Si Xi grabbed Liu Fengtian by the hair and pressed his face into the sand.
"Liu Fengtian, what did you say when you borrowed the money? You promised to pay it back after the next match. It's been four days, and now you're telling me you have no money? Do you take me for a three-year-old? You have three minutes to think about which relatives to borrow from, or you'll get a taste of winter swimming."
"Brother Si, spare me. I'll kowtow to you, alright? I've borrowed from all my relatives, I really can't borrow anymore."
Liu Fengtian trembled all over. He had completely lost his dignity and was filled with fear of Si Xi and his men. Seeing that he remained stubborn, Si Xi sneered and waved at Biao Biao and Liang Liang, "Let him cool off."
Biao Biao and Liang Liang immediately dragged Liu Fengtian up and forcefully threw him into the icy river. The water was shallow. Liu Fengtian thrashed in the water and immediately tried to climb ashore, but Biao Biao kicked him down, sending him back into the river where he choked on some water.
"B-Brother Si, I c-can't take it anymore, please let me go."
Soaked and shivering, Liu Fengtian trembled with cold. Although the temperature was above zero, it was only two or three degrees Celsius, and the experience in the water was imaginable.
"Let you go? Do you think my money grows on trees? Stop the nonsense and think quickly, who are you going to borrow from?"
"Y-You, let me get up, I'll call my uncle. He's in construction."
Liu Fengtian couldn't stand it anymore. If he stayed in the river any longer, even if he didn't freeze to death, his body would suffer permanent damage.
"Let him up, and give him his phone."
Si Xi revealed a sinister smile, which looked somewhat ferocious and terrifying under the moonlight. Liu Fengtian immediately rushed ashore, wiped the water from his hair and face, and then rubbed his hands vigorously, as if trying to regain dexterity in his frozen hands.
Yang Jian watched from the side, witnessing the cold-blooded cruelty of the casino thugs and feeling pity for the gamblers who were trapped in the quagmire of gambling and unable to extricate themselves. Thinking carefully, he realized he was no different, a gambler who had lost his true nature. The only difference was that he hadn't borrowed from loan sharks, otherwise, his fate would have been the same as Liu Fengtian's.
"B-Brother Si, my aunt and uncle are willing to help me pay the money back. Where should we meet?" Liu Fengtian asked Si Xi after making a phone call.
"Tell him I've sent people to wait for them at Pin Wei Shi Guang. Once I get the money, I'll release the person." Si Xi beckoned to Yang Jian and whispered, "When we get to Pin Wei Shi Guang, you go up and collect the money. The principal is twenty thousand, and the interest is two thousand four. Be observant and careful they don't call the police."
Yang Jian nodded without saying anything. He knew Si Xi had reservations about him for not participating in the coercion of Liu Fengtian, and going to collect the money carried some risk, but he couldn't refuse. The group drove into the town and stopped by the roadside opposite Pin Wei Shi Guang. Yang Jian got out of the car alone, surveyed the surroundings, found no anomalies, and calmly walked into the second floor of Pin Wei Shi Guang. It was already nine o'clock in the evening, but the tea restaurant was still crowded. Following the information provided by Liu Fengtian, Yang Jian knocked on the door of private room 08.
"Yang Jian? Why are you here?"
"Manager Zheng?"
The moment the private room door opened, both inside and outside were stunned. They were acquaintances. The person who opened the door was Zheng Guangyao, Yang Jian's boss from last year's construction site. Zheng Guangyao was in his thirties, about Yang Jian's build, and very sturdy. Although he was a fledgling construction boss, he exuded a strong presence, with the demeanor of a big shot.
"Manager Zheng, is Liu Fengtian your nephew?" Yang Jian asked tentatively. Zheng Guangyao had treated him well; he hadn't defaulted on his labor payments for the first project, and Yang Jian had planned to work with him again this year.
"Come in and talk. This is my wife, Liu Rong, Liu Fengtian's aunt." Zheng Guangyao had already realized that Yang Jian was one of the people holding his nephew captive, but he managed to control his emotions. Yang Jian felt a bit awkward. "Hello, Sister Liu." Liu Rong wasn't exceptionally beautiful but was well-maintained and possessed a certain elegance. However, her face was currently grim. "Xiao Yang, I've heard about you from Lao Zheng. He thinks highly of you and even said he'd have you work on the next project. But kidnapping my nephew is really not right."
"Manager Zheng, Sister Liu, there seems to be some misunderstanding. I didn't know Liu Fengtian was your relative before, and I'm not the one in charge of this."
"Alright, no more talk. Hurry up and release my nephew. For your sake, we won't call the police." Liu Rong's request put Yang Jian in a difficult position. Releasing the person without payment would be unacceptable to Si Xi, but he couldn't refuse Manager Zheng's request, as he was his first boss and he still hoped to get projects from him in the future.
"Brother Si, Liu Fengtian's uncle is my construction site boss. Can you give me some face and release him first? Let's defer the money he owes for now?" Out of options, Yang Jian had to call Si Xi to discuss and put the call on speakerphone.
"Yang Jian, I can give you some face and reduce the interest, but the money must be paid today, or it will be very difficult to find him later." Liu Rong snatched the phone and said, "If you don't release him, I'll call the police and report you for illegal detention and extortion."
"Then try it. I have Liu Fengtian's IOU, so I'm not afraid of you calling the police. Also, if we get caught today, I guarantee Liu Fengtian will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair." On the other end of the phone, Si Xi's attitude was very tough, and he even slapped Liu Fengtian.
"Auntie, save me! They threw me into the river, I'm freezing and can't stand it anymore." Liu Fengtian's trembling voice came through. Liu Rong and Zheng Guangyao's expressions changed drastically. They were just starting out and didn't have much financial strength, nor the ability to deal with these thugs.
"Xiao Yang, I'm in the process of taking on projects, and all the money I have is already allocated. Can you say something? Can we defer it and release him first? I promise to pay a month later." Zheng Guangyao didn't particularly like Liu Fengtian, his wayward nephew, but he couldn't ignore him.
"Manager Zheng, how about this: you pay twelve thousand yuan, and I'll figure out the rest." Yang Jian had to compromise. He had about ten thousand yuan himself, which he considered a gift to Manager Zheng for securing the project.
"Alright then, tell them to release him." Zheng Guangyao took out ten thousand yuan from his bag and then asked Liu Rong to give another two thousand. He actually had twenty thousand with him but wanted to save face in front of Yang Jian. Yang Jian didn't expose him and called Si Xi again to release the person.
A while later, Liu Fengtian came up, wearing a military coat. Seeing his bruised and swollen face, Liu Rong became angry again. "How could they be so brutal to beat you like this? Yang Jian, you owe me an explanation." Yang Jian felt extremely awkward holding the money.
"Auntie, he didn't lay a hand on me the whole time. Wu Laosi and the others made me kneel and drink urine, and they pushed me into the river. I want to call the police." Liu Fengtian seemed to have found a backer, and his confidence surged, which made Yang Jian feel a bit contemptuous.
"Alright, if you weren't so addicted to gambling and borrowing from loan sharks, would they have beaten you? This is the last time I'm saving you. If you don't quit gambling, I won't even look at you if you die out there." Zheng Guangyao got up and left without even saying goodbye to Yang Jian.