Chapter 70

Yang Bo refused the red envelope offered by the other party, which made Yu Mingwei somewhat disheartened. He had already prepared what to say, but now he couldn't bring himself to speak.

Ye Xiaoli was a bit anxious and walked over, saying, "He has something to ask for your help with!"

Yang Bo took a sip of tea, guessing roughly what it might be, but still asked, "What is it?"

"Recently, a new housing development on the outskirts of the city is about to open. If we participate in the auction, it will be too late, so we were wondering if you could help us find a buyer!" Ye Xiaoli was a straightforward person. Seeing her husband hesitate, she knew his pride was getting the better of him again.

Yang Bo nodded, "Alright, I understand. I'll let you know if there's any response."

Yu Mingwei felt that Yang Bo's response was too perfunctory and was somewhat dissatisfied, but before he could ask again, Ye Xiaoli replied, "Okay!"

"Is the boss here?"

Yang Bo lifted his teacup and saw five or six burly men swaggering over.

The men were dressed in short-sleeved shirts, their muscular bodies adorned with tattoos on their exposed arms and chests.

"Which one of you is the boss?" A bald, burly man walked over, his eyes fixed on Yu Mingwei.

There were only three people in the hall. Yang Bo looked young, Ye Xiaoli was a woman, and only Yu Mingwei's age seemed appropriate.

Seeing the man's gaze, Yu Mingwei quickly shrank back, "Not me, not me!"

The bald man turned to look at Ye Xiaoli, his eyes brightening, "Then it must be the beautiful lady?"

Ye Xiaoli had a good figure and a clear, beautiful face. Being newly married for just over a year, she exuded even more charm. She couldn't help but frown at his words.

Yang Bo felt extremely unlucky. After all, the shop had only been open for a few days, and now this was happening. He couldn't just stand by and watch them harass Ye Xiaoli, "What do you want with the boss?"

The bald man finally noticed Yang Bo, who looked too young to be the boss. Seeing Yang Bo's position, he realized, "You're the boss?"

The other men burst into laughter, "So young, and you're running an antique shop?"

"If you're really that young and running an antique shop, you must be losing a lot of money!"

Yang Bo frowned, "I'm not the boss, but I'm in charge right now. Who are you?"

The bald man stared at Yang Bo, "Your boss must really trust you to leave you in charge of the shop. We're here to teach you some rules!"

Saying this, the bald man put his foot on a chair, "It's not easy for us to make a living. We need some money for cigarettes and alcohol every month to live comfortably!"

The bald man glared at Yang Bo, leaning in slightly, and a strong smell of old tobacco wafted over.

Yang Bo glanced at him, frowning, "Money for cigarettes and alcohol? How much?"

The bald man held up a hand, spreading his fingers.

Ye Xiaoli's eyes widened, "Five thousand yuan!"

Yang Bo glared at her, scolding, "I didn't ask you to speak. Don't interrupt!"

Ye Xiaoli's face turned red, and she opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Yu Mingwei.

Yang Bo turned back, "I understand that rules need to be followed, no matter what line of work you're in. But this price is too high."

The bald man laughed coldly, glancing at Ye Xiaoli, "If you think it's too high, there are other ways!"

Yang Bo's brow furrowed. He had intended to handle this himself, but now that the man had said such things, he didn't want to hide anymore.

Yang Bo didn't make any threats; instead, he took out his phone, "I'll consult with the boss!"

"Go ahead!" The bald man didn't seem too worried. On this street, some shops had connections, and some didn't. The Shiyitang antique shop was new, and they weren't really there to collect money but to test the waters.

Yang Bo quickly made the call.

"Brother Luo, are you at work?"

"Someone came to the shop to collect money for cigarettes and alcohol, five thousand yuan a month. What should we do?"

As soon as Yang Bo spoke, Luo Yaohua understood, "What? Those little brats are trying to extort us!"

Luo Yaohua was angry, "Don't worry about it. Leave it to me!"

With that, Luo Yaohua hung up.

Yang Bo put down his phone, and the bald man smiled, "What did he say?"

"The boss said he'll come over to handle it," Yang Bo replied.

The room fell silent. Yang Bo didn't say much, but Ye Xiaoli and Yu Mingwei looked uneasy. After all, they had never dealt with such situations, and the five burly men were still eyeing Ye Xiaoli.

Ye Xiaoli tugged at Yang Bo, wanting him to go to the back, but Yang Bo shook his head, "Stay calm. Leave this to the boss. It's not our problem!"

Ye Xiaoli was still worried and whispered, "Who is your boss? Can he handle it?"

"Trust me," Yang Bo remained calm.

The bald man, seeing Yang Bo's composed demeanor, couldn't help but say, "You're pretty calm. Do you have a strong backer?"

Yang Bo smiled, "Cats have their ways, and mice have theirs. Everyone serves their own master. Let them deal with these issues."

The bald man looked at Yang Bo with admiration, "You're young, but you see things clearly. Everything is about negotiation and balance!"

Just as the bald man was about to say more, his phone rang.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh, don't worry, we just got here... No, we haven't done anything..."

"We haven't touched anything... What? Restore the original state? But we didn't touch anything?"

"Okay, uh-huh!"

The bald man hung up and looked at Yang Bo with a hint of amusement, giving him a thumbs up, "Brother, you're impressive! No wonder you're so calm!"

Yang Bo smiled and waved, "Thank you, thank you!"

"I just want to know, you didn't report any details, so how did they know I put my foot on the chair?" The bald man was puzzled.

Yang Bo didn't speak, but pointed to the wall. The bald man followed his finger and saw a camera in the corner.

"That camera is directly connected to the city bureau," Yang Bo said.

The room fell silent. Everyone was shocked by their conversation. A small antique shop with a camera directly connected to the city bureau—what kind of background did they have?

The bald man was silent, then turned to one of his men, "Take off your shirt and clean the chair!"

The man was taken aback but quickly reacted, tearing off his shirt to reveal his muscular body and thoroughly cleaning the chair.

They came and went quickly!

Ye Xiaoli watched as they left, feeling as if the whole scene had been from a movie. She had previously thought that Yang Bo had no future working in this shop, but now, with a camera connected to the city bureau, could she say his friends had no background?

Yu Mingwei pursed his lips, wanting to ask Yang Bo for help, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. He was too proud! But all his superiority crumbled in that moment.