Du Lei stood at the store entrance for three minutes, still unable to believe that this was his tobacco and liquor store.
The billboards on the store door, the walls, shelves, counters... everything inside was pitch black.
"Lei Zi, it's good that everyone's alright. It's a blessing that everyone's alright."
"Don't worry about the money now, just consider it a loss to avoid further trouble."
"You're right. It's a good thing you didn't sleep in the shop yesterday, or the consequences would have been unimaginable."
The shop owners nearby comforted Du Lei, saying that tens of thousands of yuan had been lost in the fire.
Although he knew the insurance company would compensate him, Du Lei still felt bad and cursed Huang Hao in his heart.
"Lei Zi, what are you and Xiao Peng planning to do?" the clothing store owner asked. "I mean, will you continue selling cigarettes and alcohol?"
Du Lei nodded. "We definitely need to do business, and we'll continue doing it here."
The lease still has three years left, unless the shop is sublet.
"That's good," the clothing store owner said. "There are too many counterfeit cigarettes and alcohol out there, I trust the products in your store."
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me," Du Lei said with a wry smile. "You guys chat first, I'll go in and take a look."
He took out cigarettes and handed them to the various bosses before going up the stairs to the second floor.
Li Kefan and Hong Tianhe were cleaning; the floor was covered in mud, and the walls were filthy.
However, the second floor was not badly burned, and the fire did not spread to that area.
"Lei Zi, come help me." Li Kefan handed him a towel.
Du Lei was cleaning the wall with them when he asked, puzzled, "Uncle, is nobody ordering goods today?"
"Yes, I just delivered fifty cases of Red Star liquor to Xinglan Hotel," Li Kefan said. "Xiao Lei, I heard your dad's in the construction business?"
"Hmm, did Brother Peng mention the renovation?" Du Lei pressed.
Li Kefan nodded. "Have your dad come over to see the house tomorrow. The renovations need to be done as soon as possible."
...
Wang Peng arrived at the Xueyuan District Branch and handed over the rental contract, renovation costs, and other relevant documents to the special task force.
Wu Lei led him into a small house and said with a smile, "Old Feng will be here soon, wait for him."
Wang Peng nodded. "Brother Wu, did he say what it was about?"
"Hehe." Wu Lei chuckled and said, "He didn't say, but I guess he's taking you to see Huang Hao."
"I understand, Brother Wu, go ahead and get busy," Wang Peng said with a smile.
Half an hour later, Feng Dali appeared at the door.
He said, “Let’s go, let’s go to the detention center.”
Wang Peng got up and followed him downstairs, where they rode in his car to the detention center.
Soon, he saw Huang Hao in the detention center and almost didn't recognize him.
The once notorious thug who used to be a big shot on College Street is now handcuffed, dressed in prison clothes, unshaven, and listless.
"Wang Peng, are you here to laugh at me?" Huang Hao stared intently at Wang Peng, his eyes bloodshot.
"I'm not laughing at you; you are the joke yourself," Wang Peng said with a slight smile.
"Bullshit!" Huang Hao's face turned red. "Even if I die, I've already swindled you out of hundreds of thousands. Not to mention anything else, that room full of goods you hoarded must be worth over a hundred thousand, right?"
Huang Hao sneered, "Don't worry, I won't pay you a single penny. I don't have any money to pay you back."
“I know you don’t have the money, so you don’t need to pay me back.” Wang Peng chuckled. “I’ve already bought insurance, and the insurance company will pay me back.”
“Mr. Huang, the insurance company’s compensation is enough to cover my losses, including the goods you burned, and even the renovation costs,” Wang Peng added.
Huang Hao's eyes widened instantly, his lips trembled, and his anger seemed to be about to burst from his eyes.
The insurance company in the provincial capital was only established this year, and people didn't even have the concept of insurance. He never expected that Wang Peng would buy insurance for tobacco and liquor stores.
"Hmph, you trust insurance companies? They'll definitely find all sorts of reasons not to pay out," Huang Hao sneered.
"I'm sorry, the insurance company manager contacted me immediately," Wang Peng said with a smile. "Once the fire department issues its fire accident report, they will compensate me for my losses according to the relevant documents."
Huang Hao's expression turned even uglier as he stared intently at Wang Peng's face.
"Old Huang, did you set fire to my shop because of the fifty yuan compensation you gave me before?" Wang Peng asked.
Huang Hao remained silent, still staring at Wang Peng.
"You suffered a loss with me and lost face in your gang of thugs, so you're retaliating against me?" Wang Peng pressed.
Huang Hao remained silent, so Feng Dali handed him a cigarette and lit it for him with a lighter.
"Yes, it's a matter of face." Huang Hao took two deep drags, tilted his head back, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
The room was filled with smoke, and Wang Peng waited quietly until he finished his cigarette.
"Old Huang, I found a warehouse in advance, right across from the tobacco and liquor store, and moved all my inventory there."
"Du Lei and Dong Shishi moved out to stay elsewhere a long time ago, and there has been no one to watch over the shop at night."
“I even bought three thousand yuan worth of property accident insurance in advance, and you were caught red-handed by my men. Don’t you find that strange?”
After finishing his sentence in one breath, Wang Peng looked at him with a smile.
Huang Hao looked confused, then suddenly widened his eyes and asked urgently, "Someone betrayed me, who?"
He immediately recalled everyone at the table that day when they were drinking and bragging.
"Yellow Hair, Xiao Si, Shunzi, Naodan... which bastard betrayed me? Tell me!"
“Sorry, think about it yourself,” Wang Peng said. “So, you didn’t make me lose a single penny, but you earned yourself at least ten years in prison, haha…”
Huang Hao stared in disbelief, his face growing increasingly pale, and his lips began to tremble uncontrollably.
"One more, please." Feng Dali handed him another cigarette.
He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, quickly smoking half of it, his heart filled with regret.
Suddenly, his eyes reddened as he looked at Feng Dali, "Officer Feng, how many years will I have to serve?"
Feng Dali retorted, "What? Still thinking about getting out to take revenge? You should first think about how to get through prison life."
The air was very quiet, and Huang Hao kept his head down and didn't say a word.
"How many years you will serve in prison is up to the court, but I estimate at least ten years or more."
Feng Dali said, "If you can obtain the victim's forgiveness, the court will consider reducing your sentence, for example, by two or three years."
“Old Huang, you’re already forty-three. In ten years you’ll be fifty-three. I suggest you spend a few years in jail first.” Feng Dali offered him another cigarette.
Huang Hao kept smoking.
Finally, a bitter smile appeared on his face. "Wang Peng, what do you want me to do for you to forgive me?"
"Ten thousand." Wang Peng held up one finger. "If you pay me ten thousand yuan, I'll sign the letter of understanding."
"You're dreaming!" Huang Hao said through gritted teeth. "I don't have that much money. Do you think everyone is as rich as you?"
"Actually, I don't have any money either. I'd rather you serve a few more years in jail." Wang Peng shook his head. "I've given you the terms. Do what you think is best."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
