Chapter 002: From the brink of death, unexpectedly comes life

Guo the Fatty let out a moan, tears streaming down as he fumbled in his bosom for something, looking just like someone preparing to pay their final party dues

The light pink professional suit, however, cannot conceal the voluptuous figure with a prominent front and a lifted back. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses, a high bun, and a few strands of bangs falling over the forehead create an appearance that is both capable and alluring

Alas! He sighed, the cloth tracing circles on the table. As he wiped, an image suddenly flashed in his mind: the title he had inadvertently seen while stuffing documents into his briefcase, "Project Proposal for the Establishment of the Qiaoxi High-tech Industrial Development Zone"

Guo is in poor health and his work is average, but his wife is indeed beautiful

The two plump red lips are full and lustrous, the lipstick is crystal-colored, moist and alluring, making it hard for men to resist stealing a glance, one can imagine that those seductive red lips would feel delightful for kissing. However, at this moment, the young woman's lips are curled downwards, her fair face bears a hint of malice, and her almond-shaped eyes behind the lenses indeed exude a somewhat domineering aura.

After seeing off Deputy Director Cui and the landlord Ye Zhiqiu, Zhang Shenghuan joyfully ran back and supported the plump Guo, saying: "Brother Guo, my dear brother, your illness today really struck at the right moment. Why didn't we think of this tactic back then? I heard from their tone that they have already softened their stance; perhaps we are about to be liberated.

Zhang Sheng had met Guo's sister-in-law, whose name was rather ordinary, Zhao Jindou. Although her name was plain, this young lady, Dou Dou, was truly a stunning beauty, so lovely that one could almost squeeze water from her. It was only because she had a rural household registration and Guo Pangzi was an urban worker that he could marry such a delicate wife; otherwise, he would never have dreamed of being with someone like her. No wonder he thought about her all day long

Upon seeing the half-length photo of Guo Fatty holding his son, who was also dressed in a stylish Yuan Daitou outfit, Zhang Sheng remarked, "Indeed, they look remarkably alike. For your son, this is truly a tragedy; however, for you, it is a great comfort. Otherwise, given how beautiful your wife is, how would you determine whether this son is yours, huh? Hehehe."

At this moment, Zhang Sheng felt delighted and even had the heart to joke with him, so he laughed and said: "Don't worry, Brother Guo, who are we to each other? If you go, your son will be my son, and your wife will be my wife. I will definitely raise the eldest to be chubby and healthy, and the youngest to be plump and rosy!"

Cui Zhiyan furrowed his brows and glanced outside the shop. Noticing the shop was quiet and there were no customers, he coldly remarked, "To do business, one must have the courage to bear risks. With you all behaving this way, it is very difficult for me to communicate with you. I still have matters to attend to at the municipal government and cannot afford to waste time with you."

Zhang Sheng propped up a fallen stool and said to a nearby waiter who was watching the commotion: "Alright, there aren't many customers today, let's close early. Everyone, please tidy up."

At this moment, Fat Guo suddenly stood up, his mouth crooked and his eyes askew as he grabbed the woman, trembling and saying: "You... you all... cannot bully people like this! You are... pushing us to our deaths!"

Zhang Sheng detected a hint of wavering in her words, and immediately seized the opportunity to say: "You might as well show some kindness; after all, this house has been sitting idle. In fact, it wouldn't be impossible to rent it out again. I do admit that it might not fetch this price if rented out again, but in this location, it truly isn't worth two thousand a month.

What does this sentence mean? Qiaoxi is now a suburb, where there are only two villages and vast stretches of wasteland. The government wants to establish an economic development zone there? I remember a few years ago the government built a national highway next to Taipingzhuang, and the property prices along that road immediately skyrocketed. So, the land in the Qiaoxi suburb...

Cui Zhiyan and Ye Zhiqiu were standing over a fat man who had apparently passed away some time ago, having long since lost the ability to sit or stand. Eager to hear those words, upon hearing Zhang Sheng say so, the two quickly exchanged a few pleasantries and hurriedly left the restaurant

With a thud, Guo Pangzi shook twice, randomly grabbed at the air with both hands, and suddenly yanked off Director Cui's bag, then fell headlong to the ground. His landing was quite spectacular; his large body suddenly toppled forward and crashed heavily onto the ground, causing the earth to tremble.

The urban beauty in the pink professional attire glanced slightly upwards at Guo Pangzi and Zhang Sheng, frowning as she addressed the air above their heads: "Who is trying to breach the contract? Do you know that breaching a contract entails bearing the liability for breach? If you want to breach the contract, first produce a penalty of 10,000 yuan. Where did these legal ignoramuses come from, completely lacking any legal knowledge!"

She pushed aside the door curtain, and with a "whoosh," she burst in. The curtain behind her was still swaying violently as she appeared before Zhang Sheng and Guo Panzai

Zhang Sheng knew that Guo Panzai had medicine in his pocket, so he hurriedly searched him.

Let’s not talk about that for now, brother. Just a moment ago, I was wandering around the gates of hell. At that time, I didn’t know what was happening, but my mind was exceptionally clear. I kept thinking, thinking... If I were to die, who would take advantage of my beautiful wife? What would happen to my son? As I thought about it, I felt like crying

To be frank, since I opened this small restaurant, I have been paying close attention to this aspect. The area around the electrical school is busier than this one, but the same type of house there only costs 1,200 a month. At your price, we are truly losing money without any profit

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sheng felt a weight lift off his heart and hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, yes, Director Cui is after all a person from the government and can understand the difficulties faced by us workers. So, I would like to thank you in advance! Thank you, Director Cui, thank you, Brother Ye, for your generosity..."

In fact, his sister-in-law is merely the Deputy Director of the Municipal Economic and Information Commission's office, and she has only recently been promoted. When speaking to these two country bumpkins, of course, the higher the official rank, the better. Moreover, who likes to hear the word 'deputy'

Zhang Sheng's eyes lit up

Zhang Sheng nodded and said, "Yes, it looks like it!"

However, the rental period is two years, and you must continue to fulfill the contract with m.hetushu.com. If your breach of contract affects my brother-in-law's economic interests, you will be held legally responsible. My brother-in-law's legitimate rights and interests are protected by the contract, which is safeguarded by law. I hope you will consider this carefully; otherwise, I will sue you

In a short while, a red Xia Li car stopped in front of the small restaurant. As the car door opened, a young woman, not yet thirty, stepped out of the vehicle

Upon hearing that the business was to be closed, the waitstaff immediately lost the previous respect they had for the owner, becoming lethargic and unmotivated. They would only half-heartedly assist with a push here and a shift there, clearly just going through the motions. Zhang Sheng observed this but chose not to confront it, merely letting out a sigh as he began to tidy up the place himself

Guo Pangzi lay on the ground, groaning like a dying pig to express his agreement

She hurriedly crouched down and began to pat Guo Pangzi's head and face in a flurry. Zhang Sheng took "Slow Heart Rate" from Guo Pangzi's pocket and gave him water to take it with, while continuously pressing on his chest, working up a stinky sweat. Finally, Guo Pangzi slowly regained consciousness.

Zhang Sheng hurriedly said: "After taking the medicine, I need to take a moment to calm down. I can just watch him. Director Cui, you are a distinguished person and busy with work, so I won't keep you any longer. I will await your good news tomorrow!"

Upon witnessing this situation, Zhang Sheng suddenly felt a stir in his heart, realizing that his opportunity had arrived. He did not seek to extort anyone; he merely hoped to use this chance to escape from the restaurant. At this moment, Fatty Guo had just woken up and was unable to move. Zhang Sheng then helped Cui Zhiyan pick up her handbag and the documents scattered on the floor, intending to ease the tense atmosphere between them before leveraging Fatty Guo's illness for his own advantage. Regardless of knowledge, experience, status, or influence, small characters are always at a disadvantage, and thus they can only fully utilize the wisdom of the small to extricate themselves from their predicaments.

Ye Zhiqiu recited the narration in an emotional voice: "Do you know who this person is? She is... Director Cui Zhiyan of the Municipal Economic and Information Commission."

Guo Fatty chuckled: "Of course, with my looks, I must be impressive... Hey, what does that even mean? You're being too harsh, Mengzi!"

Cui Zhiyan said sternly: "Let go! Do not pull and tug at me, otherwise I will report you..."

Zhang Sheng realized that Guo Panzai's heart had momentarily stopped due to his agitation, and hurriedly shouted, "This is bad, he has a serious heart condition, and he is prone to attacks when he gets anxious"

What is going on here? The imposing Director Cui was also flustered upon seeing this situation

Zhang Sheng glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Fat Guo trying to sit up. He couldn't help but curse inwardly, calling him a foolish pig: "I’m counting on you to play dead right now, so why are you in such a hurry?"

Cui Zhiyan was also flustered. Although she looked down on these two filthy workers, if it led to a death, and it made the newspapers, how could she expect any good words about herself? What was her profession and status? How many people were watching her position? She had only been in office for a little over three months; was it worth jeopardizing her future for these two insignificant individuals?

Cui Zhiyan nearly forced someone to their death, and her tone was no longer so sharp. She glanced at her brother-in-law and softened her tone, saying: "We are also aware of your predicament... However, we are acting according to the contract, and there is no issue of forced renting or coercion."

"Go to hell!" Guo Pangzi shot him a glance. As the restaurant was coming to an end, he felt much more at ease. In a moment of leisure, he did not rush to get up. He slowly sat up and first took out a photograph from his jacket pocket, looking at it with great affection as he said, "Look, my son, he looks so much like me."

He took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention and lightly kicked Guo the Fatty in the lower back. Fortunately, even a pig can have a moment of clarity. Upon receiving the signal, Guo the Fatty's back twitched a few times as he just left the ground, striking a gasping pose, and then flopped back down, causing Director Huo and his brother-in-law to feel a wave of tension again

As he stuffed documents into the bag, he noticed a file labeled "Project Report on the Establishment of the Qiaoxi High-tech Industrial Development Zone." Such government matters had nothing to do with him, Zhang Sheng, so he dismissed it and simply shoved the document back in, then handed the bag back to Cui Zhiyan, who let out a cold snort and took it.

"I told you not to mess around, okay?" Guo Pangzi glared at him, gently stroking the photo with a sense of nostalgia and said, "You, you won't have the same feelings as I do. Really, Shengzi, let me tell you, if a person doesn't know when they will die, they cherish everything in front of them, they love their close ones deeply, truly, they love them extraordinarily. Hey, look at me, I'm wearing a handsome outfit, doesn't this look impressive?" Really, Shengzi, let me tell you, if a person doesn't know when they will die, they cherish everything in front of them, they love their close ones deeply, truly, they love them extraordinarily. Hey, look at me, I'm wearing a handsome outfit, doesn't this look impressive?

He held a cloth, slowly wiping the greasy tabletop, thinking to himself: "The restaurant cannot continue operating; even if the landlord is willing to give a break, what will I do in the future?"

Upon seeing the arrogant demeanor of the other party, the spirits of Zhang Sheng and his companion were immediately dampened. After the woman, like a machine gun, incessantly rattled off a series of professional terms related to contracts, agreements, and legal jargon, the two could only stare in astonishment.

Guo Pangzi suddenly grasped the hidden meaning in the conversation. Zhang Sheng mentioned a character that completely altered the meaning of his entire sentence, leaving him both exasperated and amused.

I have an urgent matter to attend to right now... How about this: I will discuss it with my sister and brother-in-law tonight, and I will give you a response tomorrow. Please do not be anxious or upset; we are not unreasonable people.

The two young workers were completely stunned. Deputy Director Cui, adjusting his glasses with a sense of superiority, summarized: "Therefore, if you choose to continue operations or sublease, that is entirely acceptable. Your decision to cease operations is your own choice and has nothing to do with my brother-in-law"

Upon seeing Cui Zhiyan, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Beside him, Ye Zhiqiu also patted his chest, and in that moment, he was already sweating. If this were to lead to a death, it would inevitably result in a lawsuit. Moreover, if someone were to die in this house, who would still rent it for business? It would be inauspicious

Zhang Sheng steadied his emotions and, with a forced smile, said to Cui Zhiyan: "Director Cui, as you can see, we are both unemployed workers, and life is already incredibly difficult for us. We have no business acumen, and he suffers from severe heart disease. We are truly on the brink of being driven mad..."