C14 Chasing after the Debtor

After leaving the apartment complex, Ye Fann had no choice but to take Xinying to a hotel. Just as he closed the door, his phone rang. It was Xiaoshan.

"Boss, I need to be honest with you. The funding from the top has been cut off. They told us months ago that we need to be self-sufficient."

Ye Fann shot up from his seat. "Self-sufficient? Are you kidding me?"

Xiaoshan sighed on the other end. "I'm not joking. Ever since you took over, they've been putting pressure on us. There are even rumors about disbanding us and integrating everyone into the official system. Uh, do you understand what I'm saying?"

Ye Fann understood perfectly.

Their group wasn't officially recognized, which made it a thorn in many people's sides—a thorn that could become deadly at any moment. His mentor had warned him from day one that there were countless people worldwide who wanted to eliminate their group. Especially in recent years, as regulations tightened, unofficial armed groups were disappearing one by one, leaving only theirs.

His primary duty was to keep the group going by any means necessary—not to expand, but to ensure its survival.

"Boss? Are you listening?"

Ye Fann snapped back to attention. "Yeah, I'm listening. Go on."

"So, your request for four million in funding isn't going to happen. I'll cover it for you. Consider it a loan from me."

"No need."

"Hey, you..."

"I don't need the five hundred thousand either. I'll figure it out myself."

The call ended.

Xiaoshan was stunned. "What? Who turns down money?"

Next to her, Shasha frowned and stared at Xiaoshan for a few seconds before asking, "You know he's short on cash right now. Why didn't you just tell him the funding request was approved and then front him the money? Wouldn't that have been easier?"

"Why should I?" Xiaoshan interrupted. "Who does good deeds anonymously these days? If I'm helping him out, he should know about it. Only a fool would stay in the shadows."

Shasha paused, then shook her head with a smile. Whatever, she thought. She wasn't about to get involved in the mentor-mentee drama.

One refuses the money, the other insists on recognition before giving it. They're both peculiar, no wonder they're from the same school.

At the hotel, Ye Fann lit a cigarette and walked to the balcony, gazing at the night sky with a sense of longing.

"Master, I might as well be honest with you. The funding chain from above has been cut off. They announced months ago that we need to be self-sufficient."

Reflecting on Xiaoshan's words, he realized this was a test from above.

If he really borrowed money from Xiaoshan, it might mean the end or restructuring of his group, and either outcome would mean its dissolution.

Just hold on a little longer. Once this passes, everything will be fine.

The next morning, Ye Fann dropped Xinying off at the company, then reluctantly returned to the Huang family home.

The door was open, and a crowd had gathered in the living room.

Wang Ying was shouting angrily, "Get out! Do you know you're trespassing? Get out now!"

A bald man with a cigarette dangling from his lips handed over a document and then produced a red booklet. "Ma'am, take a good look. This is the mortgage contract your son signed with us, and this is the title deed. Your son used your little house as collateral for a loan."

"It's all clearly written in black and white. If you don't pay up today, I'm sorry, but I'll have to take this contract and deed to court. Just a heads-up, I have connections there, and within three days, someone from the court will be here to enforce it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Wang Ying was stunned, and Huang Shihao was even more bewildered.

A mortgage loan? Did Huang Yong really put the house up as collateral?

"No, that's impossible," Wang Ying shook her head and stood up, suddenly pointing at Ye Fann, who had just squeezed to the front. "It was him! He stole the deed and impersonated our Huang Yong to get the loan, right?"

Ye Fann looked bewildered, thinking, I just got here and I'm already being blamed for this.

Huang Yong jumped in, "Yeah, it must be him! Look closely, was I the one who took out the loan? It was him! He stole the deed and pretended to be me to get the loan!"

Ye Fann looked helpless, smiling without saying a word.

The bald man glanced at Ye Fann, then turned his attention to Huang Yong with interest. "Pretending, huh? Who is he? I personally signed the contract with you and never saw this guy once. Now you're telling me someone's impersonating you?"

Huang Yong panicked, dropping to his knees in front of Wang Ying, pleading, "Mom, please believe me. I didn't, I really didn't take out a loan..."

With a clang, the bald man stabbed a dagger into the wooden coffee table. "Cut the crap. You've got two choices today: pay up or get out of this house. Your call."

Wang Ying's face turned pale as she gritted her teeth, pointing at Ye Fann again. "Go to him, deal with him."

"Who the hell is he that I should go to him? The contract's got your son's name on it. Are you blind?"

Fuming, Wang Ying stormed forward, yanking Ye Fann over and shoving the contract into his hands. "You've been freeloading here for years, and it's because of you that our family is in this mess. You better fix this today!"

The bald man and his crew were stunned.

Ye Fann took the contract and skimmed through it. It wasn't a formal loan, but the interest was reasonable, the signatures were complete, and it even had Huang Yong's fingerprint. This contract was valid and legally binding; it had to be repaid.

"Three hundred thousand? That can't be the million-dollar gambling debt from before."

"Where did your money go?" Ye Fann turned to ask Huang Yong.

Huang Yong gritted his teeth and replied, "You, you pretended to be me and took out a loan. How would I know..."

Suddenly, Ye Fann grabbed the knife from the coffee table and pressed it against Huang Yong's neck. "Answer me the way I ask you. If you want to end up on the streets, don't drag your family into it!"

"What are you doing, Ye Fann?" Wang Ying shouted angrily, rushing forward to grab the knife from Ye Fann's hand.

"Are you two going to handle this yourselves today?" Ye Fann said coldly.

Wang Ying stopped in her tracks.

Huang Yong was trembling, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

"What did you do with the loan money?" Ye Fann asked directly.

Huang Yong's face turned pale as he stammered out the truth, "I, I have a friend in business, she..."

"Is it a guy or a girl?"

"A g-girl."

"Your girlfriend?"

"N-no, but she will be soon."

Ye Fann stared intently into Huang Yong's eyes. "Will be soon? Then call her and have her pay back the loan."

"She lost money in her business, she doesn't have any," Huang Yong replied quickly.

"What good is asking him all this?" Wang Ying was getting anxious, her anger spilling over onto Ye Fann. "Things are already like this, and you're threatening a kid with a knife instead of finding a solution? Xinying must have been blind to marry you!"