Chapter 85

After Ding Ning's guidance, the boss made significant changes to the renovation.

Ding Ning didn't just talk idly; when the boss handed him the white quartz stone, the statue of the God of Wealth indeed turned a rosy and pleasing color.

The boss was extremely grateful to Ding Ning, and in the end, even wanted to return the 3,000 yuan to him. However, Ding Ning didn't want to take advantage of him and insisted on paying.

After getting the white quartz stone, Ding Ning now had enough materials to refine a storage ring. He just needed to absorb the earth fire, and he could start working on it.

Although Ding Ning was eager to refine the storage ring immediately, he also knew the importance of the task. A three-cubic-meter ring and a five-cubic-meter ring were entirely different concepts. A three-cubic-meter ring was considered small, while a five-cubic-meter ring was medium-sized. In the cultivation world, it would be worth a lot of money.

After putting away the white quartz stone, San Yan also needed to go back and check on his house, so Ding Ning temporarily parted ways with him. In the future, he planned to help San Yan get back on his feet. The kid was quite capable and shouldn't be left to struggle.

Ding Ning originally intended to deal with Liu Bocheng, but when he went to the old jade shop, he found that Liu Bocheng was not there. The shop assistant said the boss had left the day before.

It seemed this guy knew the mission had failed and was afraid of retaliation, so he had fled.

With no choice, Ding Ning had to temporarily let him go and let him live a few more days.

After leaving Fenglu Garden, Ding Ning went to take a shower and then bought a new set of clothes at the mall. The clothes he was wearing were no longer suitable.

While showering, Ding Ning weighed himself and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had lost another nine pounds, bringing his weight down to 173 pounds.

At 182 cm tall, this weight was no longer considered overweight, though he wasn't exactly slim either. His former potbelly was almost gone, and he now looked like a robust young man.

After getting a haircut, shaving, and changing clothes, Ding Ning almost didn't recognize himself.

When he was younger, his mother used to say he looked good, but he had grown fat. Ding Ning had never noticed what was good about his appearance.

Now that he had slimmed down and tidied up, he actually had rosy lips, white teeth, and clear, delicate features. Although he wasn't particularly handsome due to his slight plumpness, the ethereal and transcendent aura from his cultivation was undeniable.

The first impression people had of Ding Ning now was not that he was particularly energetic, but that he was unique. He wasn't particularly handsome at first glance, but the more you looked at him, the more appealing he became. This was the charm of a cultivator.

Moreover, the biggest benefit of slimming down was the reduced burden on his heart, which was what Ding Ning cared about the most. Cultivators needed to fight, and being overweight was inconvenient, especially with his heart condition.

After tidying up, looking at himself in the mirror, Ding Ning felt a strong urge to show off to someone.

However, he had impulsively bought slightly expensive clothes, and now he was short on cash, with less than 200 yuan left.

After some thought, Ding Ning decided to call An Xiaoyue, as he was worried about her safety.

Unexpectedly, An Xiaoyue's phone was off, so Ding Ning sent her a text message, simply saying, "I'm back."

Unable to contact An Xiaoyue, Ding Ning called Yue Ge'er.

This time, the call went through, and Yue Ge'er's clear, young voice came through on the other end.

"Hello! Is this Ding Ning?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm back."

"That's great! I've been trying to call you every day, but I couldn't get through."

"When will the project with the municipal government start?"

Hearing Ding Ning's question, Yue Ge'er seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, "Ding Ning, here's the situation. I've talked with the municipal government, and they agreed to let me replace the greenery trees. However, there was a snag in our investment project. Since the main issue hasn't been resolved, I don't want to immediately request the tree replacement, as it would seem too deliberate. I can talk to Mayor Ma if you're in a hurry, though."

Hearing this, Ding Ning frowned. He wanted the Bixinsui willow, but he didn't want to cause trouble for Yue Ge'er. After some thought, he asked, "What happened?"

"Here's the thing. Our group's investment wasn't blind. After you suggested the tree replacement, we conducted a survey in Haibin and decided that building a large mall was feasible. However, everything was going smoothly until we hit a snag with the demolition of a large courtyard."

Ding Ning was taken aback, thinking it couldn't be that coincidental. He couldn't help but ask, "Are you talking about a large courtyard in the old district, where a few households are demanding a high price?"

"Yes! How did you know?" Yue Ge'er was surprised.

Ding Ning was speechless for a moment. He didn't want to get involved, but since it concerned the Bixinsui willow and San Yan's family, he couldn't stay out of it.

"Where are you now?"

"I'm in the old district, still negotiating with those households. Today, they've banded together and are insisting on a high price for their courtyard, or they won't move."

"Tell me the address, and I'll come over."

Ding Ning had no urgent matters at the moment and wanted to check it out.

"Okay, come over." Yue Ge'er quickly gave Ding Ning the address, which he noted down before taking a taxi to the old district.

Spending over 80 yuan on the taxi, Ding Ning was left with only one 100-yuan note.

Upon arriving at the location Yue Ge'er mentioned, Ding Ning almost immediately spotted the large courtyard in question.

The mall they planned to build was at the intersection of the old and new districts, and the courtyard was right where the main entrance would be, making it a crucial area.

The courtyard was quite large, covering about 1,000 square meters, and if it wasn't demolished, the demolition of the surrounding areas would be pointless.

From a distance, he could see a crowd gathered there. Ding Ning slowly approached.

Yue Ge'er was standing in the crowd, her face flushed with anger. In front of her, a few people were making outrageous demands.

"Give us money! Tell you what, don't even think about less than 30,000 yuan per square meter!"

"These days, the times are changing, prices are rising, and our wages can barely cover groceries. We're counting on this house. You want to demolish it for the price of cabbage? Dream on!"

A woman was lying on the ground, rolling around and causing a scene. "I won't move! If anyone makes me move, I'll die right here! See if you have the guts to kill me!"

Beside her, a young man in his early twenties, with a pockmarked face and acne, leered at Yue Ge'er. "Little girl, you look so pretty, but how can you be so heartless? Look at what you've done to my mom! But I bet some parts of you aren't heartless, right? They're probably still quite tender."

A few other young men laughed maliciously. They were happy to engage in verbal sparring with Yue Ge'er, as they rarely saw such a beautiful girl and enjoyed the satisfaction of getting the upper hand in words.

Yue Ge'er's face was red with embarrassment. Facing these ruffians, she, who usually valued politeness, was at a loss. Sometimes she really wanted to pay them off, but the company's money shouldn't be wasted, and she was unwilling to give in to them.

The local government was reluctant to get involved in such matters, especially with the recent negative media coverage of unscrupulous developers, which made demolition even more difficult. Violent enforcement often came at a cost, so it was usually left to the developers to resolve.

Looking around, most of the people she brought were women, as she preferred not to work with men.

In this situation, she couldn't fight or argue. Her driver and bodyguard, Jiajia, was so angry that she was clenching her fists but couldn't act.

The young man with acne, seeing Yue Ge'er's delicate appearance, couldn't control his lust. Using his mother's scene as an opportunity, he moved closer to Yue Ge'er.

"Little girl, look what you've done to my mom. If you don't give us an answer today, you won't be leaving."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Yue Ge'er's hand.

Yue Ge'er quickly stepped back, repulsed. "What are you doing? Don't touch me while we're talking."

The man, undeterred, moved even closer, sniffing the air. "You smell so good, little girl. It's your fault for making my mom so angry. Come here, let me take a look."

With that, he lunged at Yue Ge'er.

Jiajia finally couldn't hold back and grabbed the man's wrist, applying a little force.

This was like poking a hornet's nest. The man suddenly started screaming, "Ah! Murder! Help! The developer is attacking us! Is there no law in broad daylight?"

Yue Ge'er was startled and glanced at Jiajia, who quickly said, "I didn't use much force. He's faking it."

"Fake my ass!"

The woman on the ground jumped up. "Little bitch, you dare to hit me? Everyone, let's fight her!"

With that, the obese middle-aged woman lunged at Yue Ge'er, claws outstretched, aiming for her face.

As a middle-aged woman in menopause, she deeply resented Yue Ge'er's beauty and wanted to leave a mark on her.

Jiajia was also at a loss, unsure whether to fight or not. What should she do?

Yue Ge'er was terrified, frozen in place as the woman lunged at her, forgetting to dodge.

*****

Thank you to the reader who reminded me about Chen Jintai sending a text message. It was a mistake by Hei Tu, which has been corrected. The reader who pointed this out has been rewarded with 100 Qidian coins.