bodyguard against fate

Chapter 27 Raising Prices on the Spot

Oh dear, this is like a murderer meeting a bandit. They're completely lawless and have come to bully me.

Wu Renxing was furious: "This is a rip-off! Do you believe I'll call the police?"

"Go ahead and report it. If you eat nationally protected animals, you'll all go to jail too."

It seems that Sun Erniang had a backup plan. Although Wu Renxing and the others did not eat white sturgeon, if the shop really produced a white sturgeon and claimed that you ate it, how would you prove to yourself that you did not eat it?

"I'm not paying a single cent. Let's go!"

Wu Renxing stood up, and as soon as he got off the stool, several burly men rushed out of the kitchen, carrying all sorts of things: boning knives, rolling pins, frozen ribbonfish, beer bottles... and surrounded He Xiuli and the other two.

"Trying to dine and dash?" Sun Erniang sneered. "Ask them if they'll allow it."

"I don't believe you dare touch me!"

These people were clearly not kind-hearted people; they all looked fierce and menacing. But Wu Renxing wasn't easily intimidated. He started to walk out, and Sun Erniang reached out to stop him. Wu Renxing pushed her, and Sun Erniang fell to the ground, bumping into the counter. A burly man saw Sun Erniang's eyes, lightly touched it with his hand, and the glass toad on the counter fell to the ground with a "crack," shattering into pieces.

"You dare hit me? And you even smashed my golden toad!" Sun Erniang immediately started yelling, "Close down! We're not open for business today!"

No sooner had Sun Erniang finished speaking than another burly man hung a "Closed Today" sign on the door and slammed it shut. It seemed they had done this more than once or twice before; the whole process was smooth and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

"This golden toad is worth at least 20,000. You won't be leaving here for less than 25,000!" Sun Erniang stood up, patted her bottom, and said.

"Isn't this extortion?" He Xiuli couldn't stand it anymore. Wu Renxing hadn't even touched the golden toad, yet he was being extorted for 20,000 yuan. This was too obvious!

"I haven't even settled the medical bills yet! Look at this bump on my head, could it be a concussion? The security cameras captured it all!" Sun Erniang said, touching her head.

Wu Renxing then discovered that there was a camera in the corner of the wall that had captured his pushing action. This made Wu Renxing even more unreasonable, and if the video were posted online, he would have no way to explain himself.

"You're recording video?"

Wu Renxing felt a chill run down his spine, because the camera was pointed directly at his back while he was eating.

While eating, he secretly texted the assassin to ask how much longer it would take to arrive, and the reply was still half an hour. Wu Renxing was furious. "You being half an hour late is one thing, but I've already been delayed by half an hour, and now you're saying it'll take another half hour? Are you kidding me?" Wu Renxing immediately replied to the assassin.

"Are you even capable of doing this? If not, I'll find someone else!"

Afraid of being seen by He Xiuli, Wu Renxing held his phone vertically to send the message.

"What's the rush? It's just killing two people, it's not like we can escape!" the assassin replied.

The camera was positioned so that it could capture his phone screen. If the police later traced this back to the killer and saw the messages he exchanged, that would be irrefutable evidence!

"This isn't something that can't be discussed—"

Wu Renxing's tone suddenly softened.

"Renxing, they're extorting money from you," He Xiuli warned.

"Look at all these people, we definitely won't be able to leave without paying," Wu Renxing said.

"Coward!" He Yong, who had been silent until now, finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Even if we had the money, we wouldn't give it to them. We can't let this corrupt practice get the better of us!"

"Dad, don't worry about this. I'll talk to them!" Wu Renxing thought for a moment. "Here's what we'll do: I admit I was in the wrong for hitting them, and I'll pay them, but you have to give me the CCTV footage."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Sun Erniang scoffed. "If you take the video and then go to the police, I won't have any evidence. I won't be able to explain myself even if I'm in the right!"

"Then tell me, what should we do?"

Sun Erniang and the others discussed it and said, "You write me an IOU saying you borrowed 30,000 from me, and now you're paying it back, in cash!"

Wu Renxing asked in surprise, "How did it become 30,000?"

"The video recording is free? Add another five thousand, otherwise let's not talk anymore. Let's just wait and see who can outlast whom!" Sun Erniang said.

"Wait a minute, let's discuss this together," Wu Renxing said.

Wu Renxing advised He Xiuli that it was better to avoid trouble. They came out seeking peace and safety, and no one expected to encounter a shady shop. They should just consider it money spent to avoid disaster. He Xiuli wasn't stingy with the money; they came out to invite Guanyin, and it would be bad if they missed the auspicious time. Only He Yong disagreed, but he couldn't resist his daughter's persuasion. Besides, they were in the middle of nowhere, and it wouldn't be worth it if something unexpected happened. In the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Sun Erniang insisted on cash, because this was different from simply overcharging customers for a meal. If she transferred 30,000 yuan at once, it would be difficult to explain to the regulatory authorities if they came back to investigate what she had eaten that was so expensive.

Wu Renxing had no choice but to call Wu Meng and Feng Weida and ask them to send money. At this moment, Sun Erniang wanted to confiscate He Xiuli's phone. It turned out that she saw He Xiuli making a phone call and was afraid that she would call the police. He Xiuli thought she was being robbed and shouted "You're robbing me!" in a panic, but her mouth was covered.

Qiaotou Village is more than 30 kilometers away from Lingfeng Temple. Following Wu Renxingfa's directions, Feng Weida drove there. Some sections of the road were blocked by mudslides, so he had to change lanes. After leaving the highway, on a small road, Feng Weida saw a van stuck in the mud. No matter how hard the three men tried to pull it out, they couldn't get it out. The location was also remote. If it weren't for Feng Weida's accidental discovery, they wouldn't have seen a single car pass by for half a day.

Upon seeing Feng Weida, the three men waved as if they had seen a savior. The leader was a burly man with a thick beard and a menacing face, all smiles. The two behind him were a slightly overweight man and a rather thin man.

Feng Weida stopped his car. Without asking, he knew they needed help. He took a tow rope from his car, placed it between the two vehicles, and then slammed on the gas, pulling the other vehicle out of the mud.

"Thanks, brother!" The bearded man handed Feng Weida a cigarette. "We've been running around for ages, not a single car has passed by. Luckily you came!"

"Where are you going?" Feng Weida waved his hand, indicating that he did not smoke.

"Bridge... Dongyang Village!" the bearded man changed his words at the last minute.

"Isn't Qiaotou Village not far from here?" Feng Weida asked.

"It's just ahead!" the skinny man said, pointing to the end of the road.

"Are you going to Qiaotou Village too?" the bearded man asked.

"Go find the boss."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Feng Weida's license plate wasn't local; he'd come all this way, which was definitely unusual. The bearded man asked casually.

"I know Qiaotou Village well. Which boss are you looking for?"

"My boss's surname is He, and he's not from here."

"Your boss really doesn't care about your well-being, making you go through all this trouble."

"I'm the driver, I have to protect the boss's safety."

"You're in charge of the boss's safety too?"

"I'm a bodyguard, I get double pay." Feng Weida's main selling point is that he can't lie and he answers every question.

"What a talent!" the bearded man exclaimed, realizing the connection. "Are drivers nowadays also bodyguards?"

"My boss's situation is special; someone wants to harm her," Feng Weida said. "I have to help my boss catch these murderers!"

"Are you still going to catch the murderer?"

The bearded man gave the skinny man a wink, and the skinny man understood, quietly taking something from the car.

"My boss has been very good to me. If I don't help her solve this problem, I'll be letting her down."

"What a coincidence, we're passing through Qiaotou Village, it's on our way," said the bearded man. "Brother, my car is leaking oil, could you take a look?"

Feng Weida bent down to check the fuel tank.

"Do you have another boss surnamed Wu?" the bearded man asked.

How did you know?

Before Feng Weida could finish speaking, the bearded man grabbed him from behind, the fat man stuffed a rag into Feng Weida's mouth, and the skinny man took out a black cloth bag and covered Feng Weida's head, then tied Feng Weida's hands behind his back. The whole thing was done in one smooth, quick motion.