Zhong Family.

That evening, an elderly woman nearing eighty was walking unsteadily through a narrow alley, carrying a basket of vegetables. It was clear she had just returned from the market.

A middle-aged woman hurried over to the old lady, and whispered urgently, "I think I just saw someone climb into your yard. I'm not sure if it's a thief. You should go home and check right away!"

This old lady was the mother of Zhong Huofang. Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhong was startled and quickened her pace to rush home. The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment and didn't accompany her, instead choosing to hide nearby to observe what was happening.

Avoiding trouble is this middle-aged woman's motto.

Mrs. Zhong finally managed to get home, but even before she entered, she heard laughter coming from inside.

"Hahaha... it's still mine!" A voice laughed loudly.

Mrs. Zhong recognized the voice as Niu the Sixth's, and was instantly terrified, running inside.

The room was in disarray!

Drawers overturned! There were clear signs of a struggle!

Two thuggish men were pinning Zhong Huofang to the ground, while Niu the Sixth held a piece of paper, looking very pleased with himself.

"Give me back the number, give it back to me!" Zhong Huofang shouted, extremely agitated.

Niu the Sixth laughed, "Give it back to you? So you can report me to that guy over the phone! Your tattling behavior is really annoying, you know that?"

"What are you doing?"

Mrs. Zhong rushed in and screamed in surprise.

Seeing his mother, Zhong Huofang said, "Mom, they took my number!"

Mrs. Zhong asked bewilderedly, "What number?"

Zhong Huofang replied, "A young man gave it to me in case Niu the Sixth bullied me again. They were afraid I would contact him, so they broke in and took my number while I wasn't looking!"

Mrs. Zhong, understanding what happened, was very angry and pointed at Niu the Sixth, saying, "How can you be so shameless! Give us our things back!"

Niu the Sixth said, "Give back what? This number or the warehouse?"

Mrs. Zhong replied, "Both! These are our things!"

Niu the Sixth said, "You old hag, are you senile? As for the warehouse, your late husband personally promised I could use it. He never said when to return it, so it's implicitly mine forever. Asking for it back is unjustifiable nonsense and shameless! I say, why is your Zhong family so shameless!"

Hearing these shameless words, Mrs. Zhong trembled with anger.

"And this little piece of paper with a number; do you know whose it is?" Niu the Sixth continued, "That guy could probably rub me into the ground with one finger. Your son having his number is a hazard; I can't let him threaten me! I'm just defending my rightful interests!"

It was evident he truly feared Lin Fan. As long as Lin Fan's number was with Zhong Huofang, he couldn't sleep or eat in peace and dared not touch Zhong Huofang.

So he had no choice but to watch Zhong Huofang sue him in court. If things went through proper legal channels, he knew he was likely to lose, so he had to stop Zhong Huofang and seize Lin Fan's number.

Thus, he brought two henchmen along and sneaked into the Zhong family home when no one was there, thinking that since Zhong Huofang valued Lin Fan's phone number, he must have hidden it. So he ransacked the place but found nothing.

Then Zhong Huofang returned, and they subdued him, finally finding it on him.

Ecstatic, Niu the Sixth couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"You think you can use this phone number to threaten me? No way!"

Niu the Sixth laughed and, pulling out a lighter, made a move to burn the paper.

"You bastard!"

Mrs. Zhong, realizing the importance of the piece of paper, became anxious and, disregarding her old age, lunged forward, entangling with Niu the Sixth, trying to snatch the paper back.

Slap!

Niu the Sixth showed no respect for the elderly, slapping Mrs. Zhong across the face and disdainfully said, "Old thing, do you want a beating for trying to take my stuff!"

Mrs. Zhong couldn't withstand the hit, collapsing to the ground and unable to get up for a while.

"Mom!" Zhong Huofang exclaimed in anger, furious beyond measure, "Niu the Sixth, you bastard, you even hit my mom. Are you still human, you beast!"

Niu the Sixth chuckled, "Is there anyone I'm afraid to hit? Whoever messes with me gets hit!"

Having said that, Niu the Sixth, wary of further complications, ignited the lighter and burned the small piece of paper.

Zhong Huofang could only watch helplessly, unable to stop them as he was held down by the two thugs, unable to move.

Soon, the paper turned to ashes.

Satisfied, Niu the Sixth was about to leave but then said, "Wait a minute, you didn't save the number in your phone, did you?"

While talking, Niu the Sixth squatted down and searched Zhong Huofang, taking out his phone.

"What's the unlock code?" Niu the Sixth asked.

Though unable to fight them, Zhong Huofang kept his mouth shut, planning not to tell Niu the Sixth anything.

Niu the Sixth chuckled, walked over to Mrs. Zhong, and raised a foot, threatening to stomp on the elderly woman.

"I'll ask you one more time, what's the unlock code?" Niu the Sixth said.

Zhong Huofang, angered by his mother being threatened, had no choice but to give Niu the Sixth the code.

Niu the Sixth, successfully unlocking Zhong Huofang's phone, searched through it and, seeing Lin Fan's number wasn't saved, he finally relaxed.

Niu the old man went back to Zhong Huofang, squatted down, and patted his face, "The fact is, you can't beat me, so give up. Let me tell you, I have informants throughout this village. You better behave yourself, or I'll beat you to death and your mother too, and remember, your wife too. Think of them and be sensible!"

With that, Niu the Sixth shoved the phone back into Zhong Huofang's chest, then stood up, nodded to the two thugs, and left with them.

At this point, Niu the Sixth believed he had finally settled the issue of Zhong Huofang and wasn't worried about him acting up again.

Indeed, under the persuasion of his mother and wife, Zhong Huofang didn't leave the house for a whole day afterward.

But by this morning, Zhong Huofang couldn't swallow his anger any longer and decided to continue confronting Niu the Sixth. For safety, Zhong Huofang carried a knife for self-defense. Without Lin Fan's phone number now, and not knowing where to find him, he had to rely on himself for protection.

So, Zhong Huofang slipped out of the house.

Oblivious to the fact that Niu the Sixth wasn't lying, he had indeed placed informants to watch the Zhong family's movements. As soon as Zhong Huofang left the house, he was spotted, and the news was relayed to Niu the Sixth.

Hearing this, Niu the Sixth was furious. Why wouldn't Zhong Huofang just give up? How annoying.

Niu the Sixth rushed angrily to intercept Zhong Huofang, and they met on a street at the edge of the village.

Having long harbored a grudge against Niu the Sixth, Zhong Huofang's emotions collapsed. He pulled a knife out from his chest and charged forward...