Chapter 088

"The ones we're beating are you! You've swindled all our money away. If you don't refund us today, I’ll beat you to death. What’s the point of living if I’m left with nothing but a mortgage?"

Lin Tianba was also furious. Though his rational mind told him this wasn’t the time for anger, he couldn’t hold back.

"You deserve this! Damn it, why didn’t you complain about being mortgage slaves when you bought the property? Now you regret it? Too late. Refunds are impossible—the contracts are signed, the money’s paid, and the houses are yours now."

Shen Jingbing suddenly pulled out a megaphone from somewhere and shouted, "Don’t listen to him! They haven’t even delivered the houses yet. According to regulations, you can still get a refund! You’ll just have to pay the developer a penalty fee, plus the bank loan’s early repayment charge. But compared to the price of a whole house, which is worse?"

Lin Tianba nearly spat blood. He truly wanted to tear Shen Jingbing’s mouth apart right then. Everything had been fine until this troublemaker showed up.

"Refund the houses!"

"Refund the houses!"

"If you don’t refund us, I’ll kill this greedy bastard!"

Just as the situation was spiraling out of control, the sound of police sirens blared. The officers, dutiful as ever, tried to restore order, but with so many people involved and limited manpower, it took a while before they made any progress.

The shouts of the Lin father and son grew weaker. Left with no choice, the police fired a warning shot into the air, finally quelling the chaos.

By then, the Lin duo looked utterly disheveled, barely conscious, their earlier defiance completely gone.

Given the scale of the riot, the police only conducted a brief inquiry before hauling off the equally foul-smelling father and son. Once inside the police car, Lin Tianba erupted again.

"We’re the victims here! Why are you taking us away?"

One officer gave him a disdainful look. "You instigated this riot, so naturally, you’re coming with us for questioning. But out of humanitarian concern, we’ll take you to the hospital first."

Lin Tianba: "What law did I break? This isn’t fair!"

"First, organizing a large gathering without filing with the authorities is already illegal. We’ll discuss the rest back at the station."

Lin Tianba: ??? "Since when is that a thing?"

Sure, he hadn’t filed the paperwork, but wasn’t this just common practice? This city had countless meetings and team-building events every day—why weren’t those people arrested?

Biting back his anger—since arguing with government officials was futile—Lin Tianba stayed silent. The officer guarding him sighed repeatedly, almost disappointed that he didn’t resist.

Lin Tianba wasn’t stupid. Failing to file paperwork might cost him a fine, but resisting arrest would mean assaulting an officer.

What really troubled him now was that damn garbage transfer station.

How did a perfectly good school suddenly turn into a waste disposal site?

Hadn’t all the previous reports confirmed otherwise?

If the school really became a garbage station, Suran Group’s investment would be a total loss—no, worse than a loss. It’d be financial ruin.

If the properties couldn’t be sold, funds wouldn’t be recouped. Add in all the bank loans, and the entire group could collapse under the debt.

So, refunding the houses was out of the question. With their current cash flow, they could still barely stay afloat. But if refunds happened, the company would face bankruptcy liquidation.

And if that happened, the Lin Garden Residences wouldn’t sell at market price—they’d be auctioned off at a fraction of the value. The proceeds wouldn’t even cover the bank loans, let alone leave anything for shareholders.

As the majority shareholder with 51%, Lin Tianba stood to lose the most.

Add his personal debts—to the bank, to "Brother Dao," and then the company’s liabilities—oh god.

Lin Tianba didn’t dare think further.

One moment, he was a billionaire; the next, a man drowning in billions of debt.

All because of this one incident. A single misstep, and everything unraveled.

"Dad! What do we do now?"

Lin Tianba couldn’t bear to tell his son the truth. Forcing a smile, he said, "Don’t worry. I’ll handle it."

No refunds—that was the bottom line.

Lin Jian wrinkled his nose at his own stench, inwardly disgusted with his father but still putting on an obedient smile.

"I believe you’ll fix this, Dad."

Secretly, though, he was already plotting his exit strategy. But in this mess, what could he even do?

As the police car drove through the streets, Lin Tianba caught sight of a row of glaring billboards.

Meanwhile, while Lin Tianba was being taken to the station, Lin Ran received the news.

In the office of "Warmyao Media," Shen Jingbing grinned foolishly as he reported to Lin Ran.

"Shen Jingbing, excellent work. I knew you weren’t just some ordinary valet. Consider this my formal invitation to join my team."

Shen Jingbing: "Thank you, boss! From today onward, I’m yours. Just say the word, and I’ll walk through fire for you!"

Lin Ran’s face darkened. "That won’t be necessary. Just do your job and collect your salary."

He then pulled out a stack of cash from the safe and handed it over. "Your reward."

"You’re my savior! I have an idea, Father—" Shen Jingbing took the money and immediately dropped to his knees.

Lin Ran shoved Wu Zhishang forward. "Uh, I’ve got to go. If you want to pledge loyalty, he’s your guy. You two are cut from the same cloth—both a little… you know."

Soon, news spread like wildfire across Capital University. Everyone knew about the Lin family’s real estate collapse, and Lin Jian had taken leave due to his injuries.

The hospital stay was one thing, but the bigger reason was shame. He couldn’t face campus life now, not when he’d be the center of gossip. He refused to live like Lin Ran had in the past.

Unfortunately, Lin Jian had been too high-profile lately. Every move he made drew attention, which was why Suran Group’s crisis became instant campus news.

Liu Ruxue heard about it too. Her father dragged her to the hospital to visit Lin Tianba and Lin Jian.

The entire Liu family was now doubting Lin Tianba, terrified that the money they’d lent him might never be seen again.

In the hospital room, Lin Tianba and Lin Jian lay weakly on their beds, with Liu Yuemei keeping watch.

The door swung open as Liu Ritian entered, followed by the elder Lius and Liu Ruxue.

"Oh, dear brother-in-law! What happened to you two?"

Liu Ruxue’s parents, however, looked at Lin Tianba with open disdain—a sight that would have been unthinkable in the past. But times had changed.

Lin Tianba sighed. "It’s all because of that little bastard Lin Ran!"

"Ever since he left the Lin family, nothing’s gone right for me. First, a prime school district turns into a garbage dump, and now I’ve been fined at the station."

Liu Ruxue’s mother frowned. "It’s really a garbage station?"

Lin Tianba nodded grimly. "As much as I hate to admit it, yes. I sent someone to check. The billboards and construction signs are already up, boasting about building ‘Capital City’s most applauded waste facility.’ Ridiculous."