Luocheng, Central Garden.
Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling stood in front of a villa's grand entrance.
Outside the beige courtyard wall hung a wooden plaque that read, "Central Garden, Villa 33, Peace and Joy."
Wang Huiling sneered, "Back when your older brother's family first moved into this house, your sister-in-law kept inviting us over for barbecues every other day. It was like she was the only one with a villa and a yard, always showing off!"
"Well, now you have a villa too," Chen Shuo said smugly.
"If it weren't for your clever husband, would you be living in a villa?"
Wang Huiling happily linked her arm with Chen Shuo's.
"Look at you, so full of yourself!"
Chen Shuo pressed his fingerprint to unlock the door.
As it swung open, they were greeted by a grand, high-ceilinged living room adorned with a crystal chandelier.
The room was furnished with an imported Italian leather sofa.
However, the most eye-catching item in the living room was a black-and-white photo of Chen Ji's parents placed on the coffee table, with fresh fruit laid out in front of it.
Wang Huiling muttered in disgust, "Why would they put a memorial photo in the living room? Doesn't Chen Ji know any better? It's so creepy! Even if he doesn't mind it, what about guests who come over and see it?"
With a loud clatter, Chen Shuo casually tossed the photo into the trash bin.
Back then, Chen Shuo had wanted to go into a big business venture with a partner and had asked his older brother for a loan of four million.
But his brother had insisted he wasn't cut out for big business and only gave him two hundred thousand to open a small supermarket.
It was as if he was treating him like a beggar.
Wang Huiling sat on the leather sofa, running her hands over the luxurious material.
She looked at the hundred-inch LCD TV across the room and said gleefully, "Watching dramas here must be so comfortable. They were living the high life."
"Forget about the TV. Hurry upstairs and find the property deed. I remember they bought some gold too. Let's find that as well."
On the second-floor hallway, certificates of honor were pinned to the wall: "Model Student," "First Prize in the Luocheng Go Competition," all belonging to Chen Ji.
Wang Huiling curled her lip at the sight.
"Every time we come here, your sister-in-law drags us upstairs to show off these awards. It's so annoying. Let's get rid of them."
Without waiting a moment, Wang Huiling tore down all the certificates and threw them on the floor.
They opened the doors to the bedrooms.
Chen Ji's room was filled with books, mostly military science, detective novels, spy thrillers, and various professional and scientific books.
On the desk lay an admission letter from the Army Foreign Language Institute.
Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling rummaged through the rooms, clearing out and discarding Chen Ji's family's belongings.
It seemed that only by erasing these traces would the house truly become theirs.
Back in the living room, Chen Shuo scratched his increasingly thinning scalp.
"Huh, where's the property deed? Where did Chen Ji put the real estate certificate?"
"Do you think he suspected something and hid it outside?"
"Impossible. Old Liu said he still thinks we're looking out for him."
Wang Huiling quickly added, "And we are looking out for him! After his parents passed, he just stayed cooped up at home. If he keeps this up, he'll lose touch with society completely!"
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Chen Shuo was startled.
"Who could it be at this hour?"
He went to open the door.
Outside stood a middle-aged man in a black Tang suit, his skin dark and his short buzz cut giving him a sharp, no-nonsense appearance.
"Where's Chen Ji?"
Chen Shuo was suspicious.
"Chen Ji's not home. You can talk to me. I'm his uncle."
"Uncle?" The man pushed past Chen Shuo and entered.
Only then did Chen Shuo notice someone else behind him.
This man was bald, with a shiny scar about ten centimeters long, like a centipede stretching from the top of his head to the back of his skull.
"Who are you?" Wang Huiling backed away in fear.
"We're calling the police!"
The man in the Tang suit looked around as if he owned the place.
"My friends call me Brother Pao. I'm in the lending business. This here is my little brother, Erdao. Don't be scared. Erdao's scar looks fierce, but it's just from a fall at a construction site. His brain's a bit messed up now, a bit stubborn."
Brother Pao continued, "We're here because Chen Ji mortgaged this house. He called this afternoon saying he couldn't pay back the money, so I'm here to collect the property."
"What?!" Wang Huiling was shocked.
"How could he mortgage this house? It's ours!"
"Oh?" Brother Pao said calmly.
"The property deed is in Chen Ji's name. What does that have to do with you?"
"How much did he mortgage it for?" Chen Shuo asked nervously.
"Fifteen million," Brother Pao said, sitting down on the sofa like he owned the place.
"We're very fair. As long as the customer can pay back the principal and interest, we're good. But I've taken a liking to this house. You don't need to pay the money back; the house is mine now."
"No!" Wang Huiling shrieked.
"Chen Ji is mentally ill. The mortgage contract he signed isn't valid!"
This reminded Chen Shuo, and he quickly added, "Yes, Chen Ji is mentally ill. We have his diagnosis right here!" Brother Pao frowned.
He looked at the date on the diagnosis Chen Shuo handed him and laughed in anger.
Chen Ji had arranged for him to come collect the house tonight but had suddenly produced a diagnosis, clearly trying to trick him.
It was understandable if he couldn't pay the debt, but trying to play him for a fool was too much.
"So this is your game, huh? You planned this whole scam together, didn't you? Kneel."
"What?" Chen Shuo almost couldn't believe the last two words he heard.
Erdao asked, "Brother Pao, where should they kneel?"
"In front of me."
Before Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling could react, Erdao grabbed them and brought them before Brother Pao.
With a kick to the back of their knees, they both fell to their knees.
Brother Pao leaned down and stared at Chen Shuo.
"I've been around the block. Do you really think you can pull a fast one on me? Break one of his fingers, then we'll talk."
Erdao asked, "Which finger?"
"The index finger."
"Which joint?"
Brother Pao scratched his eyebrow in frustration.
"The second joint."
Their conversation was bizarre.
Erdao followed orders to the letter, doing exactly as Brother Pao instructed.
Erdao's hand clamped down on Chen Ji's index finger like a vice, and with a snap, he cleanly broke the second joint.
"Ah!" Chen Shuo cried out in pain.
"I'm calling the police!" Wang Huiling shouted.
Brother Pao said, "Erdao, slap her."
"How hard?"
Brother Pao sneered.
"Hard enough for her to see her ancestors."
Erdao thought for two seconds, then swung his arm and delivered a slap that made Wang Huiling's vision go black.
After the slap, Erdao observed Wang Huiling's expression, then turned to Brother Pao and said seriously, "She should have seen them."
Brother Pao took the diagnosis from Chen Shuo's hand.
"I'm a fair man. Since Chen Ji says he can't pay, the house is mine. That should be the end of it. But I hate being lied to. You tried to scam me, so you'll face the consequences."
"No!" Chen Shuo was starting to piece things together.
"No, no, no! We didn't scam you! Chen Ji scammed you! We were scammed too!"
"Oh?"
Chen Shuo's finger was throbbing with pain, and sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Chen Ji said he couldn't pay, so he asked you to come collect the house. But as far as I know, his parents left him at least thirty million! So he couldn't possibly be short on money, and he wouldn't need to mortgage this house. There's no way he couldn't pay you back!"
This surprised Brother Pao.
Chen Ji wasn't short on money?
As Chen Shuo analyzed the situation, his mind began to clear.
Chen Ji's behavior at the Green Mountain Hospital that afternoon had all been an act.
He had tricked them into bringing the diagnosis back to anger Brother Pao, while he stayed safe in the hospital.
That's why Chen Ji had chosen a ruthless loan shark like Brother Pao instead of a legitimate bank!
Brother Pao pondered this.
"Chen Ji? He seemed so honest and shy. Are you sure you're not lying to me?"
He recalled his impression of Chen Ji when they signed the contract.
Chen Ji had been particularly reserved and quiet.
Could a sheltered student really have the cunning to outsmart everyone?
Seeing Brother Pao's hesitation, Chen Shuo continued to explain, "Didn't you see how he tricked me too? I had no idea he had signed a mortgage contract with you. Doesn't that prove something? And don't you want this house? He can pay you back anytime. Once you've dealt with me, he'll just buy the house back, and you'll only make a bit of interest. He's playing you!"
Brother Pao smiled faintly.
"So you're saying I was used by a high school student?"
"He's not a high school student. He got into the Army Foreign Language Institute through a special admission."
Brother Pao raised an eyebrow.
"That school doesn't just teach foreign languages. Its graduates become military attachés stationed abroad... Interesting. Where is Chen Ji now?"
"He's at the Green Mountain Psychiatric Hospital!"
(End of Chapter)