Li Zheng chimed in, "Oh, come on, Ling Feng! Are you really implying Auntie is sick?"
Ling Feng shot him a glance, thinking he was just a clown.
Then he turned back to his mother-in-law and said,
"Mom, have you been having trouble sleeping lately? Your dark circles seem worse, and I noticed some gray hairs—and even hair loss?"
Ge Yiyue frowned, confused about why Ling Feng was asking.
"Yeah, it's just normal; I'm getting older."
"Mom, that's a sign of liver damage. This liver tea I brought is specifically for nurturing and protecting your liver. It'll be really effective for those symptoms!"
As Ling Feng explained the benefits of the liver tea, Ge Yiyue finally relaxed her brow.
"Tsk, look at you, at least you care about your mother-in-law."
Even though she acted dismissive, Ge Yiyue accepted the liver tea without hesitation.
Clearly, Ling Feng was winning this round.
Zheng Miaoyi leaned closer to Ling Feng and quietly gave him a thumbs up.
"Impressive!"
She remembered that Ling Feng had bought the liver tea on the way back.
It seemed like he had a plan all along.
On the other hand, Li Zheng was clearly unhappy. As soon as they finished eating, he started clearing the table and rushed to do the dishes.
"Just washing the dishes isn't enough; I also need to mop the floors and clean the dog's area!"
Ling Feng suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway, casually dropped that line, and then walked away.
Li Zheng's face darkened, but he ended up cleaning the dog's area thoroughly.
"You're really something!"
Zheng Miaoyi whispered to Ling Feng.
"I'm just stating facts; I didn't ask him to clean the dog's area!"
Ling Feng shrugged, looking totally relaxed.
Seeing Li Zheng hustling around, Ge Yiyue urged him to sit down and take a break.
Finally, Li Zheng seized the moment to brag about how much money he was making.
He even said he had a few big projects lined up, and if the Zheng family had money, they could invest and get rich together.
This left the parents both stunned and intrigued.
Just as they were getting excited, Li Zheng's phone rang again.
"Oh no, another call! Is it urgent?"
Ge Yiyue urged him to answer.
"It's nothing; just business stuff. I can't be bothered with them!"
This time, he left his phone on the coffee table and picked it up to hang up.
Ling Feng took the opportunity to glance and noticed there was no name on the call, but the number didn't look like a normal mobile number.
It resembled one of those sales calls with a modified display number or maybe even one from a debt collection agency.
Ling Feng suddenly had a thought and subtly took out his phone to check the credit report online.
He asked Zheng Miaoyi to input Li Zheng's name and phone number.
"Wait a second…"
As Zheng Miaoyi hit search, she was immediately stunned.
The credit report clearly showed that Li Zheng was a deadbeat who owed money.
Not only did he owe private loans, but he also had tens of thousands in online debts.
Just then, Li Zheng's phone rang again.
"Seriously, this is so annoying!"
Li Zheng reached for the phone to hang up again.
But this time, Ling Feng was quicker. He snatched the phone before Li Zheng could.
"What are you doing?"
Li Zheng's expression changed instantly as he shouted angrily.
Ling Feng didn't respond, just smiled as he pressed the answer button and switched it to speaker mode.
"Li Zheng, you scumbag! You owe money and still don't pick up!
"Are you planning to bail on your debts?
"I'm giving you three more days. If you don't pay up, I'll make sure someone takes care of you!"
As soon as the call connected, the other party erupted in a torrent of insults.
...
The living room was filled with nothing but the sound of cursing from the phone.
After a moment, Ge Yiyue looked at Li Zheng with a disapproving expression, "What's going on here?"
Li Zheng grabbed the phone back and hung up, desperate to explain.
"Ge Auntie, let me explain. I got scammed on a business deal, so…"
Zheng Miaoyi let out a cold laugh as she handed her parents the phone to show them the credit report results.
"Mom and Dad, take a look at this!"
Once the parents saw the results, they immediately understood that everything Li Zheng had shown them was just an act.
"We, the Zheng family, don't welcome liars or deadbeats. Please leave!"
She shot a look at Ling Feng.
Ling Feng stepped up to Li Zheng and said, "Aren't you leaving yet? Do I have to kick you out?"
Li Zheng's face turned crimson with embarrassment. He shot a glare at Ling Feng and stormed out.
After Li Zheng left, the Zheng family returned to a peaceful calm.
The in-laws couldn't help but feel grateful that Ling Feng had been so observant.
Before bed, Zheng Miaoyi lay down and asked,
"Ling Feng, did you already guess that Li Zheng would bring a gift, so you intentionally prepared something better first?"
Ling Feng nodded with a grin, "Of course! I have an incredible talent for gift-giving; I've never lost to anyone!"
Zheng Miaoyi softly said, "Thanks for today!"
Suddenly, Ling Feng sat up with a mischievous smile on his face.
"What's the point of just saying that? Ugh, this floor is way too hard. I'd much rather sleep on a bed!"
Zheng Miaoyi picked up on his teasing tone and huffed, "Get serious and go to sleep!"
She covered herself with the blanket and turned away.
But a faint smile lingered on her lips.
Thinking back to how close she and Ling Feng had been, her face turned red.
The next day, Ling Feng dropped Zheng Miaoyi off at work and then headed straight to the store.
Sure enough, the glass he had just installed yesterday was smashed again.
He entered the shop and retrieved the surveillance footage.
"Just as I thought; it's the same group!"
From the footage, Ling Feng recognized one of the people smashing the store as the landlord.
At that moment, the landlord happened to arrive outside.
Seeing the glass shards scattered everywhere, he shook his head.
"You'd better just pay the protection fee, or this shop might not be able to open."
The landlord feigned concern and reiterated his warning.
"I guess so; I'm done with this place. I want to cancel the lease!"
Ling Feng didn't call out the landlord's bluff but suddenly announced his intention to terminate the lease.
"Want to cancel the lease? What's the point of having a contract then?"
The landlord looked at Ling Feng, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"I warn you, don't cause any trouble. Otherwise, I promise you'll regret it!"
"Me regret?" The landlord laughed at Ling Feng's warning.
From Ling Feng's tone, he guessed that Ling Feng had probably figured out his scheme.
But so what?
He didn't care whether Ling Feng knew. He had a solid backing for collecting protection fees.
"I'm telling you, if you don't pay the protection fee, you won't have a moment's peace until you close the shop!"
The landlord sneered again.
He wasn't worried about Ling Feng closing the shop, as their contract stated that if Ling Feng's shop didn't open within two weeks,
the lease would automatically revert to the landlord, and no deposit or rent would be refunded.
He had used this trick on several previous tenants.
He could profit either way.
Ling Feng chuckled, walked to the side, and pulled out a mini camera.
"Take a look at this."