Chapter 44: I Am Not Short of Money; I Am Quite a Landowner

It’s no wonder Wang Li was angry! Who would dare mess with his top student? That’s like messing with his bonus!

That afternoon, Zhao Guangtao arrived at Cherry Media, accompanied by a man and a woman. At a glance, it was clear the middle-aged woman was the mother of the boy with the acne scars—the resemblance in their tightly drawn brows was unmistakable. The middle-aged man, with his thick black eyebrows and sharp, spirited eyes, carried an authoritative air when looking at people—a true official’s demeanor.

The man introduced himself: “I am Pang Zhigang, father of Pang Yuanguang, and this is Hu Wei’s mother, Aunt Jiang.”

Lin Cheng raised an eyebrow. “Uncle Pang, hello. And Aunt Jiang, may I know your full name?”

Pang Zhigang was momentarily taken aback by Lin Cheng’s calm composure, then glanced back at Aunt Jiang.

“Oh, hello Lin Cheng. My name is Jiang Huiying.”

“Alright, let’s step outside to talk.” Lin Cheng pulled out an X-ray from his backpack, and the group moved to the corridor outside the office.

“This is my X-ray. I haven’t told my family yet. Everyone’s busy; let’s just discuss how to handle this.” Lin Cheng spoke cleanly and efficiently, surprising the two parents.

They hadn’t contacted Lin Cheng’s parents, fearing being extorted by a “difficult family.” As for the teachers’ anger, they believed they could smooth it over.

“Go ahead, say it! Our kid probably went too far!” Jiang Huiying probed tentatively.

Lin Cheng smiled lightly. “I’d rather not say.”

“This is for medical expenses. My child was reckless; I’ll make sure to educate him properly.”

Pang Zhigang, having seen all kinds of people, sensed this boy wasn’t one to be easily fooled.

Lin Cheng glanced at the thick envelope—about ten thousand yuan thick—but remained silent.

“Oh, I have one too...” Liu Peixia also produced an envelope.

Both families worked within the system; if this escalated, no one would benefit. But Lin Cheng wanted to let things simmer a little longer.

“Um...” Zhao Guangtao was about to speak but was stopped by Lin Cheng.

Pang Zhigang felt no need to argue with a kid.

“Here’s the deal: I’ll add twenty thousand from each family. Sixty thousand total. Since we’ve met, maybe we can become friends in the future.” Lin Cheng smiled. “Uncle Pang, if I accept this six thousand from you for assault with a weapon, then I’m extorting you. If I don’t, I’ll suffer from both medical visits and missed classes.”

“So, how do you want to resolve this?” Pang Zhigang’s heart sank; this kid even understood the law!

“Here’s the thing: I appreciate the gesture, but I’d like a written guarantee and an account of the incident...”

Jiang Huiying grew anxious. “Isn’t that a bit much?”

Lin Cheng ignored her and continued, “I’m not short of money. If you want peace of mind, do me a favor. That way, your child won’t have a stain on his record before the college entrance exam.”

“All right!”

Pang Zhigang thought that if it was handled officially, his son might get off, but it would be embarrassing and costly. Aside from the guarantee, everything else was within his reach.

“I want to buy between 100 to 300 acres of land in Muxi Town!”

“Ah?”

Everyone was stunned. This wasn’t about extorting money but coercing action.

Lin Cheng was playing the timing and information gap skillfully.

Twenty years later, irrigated farmland in Wuzhou City would be worth about 800 to 900 yuan per acre, but if the land usage changed, it would be worth 65,000 yuan per acre, not including compensation fees of 30,000 yuan per acre and resettlement fees of 30,000 yuan per person.

Currently, the areas of Wuzhong, Shilu, and Shishan Roads were still barren farmland, only becoming prosperous commercial districts years later.

Though aware that land prices in Wuzhou would rise, Muxi Town hadn’t yet caught up.

So, in 2007, rural land of 100 or 300 acres was still available at varying prices.

Pang Zhigang hesitated, not because he couldn’t handle it, but because it wasn’t worth involving himself in a matter concerning a high school student.

Seeing Pang’s hesitation, Lin Cheng added, “Handle the school-related issues as needed. I haven’t reported this to the police. If you can’t handle it, I won’t take your money.”

“But the medical expenses must be paid!” Jiang Huiying hurriedly said.

“Aunt Jiang, the monthly allowance my family gives me is more than what your son owes me for those few hits. Let it be.”

Jiang Huiying had no choice but to shut up.

“Who’s your father?” Pang Zhigang’s eyes brightened; he thought dealing with the parents might be more reliable.

“My father? He’s very busy. If you wanted to find him, you wouldn’t have come to me first.” Lin Cheng said, feigning helplessness, revealing a bit of Mayor Jiang’s mindset.

“Hmm... alright, I’ll call a few village chiefs to inquire.”

Assistant Tao Lu secretly recorded all the conversations. She wandered casually, even recording Mayor Pang’s phone call.

When Mayor Pang returned, he cautiously said, “There are about three hundred acres available from two villages, roughly four million yuan. How much do you want?”

“I’ll take it all. And please help approve the homestead land.”

“...”

What kind of kid is this! Pang Zhigang muttered to himself.

...

Only then did Jiang Huiying realize why Lin Cheng asked for her name upon meeting—this child was cunning beyond measure!

Tao Lu immediately got the village chiefs’ and farmers’ phone numbers, took the bank card Lin Cheng gave her, grabbed a tall staff member, and sped off on her “big old scooter” without a trace!

Tao Lu had really opened her eyes—no wonder he was the boss!

The two handed the money to Zhao Guangtao, exchanged some meaningless pleasantries with Lin Cheng, then turned and left.

Zhao Guangtao stood dumbfounded, holding six large envelopes from the Industrial and Commercial Bank, unsure what to do.

Lin Cheng shoved the money back out. “Uncle Pang, Aunt Jiang, let’s keep things separate. I won’t pursue this further.”

“Since I’m taking the land, I’m grateful for your help, Uncle and Aunt. There are many people in the office; let’s not make a fuss.” Lin Cheng pressed the money into their hands and ran off.

“Auntie... I don’t want it...”

“...Let’s go.” Pang Zhigang shook his head. How could his son get tangled with such a person!

The outcome was that Yu Yan found out Lin Cheng had been broken-boned by Pang Yuanguang and cut ties with him.

Through Mayor Pang’s maneuvering, Pang Yuanguang and the acne-faced boy were placed under school observation, effectively concluding the matter.

...

When the classroom broadcast announced the cancellation of morning exercises, Yu Yan lay on her desk, her long, silky hair spilling softly.

“Why does it keep raining?”

Yao Jingying turned around. “Rain’s good. Weren’t you the one who hated going downstairs for morning exercises?”

Yu Yan didn’t lift her head, her voice muffled. “That was before. Now I love morning exercises—I want to do them every day...”

“...”

Yao Jingying rubbed Yu Yan’s hair, then pinched her little ear. “Come with me to the snack shop after class.”

“No!”

After refusing, Yu Yan suddenly looked up. “Let’s go down the north stairs.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to go down this way?”

Yao Jingying didn’t understand why Yu Yan wanted to take a detour.

Between Class 3 and Class 14 was a long corridor. Outside, many students stood chatting and laughing in the shelter of the hallway.

As Yu Yan and Yao Jingying walked arm in arm past the idle chatter, their long hair was suddenly lifted by the wind.

Behind them, pairs of young eyes quietly focused on the two girls.