Aunt Liu was stunned speechless.

Her jaw dropped in astonishment. Thinking she must have misheard, she asked again, "You said not a single cent less?"

"That’s right. Not a single cent less," Jiang Yixia replied calmly.

Hearing this, Lu Fan, who was standing nearby, nodded in full approval.

’He hadn’t expected his little wifey to push back so firmly when faced with this kind of emotional blackmail. She was holding her ground, refusing to be exploited by this trashy old couple.’

’Nice. That’s my girl.’

That’s just how it is sometimes.

If you back down once, people will just think you’re a pushover and walk all over you.

The only right thing to do is to fight back, show them where you draw the line, and protect your legal rights.

On top of that,

Sister Li chimed in, "That’s right! Not a single cent less! Why should you pay less? You signed the contract, so you have to pay the penalty for breaking it."

Seeing Sister Li being so supportive, Lu Fan gave her a thumbs-up.

’Thank God none of the supporting characters are sanctimonious pushovers.’

’It feels like everyone’s on their A-game.’

Facing the verbal onslaught from all sides, Aunt Liu finally cracked.

She clutched her chest and staggered back a few steps.

Uncle Wu rushed forward to steady her. "Honey, what’s wrong? Honey?" he asked anxiously.

Panting, Aunt Liu pointed at Lu Fan, Jiang Yixia, and the others. "Quick! Call our son! Tell him his mother is being bullied! Tell him to get some people over here, now!"

Director Huang had no time for her theatrics. He stated sternly, "There are only two ways to handle this. One: you abide by the contract and let them finish their lease. Two: you pay the penalty for breach of contract. Don’t bother calling anyone else; it’s useless. If you refuse, you can come back to the station with me and we’ll sort it out there."

Seeing that her rabble-rousing was getting her nowhere, Aunt Liu’s panic suddenly vanished.

Instead, her voice boomed as she started cursing, "You think I can’t afford a measly 15,000? I own three apartments in Pearl River New City and four storefronts! Who the hell do you think you are? Just some wage slave. 15,000 isn’t even half of what I make from rent in a month! Hurry up and give me the QR code! You pathetic wage slave, the pittance you earn is less than my rental income!"

Aunt Liu had expected Jiang Yixia to argue back.

That would have given her a chance to stir the pot, maybe even fake an injury for sympathy.

But to her surprise, Jiang Yixia simply pointed at the wall. "There’s a WeChat QR code and an Alipay QR code on the wall. Which one would you like to scan?"

This unexpected move made the others start to snicker.

Aunt Liu realized she had backed herself into a corner and couldn’t get out.

She had no choice.

She reluctantly pulled out her phone, her face ashen, and scanned the QR code on the wall, muttering curses under her breath.

[WeChat payment received: 15,000 yuan.]

Seeing this, Lu Fan calmly turned to the legal team and smiled. "Well, since our landlady has paid the penalty, your work here is done. Thanks for coming all this way. I’ll speak to the branch manager later and have your bonuses doubled for the month."

The young men from the legal department grew visibly excited at his words.

And while Director Qiu maintained a more composed expression than his subordinates, he too was smiling. "Thank you, President Lu. We’ll be on our way, then."

And just like that, the group of suited men who had been standing at the door were gone in a flash.

Director Huang also keenly perceived that this Lu Fan was no ordinary person.

He then addressed the remaining group. "Since the matter is resolved, Mr. Lu, you and your wife will have to move out by the end of the month and vacate the premises for the landlords."

It seemed Aunt Liu wasn’t done making trouble and wanted to regain some face.

She waved her hands dismissively and said, completely unreasonably, "What do you mean, end of the month? You have to be out of here in three days!"

Uncle Wu seemed to think his wife was going too far and tried to reason with her.

But a fierce glare from Aunt Liu immediately shut him down.

Aunt Liu assumed this demand would put Jiang Yixia in a difficult position.

She looked forward to seeing Lu Fan grovel and beg her for an extension.

Jiang Yixia’s brows furrowed at Aunt Liu’s unreasonable demand, and she was about to argue.

But to her surprise, Lu Fan said calmly, "No problem. Forget three days. We’ll be out by tomorrow."

Jiang Yixia stared at him in disbelief.

’She knew he was rich, but finding a suitable new shop and moving everything from the flower shop in a single day was no small feat!’

Aunt Liu scoffed at Lu Fan’s boast. "Young people these days, all talk. Be careful you don’t bite your tongue."

"You should worry about yourself, ma’am," Lu Fan said with a grin. "Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong isn’t good for your health. Might shorten your lifespan."

His words made the others in the room chuckle.

"Officer, did you hear that? He’s cursing me! He’s cursing me!" Aunt Liu shrieked, pointing an angry finger at Lu Fan before turning to Director Huang.

"But you said something to him first," Director Huang pointed out, clearly not about to take the old woman’s side.

Aunt Liu was so furious she looked like her hair might stand on end. She gasped for breath, clutching her chest again.

Not wanting to lose any more face, Uncle Wu quickly started pulling his wife toward the exit.

Aunt Liu resisted, still shouting, "I’m not leaving! I won’t go!"

But eventually, her shouts faded into the distance.

The farce was finally over.

Lu Fan knew that Director Huang had personally led a team here because he’d likely been reprimanded by his superiors over the previous incident with the hooligan.

So, he said with a smile, "Thank you, Director, for protecting the rights of us common folk. It’s reassuring to know you’re around when we’re trying to do business."

"We live in a civilized society. As long as everyone follows their agreements and communicates, there shouldn’t be any issues. But you can’t force people or break the law. That’s a crime," Director Huang replied.

"Thank you all for your hard work, officers," Jiang Yixia added, walking over and giving a slight bow.

"It’s our duty to serve the people. You’re too kind," Director Huang said politely. "Rest assured, I’ve already instructed my subordinates who patrol this area to increase their presence. An incident like the one with that hooligan won’t happen again. Strengthening community safety was an important directive from the Bai Mountain District leadership last month."

Lu Fan noted Director Huang’s deliberate mention of the Bai Mountain District leadership. He nodded, playing along. "Then we’ll be counting on you, officers."

"If there’s nothing else, we’ll be on our way."

"Of course. Take care, Director."

After the pleasantries were exchanged, he turned back to Jiang Yixia. "Tonight, I’ll have someone find a suitable shop on this street. Tomorrow, I’ll bring people to move all the flowers over."

"I can move them myself. I don’t need you to find people," Jiang Yixia refused flatly, not wanting to be even more indebted to him.

"I’ll listen to you on anything else, but on this, you have to listen to me. It’s decided." With that, Lu Fan turned and left.

Watching his domineering figure depart, Jiang Yixia muttered under her breath, "Who do you think you are, some overbearing CEO from a novel? You think I’d fall for that act?..."