Chapter 512 Everything depends on yourself
When Han Lingcui pushed her suitcase out of the terminal, the afternoon sun was slanting through the clouds and falling on the unfamiliar streets of a foreign country.
The air was filled with the aroma of coffee and bread, and she could hear conversations in a variety of languages. She subconsciously clenched the thermos bag in her hand.
The wontons in the bag had long been cold, but the warmth left when Xunxun pinched the handle of the insulation bag seemed to still be embedded in the fibers of the fabric.
Just now on the shuttle bus, she caught a glimpse of a woman in a khaki windbreaker in front of her. The tangled hair on the back of her neck and the slightly swaying shoulders when she walked looked very much like Xi Muxuan.
Her heart skipped a beat. She almost chased after him, her fingertips gripping the suitcase handle tightly, but she came to her senses when she stopped.
After Jiang Shutong was arrested, Xi Muxuan was listed as a wanted person as an accomplice. There were joint investigation notices everywhere in the country. How could she dare to go abroad?
Perhaps it was the fatigue from traveling for days that made her superimpose the shadow of the stranger on that embarrassing past.
Shaking his head to suppress his distracting thoughts, Han Lingcui followed the navigation and walked towards the old neighborhood.
The address of the studio was selected by Chen Hanxing for her and confirmed by video.
This is a two-story building covered with ivy. There is a small courtyard on the first floor and a high-ceiling loft on the second floor. It used to be a pottery studio, and there is still a faint smell of clay on the wooden floor.
She had imagined the scene of pushing open the glass door countless times, but she didn't expect that what was hanging on the door handle was not a welcome sticker, but a white envelope with a gold-stamped frame and the word "Landlord" printed in black in the lower right corner.
My fingertips tensed as I opened the envelope.
"Outstanding operating and management fees totaling 28,000 euros," the following details are ridiculous:
"Air conditioning standby fee of 5,000 euros during vacancy"
"Common area cleaning fee 3000 euros"
"Wall maintenance costs 8,000 euros"
The last line reads in bold: "Payment must be made within 3 days. If you fail to do so, the right to use the house will be revoked and you will be held liable for breach of contract."
"Hey, Miss Han is finally here?"
There were dragging footsteps behind me, and a pot-bellied man in a flowered shirt came over. The gold ring on his finger rubbed against the door frame, making a harsh sound.
He is the landlord Pierre. He smiled like Maitreya Buddha during our previous video communication, but now the wrinkles on his face reveal his meanness.
"You've booked this house for over three months. Even if you didn't come, the water, electricity, heating, cleaning, and maintenance would all cost money. I didn't ask you for too much, did I?"
Han Lingcui's knuckles turned white as she gripped the letter, her mind racing. She had just arrived, had no acquaintances, and no local credit history. Pushing the issue would only make things worse.
Taking a deep breath, she folded the letter and put it in her bag. When she looked up, the panic on her face was gone, leaving only a gentle calm.
"Mr. Pierre, this expense is indeed beyond my expectations. Can you give me a week? I need to check the details and I also need to recycle the funds."
Pierre narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down. Perhaps he thought this oriental woman who came to a foreign country alone was easy to handle, and a frivolous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"A week? That's fine. But let me be frank. If you can't come up with the money by then, you can forget about taking the things in this box with you."
As he spoke, he deliberately nudged the little wonton doll hanging on the suitcase with his elbow.
After Pierre left, Han Lingcui pushed open the glass door and walked into the studio.
Sunlight streamed through the skylight, casting diamond-shaped spots on the floor, but she had no mind to appreciate it.
When Pierre turned around just now, she clearly saw that there were several keys with house numbers engraved on them hanging on the key chain on his waist. Obviously, many houses in this old neighborhood belonged to him.
When he mentioned "cleaner" and "repairman", his eyes flickered, probably because he couldn't produce any actual service credentials.
She took out her cell phone, looked up the contact information given by Shen Hanxing, and found the number with the note "Lawyer Li, Chinese, specializing in rental disputes."
After the call was connected, she briefly explained the situation. Lawyer Li's voice came through the receiver, calm and clear.
"Pierre has a bad reputation in this area. He has extorted tenants with 'vacant room operating fees' before.
What you need to do now is not to confront them head-on, but to keep evidence.
First, ask him to provide a written breakdown and invoice of all expenses;
Second, check whether the house itself has any violations, such as fire protection and building structure. Old houses are prone to hidden dangers.
Third, contact other tenants to see if anyone has had the same experience as you.”
After hanging up the phone, Han Lingcui took immediate action.
She first sent a message to Pierre, saying, "In order to raise money as soon as possible, detailed expense receipts and service records are needed."
As expected, Pierre didn't think much about it and replied, "I'll have my assistant send it to you tomorrow."
Then, she put on a mask and walked around the old neighborhood on the pretext that the new tenants were familiar with the surroundings.
This area is mostly renovated commercial and residential buildings. She walked to the flower shop diagonally opposite and talked to the owner.
The proprietress was a Chinese aunt. When she heard that she was being blackmailed by Pierre, she immediately lowered her voice.
"Girl, don't give him any money! Last year, a young pastry girl was charged a 'vacancy fee' just like you. She took the case to the police, and Pierre finally returned the money."
"His house doesn't even comply with regulations. Look at the wall of your studio, isn't there a crack? He secretly gutted the load-bearing wall last year to turn it into a storage room, and it didn't even pass the fire safety inspection. He just bribed people to get away with it!"
Han Lingcui's eyes lit up, and after thanking the boss lady, he immediately returned to the studio.
She brought a ladder and carefully examined the wall.
Sure enough, there was a thin crack near the corner. I knocked on it with my hand and found that there was nothing behind it.
She turned on the flashlight on her cell phone again and checked the ceiling and fire-fighting equipment.
The emergency lights didn't work, the fire extinguisher was expired, and the smoke alarm didn't even have batteries installed.
She took pictures of all of this, clearly marking the location and time in the photos.
The next day, Pierre's assistant brought a stack of "certificates".
They were all handwritten receipts, with no formal invoices, and the dates were confusing. Some of them were even from when Han Lingcui had not yet booked the house.
Han Lingcui pretended not to notice, put the receipt away, and turned around to contact the "dessert girl" mentioned by the flower shop owner.
The girl's name is Lin Xiao. She has now moved to another neighborhood. When she heard about Han Lingcui's situation, she immediately sent her the evidence she had collected.
Including Pierre's blackmail recording, photos of handwritten receipts, and the receipt of her police report at the time.
The evidence was almost complete, and Han Lingcui followed Lawyer Li's advice and sent emails to the local fire department, building supervision department and rental management bureau respectively.
Attach all photos, evidence and recordings, stating that "there are serious safety hazards in the house and the landlord is suspected of illegal extortion."
On the third day after the email was sent, Pierre came to the door again. This time, his face was no longer calm as before, and his tone was anxious.
"How are you getting the money together? If you keep delaying, I'll call someone over!"
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