Chapter 28: Extortion

Chapter 28: Extortion

The middle-aged woman's tone was anything but polite, her expression and mannerisms dripping with disdain towards Jiang Zhenzhen, or rather, towards people like Jiang Zhenzhen, looking down on their entire ilk.

Since the middle-aged woman wasn't Jiang Zhenzhen's aunt, what did Jiang Zhenzhen mean by addressing her as "aunt"?

Anyone could tell this was merely a courteous form of address. Yet, this middle-aged woman, upon being politely addressed by Jiang Zhenzhen, responded with sneering remarks and an arrogant attitude.

Her words tightened the furrow in Yang Haoran's brow, seated beside Jiang Zhenzhen.

Facing the middle-aged woman's attitude, Jiang Zhenzhen felt awkward, unsure of what to say.

"You, girl, you're something else. You've only been in my house for a few days, and you've nearly demolished it. All my furniture was brand new. Now it's either smashed or broken. Walls are slashed in multiple places with a kitchen knife. Worst of all, the front door, you actually cut it with a chainsaw. Damn it, there's not a single decent spot left in the entire house. How do you plan to compensate me?" The middle-aged woman yelled angrily at Jiang Zhenzhen.

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran was certain of the middle-aged woman's identity. She was Jiang Zhenzhen's landlady.

From the moment the middle-aged woman appeared, he had some guesses about the identity of this plump woman, although he wasn't certain. Now, the middle-aged woman's words confirmed her identity as the landlady.

Jiang Zhenzhen wasn't aware of the situation inside the rental house at this moment because when she was taken away from the rental house, she was still unconscious. Therefore, she had no idea about the condition inside. Hearing about the damages, she became even more nervous.

While Jiang Zhenzhen wasn't fully aware of the situation inside the rental house, Yang Haoran knew a bit about it. However, due to his focus not being on this matter at that time, his knowledge wasn't very detailed.

But one thing was certain: the situation wasn't as exaggerated as the middle-aged woman claimed. Moreover, Yang Haoran had visited her rental house the night before, precisely to observe it thoroughly for the sake of their performance. Even the tiniest corner hadn't escaped his scrutiny. From his observation, there weren't many pieces of furniture inside, and what was there seemed old, contrary to what the middle-aged woman claimed.

To prove her words, the middle-aged woman took out several photos from her bag and threw them onto Jiang Zhenzhen's sickbed, continuing her rant, "I've taken photos of the whole mess in the house. Take a good look! See how crazy you were last night!"

Jiang Zhenzhen nervously reached for the photos on the bed, but Yang Haoran, who was beside her, stopped her.

"Sister, calm down. Let me tell you what happened last night first. You can get angry later if you want. Last night..."

"Last night, my foot! You brat, stop jabbering here! This matter either gets settled with compensation or we'll see each other in court!" Seemingly struck by something Yang Haoran said, the middle-aged woman's emotions seemed extremely stirred.

Despite the smiling expression on Yang Haoran's face, there was a hint of chill in it. He wasn't intimidated by the middle-aged woman's words. He might not have encountered situations like this frequently, but he had encountered many people like the middle-aged woman over the years, so he remained calm.

"Old lady, I called you 'sister,' but you didn't appreciate it. Well then, since you put it that way, you can take these photos and go to court if you want. Just don't back down. Otherwise, I'll lose respect for you. Oh, and about what I was saying earlier, last night... Last night, there was a ghost in that rental house of yours. Hehe, wasn't that thrilling?"

Looking at Yang Haoran's harmless smile and hearing his words, the middle-aged woman's expression momentarily froze, a flash of fear passing through her eyes. Although it was brief, Yang Haoran caught it.

Yang Haoran smirked. He didn't continue speaking, waiting instead for the middle-aged woman to regain her composure.

When the middle-aged woman regained her senses, Yang Haoran's light voice once again entered her ears.

"That old lady, you should recognize her, right?"

Yang Haoran's voice wasn't loud, but since they were not far apart, every word fell into the middle-aged woman's ears.

The middle-aged woman's body trembled, her face turning ugly as she hurriedly walked towards the door of the ward. After taking only a few steps, she turned back, took the photos from Jiang Zhenzhen's bed, and said, "Let's wait and see!"

Leaving behind a harsh remark, the middle-aged woman slinked out of the ward under the glaring stares of the others. If she didn't leave soon, the more irritable family members might have beaten her.

After the middle-aged woman left, Jiang Zhenzhen's face showed worry. Yang Haoran noticed her concern and said, "Don't worry, that old lady is all bark and no bite. You don't have to be afraid of her. If anything happens, give me a call, and I'll handle it for you."

With Yang Haoran's words, Jiang Zhenzhen seemed to feel a bit more reassured. She nodded heavily at Yang Haoran.