Chapter Five: Intimidation? A Clash!

On the side, Luo Song watched his wife acting out, but made no move to stop her. The days of disrespect had even stirred anger in him. For the past month or two, they’d tried every day to persuade those siblings, yet the pair seemed determined to oppose him to the bitter end, refusing to budge.

Today, their nephew hadn’t shown up for some reason—a rare opportunity. Luo Song thought it would be easy, since the other party was just a teenage girl; with his methods, she should be easily handled. If he could deal with the first, the second would be much simpler. Unexpectedly, his niece proved so stubborn.

Some people simply won’t learn unless you show them consequences.

A glint of cruelty flashed in Luo Song’s eyes as he signaled his wife to act immediately. But before they could assert themselves, a single sentence shattered their intentions.

“Enough! Take your filthy contract and get out of here, now!”

Luo Chen stepped calmly from the corridor, his sharp eyes betraying the fury of the body’s true master. Although he hadn’t heard the full conversation in the living room, the current situation was enough for Luo Chen to piece together most of it.

He’d never met such shameless people, but he knew that those who persistently tried to take advantage of others were notoriously hard to deal with. Even if he chased them out today, they’d surely return tomorrow.

“Luo Chen! Just in time. We were discussing the house. Come, have a look,” Luo Song and his wife instantly shifted their attention to Luo Chen. Luo Tianyi was merely their chosen weak spot; the real decision-maker and heir was the young man before them.

Luo Chen stepped forward, picked up the transfer agreement, and leafed through it—though he didn’t need to read it to know it was a trap. Still, he hadn’t expected his so-called relatives to be so ruthless.

“So, you think you’re clever? Using the house to pay the debt? And only your family, I suppose?” Luo Chen eyed Luo Song and his wife as if he were looking at two fools.

He casually tore the agreement and tossed the pieces onto Luo Song’s faux-stately face.

“Would you sign it yourself? Idiot!”

Luo Chen had thought the worst his uncle and aunt would do was pressure him with debt, using the house as collateral. But not only did they plan to use the house for debt repayment, they meant only their own family’s share!

Luo Song had scraped together money by rallying a group of relatives, while his own family contributed barely over a hundred thousand. In other words, he intended to exchange a mere ten thousand for a house worth several million. Was he overly ambitious, or simply brainless? Did he not fear exposure?

Seeing his little traps uncovered, Luo Song’s fat face flushed red, then turned a shade of purple.

“Luo Chen! Have you lost your mind?” A mere kid dared to insult him so publicly, and even threw his painstakingly crafted agreement in his face?

Luo Song’s face darkened, years of feigned gentleness shattered by the shame of being exposed and insulted.

“How dare you strike your uncle? You little bastard, trying to overturn the heavens? Looks like I’ll have to teach you a lesson today!”

Seeing her husband humiliated, Li Tong grew furious. Though past her prime, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to show Luo Chen some consequences.

Before the couple could explode, Luo Chen strode forward, not bothering to let Li Tong finish. With a fierce look, he grabbed the fruit knife from the coffee table and plunged it into the wooden table.

The dull blade sank halfway into the wood with a resounding thud. Li Tong, poised to discipline Luo Chen, jumped in fright. Even the composed Luo Song flashed a hint of terror, and Luo Tianyi, still surrounded, was stunned.

Luo Chen stared at the fruit knife he’d easily embedded in the table, momentarily surprised, but then let his anger surge, his delicate features twisted in rage. He spoke, cold and clear, to the fear-stricken couple.

“I’ll say it only once—get out! Now!”

“You—you think this will scare us? Go ahead, kill me if you dare!” Li Tong’s terror quickly turned to ferocity, yet her eyes kept darting to the knife, betraying her fear.

“Luo Chen! Have you no respect for the law? Brandishing a knife, do you think we’re easy prey?” Luo Song gradually regained composure. He’d seen all kinds in his years of hustling and didn’t believe the usually gentle boy would actually do anything drastic, though he held back from threatening outright, wary of youthful unpredictability.

Luo Chen saw they weren’t thoroughly intimidated, but the couple’s restraint from violence meant his goal was achieved.

“What, you want to steal my house, but I’m not allowed to fight back?”

“Luo Chen, think carefully. If you hurt someone and get arrested, it won’t be easy to get out. Your sister would be left all alone—who knows what might happen to her!” Luo Song threatened, word by word.

“Besides, maybe your uncle did some things wrong, but the debt has to be dealt with. So, you’ll lose the house—no question!”

A smug expression returned to Luo Song’s face. No matter what, Luo Chen couldn’t pay the debt, so the house would be sold eventually—only a matter of time.

“Is that so? Did you swallow my parents’ insurance payout?” Luo Chen sneered at the couple, whose faces changed dramatically. He’d known something was wrong ever since he realized he couldn’t even come up with ten thousand.

The insurance payout from his parents, Luo Qinlin and his wife, should have amounted to at least thirty to fifty thousand. With no savings left after buying the house, the leftover assets had been spent in recent months by him and his sister. But their parents’ death benefits should have easily covered the debt—so why couldn’t they pay off ten thousand?

Clearly, the money was in the hands of their guardian—Luo Song.

“Ahem, Luo Chen, you haven’t needed the money yet, so your uncle kept it safe for you,” Luo Song, seeing Luo Chen’s disbelief, stopped spinning tales and turned to sarcasm.

“Let me tell you, Luo Chen, that money was already used. Do you think creditors would let two kids owe so much? It was your uncle who smoothed things over and paid off most of it, keeping trouble from your door. Is this how you repay me?”

Of course, Luo Song would never admit he pocketed the money, nor reveal the real amount.