Chapter 60: Being Put on the Spot

Still, no one answered. But one of the burly men glanced at Chu Xuan, hesitated as if he wanted to say something, then looked at Yao Dianxin.

Yao Dianxin shot him a threatening look.

Chu Xuan started to understand.

Yao Dianxin had these men under his thumb.

Mu Chenze saw this too. If they couldn’t hire anyone, he’d just unload the goods himself. It was only a hundred barrels, after all.

He jumped onto the truck and started unloading.

Chu Xuan followed, standing by the truck to take two barrels of abalone from Mu Chenze. “Let’s unload together. We should be done in twenty minutes or so.”

“Thanks, man!”

Mu Chenze went back for more barrels.

The truck bed was about five meters long, and the barrels of abalone were stacked at the very back. Mu Chenze had to carry each barrel over three meters to hand them to Chu Xuan.

Just as Chu Xuan was about to set the barrels down, Yao Dianxin stopped him.

“Fatty, this is my rented lot. Twenty meters that way is someone else’s. If you put your stuff on my lot, you pay a site fee. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee nothing will get run over when I back up.”

The driver was paid by Boss Yao, so of course he listened to him.

Chu Xuan wanted to curse him out, but she had to save her strength for lifting barrels.

Each barrel weighed at least fifty kilos, not just abalone but also ice.

With two barrels, that was a hundred kilos. Chu Xuan carried them over twenty meters before setting them down.

Ignoring her aching back and numb arms, she hurried back for more.

Mu Chenze saw what was happening and realized Chu Xuan couldn’t keep this up. He jumped down from the truck. “Chu Xuan, you get in the truck and unload the abalone. I’ll take them on the ground.”

“Okay.”

Just as Chu Xuan was about to climb into the truck, Yao Dianxin blocked her. “Women can’t get in my truck. It’s bad luck! It’ll ruin my fortune! You can’t afford that responsibility!”

He was clearly making it hard for Mu Chenze to unload.

Chu Xuan’s face darkened. “Yao, first you told us to finish unloading in twenty minutes, now you’re stopping me from getting in the truck. Looks like you don’t want us to unload at all. If that’s the case, just pay up!”

She glanced at Yao Dianxin’s bulging pocket and continued, “Doesn’t look like you’re short on cash, either!”

Yao Dianxin immediately covered his pocket, showing no sign of panic, just an infuriating smirk. “It’s not that I don’t want you to unload. I’m just waiting to collect an overtime fee. Mu Chenze, hurry up and unload, or I’ll have the driver drive off. Let’s see where you unload then!”

At this point, Mu Chenze was carrying two barrels of abalone twenty meters away.

He really wanted to beat up Yao Dianxin, but those burly men were probably his guys. No point in taking a loss now.

He swallowed his anger for now, determined to finish unloading before dealing with Yao.

He ran back to the truck and jumped in.

Chu Xuan looked at the group of burly men nearby and saw sympathy in their eyes.

They looked like they wanted to help, but didn’t dare.

A suspicion formed in Chu Xuan’s mind. She jogged over and quietly asked one of them, “Big brother, does Yao Dianxin owe you guys wages?”

The man lowered his voice. “That’s right. He said he didn’t bring money today. If we don’t listen to him, he won’t pay us tomorrow.”

“How much does he owe you? Do you have proof?”

“We do. We have IOUs with his signature and fingerprint. Altogether, he owes us 1,200 yuan.”

“To tell you the truth, I heard Boss Yao is planning to run away. That’s why I came with my friend to collect payment. Today’s his last day in town. Tomorrow, you won’t find him anywhere. If you want your wages, you’d better get them today! Also, he’s got a lot of cash in his pocket—you might want to keep an eye on that.”

Her words successfully stirred up the men’s anxiety.

Soon, Yao Dianxin was surrounded by the burly men.

“Boss Yao, pay us our wages today.”

“That’s right! We want our money.”

“If you don’t, your truck’s not going anywhere.”

Yao Dianxin put on a show of disdain. “You think your little bit of wages is worth ganging up on me? I’ll pay you tomorrow! Don’t crowd me! Or I’ll dock 30 yuan from each of you tomorrow! I’ll give you one more chance—back off! Whoever does gets a 30 yuan bonus tomorrow!”

Thirty yuan was tempting.

A few of the men were swayed and backed off.

But they didn’t forget to remind him, “Boss Yao, don’t forget to give us that extra thirty tomorrow!”

Yao Dianxin put on a generous act. “I remember! You’ll get your bonus tomorrow!”

Chu Xuan deliberately called out, “Who knows where you’ll be tomorrow!”

About ten men refused to leave, insisting on their wages and saying they wouldn’t accept a single cent less, or they’d report Yao Dianxin.

Yao Dianxin tried to walk away, but they followed.

One of the bolder ones eyed Yao’s bulging pocket and, while he wasn’t looking, tore it open.

A wad of fifty-yuan bills fell out—at least 5,000 yuan.

Yao Dianxin rushed to grab it, but the men blocked him.

Chu Xuan added fuel to the fire, “Boss Yao is paying your wages! Hurry up and get it! Make sure you count it right! If Boss Yao tries to accuse you, I’ll testify for you!”

The leader counted out 1,200 yuan and left the rest for Yao Dianxin to pick up.

The men stopped crowding him and went aside to split the money.

Yao Dianxin cursed, “A bunch of cowards! Damn it! I’ll report you for robbery! See if you end up in jail! Stealing my money? You’re asking for it!”

Chu Xuan spoke up at just the right moment. “I can testify they didn’t rob you—they just took their wages.”

“You…” Yao Dianxin turned to the truck driver. “You testify for me. Those guys robbed me.”

The driver held out his hand, looking serious. “Settle the 1,500 yuan you owe me for freight, and I’ll testify for you.”

Yao Dianxin walked over and whispered, “Once you go to the security office and say that fatty and Mu Chenze incited those men to rob me, I’ll pay you.”

“Pay me first, then I’ll testify. Otherwise, don’t expect me to say a word in your favor.”

He’d already seen through Yao Dianxin’s tricks. If he wasn’t careful, he’d never see his money.

Faced with his insistence, Yao Dianxin had no choice but to fork over the cash, counting out 1,500 yuan and handing it over painfully. “Count it. Once you’re done, go report to the security office.”

The driver counted the money slowly, counting it again and again.

Meanwhile, at the back of the truck, Mu Chenze was already calling the men over to help unload. Fifty cents per barrel. If they didn’t hurry, Yao Dianxin might order the driver to drive off, which would be even more trouble.

After the driver confirmed the money was right, Yao Dianxin swaggered over to Mu Chenze. “Unload! Once you’re done, you and that fatty are finished!”

Mu Chenze ignored him and kept unloading.

Chu Xuan walked up to Yao Dianxin, sneered, and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up. “We’ll see who’s finished! Just wait and see!”

Yao Dianxin knew he was no match for Chu Xuan in a fight. “Put me down, let’s talk this out.”

“Fine.”

Chu Xuan let him go.

He immediately ran to hide behind the truck driver, suddenly emboldened, and shouted at Chu Xuan, “I’m going to report you!”"