Beauty and the Bodyguard

Chapter 572 – Setting an Example (First Half)

Tang Jucheng could stand up and could even walk a couple steps with a cane. He had to stay home because he limped when he walked. There were still some problems with the nerves in his left leg.

Besides Jucheng, Tang Yin and Mrs. Tang were still present at the plaza, the former dumping grounds of the slums. This was a big day for them, after all.

A reconstruction program from the city cleaned up the trash and constructed a couple of landfills around the slums, removing the dump completely. The smell was unbearable during the summer, and now that it was no longer the case, people started visiting the area. The elderly exercised and played chess in the plaza, which also served as a playground for the children.

Today, the plaza was a place for business.

Between two large trees behind the plaza was a sign: “We welcome Qibing Real Estate to make changes to the slums!”

Zhao Qibing sat in the back of an Audi Q7 with Zhong Fabai acting as the driver. In the front passenger seat was Jin Gubang and sitting beside Qibing was an unknown middle-aged man who’d appeared abruptly with Qibing.

Qibing didn’t bother introducing him, and the man didn’t bother speaking. Fabai and Gubang assumed that this must be Qibing’s bodyguard who’d just arrived.

Tailing the Audi Q7 was a black van, and behind the wheel was a follower of Fabai’s, an enforcer meant to deal with the stubborn residents of the slums.

The car was parked near the plaza, and the sign was right in Qibing’s line of sight. It was a pleasing sight, and he assumed that these people had been looking forward to moving out for a long time. As things stood, he decided that he should press on and lower the compensation prices.

“Master Bing, these people seem to be welcoming you!” Fabai said as he focused on planning his comeback.

“Hmph. We’ll see how welcoming they are when you give them the numbers.” Master Bing was no idiot. He knew that these people would not be so welcoming the moment the prices were given.

“So what if they don’t welcome us? The buildings are going down all the same. After all, it’s the first step to your reign in Songshan. We can’t let these villagers ruin that!” Fabai said.

“Obviously they’re not going to ruin anything, but it’d be a pain if they were unwilling.” Qibing frowned as he looked at the crowd. “These people have clearly determined their prices with each other. We’re not going to have a good time discussing with them.”

“This depends on your determination, Master Bing!” Fabai smiled. “I’m not completely aware as to why Cihua bro asked me here. I do have some methods, but I need a limit from you, Master Bing. How much trouble am I allowed to cause before it becomes a problem for you?”

“People like them. As long as they don’t die, there won’t be a problem,” Master Bing said evenly. In his eyes, the residents of the slums were a weak minority, akin to ants. They couldn’t possibly cause any trouble that’d affect him.

“Things will go smoothly with you here, Master Bing!” Fabai pounded his chest. “Master Bing, just sit back and watch! I’m the best at dealing with scum like them. If all else fails, we’ll just send our bulldozers in and ignore the lot. Come what may, they won’t be able to do anything.”

“Mhm. As long as no one dies, anything goes!” Master Bing nodded. “But it’d be best if you set an example. I’m worried I won’t be able to contain things if it goes to far, but some injuries or disabilities to one or two people here and there can’t be helped, can it?”

“Understood!” Fabai nodded. “Master Bing, I’ll see if there’s filth hiding among those villagers. It’ll be easy once I clear them out.”

“Precisely. But Old Zhong, aren’t you lacking a little manpower?” Qibing didn’t think that Fabai’s men were enough to deal with this many people gathered in the plaza. Naturally, he didn’t fear any personal harm to himself. He’d gotten a master from his father’s side because he didn’t want anything happening to him. These couple hundred people weren’t enough to make him worry about his safety, but the consequences would be rather troubling if his bodyguard were to attack them.

“Master Bing, these are just employees who came with us. There’re still bulldozers and other machines on the way,” Fabai said as he looked at his watch. “It shouldn’t be long.”

“Good. I’ll leave it to you then.” Qibing relaxed upon hearing that there were reinforcements.

“If anyone stands up to us, we’ll just demolish his house. That’ll demonstrate our strength. We don’t want these people stepping on our faces.” Fabai was planning on targeting Tang Yin’s house. It’d be best if he caused a huge commotion and injured the girl. Lin Yi would have to intervene if that happened.

All he had to do then was push all responsibility onto Master Bing and let Lin Yi have a go at him! Although, that’d be suicide for the boy.

Master Bing nodded and got out of the car. Along with Fabai, Gubang, and his bodyguard, the four arrived at a makeshift rostrum made from tables and seated themselves.

The residents quieted down, unblinking as they stared at the people on the stage. These were people in charge of deciding their fates, and their words were gold! This was of utmost importance.

“This is Chairman Zhao Qibing of our Qibing Real Estate company. The transformation project of the slums is under Chairman Zhao’s authority, so any requests can be voiced as we discuss the relocation plans!” Fabai had taken Qibing’s words to heart. He had to set an example using one of the residents first, so he decided to wait for one of those bigmouths to stand up. Beating him up would result in silence from all the other residents.

Fabai’s words took the residents by surprise. All previous companies always put their prices on the table right from the get-go with no intention of compromise, saying that there was nothing to discuss.

Could it be that this real estate company was one with morals? Had the slums finally been blessed?

The residents started thinking about their requests, but nobody stood up to voice them. After all, who knew if these people were telling the truth?

Fabai didn’t rush them. “Discuss among yourselves. Once you’re done, send a representative to us. We’ll get something to eat first!”