Ji Shuqin glanced at the price and said nothing. He only hoped to break even, to turn those useless radios into two hundred yuan, and then repay that high-interest money to be content.
"Give it a try," Xu Nian’an didn’t explain much.
Soon enough, Ling Dong drove over. Ji Shuqin looked eagerly at Xu Nian’an. He was afraid to go alone for some indiscernible reason, afraid of Brother Niu’s men and their violent ways.
"Ling Dong will bring you back safely," Xu Nian’an patted his shoulder and shrugged helplessly, "School starts today, the shop’s bound to be busy, so I can’t leave."
"Nian’an," Ji Shuqin turned to Ling Dong, with his tall figure and cold complexion, he did seem trustworthy. He said gratefully, "Thanks for the trouble today."
"You should thank Brother Cheng," Ling Dong’s words were very brief.
"Thank you to everyone, thank you all," he said.
With a tense heart, Ji Shuqin got into Ling Dong’s car. He couldn’t afford to marvel at the sensation of riding in a car as he quietly observed Ling Dong’s face, saying, "Brother Niu has a dozen underlings, each skilled in combat. When they start hitting, they’re especially vicious..."
After Ji Shuqin finished speaking, Ling Dong grunted in acknowledgment but said nothing else. Ji Shuqin added, "It’s just the two of us going?"
"What else?" Ling Dong drove earnestly, not sparing a glance at Ji Shuqin.
In the car, Ji Shuqin could only feel the chill emanating from Ling Dong’s body, which made him dare not speak again. What if he annoyed him and Ling Dong decided not to help him?
All the way there, Ji Shuqin was on tenterhooks, fearing he would be beaten and thrown out as soon as he entered.
"Is this the place?" Ling Dong asked Ji Shuqin to confirm the location once again.
"Yes," Ji Shuqin looked at the courtyard and felt a chill in his heart. The last time he came to borrow money, it was in a moment of madness over the profit of one hundred and twenty yuan that he failed to consider the high interest of the loan.
Who would have thought he’d be stuck with unsold radios, leaving him broke. The little money he had was nowhere near enough to repay the debt, let alone the ever-increasing compound interest. His two hundred yuan debt ballooned to a thousand, pressing down on him like Mount Tai, suffocating him.
He had been backed into a corner and heard selling discs could make money. It was with this hopeful mindset that he tried selling them, only to nearly get beaten to death without making much profit.
"Aren’t you coming?" Ling Dong strode towards the courtyard with an ease that did not suggest he was walking into a fight.
Ji Shuqin stood frozen for a moment, wondering just who Ling Dong was.
Could it be that he really didn’t understand the situation?
Ji Shuqin hurriedly followed with a quick trot.
Ling Dong commanded, standing at the entrance.
Ji Shuqin looked at Ling Dong, then at the tightly closed gate, closed his eyes, and knocked on the courtyard door.
As the door opened, it was one of Brother Niu’s men. Seeing Ji Shuqin, he immediately remembered the swollen and bruised face from the day before. The anger inside the henchman flared upon seeing Ji Shuqin.
"Brothers, grab your tools."
The underling yelled, and in no time, five or six men were brandishing long wooden sticks, looking ready to beat Ji Shuqin, who turned pale with fright and hastily backed away.
Fearful and panicked, Ji Shuqin sought refuge behind Ling Dong. His strength was no match for the five or six professional thugs.