Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“What do you mean?” Li Du was puzzled.
Du Hang turned the steering wheel and said, “Ri Ri An, If you pronounce it quick, sounds like Ruan, doesn’t it? You’ll know when you get there.”
He could not help but say again, “If you were seeking for domestic help, why didn’t you ask me for assistance? I could have arranged it all for you. I would have known how to avoid a situation like the one in your house.”
Li Du gave a wry smile. He had not wanted to trouble Du Hang, so he found this housekeeping company on the internet, saw that he could register and sign online, so he did.
Who knew this would happen?
The housekeeping company office was located in the central area of the county. It was a two-story building. The first-floor space was labeled Ri Ri An, Housekeeping Services co., LTD., while the second floor housed Ri Ri Shuang, Entertainment Services co., LTD.
Li Du went in with a cold expression. There were several young men in suits and ties in front of computers, typing busily. When they saw him, one of them got up, smiled and said, “Please sit down, sir, what can I do for you?”
Li Du always liked to meet a smiling person, but this young man’s grin was sycophantic, which made him uncomfortable.
He said in an icy voice, “I am the owner of Rose Garden no.15. I had stayed in America and entrusted you to take care of my house.”
Before he finished, the young man’s expression suddenly changed. Several other people raised their heads from their screens in surprise. One of them blurted out, “I thought you were only coming back to China next week.”
Li Du was fuming. They were counting on his absence to use his house!
“What, are there still a few house parties lined up?” he asked with a sneer.
Another young man hurried up, smiling and bowing repeatedly. “Ah, I’m so sorry, sir. Do sit down, please. You are Mr. Li, right? I am Du Yun, we had spoken before.”
Li Du said, “I don’t want to sit down. You know the current condition of the house. So, how are you going to settle this?”
He didn’t know how to deal with this either. This made him so angry. He had just bought this villa.
Du Yun kept bowing and stuttering, “W-we will fix this at once, we will deal with it right now. I’m so sorry, Mr. Li. Oh, this thing is our fault, really sorry about the misunderstanding. Xiao Meng, arrange someone to clean up the house, send our best cleaner there, make it spotless for Mr. Li. It will be back in pristine condition in no time.”
Li Du raised his arm and said, “Don’t rush. Don’t you think it is a little too late to do the cleaning now?”
Du Yun called for tea and smiled ingratiatingly. “Mr. Li, calm down. Calm down. There is a reason for this. I will explain it to you.”
“Yes, as you say, your house has been occupied. But please hear me out. A dear friend of mine, they are poor, their child was diagnosed with leukemia. They haven’t been to a villa in all their lives. Their child will not live long. Wouldn’t it be kind to make his final months happy?”
“We pitied the child so much that we did this in a rush without thinking much, without letting you know. Just for a day or two, Mr. Li, to let the child enjoy the moment. We know that you and your parents are very nice people and would understand…”
Li Du looked at the annoying simpering smile on the man’s face while he kept spewing his lies. “Shut up. Don’t make up a story for me. I am asking you, how are you going to settle this matter?”
Du Yun looked hurt. “I did not make this up. If you do not believe me, I will take you to meet this family. Really, they are very poor.”
Li Du patted the villa access registration form that the property management printed out for him. “A family? It is ten families, I suppose! Four times in and out, a total of forty or fifty people, your business is doing good.”
Du Yun smiled obsequiously again. “No, what is this? This is some mistake. Mr. Li, you misunderstood us, you really did, that was the only family, and I can prove it to you!”
Du Hang said from the back, “Now you know what a Soft company is, don’t you?”
Li Du was angry, and the hypocritical attitude of this man was making him madder.
He took a deep breath and said, “Well, if you don’t come up with a way to settle this, ask your manager to come out!”
Du Yun smiled and said, “Oh, sorry, our manager and his deputy had gone to the city to attend our mayor’s son’s wedding, and he will not come back for a while.”
Li Du said, “Then who is in charge here now?”
“We will settle this in a moment,” Du Yun said with a smile. “Come on, Mr. Li, please sit down first. Well, you’ve gotten used to coffee in America, haven’t you? Xiao Meng, go and make coffee for Mr. Li.”
Li Du said, “Stop, I don’t care whether you have someone in charge here or not. I will give you a way to settle this. I don’t want that house anymore. I will sell it to you for the market price.”
He looked at Du Hang and said, “How much is the villa worth now?”
Du Hang said, “In the past year our housing prices had risen sharply, so I assume your villa would cost about 3.5 million to 3.6 million now.”
Li Du looked back to Du Yun. “3.5 million, I will give you a reasonable price, prepare to pay up.”
Du Yun gave him a saccharine-like smile. “Oh, Mr. Li, how would we be able to buy a villa like yours? Besides, you wouldn’t force us to buy your house, would you? You have been to the United States and are familiar with the laws, you wouldn’t do illegal stuff like this, would you?”
No matter how glib these crooks were, Li Du had dealt with so many cheats and liars in the United States that no one could make him feel very angry.
He nodded. These people were like dough. They would move according to how one pushed them.
Knowing this, he said nothing, turned away, and went straight out to find a lawyer.
Du Hang stopped him and said with a bitter smile, “It’s no use, Brother Li. This company always does this. Damn, no lawyer would take your case.”
Li Du said, “Is that so?”
Du Hang said, “These bastards’ boss has some connections with both the police and the gangsters, but he does not normally use violence, he would just pay stupid. You could not beat them, could you? You would end up in trouble with the law if you try.”
Li Du was silent. So they are not afraid of the law. This company is definitely something.
After thinking for a while, Du Hang said, “I’ll give you an idea, but it may not work, and it might be quite a waste of money.”
“Okay, should I hire an assassin to deal with them?” Li Du made a joke, though he was still bursting with anger.
Du Hang shook his head. “How could you think that? Listen, Li. Isn’t your wife an American? Sell her the house, pay some taxes, and let her handle it as an American through the embassy and the public security bureau.”
This could solve the problem, but even if it did, Li Du would not feel satisfied. He shook his head and said, “No, I won’t do that. I’ll settle this myself.”
