Chapter 2 Relatives
Los Angeles, Central Garden.

Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling stood in front of the gate of a villa. Outside the beige courtyard wall, there was a wooden doorplate that read "Building 33, Central Garden, Peace and Joy".

Wang Huiling said sarcastically, "When your eldest brother's family first moved to a new house, your sister-in-law invited us to her house for barbecue every now and then, as if she was the only one with a villa and a yard, and it was not enough for her to show off!"

"Don't you have a villa now?" Chen Shuo said proudly, "If it weren't for your cleverness, you could live in a villa?"

Wang Huiling happily took Chen Shuo's arm and said, "Look at what you can do!"

Chen Shuo opened the door by pressing his fingerprint. As soon as the door opened, he saw the grand and elegant high-ceilinged living room with a crystal chandelier. The living room was furnished with a full-leather sofa imported from Italy.

However, on the most conspicuous coffee table in the living room, there was a black and white portrait of Chen Ji's parents, with fresh fruits in front of them.

Wang Huiling said angrily, "Why put the portrait in the living room? Does Chen Ji know the rules? Doesn't he find it creepy? Even if he's not disgusting, how disgusting would it be if a guest came to the house and saw it?"

With a clang, Chen Shuo carelessly threw the portrait into the trash can.

At first, he wanted to start a big business with others, and asked his eldest brother to borrow 4 million. However, his eldest brother insisted that he was not suitable for big business. He only gave him 200,000 to open a small supermarket, really treating him like a beggar.

Wang Huiling sat on the leather sofa and touched here and there. She looked at the 100-inch LCD TV opposite and said happily, "How comfortable it must be to watch TV series here? They really lived a fairy-like life before."

"What are you watching TV for? Go upstairs and find the property deed. I remember they bought some gold. Find that too."

On the wall of the corridor on the second floor are nailed the honorary certificates "Three Good Students" and "First Prize in Los Angeles Go Competition", all of which are old.

Wang Huiling curled her lips when she saw this scene: "Every time I come home, your sister-in-law drags me to the second floor for a tour. She's not showing off enough. Throw it away quickly. It's annoying just looking at it."

Wang Huiling took off all the award certificates and threw them on the ground, unable to wait a moment.

Opening the doors of each bedroom, Chen Ji's bedroom was filled with books, mostly popular science books on military matters, as well as detective, mystery, spy novels and many professional popular science books.

On the table, there was also an admission letter from the Army College of Foreign Languages.

Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling rummaged through the room and cleared out and threw away Chen Ji's family's belongings. It seemed that only by clearing away these traces would the house completely belong to them.

In the living room, Chen Shuo scratched his increasingly thinning scalp: "Hey, where is the property deed? Where is Chen Ji's real estate certificate?"

"Could it be that he guessed something and hid the property deed outside?"

"That's impossible. Lao Liu said he still thinks we are doing this for his own good."

Wang Huiling said quickly, "We are really doing this for his own good. After his parents passed away, he stayed at home all day and didn't go out. If this continues, there will definitely be problems. He will be out of touch with society!"

Ding dong.

The doorbell rings.

Chen Shuo was stunned for a moment: "It's so late, who is it?"

He went to open the door. Outside the door was a middle-aged man in a black Tang suit. He had dark skin and a short buzz cut that made him look particularly tough. "Where's Chen Ji?"

Chen Shuo was suspicious: "Chen Ji is not at home, tell me what you have to say, I am his second uncle."

"Second uncle?" The middle-aged man pushed Chen Shuo aside and walked in. Only then did Chen Shuo see that there was someone following him.

This man had a shiny bald head, but there was a scar more than ten centimeters long that extended from the top of his head to the back of his head like a centipede.

“Who are you?” Wang Huiling stepped back in fear: “We’re going to call the police!”

The middle-aged man looked around as if no one was around. "My friends like to call me Brother Pao. I usually do some money lending business. The one behind me is my little brother, Erdao. Don't be afraid. Erdao's scar looks fierce, but it was actually caused by him accidentally falling while working on a construction site. Now his brain is not very good and he is a bit stubborn."

Brother Pao continued, "We came here because Chen Ji mortgaged this house. He called me this afternoon and said he couldn't pay the money back, so he asked me to come and take over the house."

"What?!" Wang Huiling was shocked: "Why does he mortgage this house? This house is ours!"

"Oh?" Brother Pao said calmly, "The name on the property certificate is Chen Ji's. What does it have to do with you?"

"How much money did he mortgage?" Chen Shuo asked nervously.

"Fifteen million," Brother Pao said, sitting on the sofa with his arms and legs spread wide. "We follow the rules. As long as the customer can pay back the principal and interest, we will be fine. But now I like this house. You don't have to pay back the money. The house belongs to me."

"No!" Wang Huiling screamed, "Chen Ji is now a mental patient. The mortgage contract he signed cannot be counted."

This sentence also reminded Chen Shuo, and he said anxiously: "Yes, Chen Ji is a mental patient, we have his diagnosis here!" Pao Ge frowned.

He looked at the date of the diagnosis in Chen Shuo's hand and laughed angrily. Chen Ji had arranged for him to come to collect the house tonight, but he made a diagnosis at the last minute, clearly trying to trick him. It was understandable that he had no money to pay off his debts, but it was too ignorant to treat himself as a fool: "So you were waiting for me here, you guys planned to set me up, right? Kneel down."

"What?" Chen Shuo almost thought he had misheard the other party's last two words.

Erdao: "Brother Pao, where are you kneeling?"

"Kneel before me."

Before Chen Shuo and Wang Huiling could react, Erdao carried them both to Pao Ge and kicked them in the knees. The two immediately knelt in front of Pao Ge.

Brother Pao leaned forward and stared at Chen Shuo: "I have been in society for so many years, I have seen everything, do you think you are worthy of playing a trap with me? Break one of your fingers and then talk properly."

Erdao: "Which one should I break?"

"index finger."

Erdao: "Which section?"

Brother Pao scratched his eyebrows helplessly: "The second quarter."

The conversation between the two was very strange. Erdao was very methodical and would do whatever Pao Ge told him to do.

Erdao's hand grasped Chen Shuo's index finger like an iron clamp, and with a click he accurately broke off the second section.

"Ah!" Chen Shuo cried out in pain.

"I want to call the police!" Wang Huiling shouted.

Brother Pao: "Second knife, slap her."

"How heavy is the fan?"

Brother Pao sneered: "Beat her until she sees that she is too breasty."

After thinking for two seconds, Erdao swung his hand and slapped her, causing Wang Huiling's eyes to go black.

After the slap, Erdao observed Wang Huiling's expression, then turned to Pao Ge and said seriously: "You should have seen it."

Brother Pao took the diagnosis from Chen Shuo and said, "I am a reasonable person. Since Chen Ji said he has no money to pay back, the house is mine. In theory, the matter ends here, but I hate being cheated the most. You set up a trap to cheat me, so you should accept the consequences of cheating me."

"No!" Chen Shuo gradually realized: "No, no, no! We didn't set this up to deceive you. It was Chen Ji who set it up to deceive you. We were deceived too!"

"Oh?"

Chen Shuo's fingers hurt so much that cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Chen Ji said that he couldn't pay back the money, so he asked you to come and collect the house. But as far as I know, his parents left him at least 30 million yuan! So he can't be short of money, and he doesn't need to mortgage this house, and it's even more impossible that he can't pay you back!"

This surprised Pao Ge. Chen Ji was not short of money?

As Chen Shuo was analyzing the situation, his mind gradually became clear: all of Chen Ji's behavior in Qingshan Hospital in the afternoon was fake, just to let them come back with the diagnosis and anger Pao Ge, while Chen Ji himself was hiding in the hospital and was safe and sound.

That's why Chen Ji ignored so many legitimate banks and instead chose a ruthless gangster to take over the house!

Brother Pao thought thoughtfully: "Chen Ji? I think he is quite honest and shy, you are not lying to me."

He recalled his impression of Chen Ji. Chen Ji was particularly shy and taciturn when signing the contract.

Can a student like this from a hothouse have the energy to play tricks on everyone?
Seeing his hesitation, Chen Shuo continued to explain: "Didn't you see that he deceived me too? I still didn't know that he had signed a mortgage contract with you. Doesn't this prove the problem? Besides, don't you want this house? He has the money to pay you back at any time. After you deal with me, he will redeem the house and you can only make a little interest! He is playing tricks on you!"

Brother Pao smiled calmly: "According to what you said, I was taken advantage of by a high school student?"

"He is not a high school student. He was admitted to the Army Foreign Language School through special recruitment."

Brother Pao raised his eyebrows and said, "This school teaches more than just foreign languages. All of its graduates become military attachés stationed abroad... Interesting. Where is Chen Ji now?"

"In Qingshan Mental Hospital!"

(End of this chapter)