I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

"What? A joint review?"

The heavily made-up woman named Wang Dahua's smile froze instantly.

She thought that Jiang Chen would obediently give her the money after she filled out the form, but she never expected that there would be such a "public execution" waiting for her!

"That's right." Jiang Chen said matter-of-factly, "Such a large sum of money should be open and transparent, with all the elders present supervising and judging it together. That's the only fair way."

He didn't give Wang Dahua a chance to back out at all, and started reading the application form aloud.

Borrower: Wang Dahua. Loan amount: 150,000 yuan. Purpose of loan: For husband's business operations.

"Yes, very good."

Jiang Chen nodded, then changed the subject.

"But Auntie, why is the 'Business Details' section blank? We need to know what kind of business your husband runs, where he does it, and what his name is, right?"

Wang Dahua's expression instantly became somewhat unnatural.

"He...he just partnered with a friend to do some...small business."

"Oh? Small business?" Jiang Chen's eyes...

"I heard that your husband recently invested over 100,000 yuan in some online 'blockchain pig farming' scheme, only to have the platform disappear and he lost everything?"

"How...how did you know?!" Wang Dahua blurted out, then realized she had let something slip and quickly covered her mouth.

A suppressed chuckle suddenly filled the living room.

"Auntie, this is loan fraud." Jiang Chen shook his finger, his expression turning serious.

"What you call 'business turnover' is actually trying to use the money to fill the hole of gambling-related investments. If you put this in a bank, not only will you not be able to borrow a single penny, but you will also be permanently blacklisted."

He picked up another application form that had just been collected.

"Uncle, you borrowed 100,000 yuan, saying you wanted to 'invest' it, with an annualized return of up to 20%, and that the principal and interest were guaranteed?"

A man in a blue jacket, his face flushed, retorted stiffly, "What do you know! This is insider information from a group of investment gurus! Absolutely reliable!"

"Insider information?" Jiang Chen chuckled. He took out his phone, tapped the screen, and said, "Third Uncle, it seems your understanding of the Anti-Telecommunications and Internet Fraud Law isn't deep enough. What you're describing is a typical 'pig butchering scam.'"

"To prevent you from being scammed, I feel it is my duty to report this to the relevant authorities on your behalf."

Jiang Chen's finger made a gesture as if he was about to press the 110 dial button.

"Hello, is this a police officer? I want to report something..."

"No, no, no!"

The third uncle was terrified. He rushed forward, snatched his application form, and tore it to shreds!

"I won't lend it anymore! Fine, I won't lend it anymore!"

After saying that, he rushed out of the Jiang family compound without looking back, as if he were avoiding a plague.

With him taking the lead, the remaining people who had filled out the forms couldn't sit still any longer.

They discovered that in front of Jiang Chen, no lie or pretense could hide.

This young man is simply a monster!

He can not only see through your true intentions at a glance, but also smile and use the law and rules to corner you with no way out!

"And this aunt, your reason for wanting to lend your son 200,000 yuan to get married is perfectly legitimate, and I support you."

Jiang Chen picked up the last form and looked at a plump middle-aged woman with a smile.

"However, as you know, the cost of getting married is high nowadays. Investing 200,000 yuan is practically throwing money down the drain."

"To ensure the Jiang family's return on investment, I have a supplementary clause here."

Jiang Chen cleared his throat and said loudly, "This 200,000 yuan is my investment on behalf of the Jiang family in your family's lineage. In return, your future grandchildren must take the surname Jiang after they are born. Do you think that's reasonable?"

"You... what kind of nonsense are you spouting!" Auntie jumped up from the stool in anger, pointing her finger at Jiang Chen's nose and cursing, "Why should my grandson have your surname, Jiang? What are you up to?!"

"Auntie, please don't get agitated." Jiang Chen shrugged, looking completely innocent.

"You were the one who came up with this ridiculous excuse to borrow money from me first. Why should I pay for your son's wedding?"

"Since you're trying to get something for nothing, how about I propose a small 'betting agreement'? That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"If you're not happy with that, that's fine too. Then we'll calculate it as a pure commercial loan, three times the benchmark bank loan interest rate, with a 30-year repayment contract, and monthly payments including principal and interest..."

"You...you..."

Auntie was speechless after Jiang Chen's outburst of "mad literature," and she was so angry that she was trembling all over.

In the courtyard, the "relatives" who had originally wanted to watch the excitement finally understood.

We're not going to get that money today.

Staying any longer will only bring shame upon ourselves.

In an instant, farewells arose everywhere, and everyone found excuses to scatter like birds and beasts.

In just a few minutes, the Jiang family compound, which had been packed with people, became completely empty.

All that remained were sunflower seed shells scattered all over the floor and a mess in the room.

Jiang Jianjun and Wang Xiuying looked at each other, at a loss for words.

However, just when everyone thought this farce was about to end.

A sleazy-looking young man wearing a T-shirt with a skull print sauntered out from the corner.

He plopped down on the sofa opposite Jiang Chen, crossed his legs, pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag.

"Jiang Chen, right?"

The young man squinted at Jiang Chen, looking like a thug.

"All those before were just me joking with you. Now, it's my turn."

Jiang Jianjun's expression changed, and he quickly stepped forward: "Jiang...Jiang Lai! What brings you here?"

This guy named Jiang Lai is a distant cousin of the Jiang family. He has been a bad boy since he was a child, stealing chickens and dogs, fighting and brawling. He is a notorious scoundrel in the village!

Jiang Lai completely ignored Jiang Jianjun, staring at Jiang Chen and exhaling a smoke ring.

"Enough talk. Five hundred thousand."

He held up five fingers.

"Give me 500,000. I lost some money in Macau a couple of days ago and I'm in a hurry to go back and win it back."

"If you don't pay..." Jiang Lai chuckled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "I won't leave. I'll eat at your house, live in your house, and leave whenever you pay me."

"How dare you!" Wang Xiuying was so angry that she picked up a broom and was about to hit someone.

Jiang Jianjun was also terrified. This guy was a real tough nut to crack. If he really started clinging to their family, they would never have a peaceful day again!

However, to everyone's surprise...

Jiang Chen's face showed no anger or tension whatsoever.

His eyes, on the contrary, suddenly lit up!

It was like Columbus discovering the New World, or Newton being hit on the head by an apple!

He looked at his utterly shameless cousin and it was as if he had seen some excellent, sparkling material!

"No, brother!"

Instead of chasing him away, Jiang Chen went up to him with great enthusiasm, grabbed Jiang Lai's hand, and looked excited.

"To turn things around! This is a major life event! How can we treat it casually?"

"Five hundred thousand, right? No problem! But, with such a huge amount, I think we have to make it a grand affair! We need to let all the people online witness your ambition!"

Jiang Lai was stunned by Jiang Chen's actions and stared at him blankly.

Jiang Chen quickly pulled out his phone, tapped the screen rapidly, and then pointed the camera at himself and Jiang Lai.

"Come on, bro, look at the camera and smile!"

Jiang Chen put one arm around Jiang Lai's shoulder and held his phone high in the other.

On the phone screen, the interface of Douyin Live was clearly displayed!

Jiang Chen changed the title of the live stream room at lightning speed to—

My brother is going to Macau to try and win back his losses, but he's short 500,000 yuan for travel expenses. He's crowdfunding via live stream, hoping to turn his luck around!

Jiang Chen flashed a bright, eight-tooth smile at the camera and shouted in a highly inflammatory tone:

"Family members! Don't miss out!"

"Today, let us witness together the birth of a king!"

"Please follow! Please like! Let's show our support for my cousin's trip to Macau!"