Chapter 41: Clearing the Debt

The three of them quickly arrived at the China Construction Bank. Xu Chen joined the queue and withdrew exactly forty thousand yuan.

He then grabbed four envelopes from the bank lobby’s counter and neatly stashed ten thousand yuan in each.

Li Rui and Fang Tao wore cautious expressions, like personal bodyguards, flanking Xu Chen on both sides.

Xu Chen offered a small smile but said nothing.

In this small county town back in ’06, public security wasn’t exactly top-notch.

Street robberies happened from time to time.

Three high schoolers carrying forty thousand yuan in cash naturally felt some pressure.

Li Rui and Fang Tao fell silent, shooting Xu Chen odd glances.

Even though they’d known he was coming for the money, seeing forty thousand yuan in cold hard cash still stunned them.

After all, they were just two broke seventeen-year-olds—they’d never seen so much money.

At the same time, they couldn’t help but feel impressed.

Big Brother Chen is truly righteous…

Among these scrappy friends,

righteousness often matters more than anything else.

Xu Chen shoved the forty thousand yuan into his roomy jacket and said,

“Let’s wait here for a bit.”

Li Rui blinked. “Wait for what?”

Xu Chen replied, “With forty thousand in cash, I really don’t dare wander the streets.”

It wasn’t that Xu Chen was overly cautious.

After all, in this small town in the early days of the millennium, street cameras were few and far between.

Just then, a graceful figure entered:

“Let’s go—time to move!”

It was Officer Chen Xinlan.

She wasn’t in uniform today but wore a short, fitted jacket, slim jeans, and a high ponytail.

In plain clothes, Chen Xinlan looked fresh and charming.

Li Rui and Fang Tao stiffened, then realized she was the police officer they’d met before. They snapped to attention, faces tense.

Xu Chen stepped forward.

“Officer Chen, thanks for coming.”

Chen Xinlan smiled. “Sorry I’m in civilian clothes. I happened to be off duty today and didn’t have time to change.”

Xu Chen bowed his head. “I’m sorry to cut into your rest.”

Chen Xinlan waved him off. “No worries. We police don’t really get days off anyway. Have you gotten the money?”

Xu Chen smiled and patted his jacket.

Chen Xinlan chuckled. “A senior in high school pulling out tens of thousands so casually is pretty surprising.”

Xu Chen grew a bit serious. “I got it from my dad. He’s always trusted me.”

Of course, the money was Xu Chen’s own. He only said it was from home to ease Officer Chen’s doubts.

Explaining how he’d earned 150,000 yuan through an ad contest would be too complicated.

Chen Xinlan’s casual question about the cash was a professional habit—she knew a teen waving huge sums around could spell trouble.

Fortunately, during the mall incident she’d already logged his family details.

She knew his family ran a factory and were probably well-off.

So when he said the money came from home, she didn’t push further.

Chen Xinlan nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

With that, she and Xu Chen headed outside.

Li Rui and Fang Tao exchanged a look of relief mixed with confusion.

Big Brother Chen really thought of everything.

Having a cop along definitely made them feel safer.

They couldn’t help but marvel at Xu Chen’s calm decisiveness and thorough planning.

…

…

They entered a hidden alley flanked by hair and foot massage shops.

The women outside, who’d been smiling to lure customers, looked disappointed when they saw three students.

When they recognized Officer Chen Xinlan, horror flashed across their faces. They ducked inside, switched off the pink lights, and slammed down the shutters.

In front of a two-story row of shops, the group halted.

On the second floor a glass door hung a simple black-on-white sign:

“Zhiyong Finance.”

Li Rui pointed. “This is it.”

Xu Chen glanced at Officer Chen.

She nodded. “This is the place. With me here, they won’t dare mess with you.”

Officer Chen led the way up the stairs, with Xu Chen, Li Rui, and Fang Tao close behind.

Xu Chen thought for a moment, pulled out his Nokia N70, and discreetly hit record.

Always good to have a backup recording.

…

At the entrance to Zhiyong Finance, a pungent smell of tobacco hit them.

Inside, the light was dim, smoke curled in the air, and discarded cigarette butts littered the floor.

On a shabby sofa, four or five burly men were playing cards, empty beer bottles strewn about, and the room rang with their raucous laughter.

Officer Chen tapped on the glass door.

“Who is it?” came a gruff voice.

The card game stopped. One burly man looked up toward the door.

He took a long drag on his cigarette, stood, and plastered a grin on his face.

“Well, well—it’s Chief Inspector Chen! Please come in!”

He bowed and ushered Officer Chen inside.

The card players jumped up and hollered “Officer Chen!” before obediently filing into the back room.

Officer Chen plopped down on the couch, completely at ease.

Xu Chen and the others followed her into the smoke-filled room.

Li Rui and Fang Tao shared another relieved glance.

They were glad Xu Chen had called Officer Chen along—she’d spared them a world of trouble.

Without her here, things could’ve gone south fast.

The burly man hurried over and poured a cup of tea for Officer Chen.

“Zhang Zhiyong, you haven’t been roughing up people while collecting debts lately, have you?”

The man, in his thirties and stout build, was the apparent owner of Zhiyong Finance, named Zhang Zhiyong.

We call him the “public boss” because businesses like this often have complicated ties…

“Officer Chen, what are you saying?” he protested. “I follow the law to the letter. You even disciplined me last month—I submitted a written apology!”

He turned to Xu Chen and the others, brows furrowed.

“Officer Chen, what brings you here today?”

Officer Chen said, “It’s not about me. A group of high schoolers in my jurisdiction owed you money. They came to settle their debt. I’m just here to make sure you don’t bully them.”

Zhang Zhiyong forced a grin. “Officer Chen, what are you talking about? I’m just an honest small-town businessman. How could I bully a few kids?”

He looked at Xu Chen’s group suspiciously. “I don’t recall lending you any money.”

Xu Chen spoke up: “It’s Xie Bingran’s debt.”