novelaction Chapter 1394 Bad people are bad to the core, not just on the surface.
Chapter 1394 Bad people are bad to the core, not just on the surface.
Huo Jiali's father, Huo Zhongming, is an accountant who has worked at Zhou's Jewelry for over twenty years. Her mother, Chen Zhaodi, is from Chaoshan and came to Hong Kong with other people from her hometown during the war.
After marrying Huo Zhongming, Chen Zhaodi gave birth to three daughters and one son. She has been working at the tea restaurant downstairs from her home for more than ten or twenty years. The old neighbors are very familiar with her, and the couple is well-liked in the area.
But recently, something happened that's causing headaches for the residents of this street. The Xianghe Group wants to acquire the street and renovate it into a commercial area. Hong Kong's real estate companies are often operating with a shady side; even if they acquire the street, they won't be able to offer the residents much money.
Therefore, the residents strongly resisted, but Xianghe Group, backed by Heshenghe, prepared to first be polite and then take action. The Mingren Law Firm took on the demolition contract, and the firm's partners were Chen Mingren and Liu Hanlin.
Chen Mingren has been dealing with Ding Xie's lawsuit lately, so the demolition work has been handed over to Liu Hanlin. Liu Hanlin is not a lawyer; he's just a rogue lawyer. He recently joined Wo Shing Wo as a legal advisor, so he sent three of his trusted lawyers and some Wo Shing Wo thugs to this street to handle the acquisition.
Now, a dozen or so homeowners on this street are sitting in Wong Kee Tea Restaurant, each with a cup of iced lemon tea, sighing and complaining as they drink.
After working for a while, Chen Zhaodi sat down. Her home was above the tea restaurant and was also within the demolition area, so she was very concerned about the demolition.
Chen Dafu, the owner of the seafood shop, whose family had run the shop here for over twenty years, was surprised when Xianghe Group offered to acquire it for a third of the original price.
Chen Dafu, of course, couldn't accept that, so he called all the neighbors together to discuss what to do.
Chen Dafu coughed, and his wife glared at him.
"Have you gotten used to attending meetings in mainland China? Do you think you're the boss now? Hurry up and get to the point."
"Dear neighbors and elders, I believe the Xianghe Group has spoken with you all. These people have gone too far, actually wanting to buy my shop for one-third of the original price."
"With such a small amount of money, even if I went to buy a shop elsewhere, I couldn't even afford a bathroom. I'm making this clear: no matter what, I'm not moving."
Everyone echoed this sentiment.
"The price offered is too low. We won't move. If we do, we won't even have a place to live."
“Uncle Jiu, we’ve been neighbors for a long time. If you really move away, we won’t even have a place to drink tea.”
Uncle Jiu, who runs a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, kept nodding. He lives alone and runs the clinic on the second floor. He has accumulated a group of loyal customers over the past ten years, so of course he doesn't want to move.
"Zhaodi, isn't your Jiali a lawyer? Why don't we wait for her to come back and let her give everyone some advice?"
Chen Ma nodded repeatedly.
"My wife is busy with that lawsuit against that guy named Ding Xie these days. She's been leaving early and coming home late every day. I'll ask her about it when she's done."
"Ting Hai's lawsuit? My God, this lawsuit is in the newspapers every day. That Ting Hai is really despicable. He owed people money, so he pushed their husbands off the building and threatened them not to call the police. He even killed their children."
"God, oh dear, let lightning strike this wicked person dead..."
"Fourth Aunt, being struck by lightning is God's business. God is the father of God. You have to ask God about this. You can't ask God."
"Really? If God can't even manage something like this, then he's utterly useless."
Uncle Cai, who runs a dessert shop, rolled his eyes and said to Chen Zhaodi with a grin.
"Sister-in-law Chen, Jiali must be twenty-two or twenty-three this year, right? She graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, does she have a boyfriend? Look at our Zihao, he doesn't have a girlfriend yet. We all know him well in this neighborhood, why don't we let the two of them give it a try?"
Chen Zhaodi gave a bitter smile.
“Brother Cai, this is really a problem for me. My little Jiali, I don’t know who she took after, she has such a bad temper, she can’t stand anyone. Your Zihao changes girlfriends every day, if he were to actually date Jiali, it would probably be a fight to the death.”
Uncle Cai was startled and waved his hands repeatedly. He knew his son's character well. He had been so focused on Huo Jiali's beauty and good job that he forgot about his son's fiery temper. If he found out that his son was causing trouble outside, he might actually use a knife.
Just then, the door to the tea restaurant was pushed open, and a group of people walked in swaggeringly. The three young men in suits were leading the way and looked quite respectable, but the ones following behind them were clearly no good.
The leader of these three young men was Kang Huai-ren, an intern lawyer at the Celebrity Law Firm. He was Liu Han-lin's apprentice, personally trained by him. His character was just like his name and nickname: a bad guy.
It's just that this badness is written in his bones, not on his face.
Kang Huai-ren and Huo Jia-li were classmates at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He had pursued Huo Jia-li, but she rejected him because she despised his character. However, he still couldn't forget Huo Jia-li.
He and some classmates had visited Huo Jiali's home before, which is how he met Chen Zhaodi.
Kang Huai-ren led the way into the tea restaurant. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, straightened his bespoke suit, and then said with a smile.
"Everyone in the neighborhood is here! That's great. As is customary, I should introduce myself. I am Kang Huai-ren, a lawyer from Mingren Law Firm. I have been entrusted by Xianghe Group to talk to you about the buying and selling matters on this street."
I'd like to say to my neighbors, over the past two weeks, I've visited almost every single one of you, and I've said enough good and bad things to you all. Isn't it just that you're complaining about the small amount of compensation offered by Xianghe Group for the demolition?
Good news! After my tireless efforts, Mr. Lu Dachao, the owner of Xianghe Group, has finally agreed to my request and will increase the amount by another 20% on top of the original payment. Please give me a round of applause!
Upon hearing this, Chen Dafu spat out a mouthful of phlegm.
"What the hell are you clapping for? Clapping? With the money you gave me, I couldn't even buy a shop in Saigon. If I sold the shop to you, would my whole family starve?"
"Yes! The shops on the next street were selling for twice as much as here. Our street has a good location and a good orientation, so how come the prices are so much lower than those on the next street?"
Kang Huai-ren was startled. Luckily, he dodged in time, otherwise that disgusting phlegm would have landed on him. He was a little embarrassed and angry, and was about to get angry when he saw Huo Jiali's mother, Chen Zhaodi, at the back of the crowd. He quickly revealed that disgusting smile.