An Uninvited "Guest"
The subway during rush hour is like a sardine can, the air is murky, and people are packed tightly together.
Lin Feng wore headphones, blocking out most of the noise, closed his eyes to rest, and pondered the details of the investment company's equity structure that Lawyer Zhou had mentioned the previous night. His body swayed slightly with the train, but his mind was racing.
My phone vibrated; it wasn't a familiar contact, but a completely unfamiliar local number.
Lin Feng frowned. Not many people knew his private number; besides his parents, Monkey, Lawyer Zhou, and a few core henchmen, almost no one else did. A sales call? A scam? He didn't want to answer, but thinking it might be one of his henchmen contacting him using a new number, he pressed the answer button anyway and held the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Is this the owner of ' Old Lin Liquor Shop '?" A man's voice came from the other end of the phone. His voice was a little high-pitched, and he spoke very quickly, with a deliberately assertive and aggressive tone, completely lacking the politeness of an opening.
Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat; it turned out to be about the online store. He remained calm and asked in a neutral tone, "Who is it?"
"Never mind who I am!" the other person's voice immediately rose, becoming even more impolite. "The wine I bought from your store is counterfeit! You have to give me an explanation for this!"
Sure enough, Lin Feng's brows furrowed even more. Wang Laoshi had just reported yesterday that the "Consumer Rights Defender" had been harassing him online, and today they were calling his mobile phone directly? How did they get that number? The information used for registering the online store was from a shell company arranged by Lawyer Zhou, theoretically it shouldn't be directly related to him. Was it through the platform's appeal channels? Or did they use some less-than-legal means?
Before Lin Feng could answer, the other party launched into a rapid-fire speech, his tone becoming increasingly aggressive:
"Let me tell you, I'm not easily fooled! I've seen plenty of unscrupulous merchants like you! Selling counterfeit alcohol, passing off inferior goods as superior ones, and setting inflated prices—that's fraud! Blatant fraud! I have all the evidence: unboxing videos, authentication reports, purchase records—everything! You can't escape!"
His words were full of enticements and traps, attempting to provoke Lin Feng or induce him to admit something. "What? Speechless now? You know you're in the wrong? I advise you to be sensible and quickly compensate according to the rules, three times the price for any counterfeit! Fifty bottles of wine, a total of 193,200 yuan, not a penny less! We can settle this privately. But if you dare to try anything funny..."
He paused deliberately, lowering his voice, but with an even more obvious threatening tone:
"Then I'll just have to give your shady shop and you, the owner, a good 'publicity'. With the internet so developed and consumers so aware of their rights these days, I'll put the evidence on a few major platforms, get some media friends to help... and then it won't just be a matter of losing money! You can forget about keeping your shop open, and you'll be in deep trouble yourself! You might even end up in jail! Think about it!"
The other party spoke with great enthusiasm, as if victory was already in their grasp, just waiting for Lin Feng to panic, bargain, or simply back down and admit defeat.
The subway arrived at the station just then, and a sharp screech of brakes and the clamor of the crowd could be faintly heard through the earpiece. Lin Feng listened to the arrogant threat on the other end of the phone and suddenly found it somewhat laughable. Having experienced the brink of death in a detention center, plotted ruthless revenge, and controlled Deathsworn Network hidden in the shadows, this threat based on extortion of tens of thousands of yuan sounded as childish as playing house.
He could even picture the face on the other end of the phone, twisted with greed, perhaps thinking he had some incredible leverage over someone, smugly waiting to reap the rewards.
After the other person finished speaking, they seemed to be waiting for his reaction, and only heavy breathing could be heard on the other end of the phone.
Lin Feng took a light breath, then spoke into the microphone in a calm but clear tone, even carrying a hint of undisguised annoyance:
"Damn it, are you out of your mind for money?"
There was a visibly pause on the other end of the phone; he probably hadn't expected this reaction. He wasn't afraid, he didn't argue, and he just started yelling.
Lin Feng didn't give him time to react. His speech was slow but clear, effectively shutting down all the accusations. "I'll say it again, the wine I sell is not fake. Every single bottle has a legitimate manufacturer's purchase invoice, and its origin is traceable. You can authenticate it however you want, expose it however you want, it's up to you."
His tone was unwavering, only indifferent, as if he were too lazy to argue.
"Neuropathy."
With those three words uttered, Lin Feng pressed the hang-up button, completely cutting off the voice that was still in a daze or might be about to unleash even more intense insults.
The subway doors opened, and a new flow of people surged in. Lin Feng put his phone back in his pocket, as if he had just received a trivial, annoying call. He closed his eyes again; the noise isolation of his headphones seemed even better.
193,200? Exposed? In?
Oh.
A faint, almost indifferent smile curved his lips.
His "shop," his "business," and the path he walked were far beyond the comprehension and sway of ants of this level. The number the other party had painstakingly obtained, and their self-righteous threats, were nothing more than a ripple in his eyes.
The train started moving again, heading towards the next station, and also towards an ordinary day in Lin Feng's established schedule—at least, on the surface.