Chapter 31: The Cost of Physical Violence

"Alright, don't be too sad. Since you call me brother, I will help you cure your illness," Lin Chen said gently, rubbing Bai Lan's hair as he saw her eyes welling up.

Bai Lan managed a weak smile, "Thank you, Brother Lin Chen."

Though she expressed gratitude, it was clear that she only saw Lin Chen's words as a form of comfort and did not believe he could cure her illness.

She had looked up some information about her condition and knew that it was incurable.

Just as Bai Lan was feeling sad, a voice made her face change.

"Bai Lan, why are you off work so early today? Did you get your salary? If you did, pay me back quickly!"

A young man with a square face and a somewhat fierce appearance, accompanied by two lackeys, immediately walked over upon seeing Bai Lan. It seemed he had come specifically to find her.

Seeing this man, Bai Lan panicked, "Mr. Yuan, I didn't get my salary today. Can I pay you back in a few days?"

The young man's face turned cold, "What do you mean, Bai Lan? You still owe me 20,000 yuan. I'm just asking for 2,000 yuan now, which is already very lenient. Don't try any tricks. If you really anger me, you won't have a good time!"

Bai Lan quickly said, "I really didn't get my salary today. I'm not lying to you."

Today was supposed to be payday, and because of that, she had been harassed by her boss yesterday. She came to work today to quit after getting her salary, but she forgot to ask for it due to the incident with the middle-aged woman.

Lin Chen asked, puzzled, "Who is he? Do you owe him 20,000 yuan?"

The young man only noticed Lin Chen at this moment and sneered, "Kid, who are you? Are you Bai Lan's boyfriend? Will you pay the money for her?"

Lin Chen ignored him and waited for Bai Lan's response.

Bai Lan said, "I once fainted on the street due to my illness and was taken to the hospital by a passerby. I didn't have money for the medical fees, so this person lent me 10,000 yuan to pay for them."

Lin Chen asked, confused, "If he lent you 10,000 yuan, why does he now want 20,000 yuan? Is he a loan shark?"

Bai Lan said,委屈地, "Actually, I've already paid him back many times, totaling 10,000 yuan. He is indeed a loan shark, but when he first approached me, he didn't mention interest. He just said he could lend me money.

At the time, he seemed very kind, and I really needed the money for the hospital fees. I thought I had met a good person, but after I paid the hospital, he demanded high interest. By then, I had no money to pay him back. Now, I have to pay interest every month, and sometimes when I don't have the money, the 10,000 yuan has turned into 20,000 yuan."

Hearing this, Lin Chen's eyes turned cold.

From what he knew, there were indeed loan sharks who would wait outside hospitals, ready to lend money to people like Bai Lan who couldn't afford medical fees, and then charge exorbitant interest.

Seeing Lin Chen's cold expression, the young man sneered, "Hey, what, do you want to hit me? Pfft! I'll tell you, you have to pay 2,000 yuan today. That's this month's interest. After you pay, Bai Lan will still owe me 20,000 yuan, and next month, there will be another 2,000 yuan in interest."

Seeing that Lin Chen didn't respond, he shouted angrily, "Are you listening to me? Since you're Bai Lan's man, you should pay the money. But to be honest, you don't have to pay if you don't want to."

The young man's eyes turned fiery as he looked at Bai Lan, "If Bai Lan spends a week with me, I'll waive the 2,000 yuan. What do you think? A week for 2,000 yuan, that's about 300 yuan a day, much better than working as a waitress in a restaurant."

"Never!" Bai Lan said angrily.

"What? Acting high and mighty, huh? Then pay the 2,000 yuan now. Kid, did you hear me? Give me the money now. Do I have to teach you a lesson to make you listen?"

Seeing that Lin Chen was unmoved, the young man was furious and shouted to his two lackeys, "You two, go give this punk a few slaps to wake him up, and search him for any money, no matter how much, take it all."

"Sure, Brother Yuan!"

The two lackeys responded, clearly familiar with such tasks.

When they collected debts, they often encountered uncooperative people, and at such times, they would resort to violence. Usually, after a beating, everyone would hand over their money, even if they didn't want to. They had done this many times.

The two walked up to Lin Chen, grinning maliciously. One of them raised his hand to slap Lin Chen.

"Get lost!"

Lin Chen shouted, and with one kick, he sent both men flying several meters away, spitting blood.

Yuan, who had been standing nearby with his arms crossed, looking smug, instantly turned a deep red.

What the hell, is this guy human?

His two lackeys were tall and strong, each weighing nearly 200 pounds, yet they were kicked away and couldn't get up.

He had kicked a hard rock. How unlucky!

Swallowing hard, Yuan turned to run but was immediately kicked to the ground by Lin Chen.

"Brother, it's all my fault. I didn't see your greatness. Please, please let me off," Yuan said, on the verge of tears.

Lin Chen sneered, "You were so arrogant, wanting to teach me a lesson, take my money, and have Bai Lan spend time with you?"

Yuan shook his head like a rattle, his face contorted in a painful smile, "I... I was just joking. If I had known you were so strong, I wouldn't have dared to provoke you."

If he had known this guy was so tough, he would have run away long ago. Thinking this, he felt regret.

"Didn't dare?"

Lin Chen slapped Yuan, making him grimace, "I don't care if you dared or not. People who can't afford hospital fees are already poor. You're taking advantage of them, how despicable!"

Saying this, he slapped Yuan again on the back of the head.

"Ah! Stop, stop... Brother, I really won't do it again. I'll never do such things again," Yuan said, tears and snot streaming down his face. He felt like he might have a concussion.

"Alright, since you admit your mistake, let's talk about compensation," Lin Chen said calmly.

Yuan was stunned, "What compensation?"

Lin Chen smiled, "My mental distress fee, moral guidance fee, and the cost of physical violence. Hand over all the money you have. If you don't compensate, I don't mind making you disabled."

Yuan was on the verge of tears. He had heard of mental distress fees, but what were moral guidance fees and the cost of physical violence? You hit me, and I have to pay you?