428: Chapter 428 The fox borrows the tiger's might, and the crisis is easily resolved.

The bald man kicked over the trash can by the door, his voice arrogant.

The few Employees in the office were so scared they stood up, not daring to breathe.

Fang Jian's face instantly turned pale.

He stood in front of Shen Yan, his voice trembling slightly.

"Brother Biao, why are you here? Didn't I already pay this month's fee?"

The bald man, called Brother Biao, sneered.

"You paid this month, but the rules have changed."

"Starting this month, the protection fee doubles."

Fang Jian's lips began to quiver.

"Brother Biao, aren't you making things difficult for me? With my small business, how can I come up with that much money..."

"Can't come up with it?" Brother Biao walked up to an office desk and slapped it hard, causing the computer monitor on top to jump.

"I don't care if you can or can't! If the money isn't here within three days, you can forget about moving another brick on this dump construction site!"

A subordinate behind him picked up an iron rod and smashed it against the rendering hanging on the wall.

Crash!

The glass frame shattered all over the floor.

Fang Jian was both anxious and furious, his face turning bright red.

"You can't do this! This is against the law!"

"Against the law?" Brother Biao acted as if he had heard the biggest joke, "In this territory, my word is the law!"

"Either pay up, or get out!"

Seeing that the group was about to start smashing things, Fang Jian was so anxious he was about to cry.

He turned to look at Shen Yan, his face full of apology and shame.

"Mr. Shen, I'm sorry for making you witness this joke. Please leave quickly, don't get hurt."

Shen Yan's expression had not changed from beginning to end.

He didn't even stand up.

He just slowly took out his phone and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly.

"Wu Ya."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the chaotic office.

Brother Biao on the side became even more contemptuous when he heard him making a call.

"Oh ho? Still trying to call for backup? I'll tell you, in this area of S City's western suburbs, it won't matter who comes!"

Shen Yan ignored him and continued speaking into the phone.

"I'm at the Western Suburb Industrial Park, Kaiyuan Construction."

"There are some flies that are quite noisy. Contact An Ran about it."

"Five minutes. Handle it cleanly."

After speaking, he hung up the phone.

The entire process was delivered in a tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

Brother Biao and all his subordinates were stunned.

They had seen arrogance before, but never this arrogant.

"Kid, who the hell are you trying to fool?"

Brother Biao grabbed the iron rod and walked toward Shen Yan.

Fang Jian was so scared his soul almost left his body. He tried to stop him but was pushed aside by a subordinate.

Shen Yan remained seated on the sofa, looking up at Brother Biao approaching him.

His gaze was very calm, like a lake bottomless and still.

Brother Biao felt a little uneasy under his stare, but the words were already out; he couldn't lose face.

He raised the iron rod and said fiercely,

"Kneel down now and kowtow to me, and I'll pretend nothing happened!"

Shen Yan didn't speak.

He glanced at his watch.

"Three minutes left."

Brother Biao's rage was completely ignited.

"I'll give you three minutes!"

Just as he was about to swing the iron rod, his phone in his pocket started ringing frantically.

Brother Biao impatiently pulled out his phone, and his expression changed drastically when he saw the caller ID.

He walked to the side and answered the call obsequiously.

"Hello, Brother Long, why would you have time to call me..."

It was unclear what was said on the other end, but cold sweat instantly broke out on Brother Biao's forehead.

His legs began to weaken, and his voice trembled.

"Yes, yes, yes... I didn't know you were someone from the An family... I'll leave immediately, right now!"

After hanging up, Brother Biao looked as if his tendons had been pulled out.

He turned around, and his eyes, looking at Shen Yan, were filled with terror.

He immediately dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Sir! I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai! I didn't know you were Miss An's friend!"

As he spoke, he viciously slapped his own face.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

The sounds were crisp and loud.

The subordinates behind him were all stunned dumbfounded.

Shen Yan stood up and smoothed the corner of his coat.

"Scram."

Just one word.

Brother Biao, as if granted amnesty, scrambled and crawled away with his men.

The office instantly returned to silence.

All that remained was the mess on the floor, and the stunned Fang Jian and his Employees.

In Shen Yan's mind, the system's notification tone sounded right on schedule.

[Ding! Mission complete!]

[Advanced intelligence has been issued, please check.]

It took Fang Jian a long time to come back to his senses.

He looked at Shen Yan, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Finally, he walked in front of Shen Yan and bowed deeply.

"Mr. Shen... Thank you."

His voice carried a heavy nasal tone, and his eyes were red.

"If it weren't for you today, my company... might really have been finished."

Shen Yan waved his hand.

"It was just a small effort."

Fang Jian hurriedly went to pour water for Shen Yan again; this time, he took out a clean glass from his cabinet.

"Mr. Shen, what... what exactly do you do?"

If he still thought Shen Yan was just an ordinary investor now, he would be a fool.

One phone call made a local tyrant like Brother Biao kneel and beg for mercy. This kind of power was beyond his imagination.

Shen Yan sat down again.

"I am just a businessman."

He looked at Fang Jian and asked,

"Do things like today happen often?"

Fang Jian sighed, nodding with a bitter smile.

"This area is quite chaotic. They come to cause trouble every few days."

"I've reported it to the police, but it's useless. They get arrested and locked up for two days, then they come out and become even more aggressive."

"Over time, we just got used to it."

As he spoke, his face was full of helplessness and bitterness.

"I'm just a technician. I don't understand those tricky dealings. I just want to build houses well and be true to my conscience."

"But it's hard to be an honest person these days."

Shen Yan listened quietly.

"Why do you insist on using such good materials? The cost is high, the profit is thin, and it's easy for competitors to squeeze you out with price wars."

This was a question he had been pondering earlier.

Fang Jian paused, seemingly not expecting Shen Yan to ask this.

He was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"My father was also a construction worker."

"He worked his entire life, building countless buildings, but he himself lived in a shack next to the construction site his whole life."

"When I was little, he always told me that the houses we build are homes for others to live in for a lifetime. The foundation must be firm, the walls must be solid, and there must not be the slightest carelessness."

"Later, when I started my company, I always remembered his words."

Light flickered in Fang Jian's eyes.

"Using slightly inferior materials would indeed earn quite a bit more money, and I could lower the price to take on more projects."

"But I couldn't get past that hurdle in my heart."

"I would lie awake at night, always feeling like I was letting down those people who spent their life savings to buy a house."

"So, I'd rather earn less, earn slower, just for peace of mind."

He scratched his head and smiled a little awkwardly.

"Mr. Shen, do you think I'm particularly foolish?"

Shen Yan looked at him and shook his head.

"Not foolish."

"On the contrary, very smart."

Fang Jian didn't understand what he meant.

Shen Yan stood up and walked to the rendering that had been smashed.

"My plot of land is in the southern part of the city."

"I plan to build a high-end residential area, targeting customers who have extremely high demands for quality of life."

"They don't lack money; what they want is safety, comfort, and houses that can be passed down."

He turned around and looked at Fang Jian.

"I don't need speed or cheapness."

"What I need is quality."

"The kind of quality that lets you sleep soundly at night."

Fang Jian's breathing almost stopped at that moment.

He stared blankly at Shen Yan, his heart pounding wildly.

He felt like he was dreaming.

"Mr... Mr. Shen, what you mean is..."