Chapter 053: The Elder in Debt

Naturally, those creditors wouldn’t have all come here without a reason. The reason they had gathered in such numbers was, of course, because of Ma Zhifeng.

Since morning, Ma Zhifeng had spread the word to Lin Tenghui’s creditors that Lin Le had just bought a luxury car, adding fuel to the fire and stirring up trouble. Inevitably, the creditors had come knocking on their own accord.

The people now blocking Lin Le’s way were the financial officers sent by Lin Tenghui’s creditors.

“You little brat, you think you can swagger around just because you’ve got a bit of money? Let’s see how cocky you are now!” Not far away, Ma Zhifeng was watching the spectacle unfold, his face full of smug satisfaction.

The sudden appearance of all these creditors also caught the attention of the nearby students. In no time, a crowd had gathered.

“Lin Le again?” The onlookers were speechless.

Ever since Lin Le had transferred to Haizhou First High School, the place had known no peace. People couldn’t help but sigh—he really courted trouble wherever he went, always at the center of some storm.

At the moment, Lin Le’s car was blocked by the debt collectors, unable to move an inch.

With no other choice, Lin Le had to get out of the car.

No sooner had Lin Le stepped out than the creditors surrounded him tightly.

“You’re Lin Le? Lin Tenghui’s son?”

“That’s right, I am. Is there a problem?” Lin Le replied calmly.

“You’ve got some nerve, driving a luxury car while owing us money and refusing to pay!” a burly, dark-faced man shouted, pointing at Lin Le.

This burly man had actually been brought in by Ma Zhifeng, solely to create a scene and stir things up. As soon as he arrived, he launched into a tirade against Lin Le.

“That’s right! Debts piling up and you don’t care a bit! No wonder your Lin Group went bankrupt!”

Egged on by the burly man, the other creditors also began to heap accusations on Lin Le.

The bystanders immediately caught on—it turned out all these people were here to collect debts from Lin Le!

So, the reason Lin Le could afford a luxury car was because he’d used other people’s money! The crowd buzzed with disapproval.

“Looks like Lin Tenghui intends to default on his debts, doesn’t he? Not planning to pay us back?” the burly man added, fanning the flames.

“Our President Zheng only lent Lin Tenghui money because he saw that he was desperate. Who’d have thought he’d turn out like this!”

“That’s right, our President Li lent him money because he trusted Lin Tenghui’s business integrity. And now you’re living the good life and refusing to pay us back?”

With the burly man inciting them, the creditors launched into a barrage of criticism.

The students watching the commotion began to murmur among themselves, convinced that Lin Le was flaunting wealth he didn’t have, buying a luxury car instead of paying his debts—a classic case of putting on airs.

Lin Le cast a cold, suspicious glance at the burly man. While the others were well-dressed and looked like financial officers, this man was all rough edges and thuggish air, completely at odds with the image of a company employee.

And from the start, he had been shouting the loudest, acting as the main instigator.

“May I ask, which company are you representing? And how much exactly does my family owe you?” Lin Le asked the burly man, his voice even.

“Uh…” The burly man hadn’t expected Lin Le to question him so suddenly and was momentarily at a loss.

“What’s it to you which company I’m from? You owe money to all these people—you’ve got to pay up!” he blustered.

“If I owe money, of course I’ll pay. I’ll pay you first. I’m asking one more time: which company are you from? Exactly how much do I owe you?” Lin Le’s voice turned cold and forceful.

“You…” The burly man was unable to answer.

The other debt collectors exchanged glances.

In truth, they had been sent by their bosses with little hope of recovering the money, as they all knew the Lin family’s situation well. Most of the bosses had already written off their chances of repayment.

But ever since the burly man had joined them, he had stirred them up, making the crowd much more aggressive.

Now, though, it was clear things weren’t as straightforward as they seemed.

“Still acting so arrogant when you owe money? I’ll teach you a lesson!” Out of arguments, the burly man flew into a rage.

He lunged forward, grabbing Lin Le by the collar, intent on roughing him up.

But a mere hired thug was no match for Lin Le. The moment he reached for Lin Le’s collar, Lin Le’s face grew cold. He seized the man’s hand, and with a swift over-the-shoulder throw, slammed the burly man hard onto the ground.

“Well done…” Ma Zhifeng, watching from a distance, smiled with satisfaction.

He knew Lin Le had impressive skills, and never expected the burly man to actually hurt him. His goal was simply to tarnish Lin Le’s reputation—if Lin Le fought back, it would play right into his hands.

Sure enough, when everyone saw the burly man thrown to the ground, the crowd erupted.

“Unbelievable! Owes money and still dares to assault people!” the burly man shouted from the ground, still fanning the flames.

“Lin Le really is shameless!”

“Damn, is this what society’s come to? The debtor acts like a king!” muttered the students nearby.

“You little brat, this is too much! You have money for a luxury car, but not to pay your debts, and now you’re attacking people!” the creditors shouted angrily at Lin Le.

The crowd clamored and began to press in on Lin Le, the scene threatening to spiral out of control.

“Shut up, all of you!” Lin Le’s face darkened, and he barked at them in a voice like thunder.

His shout carried a forceful presence, so powerful that both the troublemakers and the opinionated bystanders felt almost suffocated.

The area instantly fell silent. All eyes were fixed on Lin Le in shock.

His gaze was cold and fierce, with a roguish air.

Damn it, if I don’t show my strength, they’ll really take me for a gentleman!

“Have you said enough? Now listen to me!” Lin Le’s voice was icy.

He really didn’t want to waste words on these people, but some things had to be made clear.

“First of all, let me clarify: these debts were incurred by the Lin Group as a whole. They have nothing to do with my father or my family—I have no obligation to deal with any of you! Go ahead and take it to court. If you could win, you wouldn’t be standing here now!”

The creditors, though annoyed by Lin Le’s arrogance, knew in their hearts he was telling the truth.

“But since my father has accepted these debts, I will pay them! And today, I will pay you back in full—immediately!”

“What?!” The crowd was stunned.

The onlooking students also understood now: it turned out Lin Le didn’t actually owe the money himself. Was he crazy to insist on paying it back?

And judging from the scale of things, the Lin family’s debts must run into the tens of millions. With Lin Le’s current means, how could he possibly repay them? Wasn’t he just boasting?

“You say you’ll pay today? Are you serious?” Even the debt collectors found it hard to believe.

“I, Lin Le, always keep my word,” Lin Le replied firmly.

“But you’re just a high school student. Even if you sold this luxury car, it wouldn’t even make a dent!” someone protested.

“This car wasn’t bought by me—it was a gift from a friend, so I’m certainly not going to sell it,” Lin Le replied coolly.

“A friend gave it to you? Hmph, given your family’s situation, who would give you such an expensive car?” the burly man sneered.

The crowd joined in the ridicule.

“This car was a gift from us to Mr. Lin. Is there a problem?”

Just as everyone was mocking Lin Le for pretending to be rich, a voice rang out. A striking figure stepped into the crowd—it was Gu Ya!