As soon as the yellow-haired guy spoke, Meng Ruozhao roughly guessed what was going on.
Anger and disgust flashed across her eyes.
680,000 yuan as bride price? Plus a Mercedes?
Was this about marrying off his sister or an out-and-out extortion?
A murmur rose among the on - looking villagers.
Some shook their heads, while others enjoyed the drama. Apparently, they were no strangers to such behavior, and it might even be a “local custom”.
However, Xu Lin and Ai Gao hadn't shown up since they'd been there for a while. It was very likely that they'd been controlled by this yellow - haired guy.
Now wasn't the time to fall out with him.
Meng Ruozhao suppressed her anger and tried to stay calm.
“Maybe you've got it wrong. We're just Xu Lin's friends. We came to see her. Is she at home?”
But the yellow - haired guy wouldn't let it go. His lecherous eyes roamed over Meng Ruozhao.
They lingered on her slender waist and fair calves.
“Friends? I don't think so. What decent friends could that girl have?”
“I think you're her new boss. She always said her new boss was beautiful and kind - hearted. She wasn't lying. You're really a beauty.”
His tone was flippant, and his look was lewd, which made people extremely uncomfortable.
“Where is she?”
Pei Jiangmu ignored his nonsense. His voice was as cold as ice as he got straight to the point.
At the same time, he took a step forward, shielding Meng Ruozhao more tightly behind him.
The intimidating low - pressure aura around him made the yellow - haired guy instinctively shrink his neck. He felt a bit scared.
But soon, the yellow - haired guy came to his senses. They were in his own village. He had the numbers. What was there to be afraid of?
So he straightened his chest bravely again and spoke arrogantly.
“Looking for my sister? Sure. Give the ‘meeting gift’ first.”
“I'm her elder brother. You can't just come to see her empty - handed, can you?”
He rubbed his fingers, making a money - counting gesture. His greed was palpable.
Meng Ruozhao was stunned by this guy's shamelessness.
She took a deep breath and said coldly, “We're here to see Xu Lin, not to pay you a toll. Get out of the way!”
“Hey! You're being ungrateful, aren't you?”
Seeing her tough attitude, the yellow - haired guy flew into a rage and raised his voice.
“How dare you act so tough at my doorstep? Let me tell you, if you don't show some respect today, not only can you not see my sister, but you won't even be able to leave this village in one piece!”
As soon as he finished speaking, several young men who looked like hooligans surrounded them. They stared at Pei Jiangmu and Meng Ruozhao menacingly.
Apparently, they were the yellow - haired guy's cronies.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
Seeing this, the bodyguard who was acting as the driver immediately stepped forward imperceptibly. He stood slightly in front of Pei Jiangmu's side, taking a protective stance.
At the same time, he said something very quietly into his earpiece.
Pei Jiangmu's eyes turned completely cold.
He originally didn't want to make things too ugly in front of Meng Ruozhao, but obviously, some people just needed a good beating.
He gently patted the back of Meng Ruozhao's hand, signaling her to stay calm. Then his gaze was as sharp as a knife as he looked at the yellow - haired guy.
“Are you sure you want to make things this ugly?”
“This is a society ruled by law.”
The yellow - haired guy remained unmoved. He even said righteously, “What's wrong with me? Even in a society ruled by law, if I don't allow you to enter my house, you can't.”
At this time, someone chimed in.
“That's right. You come here out of the blue and ask for someone's sister. Who knows who you are?”
“It's not too much for him to ask for a meeting gift. You don't look like people who are short of money. Why are you so stingy?”
Some people who were on the yellow - haired guy's side even squeezed forward to “enthusiastically” play matchmaker for Meng Ruozhao and Pei Jiangmu.
“Girl, how old are you? I have a nephew. His family runs a pig farm. He's looking for a wife.”
“To be honest, my nephew is very picky. For so many years, there hasn't been a girl he's taken a fancy to. I think you're great. He'll definitely like you.”
“Don't worry. If you marry into their family, you'll definitely live a good life. You can eat meat every meal. You'll be well - nourished.”
“And this young man, you look good too. You're just a bit thin. I have a daughter who's not married yet. She doesn't need as much bride price as the Xu family. Half will do.”
...
The woman kept chattering on. The driver couldn't stand it anymore.
Come on, his boss and the future boss's wife. How could these people have the right to judge them?
These puny guys didn't need his boss to deal with them personally.
He stepped in front of the two of them and gave a gentle push. The yellow - haired guy was pushed several meters away.
“Damn it. I really can't stand it anymore. What are you doing?”
“Are you still living in the feudal society? Are these even human words?”
“Don't think you can take advantage of others just because they're civilized.”
“Come on. Say those words again into my phone. I'll post them online and let everyone judge.”
“Let outsiders see what kind of hooligans you people in Xugou Village are. See who will dare to deal with you in the future.”
The driver was very stocky. Under his black suit, his muscles bulged. It was obvious that he could knock out three yellow - haired guys with one punch.
Now he glared at the yellow - haired guy and scolded him. The yellow - haired guy turned pale with fear.
But there was more to come.
Qi Yu reported all the information he'd investigated about the yellow - haired guy through the earpiece.
The driver turned to Meng Ruozhao and Pei Jiangmu and said, “You two wait a moment. I'm really angry. Let me scold them first.”
Meng Ruozhao was stunned again and again.
The only thought in her mind was: This guy is really strangely polite...
“Xu Qiang, you're idle and addicted to gambling. You owe 300,000 yuan to the town's casino, right?”
“Just a couple of days ago, you were beaten up at home. They threatened to break your leg if you didn't pay back the money.”
“So you got your parents to trick Xu Lin back. You wanted her to hand over all her savings. Otherwise, you'd marry her off to a bachelor for the bride price.”
“Now that you've squeezed all of Xu Lin's savings and it's still not enough, you want to extort money from her friends to fill your debt hole, right?”
The driver's voice was steady and sonorous. His words clearly reached everyone's ears.
Xu Qiang, the yellow - haired guy, turned deathly pale instantly. He pointed at the driver as if he'd seen a ghost.
“Y - you... How the hell do you know? You're talking nonsense!”
The surrounding villagers were in an uproar. Their gazes towards Xu Qiang were filled with contempt and schadenfreude.
Gambling and getting into debt and beaten was a very disgraceful thing in the village.
Originally, they'd gathered here because they'd heard that the Xu family's girl had saved hundreds of thousands of yuan after working in Haicheng for two years.
They'd come to ask if she could take their daughters out to work too.
Xu Qiang had always been a good - for - nothing in the village. Everyone had always looked down on him.
Seeing that these people all needed Xu Lin's help, he was jealous and put on airs. He said that if they wanted his sister's help, they had to pay him first.
Xu Lin was his sister and only listened to him.
If they didn't pay, he wouldn't let them see her.
When Meng Ruozhao and the others came, he'd just had the courtyard door locked from the inside. He was outside bargaining with everyone about the “meeting gift”.
Now, having his gambling debt and the fact that he'd tricked Xu Lin back to pay off his debt exposed in public, he naturally couldn't save face.