Chapter 222 - Protection Money

But when Jing Yue went to the restaurant this morning, she found people around behave quite weird. People around used to try hard to squeeze in the restaurant, but they just made a detour and walked away from the restaurant today.

“Xing Er, do you find something wrong with people around?” Jing Yue turned to Xing Er who was standing aside, and asked him with her eyebrows frowned.

“Yes.” Xing Er answered with his eyebrows frowned as well and nodded after hearing Jing Yue’s question.

“Let’s go and check.” Jing Yue squinted at the restaurant and then headed for it. Jing Yue’s face changed as soon as she walked into the restaurant. The restaurant which was finely decorated before became a total mess now with tables and chairs smashed everywhere.

There were bowls and dishes broken on the ground, and a few people lying on the ground whom Jing Yue could recognize naturally by their special uniform. They were servants picked out by her to maintain the order of the restaurant. But now her servants were all lying on the ground with footprints on their clothes and bruises on their faces.

“What happened?!” Jing Yue became sullen.

“Boss, you’ve come finally.” Shen Yucheng regain his consciousness the moment he noticed Jing Yue’s voice. He hurried to Jing Yue with his side face hidden deliberately, so that his swollen cheek wouldn’t be noticed by Jing Yue.

“Who did this?” Jing Yue’s temper rose rapidly at every scene she saw.

“My Lord, it’s all my fault. I haven’t protect your restaurant well.” Shen Yucheng said with his eyes full of regret.

“Close the front door of the restaurant and go upstairs to tell me the details.” Jing Yue took a deep breath to suppress her anger and said to Shen Yucheng. Then she stepped forward onto the second floor. When Shen Yucheng got things ready and went into the private room on the second floor, he saw Jing Yue siting on the chair with a poker face.

“My Lord.” Shen Yucheng bowed slightly to Jing Yue.

“Sit down and tell me everything.” Jing Yue nodded her head slightly to Shen Yucheng and told him to sit down. Seeing Shen Yucheng follow her advice to sit, Jing Yue began to ask, “Please tell me what happened.”

“Well, it all started ten days ago.” Shen Yucheng thought for a moment and said, “There is a gang of people who demand the protection money of all restaurants in this street. The restaurant can be open safely only when we pay the protection money. I paid a lot of protection money when I opened my restaurant before.”

“The protection money?! Are those people official?” Jing Yue asked with her eyebrows slightly frowned.

“No. There is rogue in this street. He is called Wang Mazi, a local bully on East Street. He is outrageously bad in character, and quite close to the local officials. What’s more, he has many brothers who can help him bully other people as often as they want. Every time he omes, we have to be nice enough to him and give the money he wants so that we can send him away.” Shen Yucheng said slowly.

“Wang Mazi had been here once before our restaurant was open, and I sent him away by some smarmy compliments. Till now, I have paid much money since our restaurant was open. However, he asks increasingly more protection money and comes more frequently than before because he has kept an eye on our high profit.” Shen Yucheng continued with a flash of anger in his eyes.

“The restaurant is what you cherish, so I cannot stand this kind of plunder as the business just gets on track and begins to make a profit. Wang Mazi came again yesterday, and I sent him away without giving him money anymore. However, he took a gang of people to smash our restaurant this morning as soon as we just opened the door.”

“Are you guys beaten by him?” Jing Yue said calmly with an indifferent look as if nothing had happened.