Wu Shanshan winked at Zhou Chengzhi and said, "Alright, keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear us."

Perhaps Zhou Chengzhi was getting a little too cocky, because he wanted to make his voice up louder. But at that moment, Zhuang Zhennan had already arrived at the door. As soon as he saw Zhou Chengzhi, he put on a grin and said to him, "Hello, Boss Zhou!"

Zhou Chengzhi chuckled and said, "Oh, it's Brother Zhuang? What's up? Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing serious, just a little short on cash!"

Where is your goods?

"Sigh, the police raided everything, so I guess I'm just unlucky!"

"Really? I heard you went to the police station to turn yourself in, why are you out again?"

"The police said I smuggled too few goods, fined me 50,000 yuan, and told me that was the end of it after I paid the fine!"

"Really? It's not that easy. Someone must have pulled some strings for you and let you out!"

"Really? That can't be!"

"If I'm not mistaken, it must have been Xiang Pengfei who asked my uncle to have you released!"

"Your uncle?"

"Yes, Vice Mayor Yan!"

"Oh, so it was Pengfei who rescued me!"

"What? You're asking me to lend you 50,000 yuan?"

"Yes, yes, I'm begging you, please? Boss Zhou!"

"You don't need to beg me, I can help you, but you must agree to one condition!"

"Okay, okay, I'll agree to anything, alright?"

"From today onwards, be my underling and never betray me!"

You know what, Zhuang Zhennan was really clever. He knew all too well that when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Besides, he had been wandering alone in Guangzhou for so long, he couldn't possibly not understand that some things could only be accomplished by humbling himself. So he knelt on one knee, raised his hands and clasped his hands, saying, "Brother, I am below you. From this day forward, I will obey your every command. If you say go west, I will never go east; if you say go east, I will never go west!"

Seeing Zhuang Zhennan's serious expression, Zhou Chengzhi felt extremely satisfied, both psychologically and outwardly. He immediately took out 50,000 yuan from the drawer, placed it on the table, and said, "Okay! I hope you can keep your word. I'll lend you this 50,000 yuan."

At this moment, Zhuang Zhennan looked up at the five bundles of hundred-yuan bills on the table and shamelessly kowtowed to Zhou Chengzhi, saying, "Thank you, brother! Thank you, brother! From today onwards, you are my second parents! Thank you! My good brother!"

Just as Zhuang Zhennan was eagerly eyeing the five bundles of hundred-yuan bills, hoping Zhou Chengzhi would give them to him, he heard someone at the door say, "Zhuang Zhennan, stand up! You need to know that you are a person, not a slave!"

Zhuang Zhennan turned his head and saw Xiang Pengfei. His face flushed red at first, and then he quietly got up and said to Xiang Pengfei, "Cousin, you're here?"

Xiang Pengfei angrily retorted, "What was that look like just now? What was that look like? You really disgraced the Zhuang family, and disgraced your ancestors for eighteen generations!"

Zhuang Zhennan probably felt wronged at this moment, and his eyes were also moist. He said aggrievedly, "Losing face is fine, it's ten times, a hundred times better than going to jail. As long as I don't go to jail, I'm willing to kneel!"

At this point, Xiang Pengfei was probably furious, pointing angrily at Zhuang Zhennan and saying, "Can't you be a little more respectable? Can't you be a decent human being?"

At this moment, Zhuang Zhennan truly broke down in tears. Tears streamed down his face as he said, "Who would willingly grovel if they could live a good life? It's all because of the pressures of life. I turned myself in to the police station so I could live a decent life, and the police gave me a chance, fining me 50,000 yuan. But where am I going to get that 50,000 yuan? Zhuang Tunan wanted to give it to me, to help me, but Lin Dongzhe is a scoundrel. He just blocked it like that. I hate him, I hate his ancestors for eighteen generations!"

"Shut up! Zhuang Zhennan, you've brought this upon yourself. You have no one to blame but yourself. It's because you were too greedy and too ambitious!"

"Yes, I admit I was wrong, but they can't just not help me. What is family? What is family? Isn't it about helping each other when we encounter difficulties?"

"They're doing you a favor by helping you, and it's their right not to. Don't you know your aunt is in the hospital? She has cancer, a terminal cancer. Can you compete with her for money? If she delays treatment, she might die!"

To everyone's surprise, Zhuang Zhennan said, "So what if they're gone? They had cancer anyway, an incurable disease. It's better to leave the money for the living!"

"you,,?"

Xiang Pengfei suddenly kicked Zhuang Zhennan in the buttocks, pointed at him and said, "You beast! You'd be better off dead! From this day forward, I, Xiang Pengfei, will never acknowledge you, Zhuang Zhennan, as my cousin again, never!"

After saying this, Xiang Pengfei turned around and left.

Zhuang Zhennan, whether stunned by the kick or dumbfounded, stood there for a few seconds before suddenly saying, "I'm not even willing to admit it! All you do is talk, why don't you lend it to me if you're so capable?"

As soon as Zhou Chengzhi saw Xiang Pengfei leave, he picked up the five bundles of money, threw them at Zhuang Zhennan, and said, "Take this! Pay the fine first, then come back to me with your questions, and I'll arrange a job for you!"

Zhuang Zhennan picked up the money Zhou Chengzhi had tossed on the corner of the table and said, "Okay, boss, I'll go pay the fine right now and come back to do your job. Thank you, boss!"

Zhou Chengzhi said with a smile, "It's alright, we're all brothers, everyone has difficult times, go ahead!"

Zhuang Zhennan turned around and went to pay the fine.

Zhou Chengzhi watched Zhuang Zhennan leave the office, then turned to Wu Shanshan and asked, "Wife, how's my underling? Does he act like a servant?"

Wu Shanshan smiled and said, "He looks like a servant. Aren't you afraid he'll bite you?"

"Hmph, give him the guts. Don't worry, wife, when he gets back, I've made arrangements for him. It'll be very difficult for him to get away!"

"Really? It seems you've already thought some things through!"

"That's right! The only thing to do right now is for me to go to the deputy factory director's house and finalize the cooperation. Hehe, the right to open up this street will belong to me, Zhou!"

Looking at Zhou Chengzhi's smiling face, Wu Shanshan felt as if she could see that Zhou Chengzhi had already succeeded.

Meanwhile, Xiang Pengfei, furious, stormed out of the movie theater and went to the newsstand, looking displeased. He shouted, "From today onwards, whether Zhuang Zhennan lives or dies has absolutely nothing to do with me, Xiang Pengfei! I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

Zhuang Tunan and Lin Dongzhe were puzzled by Xiang Pengfei's angry expression, especially Lin Dongzhe, who asked Xiang Pengfei, "What's wrong, brother? Why are you so angry? It's not worth it! You know anger is bad for your health. You can't stoop to his level. Zhou Chengzhi is a born bad guy. Is it worth getting angry with him?"

Xiang Pengfei angrily said, "I didn't mention Zhou Chengzhi, I'm angry at Zhuang Zhennan!"

"Zhuang Zhennan? What happened to him?"

"He actually knelt down before Zhou Chengzhi just now and swore allegiance to Zhou Chengzhi, vowing to be Zhou Chengzhi's subordinate!"

"Really? Is Zhou Chengzhi really that despicable? Not only did he take advantage of someone's misfortune, but he also kicked them when they were down and led them by the nose?"

"I'm so angry! That good-for-nothing Zhuang Zhennan actually said that it's better to use his money to help my aunt get better than to treat her illness. The words he said were like those of a beast, and they sent chills down my spine!"

Lin Dongzhe advised Pengfei, "Brother Pengfei, don't be angry. Zhennan is facing some difficulties right now. We can't be like Zhou Chengzhi and kick him when he's down!"

"Even if he's encountered difficulties, he shouldn't act like this. He's like a leopard that can't change its spots; he'll get what's coming to him!"

Zhuang Tunan, somewhat displeased, said, "Pengfei, what are you saying? We're brothers, you can't talk like that. We need to find a way to help him solve the problem, understand?"