Chapter 5: How Much Do You Want?

“So, you’re saying you just took photos of me buying a bunch of takeout, and you’re planning to post them online?” Jiang Yan asked casually as she flipped open his press card, quickly pulling out her phone to log into the national journalist database.

She swiftly typed in his name and the press card number.

Perfect.

No such person found.

The anti-counterfeit markings on the card looked pretty crude, too.

“That’s right. But, Miss Jiang, if you could…” The man hesitated, the greed in his eyes barely concealed.

Jiang Yan sneered inwardly, but kept her expression calm and bluntly asked, “How much?”

The curly-haired man’s eyes lit up. He grinned and held up one finger.

Jiang Yan: “A thousand?”

The man smirked maliciously. “Miss Jiang, come on. With your status, a thousand yuan is hardly worth mentioning, right?”

“Ten thousand?!” Jiang Yan feigned shock for a second.

Seeing her reaction, the man was delighted.

As expected, she was just like those minor internet celebrities he’d blackmailed before—unable to withstand a little threat.

Rumor had it Jiang Yan was worth billions. Asking for a hundred thousand would be nothing to her.

But for now, he’d settle for a hundred thousand. After all, he still had the photos as leverage. With a cash cow like this, there’d be plenty more money to squeeze out later.

Thinking this, the man gritted his teeth and demanded, “A hundred thousand!”

Jiang Yan thought to herself: He really dares to ask for a hundred thousand for a fake, made-up photo? Does he think I’m stupid, or does he think I’m stupid?

Sure, she had money, but it didn’t just fall from the sky!

The worst part was running into such a low-level scammer with no legal knowledge or moral bottom line.

“What?! A hundred thousand?! You’re saying you want a hundred thousand for your secret photos?” Jiang Yan raised her voice.

The curly-haired man suppressed his excitement, nodded solemnly, and said sleazily, “That’s right!”

He was about to add that he only took cash, when hurried footsteps sounded nearby.

He turned his head to see the head of security leading two police officers and several guards running toward them.

“Stop right there!!”

“Stop!!”

The man froze, then turned to run, but Jiang Yan stuck out her leg and swept his feet out from under him.

Thud!

He didn’t have time to dodge and fell flat on his face, easily subdued by the police and security guards.

The statement was quickly taken, and the fake reporter extorting money was naturally taken away by the police.

All of Jiang Yan’s home cameras had recording functions, so all the evidence was preserved.

Someone using a fake press card to extort over ten thousand yuan could easily get ten years in prison!

Even though she’d dealt with another scumbag, Jiang Yan didn’t feel the least bit happy.

This man had even rented a neighbor’s apartment just to stalk and get close to her.

What about other people with bad intentions?

Clearly, she couldn’t delay selling her place and finding a new one any longer.

Jiang Yan locked the door and went inside.

After sitting on the sofa and thinking for a while, she found the contact info for the real estate agency that had helped her mother before, and called the boss directly.

The agency owner was named Du Zitong. His name sounded a bit funny, but he was very reliable.

Most importantly, before opening his agency, he’d worked at Jiang Yan’s mother’s company for many years, even serving as head of the delivery department. His work and character were both excellent.

After her mother sold the company, he didn’t stay with the new owners, but instead took a group of delivery guys and switched to real estate.

All in all, he was someone Jiang Yan could relatively trust.

“Miss Jiang!” Du Zitong was thrilled to get her call.

Jiang Yan smiled helplessly. “Don’t call me ‘Miss Jiang’, my head hurts.”

Du Zitong immediately caught on. “Ah, Sister Yan, my condolences. Is there anything I can help you with? Hold on, let me get back to my office so we can talk more privately.”

Jiang Yan got straight to the point, briefly explaining that she wanted to sell her current place, buy a new one, and find a warehouse.

For the new apartment, her requirements were that the complex shouldn’t be too big—two or three buildings at most.

After all, when heavy rains or disasters hit, too many neighbors could mean more problems.

Also, the complex should be far from the city center, but ideally still near malls, supermarkets, hospitals, and other amenities. She didn’t want anything built by small developers.

Big developers usually meant better quality, after all. Even the foundations would be more solid.

She wanted a building with at least 30 floors, and only considered the top floor.

Although top floors usually had insulation and waterproofing issues, she planned to renovate anyway, so that wasn’t a big deal.

As for the warehouse, her requirements were a large space, no surveillance, good privacy, and also far from the city center.

But it should be near a highway or major transport hub if possible.

Whether it was the apartment or the warehouse, she wanted to be able to move in or use it immediately, even if it cost extra.

That was one reason she hadn’t considered Song Deming’s villa complex.

It was one of the few high-ground areas in Anming City, and had survived the floods after the apocalypse.

But besides the psychological trauma it brought her, the remaining residents were all big families who’d lived there for years.

Buying a place there was unrealistic.

Besides, after heavy rain came floods, and living on a hillside meant risks of landslides and mudslides.

After Jiang Yan finished explaining her requirements, the options for apartments and warehouses were already much more focused.

Although Du Zitong was the boss, he was always hands-on with business.

After listening, he already had some ideas. He said, “Sister Yan, I’ll come by later to get the paperwork for your place so we can list it. As for the apartments and warehouses you want, I have a few options right now. When you’re free, I’ll take you to see them myself.”

Jiang Yan didn’t hesitate. “Great, send me the addresses. I’ll go now.”

Du Zitong was surprised. “Now? Sister Yan, don’t you want to rest a bit? You just got back from overseas.”

Jiang Yan’s mother’s sudden death had been covered by all the local media in Anming City.

Plus, in this age of social media, she was a semi-celebrity herself.

Privacy was basically non-existent.

If the police hadn’t kept quiet about her being detained in the basement with Song Deming and Zhang Kai’s deaths that morning, she’d be drowning in gossip and rumors by now—never mind going out to buy supplies or look at houses.

Jiang Yan took a bottle of black coffee from the fridge. “I’m fine. Just send me the addresses.”

“Alright, right away.” Du Zitong didn’t try to persuade her further.

He’d been in business for years and knew where to draw the line, so he didn’t ask any more questions."