A backup plan

The contract jogged Shen Heng's memory.

Before the new year, the original owner of this body had gotten carried away gambling at their place. In a moment of hotheadedness, he had borrowed money from them to keep gambling. Originally, he had only borrowed thirty thousand, but now...

Looking at the amount owed on the contract, Shen Heng's brows knitted almost imperceptibly.

Although he had long heard that loan sharks devoured people without even spitting out their bones, this was his first encounter with it.

Thirty thousand had snowballed into sixty thousand in half a year?

At this rate of compounding interest, a family genuinely short of money would probably never get back on its feet after borrowing from them.

And...

Shen Heng glanced at the agency's name, "Navigating the Future Study Abroad."

They had even draped themselves in the skin of a study-abroad agency?

Although that could not completely eliminate the risks, it at least gave them plenty of room to argue their case even when facing the police.

"Hey, remember now?"

Huang Shaohua stared straight at Shen Heng, as though he would tear him apart if Shen Heng so much as said he had forgotten.

"Yeah, I know. I'll find a way to get you the money when the time comes!" Shen Heng handed the phone back.

For an ordinary person facing something like this, the best option was to pay off the money in one go and sever all ties with them.

Otherwise, even reporting their illegal casino, which Shen Heng knew about, would not do much good.

As far as Shen Heng knew, their casino and loan-sharking operations were run separately. Moreover, the loan-sharking operation wore the shell of a study-abroad service agency.

Under those circumstances, even if someone reported the casino, they could simply say, "What does his running a casino have to do with my study-abroad service agency?"

Besides, they had maintained an operation of a certain scale for so long that Shen Heng did not believe they had no connections with the regulators.

If his report failed and he ended up in their sights instead, things would get ugly.

So, for an ordinary person, paying everything off in one go was the best course. Any thought of refusing to pay or dragging out repayment would invite violent debt collection.

Shen Heng was not afraid of them coming after him, but this body still had family...

Hearing that Shen Heng intended to repay the money, a barely perceptible hint of smugness flashed across Huang Shaohua's face. He turned to glance at the closed door, then looked back at Shen Heng, his eyes full of calculation as he asked:

"What if you don't have the money when the time comes, Young Master Shen? Let me tell you, you can't just keep owing me money that easily. Don't think you can bluff your way through."

"Don't worry. I'll definitely scrape it together for you when the time comes!" Shen Heng replied.

"Oh, talking big today, aren't you, Young Master Shen? Won some money at the casino these past few days? I think you're just blowing smoke. With your gambling luck, you could win money? Give me a break." Huang Shaohua's face was full of disdain, his tone thick with mockery.

"That's none of your business!"

Huang Shaohua snorted. "Looks like you really did win some money! But will it last until next month? What if you can't pay me back next month? I've got a backup plan. Want to consider it? Heh heh, it might just save your life."

"A backup plan?" Shen Heng asked in confusion. His instincts told him that whatever came out of Huang Shaohua's mouth next would probably be nothing good.

"Ahem..." Huang Shaohua cleared his throat and asked, "That girl who just went inside-was she your older sister or your younger sister? What was her name again? She looked pretty good!"

Shen Heng raised his eyes and looked coldly at Huang Shaohua. "Let me make this clear. My business is my business. It has nothing to do with her! Don't get any ideas about her."

"Heh... no wonder you're family. You even talk the same way!"

Huang Shaohua chuckled, the greed on his face growing increasingly obvious.

"Don't be so resistant. You've got a rough idea of my family's circumstances, right? Maybe not a hundred million, but we've still got tens of millions! Marrying me would be her climbing up the social ladder! Most people couldn't get an opportunity like this even if they wanted one!"

"Besides, once she marries me, we can work something out about the money you owe. Never mind the interest-you could even borrow some more from me if you wanted."

"But you'll have to talk some sense into her. Once she marries into the family, she'll need to know how to read the room!"

Huang Shaohua rambled on, completely failing to notice that Shen Heng's gaze had gradually turned cold.

After quite a while, Huang Shaohua smacked his lips and looked at Shen Heng with a smile.

"Well? Want to think it over? Why don't you call me... uh, brother-in-law right now? Say it once, and I'll give you three extra days to pay me back. What do you say? A good deal, right?"

"I told you, my business has nothing to do with her. And..." Shen Heng looked at Huang Shaohua with an icy gaze. "Watch your filthy mouth! Don't direct those dirty thoughts of yours at her."

Huang Shaohua froze slightly at those words. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, only to turn vicious immediately afterward.

"Well, well, you've gotten bold, haven't you? I'm going to teach you a proper lesson today! Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?"

As Huang Shaohua shouted, he suddenly rolled up his sleeve, raised his hand high, and swung a vicious slap at Shen Heng's face.

Whoosh-

His palm abruptly stopped halfway through its arc.

Shen Heng had raised his hand and clamped down hard on Huang Shaohua's wrist.

His current body was already at an age brimming with youthful vigor. On top of that, the Origin Power entering his body had given it a round of enhancement.

With Shen Heng's current physical fitness, anyone who did not exercise regularly really could not match him.

And Huang Shaohua, standing before him, clearly did not belong to that category.

Shen Heng tightened his grip slightly around Huang Shaohua's wrist, and soon-

"Ah, it hurts, it hurts! Let go! Let go! Let go!" Huang Shaohua screamed like a pig being slaughtered, beads of sweat instantly breaking out across his forehead.

Shen Heng did not let go. He stared coldly at Huang Shaohua. "Do you still remember what I just told you?"

"Wh-what?" Huang Shaohua was in so much pain that he stammered.

Shen Heng did not answer. He tightened his grip a little more.

"Ah, go easy! Go easy! My bone's going to break! My bone's going to break!"

Huang Shaohua let out two agonized screams. After those two screams, seeing that Shen Heng showed no intention of stopping, he could only endure the excruciating pain and struggle to recall what Shen Heng had just said.

"I remember! You told me to watch my mouth from now on!"

"Since you know, can you do it from now on?" Shen Heng looked down at Huang Shaohua, who was doubled over in pain and unable to straighten up, his eyes full of warning.

"But you're the one who owes me money!" Huang Shaohua protested through the pain.

"My owing you money is one thing. Didn't I tell you that my business has nothing to do with her?" Shen Heng asked coldly.

"You... I..."

Shocked by Shen Heng's forceful words, Huang Shaohua did not know what to say for a moment. In the end, the pain in his wrist won out over everything else, and he begged for mercy:

"Fine, fine, fine! I get it! I'll watch my mouth from now on!"

Seeing Huang Shaohua agree, Shen Heng shoved the hand he was holding backward.

Huang Shaohua stumbled back several steps and nearly landed on his backside, only just managing to regain his footing.

He raised his head and glared viciously at Shen Heng, who was heading inside, then roared:

"Shen Heng, you little bastard! You refuse the toast only to drink the penalty wine! I'm telling you, if you..."

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Huang Shaohua's face twisted slightly with rage.

"You little bastard, just you wait! If you can't pay next month, you'll see how I deal with you!"

"No, that's not right. Even if you can pay, I'm still going to deal with you!"

"Fuck, in my whole life, nobody but my dad has ever dared treat me like this! If I don't make you suffer to death, my surname isn't Huang!"

Huang Shaohua headed downstairs, cursing all the way.

He would not believe Shen Heng could pay the money back next month even if it killed him!

Perhaps some people could win money at a casino, but that person clearly was not Shen Heng, who had gambled for years and was still constantly borrowing money!

"Heh... I'd like to see what kind of face you'll make when you can't pay next month!" Huang Shaohua sneered.

After a few more curses, his anger subsided somewhat, but the image of the girl he had just seen involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

If he had not felt like coming over to take a look today, he would never have discovered that Shen Heng actually had such a pretty...

He did not even know whether she was the older sister or the younger sister, let alone her name!

He would have Yellow Hair help look into it when he got back!