Chapter 27: I Bought the Whole Street Just to Collect Protection Fees!
Inside a cheap hotel in the western suburbs of the capital, the wall paint was peeling off, and the air was thick with the smell of mold.
Ye Chen stared fixedly at the photo on his phone screen.
In the photo, Lu Shixuan was arrogantly tossing money around, while Chu Yaoyao clung closely to his side. Under the lights of the roadside stalls, the two of them looked surprisingly harmonious.
"Lu Shixuan... You ruined my reputation, yet you're out there playing the commoner's hero?"
Ye Chen's features twisted with jealousy. With trembling fingers, he dialed the number of an entertainment reporter.
"I have dirt on the Lu family's fake young master. He has a messy private life, forces himself on poor female college students, and even hires local thugs to put on a show... Yes, I'll send the photos to you immediately!"
After hanging up, Ye Chen let out a spine-chilling, cold laugh.
"Since I can't get into the Lu family, I won't let you have a good life either!"
...Meanwhile, that flashy ferrari was driving smoothly on the road back to the city.
In the passenger seat, Chu Yaoyao had already fallen asleep from exhaustion, covered by Lu Shixuan's oversized golden suit jacket.
Lu Shixuan held the steering wheel with one hand, turned his head to glance at Chu Yaoyao's sleeping face, and snorted coldly.
"Sleeping like a pig, she has no sense of vigilance at all."
Tsk, this girl's eyelashes are quite long, but her face is too pale—clearly a result of long-term malnutrition.
Grandma Zhang's oden might be tasty, but it's not very nutritious.
I'll have to have Eldest Sister buy that street, renovate it, and then hire some top-tier nutritionists to train those stall owners.
That way, when she goes to eat there in the future, at least she can eat a bit healthier.
Wait, no!
How can I spend this kind of wasted money for a woman?
I'm a bully!
I'm buying the street to... right!
To collect protection fees!
Lu Shixuan was moved by his own genius idea. He floored the gas pedal, and the car roared into the Lu Family Manor.
As soon as he entered the hall, he felt a chilling aura of slaughter.
Eldest Sister Lu Qingwan was sitting in the main seat on the sofa, holding a tablet, her expression as dark as water.
Second Sister Lu Zhirou was sterilizing a scalpel. The clinking of metal sounded exceptionally piercing in the silent hall.
Lu Shixuan's heart skipped a beat.
Holy crap?
With this kind of setup, could it be that Ye Chen's dirt has already gone viral?
Great!
Am I finally going to be kicked out of the house?
My villa in the Maldives is already waiting impatiently to welcome its master!
Lu Shixuan immediately put on an insufferably arrogant expression, kicked aside the expensive carpet at his feet, and shouted loudly:
"Eldest Sister! I'm back! Today I went to the Backstreet to humiliate poor people again, and I even beat up a few thugs who didn't know their place. How about it? Did I bring shame to the Lu family again?"
Lu Qingwan looked up and turned the tablet around. On the screen was a news headline that had just hit the trending searches:
"Lu Family's Evil Young Master Appears in Slums Late at Night, Suspected of Sponsoring a Pure College Girl, Squandering Cash in Public to Humiliate Stall Owners!"
The comment section below was a mess of insults, all from the internet trolls Ye Chen had hired to stir things up.
Looking at these comments, Lu Shixuan was overjoyed.
It's a sure thing now!
This wave of villain points is definitely going to go off the charts!
Eldest Sister, scold me quickly!
Quickly say I've lost face for the Lu family!
However, Lu Qingwan slowly stood up and walked over to Lu Shixuan.
She didn't get angry; instead, she reached out her slightly cool hand and gently smoothed the wrinkles on Lu Shixuan's shirt.
"A Xuan, you've been wronged."
Lu Shixuan: "Huh?"
Eldest Sister, are you reading the wrong line?
The whole internet is cursing me!
Lu Zhirou also walked over, took out a bottle of specialized anti-inflammatory spray from her medical kit, grabbed Lu Shixuan's hand, and started spraying.
"You touched those dirty things at the roadside stalls just now, didn't you? What if you get an infection?"
Lu Zhirou's eyes swept coldly across the screen. "That useless Ye Chen only has these kinds of low-life tricks."
Third Sister Lu Hongyi walked down from the second floor, holding a document she had just signed, and tossed it directly onto the coffee table.
"A Xuan, you said in your heart just now that you wanted to buy that street?"
Lu Shixuan's whole body froze.
Holy crap!
Third Sister, do you have mind-reading powers too?
Or did I accidentally blurt it out just now?
Lu Hongyi sneered. "No need to explain, your sisters understand. You didn't want those thugs to harass Grandma Zhang anymore, and you didn't want Chu Yaoyao to eat in such an unsanitary place, right?"
"So, I've already bought the entire Backstreet for you."
Lu Shixuan was completely dumbfounded.
Bought... bought it?
The whole street?
That's the old city district; with demolition compensation and the land itself, it must cost at least a billion, right?
I just wanted to collect some protection fees!
Lu Shixuan took a deep breath, deciding to double down on his 'death-seeking' behavior.
He slammed the table hard and roared at his three sisters:
"Who told you to buy it? That was the prey This Young Master had his eye on!"
"I'm buying that street to kick all those poor ghosts out and build the largest... golf course in the entire capital!"
"I want them to be homeless! I want them to cry in the cold wind!"
"Now that you've bought the street, how am I supposed to collect protection fees? How am I supposed to be a bully?"
Phew, although this logic is absolute nonsense, at least it's malicious enough!
Quick!
Quickly think I'm beyond redemption!
Eldest Sister Lu Qingwan showed a "loving mother" type of smile and gently patted Lu Shixuan's shoulder.
"A Xuan, you're still too kind. To cover up your grand plan for 'old city renovation and poverty alleviation employment', you actually made up such a reason."
"I've already had the PR department issue a statement: Lu Group will invest two billion to turn the Backstreet into a 'Non-material Cultural Heritage Food Street'. Not only will all original stalls be kept, but rent will be waived for ten years, and Lu Group will provide health supervision."
"And the general manager of this project is you, Lu Shixuan."
Lu Shixuan's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.
Two billion?
Poverty alleviation employment?
I freaking wanted to collect protection fees!
System!
Get out here!
Can I still do these villain missions or not?
Ding!
Detected host has completed the 'Buy Street to Collect Protection Fees' mission (verbal).
Since the host's actions led to an entire street of poor households escaping poverty and becoming wealthy, and won unprecedented social reputation for Lu Group.
System Evaluation: The host's behavior of 'performing good deeds in the name of evil' has reached the highest realm of a villain—The Pretender.
Reward: 30 million in cash.
Reward: God-level Architectural Planning (Passive: Any circle the host draws randomly can become a future city center).
villain points: -5000 (host, your reputation in the capital's slums is now second only to the God of Wealth).
Lu Shixuan slumped on the sofa, looking at the ceiling, and let out a cry of despair.
"I really... just wanted to be a bad guy!"
At this moment, Lu Anran poked her head out from the attic, holding a laptop and smiling like a little fox.
"Big Brother, I've already locked onto the IP address Ye Chen used to post."
"He's in a crappy hotel in the south of the city."
"Should I hack that hotel's Wi-Fi and make it so he can only watch... pleasant goat and big big wolf?"
Lu Shixuan's eyes lit up.
Hack his internet?
This is good!
This is mean!
"Hack it! Hack it hard for me!" Lu Shixuan roared through gritted teeth. "Make him watch cartoons all night! If he dares to change the channel, hack his phone too!"
Lu Anran smiled sweetly. "As you command, Big Brother."
...The next morning, at the gates of Sheng Lan Academy.
As soon as Lu Shixuan got out of the car, he noticed the atmosphere was a bit off.
The students who used to avoid him were now standing straight one by one, and some even bowed to him.
"Good morning, Young Master Lu!"
"Young Master Lu, thank you for saving the Backstreet stall owners. My grandma has a stall there, and she says you're a living Bodhisattva!"
Lu Shixuan's facial muscles twitched.
Living Bodhisattva?
Your whole family are Bodhisattvas!
He snorted coldly, pushed through the crowd, and walked straight to the classroom.
Just as he sat down, Chu Yaoyao walked over.
She had changed back into her washed-out school uniform, but her eyes were incredibly bright.
She placed an exquisite lunch box on Lu Shixuan's desk.
"Young Master Lu, these are fresh meat soup dumplings Grandma Zhang specifically made this morning. She said... thank you for the protection fee."
Looking at the lunch box and smelling the enticing aroma, Lu Shixuan's stomach gave an unfilial growl.
He roughly grabbed a dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth, cursing indistinctly:
"Disgusting! You're bringing this kind of street food for This Young Master to eat?"
"Tell that old lady I want shrimp ones tomorrow morning! If she doesn't do a good job, I'll... I'll renovate her stall!"
Chu Yaoyao pursed her lips and stifled a laugh.
"Okay, I'll pass that on to Grandma Zhang."
Just then, the homeroom teacher, Old Wang, ran into the classroom in a panic, his face pale.
"Student Lu Shixuan! Student Chu Yaoyao! Quick... go to the principal's office!"
"The capital's Chu Family... people have come!"
Lu Shixuan raised an eyebrow.
The Chu Family?
That cold-blooded family that wanted to sell Chu Yaoyao for resources?
I guess they saw last night's trending searches, realized Chu Yaoyao has 'hooked up' with me, and came to ask for benefits?
Heh, perfect.
Lu Shixuan stood up, cracked his neck, and a hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes.
"Yaoyao, let's go. I'll take you to see what real 'bully extortion' looks like."
He grabbed Chu Yaoyao's hand and strode out of the classroom.
Damn it, you dare touch my person?
I'll... I'll plant roses all over the Chu Family's ancestral graves tonight!
Wrapped in his broad palm, Chu Yaoyao felt an unprecedented sense of peace.
No matter how big the storm ahead was.
As long as he was there, it would be a sunny day.