With that, the electrician flipped the main switch, and the power came back on instantly.
’I really fucking thank you for that!’
"Sorry to trouble you, sir."
"No problem. Here’s my business card. Call me if you need anything in the future."
"Okay."
The electrician slung his bag over his shoulder and left. The bathroom door opened, and Qin Yangyang walked out with a stern look on her pretty face.
"Do you think it’s possible that you were jumping around so much yesterday that you tripped the breaker?"
"Do you think I’d believe that?"
"I think you would."
"I’m gonna pinch you!"
Qin Yangyang’s small hand found the soft flesh on Lin Jiang’s waist.
"You use all your devious tricks on me."
"Don’t worry about the small stuff. Come have breakfast with me."
"I already ate. A veggie and egg sandwich and a glass of milk."
"That’s way too plain," Lin Jiang said.
"In the future, when I’m facing off against someone in court, they’ll say, ’Our lawyer is no pushover.’ And then I’ll have to say, ’You’re the man. Our lawyer *is* a pushover. I concede, I concede.’ How embarrassing would that be?"
"Who’s a part of ’your family,’ huh?" Hmph.
Lin Jiang smiled and patted Qin Yangyang’s butt.
"Have something else to eat. I actually wanted to consult you about something."
"What is it?"
Lin Jiang explained the situation with Liu Hongquan and Liu Jinting to Qin Yangyang in full detail as he ate.
"In principle, it’s definitely illegal. The amount is huge, so it’s suspected financial fraud, and there might even be suspicion of money laundering," Qin Yangyang said.
"The moment you said ’in principle,’ I knew what you meant."
"Hey, have some patience and let me finish," Qin Yangyang said.
"The guy’s not an idiot. Your noodle shop is so popular, so it’s perfectly normal for them to go through the proper channels to waive your rent. Then, them buying a stake in the business is a separate matter. There’s no necessary connection between the two, no logical cause-and-effect relationship. So you can’t convict him, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"If you can get them to admit it themselves, then the nature of the matter changes."
"Understood."
Lin Jiang wrapped his arm around Qin Yangyang’s shoulder, pulled her close, and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Hey, you pervert."
"What are you talking about? My little brother can kiss you, but I can’t?"
"I’m gonna pinch you! Saying such things in broad daylight. I just finished my makeup, and now I have to touch it up." Qin Yangyang took out her compact mirror. "Is there anything else? If not, I’m heading out."
"I’ll walk you out."
"I’m not that delicate. You don’t need to walk me out. Just finish your food. Be good."
"Alright then."
Qin Yangyang left, and Lin Jiang ate his food at a leisurely pace.
’As expected of a top student, her self-control is impressive. After all the sparks that flew last night, she could still hold back. Truly amazing.’
After finishing his meal, Lin Jiang first went to Suya Fitness Center to check in.
[Check-in successful: Day Eleven]
Check-in complete, he drove to the shop.
"Brother Jiang, you’re here."
Seeing Lin Jiang, Li Yuanyuan walked over.
"I feel like those guys are targeting us. I heard from Brother Yang that they’re well-known thugs from around here. Should we call the police?"
"Calling the police is useless. They haven’t actually done anything. You guys don’t need to worry about this. Just focus on your work."
"Got it."
Arriving at the counter, Lin Jiang pulled up yesterday’s surveillance footage.
The Zhang Brothers had both come, along with four other men. Every one of them was burly and thick-waisted.
Li Yuanyuan, on the other hand, had the fearlessness of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger. She stood before them without retreating a single step.
Just then, the noodle shop’s back door was pushed open. Liu Hongquan walked in from the mall and came up to Lin Jiang.
"Boss Lin, have you considered what I told you yesterday?"
"What did you ask me to consider? I don’t seem to recall."
Liu Hongquan’s expression changed. "Are you messing with me?"
"How could you say I’m messing with you? My memory really is pretty bad. Why don’t you remind me?" Lin Jiang said with a chuckle.
"Fine. You just wait."
Liu Hongquan left with a cold snort, but Lin Jiang paid him no mind.
At that moment, the shop’s door was pushed open, and more than ten people walked in from outside.
Every one of them was dressed like a punk, with a cigarette dangling from their lips. They started shouting loudly as soon as they entered the shop.
The diners in the shop were startled and all looked over at them, their eyes filled with apprehension.
"Come on, grab a seat anywhere. It’s on me today."
The shop had just opened for the day, so there were still plenty of empty seats. After the dozen or so men came in, each one took a table, basically filling up the entire first floor.
Lin Jiang glanced over at the dozen-plus men. He could tell with one look that they hadn’t come with good intentions; they were deliberately here to cause trouble.
Just then, Yang Tao put down his work and came out from the back kitchen. Yan Ming and Zheng Jiachun followed behind him, their expressions grim.
"Brother Jiang."
"Don’t panic. Go back to work," Lin Jiang said calmly.
"Brother Jiang, they’re obviously here to make trouble," Yang Tao said, agitated.
"Let’s see how things play out first."
"Got it."
Soon, Lin Jiang saw the men placing their orders. They didn’t order anything special, just one bowl of noodles each.
But while ordering, they were all shouting and hollering, and each one propped a foot up on another stool.
The other diners in the shop, sensing something was off with the atmosphere, hurriedly left.
"Sirs, please put out your cigarettes. This is a non-smoking restaurant," Li Yuanyuan said as she stepped forward.
"A shitty little noodle shop won’t even let people smoke? Who are you trying to kid, acting all high-class."
Lin Jiang vaguely recognized the man who spoke. He was wearing a black tank top, had a large tattoo on his bicep, and was cursing rudely at Li Yuanyuan.
He had come with Zhang Tianyu yesterday. His name was Liu Hanjun.
"It doesn’t matter if we’re high-class or not. Smoking is not allowed here. If you want to smoke, go outside."
Seeing that Li Yuanyuan wasn’t scared, Liu Hanjun’s face twisted into a sneer.
"Alright, alright, alright. So we can’t smoke. Big deal. I just won’t smoke, then."
The men all laughed, threw their cigarettes on the floor, and stamped them out with their feet.
Before long, the dozen or so bowls of noodles were ready and served to them one by one.
"Come on, everyone, give it a try. I hear the noodles here are pretty good."
"They certainly smell fragrant."
The dozen or so men picked up their chopsticks, ready to eat.
"The quality of your chopsticks is terrible. They’re all crooked and have splinters. What trash."
Liu Hanjun unwrapped a pair of disposable chopsticks, glanced at them, and threw them on the floor.
Then he grabbed another pair, unwrapped them, and tossed them aside as well.
The others followed his lead, throwing away four or five pairs in a row.
"Brother Jiang, they’re going too far," Zhou Xiaoli said. "Let’s call the police."
"It’s not at the point of calling the police yet. You all stay to the side. Don’t go near them."
"Got it."
Lin Jiang sat at the counter, unhurried, but a cold glint shone in his eyes.
"Holy shit, no joke, these noodles are damn delicious. I’ve never had noodles this good before."
"If it’s good, then eat up! We paid for it, so we can’t let it go to waste," Liu Hanjun shouted.
SLURP SLURP SLURP...
One by one, the dozen or so men finished their noodles, even drinking all the broth.
Li Yuanyuan thought they would leave after finishing their food, but to her surprise, they remained lounging in their chairs.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?"
"We think the noodles weren’t flavorful enough. Can’t we add some seasoning?"
As he spoke, Liu Hanjun poured the entire bottle of aged vinegar from the table into his bowl.
In addition to that, the chili and sesame oil were also dumped in without a second thought.
The others all followed suit, not leaving a single drop.
"Don’t go too far! Don’t think I can’t tell you’re here to cause trouble."
Li Yuanyuan pointed at Liu Hanjun and rebuked him loudly.
"Hurry up and leave after you’ve eaten. Don’t interfere with our business."
"Who said we were finished? Can’t you see there’s still broth in the bowl?"
Liu Hanjun looked at Li Yuanyuan with a sly grin. "We’re tired from eating, so we’re taking a little break. We’ll continue eating later. Is that a problem?"
"Haha..."
Liu Hanjun crossed his legs and looked at Lin Jiang. "The decor in this noodle shop isn’t bad, but the waitress is a bit ugly. It’s affecting my appetite."
"Haha..."
"I think so too. I almost threw up just now."
"Look at that disposition, just like a country bumpkin. You’re all from the countryside, right? Bet you’ve never even seen a big city skyscraper, haha..."
"Hiring a bunch of hicks as waitstaff... Boss, you really need to improve your taste."
"Brother Jiang, they’re walking all over us!"
Yang Tao muttered, his patience at its absolute limit.
"Don’t panic."
Lin Jiang narrowed his eyes, a strange smile playing on his lips.
"You three, come over here. I have something to tell you."

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