Master Chen's body swayed suddenly, and large beads of sweat on his forehead fell onto the beam of the vehicle with a "plop," spreading dark marks on the dark red paint.
He opened his mouth, his lips trembling uncontrollably, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down several times, but he couldn't utter a single word.
The confident air he had just exclaimed about was nowhere to be seen now.
No, no, no!
Master Chen quickly waved his hand, his voice trembling with tears.
"This is definitely not some 'leftover stock,' it's something I... I refurbished myself!"
He lowered his head, his fingers nervously gripping the corner of his jacket. "But the parts are all good ones that were salvaged from the factory, they're very sturdy!"
"That's not necessarily true."
Zhou Qiqi slowly stood up, crossed her arms, straightened her back, and stared coldly at Master Chen.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to carry an invisible pressure, making the already stuffy air in the small warehouse even more oppressive.
"Isn't the city cracking down on petty thieves lately? The kind who specialize in stealing bicycles."
Zhou Qiqi deliberately dragged out her words, uttering each one carefully, her eyes fixed on the changes in Master Chen's facial expression.
"Could it be... that they all ended up with you? Are you in cahoots with them? You stole the items, disassembled them, reassembled them, and sold them as new?"
"No, no! Absolutely not! I'm a coward, I wouldn't dare do something illegal!"
Startled, Mr. Chen stumbled backward, bumping into the bicycle behind him and making a clanging sound.
He didn't even bother to help him up, and quickly explained.
"Look how cheap I am, I just... I bought some old cars, replaced some parts and refurbished them, trying to make a little money..."
His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, until finally his head was almost buried in his chest.
Deng Cuixiang, who was listening nearby, was terrified and almost crumpled the handkerchief in her hand.
She had thought Mr. Chen was a good person, but she never expected that the car was refurbished, or even stolen!
She was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat. If Zhou Qiqi hadn't been more cautious, they probably would have already handed over the money.
Zhu Yingying was also so angry that her chest heaved. She and Deng Cuixiang huddled up to Zhou Qiqi and asked anxiously.
"What should we do? We don't even know if what he said is true. Should we call the police?"
Zhou Qiqi looked at Master Chen, who was covered in sweat and looked disheveled. She then shone her flashlight on the car lock and examined it carefully for a while before gently shaking her head.
"The locks don't look like they've been tampered with, so I guess it's not a stolen car, but probably a used one he bought cheaply. If we report it to the police, at most it'll just be considered attempted fraud. It'll be a waste of time and energy, and we'll probably just get a reprimand or a fine in the end."
She paused, her brows furrowing slightly, before continuing.
"Besides, this person is a relative of Xiao Li, and Xiao Li was introduced to us by Hu Chunxiao. If we really report this to the police, we won't be able to say anything to Xiao Li and Hu Chunxiao..."
That's true...
Deng Cuixiang nodded. Although she didn't know much about the ins and outs of doing business, she was quite adept at interpersonal relationships.
Zhu Yingying glared at Master Chen, who was cowering to the side, and asked unwillingly, "Then...we'll just let him go?"
"How is that possible?!"
Zhou Qiqi smiled slyly, gave the two a wink, and then walked slowly towards Master Chen with a serious face.
"Master Chen, we trusted Xiao Li, that's why we came to you to buy the car. But you, instead of helping us, tried to rip us off by passing off a wrecked 'stolen car' as factory overstock? And you even charged such a high price! If I didn't know a little about cars, we would have been ripped off today!"
She deliberately emphasized her words, her voice radiating anger.
Mr. Chen shrank his neck, barely daring to breathe, his head hanging low. He figured he was doomed today. If he ended up in the police station and was mistaken for an accomplice of a thief, he would be in deep trouble.
"but..."
Zhou Qiqi changed the subject, her voice suddenly softened, and her tone became more consultative.
"You're quite old, and you're related to Xiao Li, so we don't want to push things too far, otherwise Xiao Li will lose face. How about this, stop with the nonsense and just sell it to us cheaply, and we'll call it even."
Mr. Chen, who had been feeling utterly hopeless, suddenly had a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He stood up abruptly, pointed to a row of cars behind him, and hurriedly said...
"Sure, no problem. As long as you don't report it to the police, you can pick any car you want. I'll sell it to you at cost, no, I'll sell it at a loss!"
He was about to push the car out when he said that.
Zhou Qiqi put her hands on her hips, raised her chin towards the front yard, and snorted coldly.
"Hmph! You think you can fool us with these refurbished cars? Dream on! What we want are the proper cars in your front yard!"
Master Chen's shoulders slumped, his face full of pain and reluctance, as he muttered to himself.
"Huh? I only have a few good cars, and I'm hoping to sell them for a high price later!"
Zhou Qiqi didn't waste any words with her and gestured with her chin toward Deng Cuixiang and the others.
"Then there's nothing more to say, let's go! Let's call the police!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Duzhou tilted his chin up and started to walk out with his long legs.
This terrified Master Chen. He rushed forward, spread his arms to block the ferry's path, and put on a fawning smile.
"Oh, no, no, no, such a pretty little girl, why is she so short-tempered!"
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