America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

Jessica then joined the fray.

She stood in the doorway, wearing only a thin nightgown.

Clutching the raw stone necklace Chen An had given her the night before, her voice was shrill and hysterical.

"I knew it! I knew you were a liar!"

Jessica yelled, "You said that the $10,000 debt wouldn't have to be repaid! Now you're going back on your word?"

"Are you planning to sell me and Mom to pay off our debts?!"

"I want to go back to Seattle! I've had enough of this awful place, it's like an icebox!"

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Chen An was like a wild beast cornered in a corner. "Leave now if you want! Don't bother me here!"

"Bang!"

He slammed the spare phone he used for acting onto the ground, smashing it to pieces.

………………

A few kilometers away.

Inside a disguised communications vehicle.

The man in sunglasses who had appeared at the dock was now wearing listening headphones, a contemptuous smirk playing on his lips.

"Did you hear that, boss?"

He told the car radio, "This kid can't take it anymore."

"It seems that the Hongyan Company case has too many implications, and the bank's risk control department has frozen his working capital."

"Right now, he's a penniless man with a mountain of treasures but no money to buy a shovel."

"Can't even afford gas? Hah."

A hoarse voice came from the other end of the radio, "Very good."

"That Robert guy is nothing special; it seems his connections in Washington couldn't keep the money flowing."

"Notify 'Hyena' that there's no need for any major actions. Just give him the final straw."

"What do you mean?"

"Find someone to cut off his access road to the mountains. Or... create some kind of 'accident' for his workers."

"Force that bald security guard team to go on strike. Once no one is doing the work for him, let's see how he'll keep the mine going."

"clear."

………………

Back at the farm owner's house.

The moment the door closed, all the arguing stopped abruptly.

Chen An picked up the broken pieces of the phone from the ground and threw them into the trash can.

Then he lay comfortably on the sofa, his face no longer showing any anxiety.

"Phew...acting is so tiring."

Sarah wiped the eye drops from the corner of her eye and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"An, did I overact just now? My throat hurts from crying."

"Perfect timing. Especially the line 'gas station payment not paid,' it was a stroke of genius."

Chen An gave a thumbs up.

"This will make those self-righteous capitalists think that we are really out of ammunition and supplies."

Jessica also came over from the doorway, still wearing the pajamas she wore during the filming.

I got so caught up in my rant that I can't quite stop now; my cheeks are all flushed.

"And what about me? You weren't angry when I called you a 'liar' just now, were you?" Jessica asked somewhat guiltily.

"Angry? I almost burst out laughing."

Chen An pulled her into his arms and made her sit on his lap.

"Especially when you said you wanted to go back to Seattle."

"I don't think you'll ever be able to go back in this lifetime, unless I kidnap you and take you back."

Jessica gave a soft snort, then wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Is this... an appearance fee?"

"Sure. I'll give you an extra chicken leg tonight."

The family laughed together in front of the fireplace.

This thrill of "deceiving the whole world" brought them even closer together.

………………

However, the best was yet to come.

3 PM.

Chen An was in the basement reviewing Dr. Evans' progress report on the "physical lithium extraction pool".

Tie Tou called.

"Boss! We caught a mouse!"

Ironhead's voice sounded excited, accompanied by the whistling wind, "Near Salt Lake No. 3."

"That bastard was wearing a white camouflage suit and lying in a snowdrift trying to throw sand into our pump's oil tank! Zeus caught his scent!"

"How is he?" Chen An asked.

"I got beaten up by my brothers and lost two teeth, but I can still talk."

"What should we do with it? Bury it?"

"Don't bury it. Bring it to the barn."

Chen An closed the file, his eyes turning cold. "Remember, don't kill him."

"This kind of delivered messenger is more useful than a bugging device."

………………

Ten minutes later.

The big red barn.

A man, bound hand and foot and with a bruised and swollen face, was thrown onto a haystack.

He was wearing professional polar camouflage clothing, and judging from his equipment, he was indeed a trained mercenary, probably a professional.

But in front of a dozen thugs in suits and a giant Caucasian Shepherd Dog, he was nothing more than a pitiful hamster.

Chen An sat in the chair, toying with the hunting knife in his hand.

"Who sent you?"

The man spat out a mouthful of blood, then defiantly turned his head away:

"No comment. Either kill me or call the police."

"Call the police? This is private property."

Chen An stood up, walked up to him, and gently sliced ​​the tip of the knife across his carotid artery.

"If I cut you into pieces and fed you to the dogs right here."

"Then I'll say you trespassed and were bitten to death by a dog, and the forensic doctor will support my version of events. Do you believe me?"

The man shuddered.

He looked at Zeus, who was staring at him and drooling, and his mental defenses began to crumble.

"However... I won't kill you."

Chen An sheathed his knife, squatted down, and took out a wad of US dollars from his pocket.

There was about two thousand yuan, which was stuffed into the man's collar.

"I will not only spare your life, but I will also pay for your medical expenses."

The man was stunned: "What...do you mean?"

"Go back and tell your boss."

Chen An's voice was very low, carrying a sense of despair and greed, as if he had "no other way out".

"I was just saying... Chen An was about to collapse."

"His workers are on strike because they haven't been paid, and Ironhead's security team is down to half its original size."

"If they're willing to pay... fifty million US dollars."

"I'll sell the mine to them if they want cash."

"Fifty million?" The man's eyes widened.

This is much lower than the 300 million offered by the previous mysterious buyer.

"Yes. Because I urgently needed the money to escape. If I had waited a few more days, the bank would have liquidated my account."

Chen An patted the man's face. "Remember, act convincingly."

"Just say you risked your life to escape and brought back this message with great difficulty."

"If this deal goes through, your boss will definitely reward you."

"As long as you can get the money, you can live a carefree life wherever you go."

This is a complex scheme.

The perpetrators used wiretapping to create the illusion of a "broken funding chain" and then used this captive to convey the intention to "sell at a low price."

This would make those greedy capitalists think that they have driven Chen An to the brink of disaster.

At this point, they will not only stop causing trouble, but will also rush to raise money to make the deal, fearing that someone else will snatch this "cheap piece of meat".

"Get lost."

Tie Tou untied the rope and kicked the man.

"Run faster! If you're not out of the farm in ten minutes, I'm unleashing the dogs!"

The man felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled away, disappearing into the snow.

………………

Watching the man's departing figure, Tie Tou asked, somewhat puzzled:

"Boss, why did you say fifty million? What if they really come?"

"You've come at the perfect time."

Chen An stood up and looked at the setting sun in the distance.

"Hasn't TerraPower's network of connections in Washington been holding up our environmental permits?"

"If I could also catch them illegally intruding, or even attempting to launder money through shell companies for acquisitions..."

"That would be the best New Year's gift for the FBI."

"and……"

Chen An glanced back at Tie Tou and smiled.

"You think I'd only ask for fifty million?"

"Once they enter the courtyard with cash or checks, they won't be able to set the price themselves."

This is a classic case of "closing the door to beat the dog".