As she approached Yang Gang's side, the woman seemed to quicken her pace, but was stopped by him.
"Hand over the stuff," Yang Gang said indifferently.
The woman tried to act innocent, but under Yang Gang's cold laugh, she suddenly knelt down and pleaded, "Master Yang, my daughter is sick and needs money. I... I..."
The usually cold and aloof Yang Gang suddenly softened considerably.
He knew that the middle-aged woman was not lying.
He wasn't a mind reader, it was just a gut feeling.
He sighed lightly, "Forget it, just hand over the stuff, I won't make things difficult for you."
After hearing this, the woman hastily pulled out a crystal-clear spherical object from her pocket.
Upon seeing it, Yang Gang's eyes turned green with envy.
Could this be the legendary Luminous Pearl?
Seeing the joy in Yang Gang's expression, the woman seemed to also breathe a sigh of relief. Although the theft was unsuccessful, she wasn't taken to the police station, which she considered a great fortune.
"Master Yang, I'll take my leave then," said the woman as she turned to leave.
"Wait."
The woman turned back anxiously, "Master Yang, I only took that pearl, I didn't steal anything else."
Yang Gang waved it off: "Don't be nervous."
He pulled a wad of red bills from his pocket, "Here's ten thousand yuan, take it and get your daughter treated."
This ten thousand yuan was just handed to Yang Gang by Yang Lin, as the first month's 'performance fee'.
According to the agreement signed by Yang Gang and Yang Lin, Yang Gang, impersonating his son to deceive the family, could pocket ten thousand yuan a month as 'performance fee'.
The middle-aged woman couldn't believe it and didn't reach out to accept it.
Yang Gang sternly asked, "What? Is it too little?"
The woman then snapped out of it, nearly bursting into tears, "Thank you, thank you, I... I'll definitely pay you back, Master Yang."
Yang Gang waved her off to leave.
Meanwhile.
Yang Gang, holding the Luminous Pearl, was absolutely exhilarated.
He took out another glass ball from his pocket, feeling a pang of emotion.
"Same size round balls, but why is this difference so huge?"
With the Luminous Pearl in hand, Yang Gang was ready to discard the glass ball. But after a thought, he put it back in his pocket along with the Luminous Pearl.
"Damn it, why not just run off with this Luminous Pearl?" Yang Gang was scheming deviously, "No, no, before running off, I should also chip off a piece from that posh swimming pool's crystal bricks."
So, Yang Gang continued his treasure hunt in Yang's villa.
Turning east and west, Yang Gang got lost and ended up at a large house.
This should be the main house of the villa.
Just as Yang Gang was about to avoid it, hushed voices arguing emerged from the living room of the main house.
Yang Gang quietly moved to the outside of the living room, sneaking a peek inside. He saw Yang Lin, who looked unhappy, and a sleazy, villainous-looking middle-aged man sitting in the living room. The atmosphere seemed tense.
"Tong Jun, what do you mean by that?" Yang Lin suppressed his anger.
Tong Jun chuckled, "Lin bro, what, you're angry? I mean nothing by it. I just heard, my future son-in-law... oh, don't be angry, Lin bro. I just heard from others. Everyone outside is saying that Yang Gang seems to be a bit retarded. Oh, I know, at most mildly retarded, he can totally live on his own..."
"Tong Jun, did you come here specifically to slander my son?" Yang Lin was about to explode.
Tong Jun's face also stiffened, "Lin bro, it's not me who said it, it's what my daughter Tong Xin's classmates are saying. They say Yang Gang is dull and weak, anyone can walk all over him. I didn't believe it, so I went to the school and asked the teachers. The teachers all said, Yang Gang is slow and always ranked last in his major. When we arranged this marriage, Lin bro, you didn't tell me any of this."
Damn it.
Yang Gang outside couldn't bear to listen anymore!
Even though he only heard a few sentences, Yang Gang roughly understood what was happening.
Turns out that Yang Gang was previously engaged to Tong Xin's daughter. Now here he is at the Yang family home, and even though he hasn't said it outright, his intention is clear - he wants to break off the engagement.
Well, damn!
I'll be damned! Yes, old Master Yang is a crafty old fox, but he has been good to me, Yang Gang. I won't stand by and watch anyone dishonor him this way. Besides, my current status is Master of the Yang family. Insulting him is the same as insulting me!
Furthermore!
I haven't met my so-called fiancée, but judging from her old man's ugly mug, I wager she's a troll.
Who the hell wants to marry that ugly hag!
Yang Gang smirked mischievously and twirled the Luminous Pearl he'd tucked into his pocket.
Inside the living room, poor old Master Yang was fuming. He had lost his biological son, a fact he couldn't reveal to the family, and as he was coming to terms with his grief, this new insult comes.
Does he think I don't know Tong Jun's purpose here?
To break off the engagement.
Damn it, this ungrateful shit! When his company faced bankruptcy, I was the one who bailed him out. In part, this engagement between Yang Gang and Tong Xin was part of that deal.
But who would have thought, as soon as he survived the crisis, Tong Jun became a bridge burner and tried to cancel the engagement.
The swine!
But, Yang Lin could only swallow his anger. If the Tong family insisted on breaking the engagement, there's nothing he could do. Although there was an agreement, it has no legal effect since the children involved were still underage.
He found himself in a real bind.
If he agreed to break the engagement, he would lose face.
If he refused, his biological son was already dead.
Just as Tong Jun pointed out, his son did have some shortcomings and he did not tell the Tong family the whole truth. But what choice did he have back then? He used his money to help Tong Jun out of a tough situation just so his son could find a wife.
He was truly conflicted.
At that moment, a 'familiar' figure entered the living room.
Yang Gang... what was he up to now?
Yang Gang stormed into the living room, straight to Tong Jun. With a deranged laugh, he slapped Tong Jun on the chest with all his might.
Tong Jun almost lost his breath due to the shock.
That made him mad.
"See, Yang Lin? This guy isn't simple-minded, he's a complete idiot!"
Yang Lin felt slightly embarrassed. His son might have a little mental deficiency, but he was never this reckless.
That guy...
"Gang, what are you doing? This is your future father-in-law." Yang Lin had to maintain appearances.
"Bah, piss off! Screw the father-in-law! Dad, I came here today to make things clear. That...that, erm, the hideous wife from the Tong family, I want a divorce!"
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Not only Tong Jun but Yang Lin was so shocked, he choked on his spit.
"Ugly... wife?"
"Yes, the monstrous-looking girl from the Tong family who I'm engaged to. Dad, I've been holding this in for years and I can't take it anymore. I'm going to say it out loud!"
He swallowed his saliva, taking a moment to gather his bearings.
"Tong Xin is the ugliest, ugliest, ugliest woman I've ever seen, bar none. I want a divorce, I want to break off the engagement!"
This made Yang Lin's tension vanish.
It took Yang Lin almost thirty seconds to recover his wits, and he felt strangely satisfied.
Why hadn't he thought of this before? Since he couldn't make this alliance with the Tong family, he could simply abort the engagement first. At least that way he could save face, right?
Although Yang Gang is not my biological son, at least he helps me vent my resentment today.
But calling Tong Xin an ugly monster, that..