hanyu, knowing she was in the wrong, quickly offered each of them a glass of water.
"Yang Yan, it's useless. Since that bastard dared to run away with the money, he's certainly planned it out long ago."
Zhou Hanyun shook her head in despair, reminding Yang Yan.
"It's obvious that someone arranged for these siblings to cause you trouble. Moreover, you had to call them to find out. The people on your family's side are clearly rotten to the core."
Yang Yan took a sip of water and this time, rather than being frivolous, he spoke extremely calmly.
Zhou Hanyun was surprised to find that, in that moment, Yang Yan seemed like a different person, his demeanor undergoing a profound transformation.
Immersed by his aura, Zhou Hanyun also put her despondency aside and joined the conversation:
"Saving lives is like putting out a fire! As for their wages, I can pay them directly now. But for other workers' wages, the current financial situation clearly can't cover it. Ugh! These people are really scheming against the Zhou Family!"
Seeing the conversation between them, the sibling duo had no intentions to interrupt.
However, hearing their wages are secured, a glimmer of hope flashed in their eyes.
Yet, when they heard that other people's wages couldn't be paid, they visibly hesitated.
"Bring me that bastard's information, and I'll get your money back for you."
Yang Yan's tone was full of certainty and extremely persuasive.
In that moment, the Zhou Sisters found it difficult to associate him with the unreliable guy he seemed before.
With no other options, Zhou Hanyun looked deeply at Yang Yan, then instinctively clenched her fist and decided to treat a dead horse as if it were alive.
Having made up her mind, she stood up again, took out her laptop, and began looking for the information from Zhou Real Estate.
While Zhou Hanyun busied herself with finding documents, Yang Yan reverted to his previous carefree demeanor, extending a fist to the robust man:
"Brother, you're tall and mighty; just from a look, I can tell you're an extraordinary person. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
His manner was somewhat reminiscent of a chivalrous rogue.
The sturdy man didn't speak, but his sister, lovely as a flower, smiled and said:
"My name is Hu Yue, and my brother's name is Hu Kui. Sir, although we know your family has recently encountered some trouble, my brother's wages are just a few thousand yuan, not a big deal for you. So, please make sure to pay him. The money is for saving a life!"
"Hu Yue, what a nice name—it sounds like a phoenix among people! The lady's figure is indeed excellent, just like the poem by Cao Zhi 'The Fair Lady': 'Graceful like a startled swan, elegant like a dragon in flight.' Even the top international supermodels may not compare..."
Yang Yan quickly bent his body as if returning a gesture.
The moment he opened his mouth, a series of compliments flew out as if on cue.
Despite her natural beauty and elegance, Hu Yue couldn't help but blush and lower her head at Yang Yan's blunt compliments.
Her brother, Hu Kui, although not knowing exactly what 'Graceful like a startled swan, elegant like a dragon in flight' meant, could tell it was praise for his sister.
At this moment, he didn't find Yang Yan's words cheesy and broke into a simple smile, seemingly increasing his good impression of Yang Yan.
Though Yang Yan's flattery left her blushing, Hu Yue still maintained her rationality.
Within ten seconds, she looked up again, gently saying:
"Thank you, sir, for the generous praise! The house repairs and my tuition can be delayed for a bit. But our mother is bedridden and really can't wait; the money..."
Before Hu Yue could finish, Yang Yan naturally interjected:
"Yue, you must have been sent by someone to collect the debt this way. Your brother seems simple and honest, a realist, surely earning this money through hard work. We certainly won't owe you."
Hearing Yang Yan addressing her so intimately sent chills down Zhou Hanyu's spine.
At this moment, Zhou Hanyun had already found the documents on her laptop.
Upon hearing Yang Yan's words, she couldn't help but frown.
Yet, seeing the siblings' expressions, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Simultaneously, she couldn't help but admire Yang Yan.
She didn't expect this guy to have such an ability, actually managing to subdue two aggressive debt collectors.
Striking while the iron was hot, she quickly said to the Hu siblings:
"Okay, let's quickly calculate the wages. I still have some money here; I'll settle it for you first, no delay for the patient."
Upon hearing Zhou Hanyun speak such words, Hu Yue stood up and bowed repeatedly, saying:
"Thank you, Boss Zhou, thank you, thank you..."
Her brother was also overjoyed, though a beat slower than his sister, he too bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
"Do not give it to them!"
Yang Yan suddenly dropped a line while flipping through the documents Zhou Hanyun had printed out.