Chapter 18: Teasing the Fat Lady

"Hey, isn't it time to pay up?" Ye Chen clapped his hands and said, "I don't have time to play games with you anymore!"

"We... we'll pay right now!" The man with the dark face nodded hurriedly.

"Then why are you still standing there?" Ye Chen spat on the floor, slouched into a chair, and then ordered one of the thugs who hadn't yet passed out, "Bring me a glass of water!"

"Yes, yes!" The thug nodded frantically, immediately bent over, and dashed to pour water. He returned, respectfully presenting a glass, almost tripping over himself in his haste.

The dark-faced man tried to sneak his phone out from his pocket, but the moment he dialed, a slap landed hard across his cheek. Ye Chen was standing right behind him, furious. "Damn it, you dare call someone? Do you believe I won't kill you right here?"

"Big brother, I won't. I won't!" Despite his imposing height, nearly six feet tall, he dropped to his knees before Ye Chen.

"Enough nonsense. Go get the money, now!" Ye Chen glared at him.

"Yes, yes!" The dark-faced man rushed to the safe, punched in the code, and took out over three hundred thousand in cash, handing it over in thick bundles to Ye Chen. The sight dazzled Ye Chen's eyes; this was money, the root of all evil, the universal key. The man hurriedly presented it, saying, "Big brother, here it is!"

"Good." Ye Chen nodded, stuffed all the money into the cloth bag he brought, tied it up, and walked out without another word.

Barely two minutes after Ye Chen left, the dark-faced man dialed a number. At the same moment, in the office of a gambling hall called Fun Zone, Zhang Bold was gathered with his men for a meeting. Business had been bleak lately. The economic downturn had eaten away a third of his profits; Zhang Bold was heartbroken.

"Damn it, brothers, take care of business—seriously!" Zhang Bold pleaded. "The economy's bad, so don't just sit around. Advertise our game hall everywhere, bring in more customers. Look at this month's profits—down so much! How am I supposed to survive? I used to flush my toilet with mineral water. Now, it's tap water."

"Ha ha..." The thugs burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhang Bold glared at them, about to speak when his phone rang. He answered, "Hello? What?! Damn, whose people? Debt collectors? Tianya Group? Who is he? Got it, I understand!"

After hanging up, his face turned cold. Damn it, just as he was lamenting his business woes, someone dared snatch food from his mouth. Sick of living, apparently. He shot to his feet. "What year is it? Has Zhang Bold really become a pushover?"

"Boss, what's up?" his men asked.

"Damn it, someone dared come to my turf to collect debts!" Zhang Bold spat, scanning the crowd. "What do you think we should do?"

"No need to ask, old rules: break his arm!"

"Screw that! Forget breaking arms—just bury him!"

The men roared in outrage. Going against Bold was a death wish. Each was furious, eager to rush over and finish off the debt collector. The atmosphere was electric; everyone stood up in the meeting room. Zhang Bold looked over them, waved his hand. "Good, that's the spirit. Mantis, take a few good men and deal with this. The money is gone, fine, it's Tianya Group's anyway. But bring me that debt collector's hand. That's a warning—see who dares collect debts on our turf again!"

"Yes!" A tall man nodded and left.

"Alright, that's settled. Enough with this trash meeting—it's killed my mood." Zhang Bold spat, cocked his tie, and said, "Let's go, find some girls."

Roars of excitement followed. The men were thrilled; Zhang Bold was famous for his generosity—not just to his women, but to his men as well. More than a dozen thugs jumped up and followed him out.

...

Ye Chen was feeling rather annoyed, lugging the heavy bundles of cash—at least several pounds. He drove his little Alto, checked the time: already eight forty. He hurried toward the company. Damn it, I collected the debt for you; now watch how I humiliate you.

He parked right at the company gate, blocking the entrance. The security guard rushed over, but seeing it was Ye Chen, backed away quickly. Hell, this guy was a killer; offend him, and who knows what might happen.

"Morning, Brother Chen!" The guard called out as he left.

"Morning," Ye Chen replied, bag in hand, heading inside.

As he entered the lobby, he saw the fat woman standing at the entrance, hands on her hips, face brimming with anger, glaring at Ye Chen. Behind her, a crowd of gossiping women from the company had gathered. The receptionist watched curiously, holding a glass of water, ready for the show. Ye Chen paid no attention, intending to go around them.

"Stop!" The fat woman suddenly pointed at Ye Chen, full of rage.

"What do you want?" Ye Chen glanced at her.

"I'm here to challenge you today!" The fat woman, with her sausage lips, a flat nose under thick black-rimmed glasses, and at least a pound of powder on her face, twitched at the corners of her mouth as she spoke, causing powder to fall in flakes. It made Ye Chen nauseous.

"What kind of challenge?" Ye Chen asked, curious.

"I'm going to curse you to death! I'll curse your ancestors till smoke rises from their graves, curse you till your mother can't recognize you..." The fat woman launched into her tirade, hands on hips, her aura overwhelming as dozens of company staff gathered around to watch.

"Wait!" Ye Chen waved his hand, opened the bag he’d dropped on the floor, and pulled out a bundle of ten thousand in cash. "Here's ten thousand. Curse yourself as a fat woman!"

"Ah!" The fat woman froze, staring at the bright red bills Ye Chen shoved into her hands, stunned. Was making money really this easy? She couldn't believe it, yet had no choice—facts stared her in the face. She hugged the stack of cash, stroked it, damn, it was real. She swallowed, glanced around—fortunately, not too many people. Even if she insulted herself, it didn't matter; she had no image to uphold anyway. So, she opened her mouth and declared, "I... I am a fat woman!"

Ha ha...

The crowd burst into laughter. The scene was utterly delightful; people laughed until tears streamed down their faces. The receptionist, sipping her water, was so overwhelmed she nearly choked, her mischievous eyes brimming with tears.

"Not bad! But not loud enough!" Ye Chen pursed his lips. "Another ten thousand—if you shout 'I'm a pig' at the top of your lungs, it's yours. Deal?"

"Deal, deal!" The fat woman nodded eagerly, instantly agreeing. She snatched the ten thousand from Ye Chen, held it close, and shouted in the lobby with lion-like volume, "I am a pig!"

The sound was deafening, making everyone’s ears hurt. The crowd exploded again, laughing till their sides ached. Truly, money makes the world go round—just twenty thousand, and the fat woman insulted herself. Ye Chen grinned mischievously; if you're going to play, play big.

"I've got three hundred thousand right here," Ye Chen hefted the heavy bag, smiling. "If you dare show off your figure right here, well... it's all yours. What do you say?"

The fat woman froze. This... this was a bit much. She would have to strip down to her underwear and parade around—embarrassing, but seeing the stacks of cash in Ye Chen's bag, she was tempted. Damn it, I'll do it—what’s the worst, my husband will have his way with me tonight?

"Come on, Xiao Mei, hold this for me!" The fat woman hurried over to the receptionist.

"Ah?!" Xiao Mei was startled, but took the twenty thousand from her hands, shooting Ye Chen a dissatisfied look, annoyed at his prank. Money makes you so great? Her glance urged Ye Chen to stop, but Ye Chen ignored her completely. He urged the fat woman, "Sis, maybe you shouldn't..."

"No, that’s three hundred thousand!" The fat woman shook her head. "I'll just pretend I'm at the beach, it's fine!"

Without another word, she stripped off her uniform, exposing her rolls of fat, and strutted proudly around the lobby. The crowd laughed wildly, tears streaming down their faces, while the fat woman finished her walk and returned to Ye Chen. "Mr. Ye, the money?"

"Ha ha... it's yours, all yours!" Ye Chen quickly handed her the bag.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" The fat woman was overjoyed, clutching the money, nearly crying from excitement.

"What are you all doing?"

A cold voice sounded from outside. Though the person was unseen, everyone recognized the speaker. The crowd turned as one, standing straight, bowing respectfully. "Director Li!"