"Hey, you!" The pretty boy beside the chubby woman jumped out, ready to give Wan Yang a piece of his mind.
"You don't get to talk here. Scram!"
Without hesitation, Wan Yang slapped the pretty boy, making him spin around. He then shouted, "Do you even know that Assistant Zhang represents Chairman Zhang Wensheng? He's the father-in-law of Director Zhao!"
The chubby woman paused for a moment, confused. "Which director are you talking about?"
Wan Yang replied loudly, "Director Zhao is the new head of the Urban Management Bureau, and he's your dad's boss now!"
The chubby woman didn't believe it and accused Wan Yang of lying. "No way! The director of the Urban Management Bureau got transferred. My dad is next in line—how could there be a new guy named Zhao?"
Just then, her phone rang. She picked it up, and after a scolding on the other end, she realized it was her dad, Yang Qingshan. That's when she started to believe Wan Yang.
After hanging up, her face darkened, and she muttered, "I'm sorry!" She never thought she'd run into someone with connections that could overshadow her father.
Ling Feng just glanced at her briefly before turning to Zheng Miaoyi. "Still want to buy clothes?"
Zheng Miaoyi shook her head, realizing it was getting late and she was also hungry. "Nope, I'm disgusted by some people."
"Let's go grab a bite then."
"Sounds good!" Ling Feng nodded, taking Zheng Miaoyi's hand as they prepared to head out for dinner with her friend. Throughout all this, he completely ignored the chubby woman.
"Wait a second!" Zhang Bin called out to Ling Feng.
He walked over and handed Zheng Miaoyi a black card with gold edges. "Mrs. Ling, this is our company's Black Gold Card. With it, you can shop at all the malls under our Zhang Group for free!"
"Uh, isn't that a bit much…?" Zheng Miaoyi hesitated, thinking it was just a membership card and was about to reach for it. But when she heard Zhang Bin's explanation, she jumped back, shocked.
"That's the Black Gold Shopping Card from Zhang Group!" Her friend's eyes widened in disbelief.
Seeing Zheng Miaoyi look puzzled, her friend explained, "With this card, you can shop for free at any Zhang Group mall. It's also a status symbol. Only very important VIPs and people who've made significant contributions to the company can hold it. Even people from the Zhang family don't qualify! Seeing this card is like seeing the most distinguished guest of Zhang Group!"
After hearing her friend's explanation, Zheng Miaoyi was even more reluctant to accept the card.
"Mrs. Ling, this is what our chairman ordered," Zhang Bin said, noticing her hesitation. "The chairman said that compared to the help Mr. Ling has provided, a Black Gold Card is nothing but a token of gratitude!"
Zheng Miaoyi turned to Ling Feng, confused. "Ling Feng, what's going on?"
Ling Feng nodded, encouraging her. "If it's Chairman Zhang's kindness, you should take it!"
With a nod, Zheng Miaoyi finally accepted the card. Afterward, Ling Feng and Zheng Miaoyi dropped her friend off at home before heading back.
Once her friend left, Zheng Miaoyi asked Ling Feng, "How do you know such powerful people? Even the chairman of Zhang Group gives you face?"
As Ling Feng drove, he replied, "Remember when I helped Zhao Bingwen with his illness? Zhang Wensheng, the chairman of Zhang Group, is Zhao Bingwen's father-in-law!"
Zheng Miaoyi recalled Zhao Bingwen's situation, especially how respectful everyone had been toward Ling Feng during a dinner with her uncle's family. Knowing Zhang Wensheng was Zhao Bingwen's father-in-law cleared her doubts.
What she didn't realize was that the car she was in was actually bought by Zhao Bingwen.
As they drove, Ling Feng suddenly frowned. There was a car behind them that had been tailing them for a while. At first, he thought it was just coincidence, but now he was sure they were being followed.
It wasn't that the other driver was careless; they were just overly cautious, which had given them away.
Ling Feng quickly jotted down the license plate numbers of both cars and sent them to Meng Jun, asking him to look into the owners' identities. Then he turned to Zheng Miaoyi. "Buckle up! I'm going to speed up!"
"What?" Zheng Miaoyi was taken aback, not quite registering what he meant.
Ling Feng urged her again, then hit the gas. The car shot forward, and Zheng Miaoyi screamed in surprise.
Although Ling Feng's Mercedes-Benz wasn't a top-tier sports car, it was definitely better than the one behind them. Within two minutes, he had left them in the dust.
"Ling Feng, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" When they finally slowed down, Zheng Miaoyi scolded him.
Ling Feng explained that someone was tailing them, but Zheng Miaoyi didn't believe it at all and thought he was just trying to scare her.
Since she wasn't convinced, Ling Feng decided to change the subject. "You know, you actually look pretty cute when you scream!"
Zheng Miaoyi was so annoyed she wanted to pinch him, but since he was driving, she held back and huffed instead. "Oh really? And you say you didn't do it on purpose?"
When they got home, her parents asked Ling Feng about the clinic. He said he'd found a place and once it was decorated, they could open. Her parents were happy and encouraged him to do well. The family was harmonious.
Later that night, Zheng Miaoyi's phone rang. She glanced at it, hesitated, and chose not to answer. It rang several more times, but she still ignored it and eventually turned her phone off.
Ling Feng found it strange, but since Zheng Miaoyi didn't say anything, he didn't press the issue.
The next day, after dropping Zheng Miaoyi off at work, Ling Feng went to check on the shop's decoration plans. But when he arrived, he was stunned. The glass doors and windows were shattered, with shards scattered everywhere. Had it been robbed?
He called the police immediately. However, when the police arrived and checked the surrounding surveillance, they found that all the cameras were broken. Clearly, the perpetrators had come prepared.
Ling Feng recalled the car that had been following him yesterday. Could these two incidents be connected? Since he couldn't find out who was behind it, he chalked it up to bad luck.
Just then, the landlord showed up. "Oh, your shop got smashed too."
Ling Feng was surprised. "What do you mean 'too'? Has someone else's shop been hit?"
The landlord nodded. "There's a group around here that specializes in collecting protection fees. If you don't pay, this is what happens!"
Ling Feng was confused. "Protection fees? Are we in a movie? Aren't they scared of the police?"
The landlord chuckled. "Of course they're scared, but they always come prepared and leave no evidence!"
Hearing this made Ling Feng think of the broken cameras, and he nodded. His expression darkened as he silently cursed: Seriously? They're targeting me now!
While Ling Feng was lost in thought, the landlord suddenly spoke up. "I know the leader of these guys. I can talk to him for you and help you negotiate a lower fee!"