Chapter 93: A staggering fine of 7.2 billion; if you don't pay, all accounts will be frozen.

The Zheng family was shrouded in gloom, primarily because of Father Zheng's situation. He had already been held in the Detention Center for quite a long time, but they still had no way to get him out, and could only watch helplessly as he remained locked up in the Detention Center.

"Zheng Tian, you have to think of something."

Hearing this, Zheng Tian sighed.

"Mom, what can I possibly do right now?"

Zheng Tian's tone was filled with helplessness; these events had caught him off guard. Was he really supposed to agree to Zheng Jie's demands, give him the rest of the family's money, and have him get Father Zheng out? If that were the case, Zheng Tian felt it would be better to just let Father Zheng stay inside.

What a joke.

This was his last bit of money.

If this money were gone, Zheng Tian would be nothing.

In the future, it would be absolutely impossible to live that extravagant lifestyle where he could spend money freely.

"But… *sigh*."

Just as the mother and son were completely at a loss for what to do, Mrs. Zheng's phone suddenly rang. Looking at the caller ID, Mrs. Zheng frowned tightly.

She knew it was a call from the Bank.

Of course, the person making this call wasn't just some low-level Bank employee, but one of the members of the Bank's management. She answered the phone.

"Mrs. Zheng, not long ago, Mr. Zheng's loan with our Bank reached its repayment deadline. I wonder when you might have time to come to the Bank to discuss the repayment?"

Repayment?

Hearing this, Mrs. Zheng's expression was grim.

When it came down to it, the other party was just here to demand money.

A full three billion.

In this situation, if they gave this money to them, the family would only have 17 billion left.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Zheng felt a headache coming on.

"How much money?"

"Currently, including interest, it totals 3.4 billion."

There was 400 million in interest.

"It's like this, you know that our family has been going through a lot lately. How about this, do you think you could grant us some more time?"

"That is not possible. Since you have the money in your hands, why not pay it?"

Silence.

At this moment, Mrs. Zheng fell silent.

"Fine, I understand. I will find an opportunity to go."

Hanging up the phone, Zheng Tian looked at Mrs. Zheng.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"It was a call from the Bank. The loan is due, and they want us to come up with 3.4 billion, otherwise, they will seize all those assets."

Zheng Tian's expression was also grim.

"Mom, believe me, this must have been arranged by Zheng Jie. Only that guy could do something so beastly—sending his own father to Prison and now forcing us to pay back the money."

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. Zheng Tian threw the things on the table onto the floor, but what was the point of throwing them? Being angry wouldn't solve these troubles, would it?

"*Sigh*, just pay it. If we don't pay now, those assets will be gone."

At this point, Mrs. Zheng sighed.

After all, the value of those mortgaged items far exceeded the amount of money.

"As it stands, that's all we can do."

Although she was unwilling, Mrs. Zheng had no other choice now and could only agree.

Just an hour later, there was a knock at the door of the Villa. Hearing the knock, Mrs. Zheng went to the door and opened it to find several people in work uniforms standing before her.

"Who are you all…"

"Hello, we are from the Asset Commission."

Hearing their voices, Mrs. Zheng vaguely realized that there was likely some real trouble. After all, this agency was responsible for managing all local investments, funds, and businesses. Now that they were at her door, she vaguely realized they might have come because of Father Zheng's situation.

"Why have you come here…"

"It is like this: the investigation into Mr. Zheng's case has concluded. According to our findings, Mr. Zheng has been involved in various illegal and criminal activities over the past few years, including the illicit transfer of funds abroad. Therefore, when these are added together, the fine is 7.2 billion."

Upon hearing this number, Mrs. Zheng's body staggered.

The Bank still needed 3.4 billion, and now here came another 7.2 billion. The entire Zheng family only had close to 20 billion on hand in total, and now they had to cough up so much all at once.

Plus lawyer fees and various other expenses… For the Zheng family, this was a loss of over 11 billion.

"So much money?"

"Of course, this is stipulated by law."

Hearing this, Mrs. Zheng's expression was grim.

"Let me discuss this with my family."

"Very well. Please contact us within 24 hours. If you do not contact us or if you attempt to transfer assets, the fine will continue to increase on top of this amount. So, please do not do anything you will regret for the rest of your life."

This sentence was a threat.

Telling them not to mess around.

If they messed around, the ones who would suffer would be them.

"Fine, I understand."

Watching their retreating figures, Mrs. Zheng collapsed into a chair.

"Zheng Tian, what do you think we should do?"

"All that money added together, plus the lawyers, and all those other miscellaneous matters."

By this point, Mrs. Zheng's emotions had somewhat collapsed, and she couldn't help but cry. Watching this scene, Zheng Tian also sighed.

"If we don't pay…"

"There will be more fines."

At this moment, Zheng Tian also understood that transferring assets was impossible. All the accounts under their name must have already been monitored by the relevant departments. In this situation, if they moved the money inside, they would likely be frozen immediately, leaving them with absolutely no options. Thinking of this, Zheng Tian sighed.

He realized that every step Zheng Jie took was carefully chosen.

"Son… I'll see if I can meet with your father now."

"Alright."

Mrs. Zheng could only quickly contact the lawyer to see if they could think of a way. After hanging up the phone, the lawyer contacted the Detention Center immediately.

But the reply they received was…

"I'm sorry, it is currently not the designated time for meetings."

Refused.

This was also arranged by Zheng Jie.

What a joke; if Zheng Jie allowed them to meet at this time, that would truly be the problem.

Upon learning that there was no way to meet, Mrs. Zheng took a deep breath and could only explain what had just happened.

"Lawyer, do you have any advice for us now?"

"Well… if it were me, I would pay, because even if you don't pay, they can directly transfer the money from the Bank."

Hearing this, Mrs. Zheng's heart ached.

This was 11 billion.

"I understand…"