In Jinling, November arrived with a cold front, but Ye Yun's heart felt colder than the weather.
This was his first sensation upon receiving Wang Wenwen's call.
In a daze, he felt as if he were transported back to the time when urus and the old man from Meituan had a traffic accident.
Different scenes, similar predicaments.
Seemingly ordinary, yet fraught with danger.
If mishandled, the consequences would be unimaginable.
And this time, it was even more terrifying than that.
Because the villagers from Gaohai Village had directly pushed him into the public eye.
Vicious!
Such a wicked tactic!
Even Ye Yun, normally composed, couldn't help but be enraged.
He truly hadn't expected those villagers to go and kneel at the Jinling municipal building!
They had pushed him to the brink of a cliff!
Watching the video sent by Wang Wenwen, Ye Yun's expression was grim.
What should he do now?
Pay them?
Don't be ridiculous!
Not only was his actions legal and justified, but his circumstances made it impossible for him to be in the spotlight so quickly.
It wasn't that he feared revealing his wealth and attracting unwanted attention.
China was a peaceful and prosperous nation; such criminal acts like kidnapping were unheard of.
The crucial issue was the extraordinary nature of his recent experiences.
Just over a month ago, he was a scumbag gambler, and now he had hundreds of millions in assets.
Netizens would undoubtedly dig into these details, perhaps fabricating rumors about him being an alien or possessed.
This would undoubtedly cause great inconvenience to the lives of his wife and daughter.
Furthermore, even if he were willing to return the money he had rightfully earned,
What would that achieve?
It would be a futile attempt to mend the situation, and it would solidify the accusation of him "defrauding" the villagers!
Therefore, he absolutely could not give them the money!
But the critical problem was that these villagers were demanding to see him, and if he refused, they might cause a death at the municipal building!
Thus, Ye Yun was faced with two paths.
To meet or not to meet.
To meet meant exposure; everyone would know his name, Ye Yun, and the bizarre events that had befallen him recently.
Under the guise of wealth envy, who knew what kind of rumors these people would spread.
If mishandled, he might even be taken by some research institute for dissection and study.
It was even possible that the incident where he had previously hit and killed the bald man could be twisted into something entirely different.
And the bald man had a grudge against Ye Yun, only to be killed by a car accident.
In this world, there was no shortage of people who would connect the dots.
Ye Yun now understood why so many celebrities chose to keep their marriages private.
Some weren't trying to create a single persona; they simply didn't want to bring trouble to their families.
In this light, not meeting might be the best option.
But if he didn't meet, the pressure would fall on the police.
If negotiations went well, fine, but if they didn't... the situation would likely escalate!
This matter had just begun, and though it had caused a stir, it hadn't yet reached the point of national notoriety.
But if it wasn't handled soon...
The outcome was unpredictable.
Those villagers were extreme. To demand justice, they had brought along the elderly and infirm to kneel. If one of them collapsed...
Heh, then this matter would truly become enormous.
At that point, Ye Yun would be in a situation where, like mud on his trousers, he'd be undeniably stained.
Ultimately, despite his current wealth, Ye Yun lacked a solid foundation. He had no one above to support him, nor anyone below to share the burden. He relied on his past life's experience and his current meager assets.
If he were to confront this head-on, handling it would be far more convenient.
At most, he could drag the villagers to court. Hengda had a dedicated legal and public relations department to play with them slowly.
Right...
Legal department!
Ye Yun's eyes lit up, and in an instant, he made up his mind.
...
The elderly and infirm of Gaohai Village were too frail.
With the arrival of the cold front, Jinling's temperature dropped to a mere five degrees Celsius amid the strong winds, leaving many children with purple-tinged ears.
However, despite the dissuasions of numerous onlookers and even the presence of police officers, nothing could deter the villagers' resolve.
Especially when some attempted to forcibly remove them.
Several elderly people then brandished sharp blades against their own necks.
They conveyed a clear message: "If you come any closer, we will spill our blood here and now."
Forcible removal?
No chance!
At this stage, these villagers were well aware that
Only by leveraging public opinion could they force the man named Ye to back down.
Wealth moved hearts; for money, many would abandon all principles.
For their families, and for nearly ten million yuan, many of them didn't mind going mad and shedding blood.
In any case, without seeing the money, they would not leave.
"Stop trying to persuade us. If the scoundrel named Ye doesn't show up, we are absolutely not leaving!" the villagers stubbornly told the negotiation expert.
"Right! Absolutely not leaving!"
"Unscrupulous merchants, give us back our hard-earned money!"
"Unscrupulous merchants, give us back our land!"
The other villagers echoed in agreement. It had to be said that so many people kneeling and shouting had a significant impact, and it was even more heart-wrenching.
The experts attempting to negotiate could only sigh, their faces filled with helplessness.
Reason could only be communicated with educated individuals. How could the stubborn villagers from a poor and desolate land listen calmly?
"Can that scoundrel named Ye be found?"
"Like hell! If you scammed over six hundred million, you'd still stay in the country? You'd have fled long ago!"
"But... but with so many people kneeling in front of the Jinling municipal building, it's possible someone might die!"
"What does that have to do with him!"
"These villagers are really stubborn. The police can't even force them to leave. Those elders have knives almost at their own throats."
"Damn it all!"
Whether it was the onlookers or the police, everyone around gnashed their teeth in hatred for the scoundrel named Ye.
But regarding finding this scoundrel, almost no one was optimistic.
At the same time, they felt endless pity for these villagers.
No, there was one person at the scene who did not!
"Those who betray the company have no good end... This time, I don't believe I still can't catch you!" Amidst the crowd, Yang Yue sneered, enjoying the drama she had orchestrated.
Even now, she firmly believed that Ye Yun was in league with some high-level executive at Hengda.
She also believed that Ye Yun absolutely lacked the ability to resolve this matter, and it would surely expose the "big fish" at Hengda.
However, with her face heavily covered, she was too inconspicuous in the crowd.
The murmurs of disapproval from the crowd reached the ears of the people from Gaohai Village.
The old people's hearts grew increasingly disheartened and desperate, especially Elder Li.
Although he had also guessed that the man named Ye wouldn't show up, the fact that he still hadn't appeared even after the situation had escalated brought an unavoidable wave of sadness to his heart.
Should they continue to wait?
Elder Li looked at the villagers kneeling around him.
Jinling in November was very cold, with a bone-chilling wind.
The strong gusts of wind made it difficult to stand. Standing in the wind for just a minute could make one tremble all over.
His gaze fell upon his neighbors.
The grandson of the family next door, Little Fatty, had a bright red face. He now understood tears and snot mixed together, crying hoarsely as he hugged the old couple from the Zhao family.
Was the village chief crying?
He didn't know. His eyes were red, whether from the cold or from unwillingness to part with nearly ten million yuan.
Regardless, the sight of the elderly and infirm was heartbreaking.
"Alas, I handled this matter poorly. Let me bear the consequences alone."
Elder Li sighed and murmured to himself.
He pressed the sharp knife he held even deeper towards his neck.
At this, the entire scene erupted in an uproar!