_1The so-called devil, in Western legends, is an entity that specializes in tempting human souls into corruption.
And when you make a deal with the devil, what you pay is always greater than what you receive.
Any person with normal thinking wouldn't do such a thing.
For instance, Jiang Yonghan and his daughter Jiang Xue thought Xiao Ming was being completely absurd; Jiang Xue was even worried that her husband had been driven senseless by anger.
However, Zhou Aifeng's reaction brutally shattered their worldview.
After a long silence, the wretched old beast asked, "Are you... really going to give me money?"
Xiao Ming nodded, "One million for a finger. I can write you an IOU, and I'll transfer the money as soon as the bank opens tomorrow."
Zhou Aifeng's eyes rolled around before she grit her teeth and said, "Didn't you... didn't you just say you wanted to chop off two fingers?"
Well, this is something!
Even Xiao Ming's principles were blindsided.
The villainous old creature actually thought one million was too little and wanted another million.
"Zhou Aifeng!"
Jiang Yonghan finally saw his wife for who she truly was, shaking with fury, "You... you're not human! Lei is your own flesh and blood; how could you, for money, just... just..."
"You know shit!"
Zhou Aifeng was righteous in her stance, "Missing a couple of fingers isn't lethal, and it won't affect life much, but two million is more than you and he would ever earn in your lifetimes.
Didn't the son of Old Qian in our building get three fingers crushed by machinery? After suing and fighting for two or three years, the factory only compensated one hundred and fifty thousand.
Lei can trade two fingers for two million; this deal is definitely worth it!
With that money, he can buy a house, get married, and no woman would care about his disability."
Jiang Yonghan was at a loss for words, feeling lightheaded and about to collapse, luckily Jiang Xue was there to support him.
"Dad! Dad, are you alright?"
Jiang Yonghan clutched at his chest, gasping for breath, and when he looked at Zhou Aifeng again, his eyes were filled with nothing but deep disgust and hatred.
"Divorce... I want a divorce! Go live with your money; I'm divorcing you!"
Zhou Aifeng was taken aback, feeling a subconscious twinge of reluctance, but it was quickly washed away by the joy of having two million to herself and disappeared without trace.
Seeing that his aim was achieved, Xiao Ming gave a faint smile, then turned to ask, "Wife, may I chop off Jiang Lei's two fingers?"
"You dare!" Jiang Xue said irritably, "Stop messing around, I'm tired, let's go home and sleep."
"Alrighty!"
Xiao Ming turned and walked away.
"Hey hey?" Zhou Aifeng got up and called after him, "What about the money? You haven't written the IOU."
"Oh, I almost forgot."
Xiao Ming slapped his forehead, then dialed Liu Jianqiang's number again, asking, "Have you done it?"
"Just about to start, we've just grabbed the guy."
Amid Liu Jianqiang's voice, Jiang Lei's cries and screams could be clearly heard.
"Then leave it. My daughter-in-law, who is also his sister, doesn't agree. Just scare him and let him go! Each of the hardworking brothers gets two packs of good cigarettes tonight; get reimbursed from Xuechao, and don't you dare skimp, okay?"
Liu Jianqiang laughed heartily, "Working for Brother Ming is so satisfying! Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person."
"Great, we'll have a drink when we have time."
After hanging up, Xiao Ming shrugged at Zhou Aifeng, "I'm not chopping off fingers, so naturally, there's no money.
You can try it yourself later; after all, one million per finger, no time limit. Young master keeps his word."
"Dad, why don't you come stay at our place for a while?"
Seeing her father visibly upset, Jiang Xue became worried about his health and tried to soothe him.
Jiang Yonghan indeed didn't want to face Zhou Aifeng any longer, so he nodded in agreement.
Jiang Xue efficiently packed up replacement clothes and daily necessities for her father, and the three of them set out.
Once the door closed and quiet returned, Zhou Aifeng finally felt the pain on her face and chest, groaning as she struggled to her feet and muttered a few curses. Looking around, she suddenly realized that the previously cramped home didn't seem small at all.
"Xiao, Xiao Ming, did you buy this?"
Downstairs, as Jiang Yonghan got into the car, he didn't recognize the brand, but the exquisite and luxurious interior told him it definitely wasn't cheap.
"A friend's. I was in a hurry after drinking, so I borrowed it."
As Xiao Ming spoke, just as he was about to fasten his seat belt, Jiang Xue slapped the back of the seat.
"You've been drinking and you're driving? Get out!"
Xiao Ming gave a wry smile.
Since Zhou Qingyuan's car was a Bentley Continental, a two-door four-seater, he had to get out first to push the seat forward, and after Jiang Xue got in, squeeze into the back.
Once Jiang Xue was seated and started the engine, she glanced at the pink water bottle in the cupholder and asked casually while driving away, "Is this Miss Yun's car?"
"Haven't you seen Yu's car? This belongs to the daughter of Zhou Jicang, named Zhou Qingyuan."
Jiang Xue raised an eyebrow, "You're that close with someone's daughter already?"
Xiao Ming chuckled wryly, "Don't speculate wildly, Dad is listening.
I'm on equal terms with Zhou Jicang, Zhou Qingyuan should call me 'Uncle'. Think of this as a younger person showing respect to an elder."
Feeling a bit embarrassed for being jealous in front of her father, Jiang Xue said awkwardly, "I've told you before, don't just accept these kinds of favors from people. It will be inconvenient to return them later."
"I was in a rush to get here! Don't worry. The company has arranged a car for me, and in a couple of days, I'll buy one for you and Dad each. We won't owe anyone any favors."
"I carpool with Qing every day. Why would I need a car? Just because you have some money, you're showing off. I'm warning you, don't waste it; we still need to buy a house."
Xiao Ming laughed and said nothing.
This was an issue that couldn't be easily clarified. He would find a suitable time later to properly explain the scale of his assets to his wife.
"That Zhou Jicang you're talking about, why does his name sound so familiar to me? Is he a relative of our family?" Jiang Yonghan suddenly asked.
"Our family doesn't have such amazing relatives," Jiang Xue said with a laugh, "You probably find it familiar because you've heard about him on the news.
You know about the Canghai Group in the provincial city, right? Its CEO is Zhou Jicang."
Jiang Yonghan was startled and then remembered why the name sounded familiar.
Because just yesterday, city leaders had accompanied Zhou Jicang on a visit to his workplace, and he had caught a glimpse of the man from a distance.
At the time, he had thought that a person of stature had a certain presence that was different from ordinary people. Although they were the same age, Zhou Jicang had looked so dignified and commanding, clearly not an ordinary man.
And now, his own son-in-law had not only been drinking with him but had driven his daughter's car and even had his daughter call him 'Uncle'?
Jiang Yonghan could hardly believe it, but the car beneath him was real no matter what.
Xiao Ming used to be a gambling loser. When did he become so capable?
At that moment, Jiang Yonghan suddenly understood the ruthlessness with which Xiao Ming had dealt with Zhou Aifeng earlier.
The ways big shots handle things are indeed beyond ordinary people's imagination.
Thankfully, it was apparent that he still loved his daughter dearly.
That's what mattered, as long as the child could lead a happy life, it was more important than anything else.
It wasn't long before they drove into the residential complex, and Jiang Yonghan's doubts surfaced again.
If they were so rich and powerful, why were they still living in such a broken place?
While perplexed, his attention was drawn by several smartly dressed men and women, as well as the conspicuous sports cars parked in front of the building.
Jiang Xue had just parked when two men and two women quickly ran over.