Chapter 619: Chapter 610: Extortion

"Mr. Su, do you smoke?"

"No."

"How about a drink?"

"I want to sleep."

"Then have some food, please, eat something!"

"Makes me nauseous."

Zhang Yongcai: ...

Su Qing’s reaction threw this middle-aged man off completely. What was this young guy up to? He’s come for a discussion, yet he’s completely impervious to any approach.

Logically, at this stage, it’s just a matter of saving face. Today he’s hosting, and as an elder, he’s personally come to apologize to this young Su Qing, which is already quite a gesture. Yet here he is, acting like this, what’s he trying to do, have fun?

This is the normal mindset, especially for people like Zhang Yongcai’s generation. Their thinking has long solidified, but now he’s facing a young man, one of the post-2000 generation.

This generation has a common trait: they don’t care if you’re happy or not, as long as they themselves are satisfied.

If you can’t stand it, you can leave. No one’s stopping you.

Beside them, Zhang Chao watched Su Qing, who seemed carefree, and his father, who was struggling to please, and couldn’t help but feel a bit humiliated.

But the humiliation wasn’t for his father, it was for himself. He even thought his father’s actions were a bit disgraceful.

"Mr. Su... I..."

Before he could finish, Su Qing poured himself a cup of tea and said, "I’m not here to listen to this nonsense today, nor am I used to beating around the bush. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way."

Hearing this, Zhang Yongcai’s face changed. He realized that his usual social tactics were completely ineffective on this young man who could be his son, and it made him very uncomfortable.

Who handles things like this? Really giving no face at all, insisting on speaking plainly.

But at this point, he had no choice but to face it with a forced smile and said:

"Mr. Su... a while back, Zhang Chao spoke without thinking. I’ve already scolded him for it. Today, I’m here to personally apologize to you, hoping you’ll forgive us."

In response, Su Qing looked at Zhang Yongcai and replied calmly, "Anything else?"

"Huh?" Zhang Yongcai was taken aback by the response.

"I said, do you have anything else to say? If not, I’m leaving. I don’t like staying here; it’s boring!"

With that said, Su Qing stood up.

Seeing this, Zhang Yongcai quickly stood up and said, "Well... about my family’s business..."

"Hmm?" Su Qing turned to Zhang Yongcai and smiled, "What’s that got to do with me?"

"Mr. Su, let’s be honest with each other. I know it’s a matter of tactics, and now we’re genuinely here to apologize, hoping you’ll forgive us, and be merciful!"

At this moment, Zhang Yongcai was desperate. While the other party was as young as his son, the power they held was significant. His family’s business was in their hands.

"Oh, so you’re here to apologize. I thought you were here to amuse me," Su Qing said with a laugh.

The Zhang family father and son: ...

"Mr. Su... then..."

"Then what? You want me to let it go? What’s wrong with your brain? I’ve accepted the apology, but I’m not prepared to forgive. Just because you apologize, I’m supposed to forgive? What, do you think I’m worthless? As for being merciful, what makes you think that? Or do you think your own face is too important?"

.bg-ssp-10081{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;}

"Why should I be merciful just because you apologize? You don’t really think I incurred no costs, do you?" Su Qing said bluntly.

His tone was laced with sarcasm and disdain, directly challenging Zhang Yongcai.

The words made this forty-something middle-aged man’s expression turn green and red alternately.

Zhang Yongcai might not have been a big shot, but when had he ever been so humiliated by a young man?

These words were no different from pointing at his nose and calling him shameless. Even he couldn’t stand it.

"Dad, I told you he wasn’t genuinely interested in talking to us. He’s just here to make a joke out of us. In my opinion..."

Seeing this, Zhang Chao couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire. He didn’t want to come in the first place and was forced to apologize. Now if his dad listened to him and they left, he’d be happy.

"Shut up!!" Zhang Yongcai shouted angrily, scaring Zhang Chao into silence.

Then he turned to Su Qing and said, "Since you’re here today, it indicates there’s hope for resolving this. What are your conditions, tell us."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing couldn’t help but smile. Indeed, older people are smarter. See, now he’s getting it. Look at Zhang Chao; in terms of human interactions alone, he can’t even compare to ordinary people like Wang Xing the sly dog, let alone someone with my advantages.

Perhaps growing up spoiled, never faced setbacks, and never worked after graduation. In simple terms, he never stepped into society, naturally making him a bit immature.

Speaking of temperament, when they were in school, they were about the same, like brothers not judging each other. But after graduating and over the past year and a half, Zhang Chao not only made no progress but regressed, which is quite intriguing.

It’s his first time seeing someone who only ages but doesn’t grow wiser.

"Ah... that’s more like it. An apology should come with an apologetic attitude. You can’t expect me to suffer losses just because you said sorry. Even in a lawsuit, the loser pays the winner’s legal fees."

As he spoke, Su Qing sat down again, not touching a single dish on the table, only drinking tea continuously.

"So, Mr. Su, what conditions must be met for this matter to be resolved?" Zhang Yongcai asked.

"It’s not about what conditions I want, it’s about whether your sincerity is enough to satisfy me. Let’s put it this way, this time, not only did I owe a big favor, but I also spent a million yuan. Even though I don’t lack that bit of money, being at a loss is not in my nature."

Hearing this, Zhang Yongcai’s face sank, while Zhang Chao was dumbfounded. A million? Although his family was relatively wealthy, he had never seen so much money.

Moreover, most of their family’s assets were in real estate or businesses, and they actually had not much cash on hand.

"A million? Dad, he..."

Before he could finish, he met his father’s sharp gaze and immediately fell silent.

"A million, fine, I’ll..." Zhang Yongcai considered for a long time, thinking about the influential backing of the other party, and was about to agree through gritted teeth when Su Qing laughed directly.

"Hehe~~ I don’t know if you genuinely don’t understand or are pretending not to get it. A million is just a part of what I paid; I’ve also owed favors. Plus, considering your daughter-in-law last time, this is the second time you’ve asked for my help. Does my lost time not count for money? With the time spent meeting with you, I could have made this money back long ago. Furthermore, this is just my loss, not an apology compensation." Su Qing tapped lightly on the table with his fingers, sneering.

As Su Qing finished speaking, even someone as composed as Zhang Yongcai started to sweat. He had considered bringing some compensation when he came today but didn’t expect the other party’s appetite to be so large.

A million wouldn’t cripple his family financially, but it would certainly cause them some pain for quite a while, and given the look of things, a million wouldn’t be enough.

"Then... one hundred fifty..."

"Not enough!"

Before he could finish, Su Qing spoke plainly, not even looking up.

This time he intended to take a piece from the other party; otherwise, how would Zhang Chao ever learn the lesson?

You see, if you don’t make someone pay a painful price, they will always forget the consequences.

"Two million, I can’t go higher!" Zhang Yongcai said, trembling slightly.

The main issue was that the connections Su Qing managed to secure this time were too strong, and despite Zhang Yongcai’s efforts, he couldn’t find any information, forcing him to be cautious.

"Dad!! Two million!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Chao stood up abruptly and shouted.

Su Qing looked at Zhang Chao with some annoyance: "You’re hurting my ears; add another hundred."

Zhang Chao: ...

Zhang Yongcai: "No, that’s too much; I don’t have that much cash on hand."

"That’s not my concern, of course. You can also choose to refuse. Don’t worry, we live in a law-abiding society, I can’t wipe you out. But I’m afraid your family won’t be able to do business in Jiang City anymore. I heard your home isn’t in Jiang City but in a nearby county town, so go back home. I’ll bear this loss myself; it’s just small change to me!" Su Qing shrugged his shoulders.

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Qing heard a narrator’s voice in his head.

[You have a firm hold on Zhang Yongcai’s lifeline. He’s currently furiously debating in his mind whether it’s worth it, but the thought of abandoning his businesses in Jiang City and slinking back home is something he’s unwilling to accept.]

Upon hearing this, Su Qing’s mouth slightly curved up, realizing that Zhang Yongcai would probably compromise. If it means three million, as long as the businesses remain, he’ll earn it back sooner or later.

Zhang Yongcai was hesitating because the business downtime had already cost him quite a bit, and paired with the expenses of smoothing relations, if you add this three hundred, it would be nearly five hundred.

And after the hygiene issue scandal at the restaurant, even if they reopened, the business would undoubtedly take a hit.

At this point, the way Zhang Yongcai glared at his son seemed like he wanted to kick this unfilial son to death.

Seeing his hesitation, Su Qing rose: "Take your time to think it over, Mr. Zhang. I hope the next time you contact me, it’s to bring me money."

Having said that, Su Qing glanced at both of them and walked straight out of the private room.

Crash! Clatter!

"This is outrageous!" After Su Qing left, Zhang Yongcai suddenly smashed the dishes on the table onto the ground, his chest heaving violently.

Zhang Chao, seeing this, was dumbfounded, but he also started feeling a bit afraid.

A three-million loss, all because he couldn’t hold his tongue – just thinking about it made him want to slap himself. The money would have been his someday, but now it was freely given to someone he despised.

"Dad, do we really have to compensate him three million? This is clearly extortion!" Zhang Chao shouted.

But hearing this, Zhang Yongcai deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping into his chair, and then smiled bitterly, "Do you think I can’t see it’s extortion?"

"Then we..."

"Even if we know it’s extortion, we have to pay up, unless we want to stop doing business in Jiang City."

"Why? Just because he says so? Is he the emperor?"

Watching his son and comparing him to Su Qing earlier, even though the two were classmates and about the same age, Su Qing could now wrestle with Zhang Yongcai and win, while his son was useless and couldn’t understand a thing. The gap was too great.

"He’s not exactly an emperor, but he has the connections and isn’t short of money. If he really wants to target our family, do you think we can withstand it? We don’t have as much foundation as they do; otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here today!"

"Once this is over, you’ll go back to our hometown."

Zhang Chao: ...

...

.bg-ssp-10016{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} #dl-banner-300x250 { max-height: 0 !important; overflow: hidden !important; }

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.