Chapter 215

Chapter 215

When the Lu family first went bankrupt, they believed they could stage a comeback and borrowed twenty million in high-interest loans. Reality proved that a family’s downfall isn’t a matter of days but a single, crushing moment with no way back.

No matter how the Lu family struggled, the overwhelming debt and the predatory interest rates ballooned, shattering their home into ruins in the blink of an eye.

All their assets were seized by the bank. After years of scraping together just enough to repay the bank debts, the loan sharks only tightened their grip. The paltry monthly payments of twenty or thirty thousand could no longer satisfy their insatiable greed.

Paying back what you owe is only natural. Even though loan sharks operate in the gray area of illegality, as long as they don’t go too far, no one bothers to interfere.

Over the years, Lu Qiuyan had been harassed countless times for repayment. Back in middle school, seeing how fair-skinned and delicate he looked, the loan sharks even proposed "taking him in" in exchange for partial debt forgiveness.

Lu Qiuyan’s fist swiftly shut down their disgusting advances, and from then on, they only demanded money, not favors.

Initially, the loan shark boss had been relatively "lenient"—extorting tens of thousands per person each month, stretching repayment over decades, with interest compounding year after year, sucking them dry for a lifetime of profit.

But in the past two months, rumors had spread that the government was about to crack down on organized crime again. Whenever such policies were announced, authorities would come down hard on outlaws like them.

The loan sharks panicked, eager to cut and run with the cash before their outstanding loans turned into losses.

Threats, violence, destruction—no tactic was off the table.

"...Meet at the usual place, got it?" Boss Gao, a cigarette dangling from his lips, squinted behind his sunglasses, eyeing the young masters and ladies coming and going from the elite high school. He clicked his tongue. "Damn, look at all these soft little rich kids. Shame we can’t mess with ’em."

Lu Qiuyan said coldly, "Usual place. Now scram."

"What kind of attitude is that?" a goon snapped.

Lu Qiuyan ignored him, but then he caught sight of a familiar figure in his peripheral vision. He turned and saw Tian Ruan.

Boss Gao took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of foul-smelling smoke. "So *fresh*."

Tian Ruan whipped out his homework notebook and fanned furiously. "Ugh, secondhand smoke!"

Boss Gao: "..."

Tian Ruan: "Everyone, come look! There’s a pervert smoking right at Deyin’s entrance, making us choke on his nasty secondhand smoke! Gross!"

Loan sharks: "......"

Tian Ruan: "Tomorrow, I’ll hang a banner—'Say No to Secondhand Smoke, Respect Yourself and Others'!"

As the surrounding gazes shifted from fear to disdain and disgust, Boss Gao’s face flushed red. "The hell’s your problem, brat?"

Tian Ruan blinked innocently. "Am I wrong? Aren’t you smoking? Doesn’t your secondhand smoke stink? Aren’t you doing this right at Deyin’s gate? In broad daylight, you dare act but not own up to it—what kind of hero are you?"

"..."

Boss Gao stayed silent, but one of his lackeys jumped up. "How dare you insult our boss! I’ll beat you—ah!"

Tian Ruan crimped his notebook into a baton and swung it like a whack-a-mole, striking with perfect accuracy. Deyin’s peppy dismissal bell ringing in the background made it all the more playful.

Lu Qiuyan: "..."

Tian Ruan: "Heh, bullseye! Another hit—perfect!"

The loan sharks scrambled, covering their heads and yelling, "Keep this up, and we’ll *end* you! We’re serious now! Damn it—"

Just as they were about to retaliate, four or five hulking bodyguards suddenly appeared, sending them stumbling back instantly. Boss Gao’s cigarette nearly fell from his lips. He spat it out and hissed, "The *fuck* are you?"

Mao Qi: "Security."

"Oh, security. Well, it's a fancy private school—it’s normal for this rich kid to have bodyguards. Hey, we’re kinda in the same line of work. Today, out of respect for you, we’ll let this little master off the hook."

Mao Qi remained silent, watching them expressionlessly.

The loan shark boss waved them off, hand shaking. "Let’s bounce, guys!" He jabbed a finger at Lu Qiuyan. "Remember, meet at the usual spot."

Tian Ruan poked his head out from behind Mao Qi. "Count on it!"

"..."

Tian Ruan ran to the Maybach and bent down to say, "Mr. Yu, I’m gonna throw down. Wait for me—I’ll be right back."

Yu Jingmo: "...Are you sure?"

Tian Ruan, emboldened by borrowed courage, declared, "Of course! I’ve got Brother Mao with me. No sweat."

Yu Jingmo pinched the bridge of his nose but didn’t stop him, chuckling helplessly. "Go ahead."

Tian Ruan strutted off like he owned the place, only to notice Lu Qiuyan mounting his bicycle, ready to flee. He rushed forward in three quick strides and grabbed the bike’s rear seat. "Wait, wait, wait—wait for Yu Shang!"

"Why wait for him?" Lu Qiuyan said flatly.

"Strength in numbers, man!"

Lu Qiuyan felt his temper flaring up.

Yu Shang had been in the security office, intending to mobilize the school’s guards. But by the time he stepped out, the whole thing had fizzled out. He walked up to Lu Qiuyan and gave him a once-over. "You’re really gonna scrap?"

Lu Qiuyan: "Yeah."

Tian Ruan: "No, we’re all going together."

Yu Shang hesitated for a moment. "You want me to go with you to fight?"

"It’s not like you haven’t done it before. Cut the act."

"..."

Tian Ruan knew Yu Shang was all about appearances—he looked down on childish things like fighting. If something could be resolved with bodyguards, security, or the police, he wouldn’t use money. If it could be resolved with money, he wouldn’t lift a finger himself.

That’s just how a main character rolls.

Tian Ruan believed that loving someone meant taking the L for them. He said, "Let’s go together and see what those loan sharks are scheming."

After a brief consideration, Yu Shang didn’t refuse.

Lu Qiuyan deadpanned as he led the way, riding his bicycle while Yu Shang took Tian Ruan in the car.

In just seven or eight minutes, they arrived at the mouth of a creepy back alley. Lu Qiuyan parked his bike against the wall, locked it, and hung his backpack on the handlebars before leading them further into the alley.

Yu Shang said to one of the bodyguards, "You stay here."

The bodyguard stood guard by the bicycle as if it were a million-dollar luxury car.

Lu Qiuyan: "..."

The alley was flanked by a commercial building on one side and an apartment complex on the other, both accessible by main roads. Thus, this middle path was weirdly deserted, like nobody gave a damn. Two trash cans and a wooden ladder were placed there just for show, while the walls had been turned into an impromptu doodling spot by some art student, covered in a mess of sunflowers.

The sunflowers were then defaced by street punks, splashed with ink, painted over, and tagged with all kinds of trash talk.

Beneath the vulgar words were declarations of love from young couples and small ads offering treatments for impotence, epilepsy, and STDs. Below those ads, weeds sprouted stubbornly from the cracks.

It seemed urban beautification had forgotten this corner, leaving behind a run-down kind of liveliness.

Clearly, Lu Qiuyan was used to getting called here to throw down. He picked up an empty beer bottle and casually kicked it around like a ball, the *clank—thud—* echoing through the alley.

The last light of dusk didn’t reach the narrow lane, leaving it damp and shadowy. Insects chirped faintly from the overgrown grass in the corners.

Tian Ruan said excitedly, "This scene feels like something straight out of a murder movie."

Lu Qiuyan paused. "...Shut up."

"Oh." Tian Ruan leaned into him. "You have to protect me."

Lu Qiuyan shook him off. "Go cry to your husband."

"This place is too dirty. Mr. Yu’s shoes are like, half a mil a pair—I can’t bear to let him step foot here."

Lu Qiuyan shot Yu Shang a disdainful look. "Hah. Typical rich-guy shit."

Yu Shang: "??"

Suddenly, the sound of a baseball bat striking the wall echoed from deeper in the alley. Tian Ruan’s heart skipped a beat. "Shit, they’re packing? What about ours?"

Mao Qi patted his waist. "Relax, boss. We got heat."

"Sick. Nunchucks?"

Twenty seconds later, the two groups faced off. Tian Ruan’s mind instantly conjured an "epic showdown between gangsters and domineering young masters from wealthy families"—total god-tier shit.

Boss Gao tapped his bat *thunk-thunk* against the wall and sneered, "So you actually brought backup, Lu Qiuyan. You losing your spine?"

Tian Ruan cut in first, "We *chose* to roll with him. What, getting cold feet seeing our squad?"

"Bullshit!"

"Your damn racket is the real bullshit."

Boss Gao’s expression darkened. "I’m not here for anything else today. Lu Qiuyan, pay off the rest of your family’s debt, and I swear I’ll never come after you again."

Yu Shang said calmly, "You’re smart enough to have heard the rumors."

Boss Gao scoffed. "Since you know, don’t make things hard for us small fries hustling to eat. Times are tough for everyone. Pay up, and you can always borrow again later, right?"

Tian Ruan spat, "Bull! The principal’s already been more than half repaid—with interest, it’s settled. How shameless to still demand money. Even loan sharks got standards."

Boss Gao laughed. "It’s called *high-interest* lending for a reason. You think we’d loan money for years without charging interest? Find me a bank that works for free."

Yu Shang: "The money will be repaid, but not now. The agreement was a 30-year payment plan, wasn’t it?"

"Thirty years? He could be *dead* by then—who knows where Lu Qiuyan will be by then?" Boss Gao shook his head in fake-ass sympathy. "Look, I’ll give you three days to scrape the cash together. Fair?"

Lu Qiuyan’s voice was icy. "This is between me and you. Keep them the hell out of this."

Boss Gao grinned. "Hey, *they* crashed the party."

"..."

"Three days—you think that's enough?"

Lu Qiuyan frowned tightly. Three days—where could he possibly get millions? Even selling himself wouldn't be enough. So he said, "Can't pay. By underworld rules, let's settle it with a fight."

Boss Gao tapped his baseball bat menacingly. "You said it yourself. Don’t cry when we jump you."

Tian Ruan panicked: "Brother Mao, get the heat!"

Gao sneered, "You even have weapons? Hahaha—huh?"

The dark muzzle of a gun was pointed straight at Gao and his men.

Dead silence. A crow cawed as it flew overhead.

This was what you called a total beatdown.

Tian Ruan marveled, "It’s not nunchucks? Brother Mao, can you legally carry a gun?"

Mao Qi: "Mm, got my armed police certification. Called in some favors, still doing security work for the Yus for now."

Tian Ruan gave a thumbs-up.

Boss Gao never expected that by not going to them himself, he’d accidentally walked right into a cop’s sights.

Mao Qi: "You’re under arrest for extortion, intimidation, assault, and loan sharking."

The sharks went pale: "..."

Tian Ruan cheerfully sang, "Woo-hoo~ hell yeah yeah yeah~~"

Sirens blared. Without throwing a single punch, Lu Qiuyan’s loan shark problem was solved. He stared incredulously at the Yu family members beside him—these Yu guys were legit.

Tian Ruan piled into the Maybach, landing in Yu Jingmo’s arms, bragging, "Ah, I’m so amazing. Didn’t even break a sweat, and the bad guys wet their pants and ran."

Yu Jingmo didn’t expose him. "Mm, you’re the man."

Leaning close to the young man’s ear, he whispered, "But the most incredible is still on me—when you work that ass."

Tian Ruan: "..."