Chapter 271 Guarantee (Two in One)

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, seven or eight men sat in a circle in a private room of a restaurant. It looked like just an ordinary cocktail party among middle-aged men.

There were a lot of exquisite food on the round table, and even a bottle of Blue Dream was opened, but few people started eating. Everyone was glancing at the person who didn't fit in among the crowd - a boy who looked like a middle school student.

He had a gentle face and looked harmless, as if he was just here with his father to eat and drink. But none of the adults present dared to look down on him, because this boy was the initiator of this cocktail party.

His words were neither sophisticated nor smooth, but he also did not have the arrogance of a troublemaker. A question mark appeared in everyone's mind.

To be honest, the scene before our eyes was beyond everyone's imagination.

The phone call they received just said that someone wanted to be the middleman to handle the debt problem between them and Zhu Shan. But before they came, no one thought that the other party would be an underage high school student.

The county town is really small, and there is no opaque information in the small circle. They knew the next day that someone was arrested for debt collection on New Year's Eve. It turned out that it was this high school student who did it. Now they all knew Li Zhuangsheng's background, and they were a little scared.

The two parties are not from the same circle, just like the gangsters and top students in a high school, they are naturally distinct and don't interfere with each other. Especially in society, gangsters are not allowed to be on the stage, even if they have only a little power, they can't easily offend them.

They thought that Li Minghua should be behind this, but he did not show up and only his underage son showed up. Was he looking down on them, or was there something else going on?
They naturally knew that Li Minghua would not want to be associated with them given his status, but this matter was easy to handle. They could just find a middleman, and it didn't have to be Li Zhuangsheng... Everyone was really curious and nervous.

"Everyone, you all should know why we invited you here this time." Li Zhuangsheng stood up and pointed at Zhu Shan who was sitting next to him. "You are all his creditors. I calculated that including principal and interest, he has 1.53 million... 1.23 million to pay back. But unfortunately, he doesn't have any assets now. Even if you strip him naked and sell all his organs, you still can't pay back your money."

One of them couldn't help but ask: "What does your father mean?"

"My father didn't mean anything. Today, it's all my personal opinion." Li Zhuangsheng took a deep breath and said calmly, "He has no money to pay you back. He even sold the house secretly a long time ago. So, he can't take out a penny..."

"So what you mean is that you don't have to pay it back. Is that what your father told you to say?" An impatient fat man couldn't help but shout.

"Please listen to what I have to say." Li Zhuangsheng remained calm. "If I didn't want to pay you back, I wouldn't have come to you today."

The person sitting next to him patted the impatient man on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down and listen to what Li Zhuangsheng had to say.

"What I mean is that it is impossible for him to pay back the money now. He has sold everything he could, and he has no money left. So I hope you can be tolerant for a while and wait for him to pay back the money in seven years. He will also pay you 50% more as interest for these seven years."

"Seven years, is it going to be that long?"

"Yeah, I waited for him for seven years, but I don't know where he went!"

"You are just trying to stall for time. How can he make so much money in seven years?"

"Seven years, right after he opened his mouth. That's really too much. Why should I believe him?"

"You'd better ask your father to come out, and we'll talk to your parents!"

Everyone was immediately in an uproar, expressing their dissatisfaction and finding it difficult to accept Li Zhuangsheng's proposal.

Li Zhuangsheng let them quarrel silently. Not long after, everyone gradually quieted down. Finally, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stared at Li Zhuangsheng and said, "We have received your suggestions, but I have a few questions that I hope you can answer. First, whose opinion do you represent? Can you represent your father? Second, seven years, is it too long? Third, how did Zhu Shan get so much money in seven years, let alone trying to make a comeback by gambling. Fourth, what if he still can't pay it back or disappears? Besides, I think 50% interest for seven years is a bit low."

The others nodded after hearing this, and this was also the doubt in their hearts.

"I am only representing myself. His daughter is my girlfriend, so I am involved in this matter. My father knows about it, but I asked him not to interfere because it is my personal matter and I want to solve it myself without causing too much trouble to others. Seven years is not a long time. After all, it takes time to make money. As for how he makes money, you don't have to worry about it. Anyway, he will definitely pay you back in the end. I can be his guarantor and write you a letter of guarantee. If you can't pay it back in the end, just come to me. I can't disappear. There is still 50% left, which is not less than 1 million yuan. Originally, this one million yuan included a lot of interest. You should know that when banks face people who really can't pay back their debts, they will discount the debt by 60% to 70% or even less. I didn't ask you to do this, did I?"

Before Li Zhuangsheng finished speaking, someone couldn't help but speak, but was stopped by the man with gold-rimmed glasses. After listening to Li Zhuangsheng silently, he frowned and said:
"Even if it's a guarantee, not just anyone can do it. Do you have any assets under your name? And you're still a minor, what's the point of your guarantee? When the time comes, your family will say that the child is ignorant, who can we turn to? Little classmate, to be honest, although you are young, you are responsible and accountable. I really admire you. You are much better than Zhu Shan, and much better than I was back then. But this matter is not something you, a minor, can decide. If you really want to guarantee Zhu Shan, you should let your father handle it. If it's not convenient for him to come forward, you can find a middleman. At that time, you can say 50% or 30%... Even without paying interest, it's not impossible to negotiate! Everyone is reasonable and knows that this is not a small amount of money. We are all civilized people and can talk it over!"

Although the man with gold-rimmed glasses affirmed Li Zhuangsheng, he still hinted from his words that he didn't think he could solve the current problem with a high school student.

"Putting aside my father's identity, do you think he would vouch for someone he doesn't even know? Why? Just because his high school son has a girlfriend?" Li Zhuangsheng asked back.

This really silenced everyone. Although they were hopeful, they all understood that Li Minghua would never take on such responsibility because of this relationship. Not to mention that they were just in love, even if the two sides really got married privately, Li Minghua would not look down on such in-laws. Even today's situation might be Li Zhuangsheng's own decision.

"Actually, think about it. You have no better way than to trust me. Even if you don't trust me, you have no other way to get money from him. He has no money. At most, you can force him to sell his kidney, and that won't make much money. It's better to trust me. At least you won't suffer any loss. If you trust me, I can write you a letter of guarantee now, and I can write you another one after you become an adult."

In today's society, many people will abide by simple social contracts even if they are inconsistent with the law. The legal effect of Li Zhuangsheng's guarantee is almost zero, but since he wrote it, he should abide by it, and even some grassroots law enforcement officers will subconsciously recognize it.

But Li Zhuangsheng was too young at the moment. Even if we put his age aside, he had neither a source of income nor assets to mortgage.

Li Zhuang knew before he was born that if he were ten years later, he might be able to handle this smoothly, but now he is just a high school student, without a job or assets, and the only thing he can rely on is a good father. "Apart from anything else, does your father allow you to do this? Don't let your father come to trouble us in a few days!" The fat man who started the trouble sneered.

"Of course I'm allowed to. This restaurant was recommended by my father, and he also gave me the money. Otherwise, how could I afford to treat you to such expensive food and drinks?" Li Zhuangsheng said as a matter of course. "Although I don't have any fixed assets under my name now, I am my father's only biological son, so this can also be considered an asset."

Everyone looked at each other, obviously hesitating and waiting for others to speak first.

"This is the biggest concession I'll make to you for my girlfriend. To be honest, this matter has nothing to do with me. If you are willing to trust me, you uncles can stay here. If you think my proposal is unreliable, you can leave now and continue to try to collect the debt from him later." Li Zhuangsheng pointed at Zhu Shan beside him, "But I have to make it clear in advance that killing someone means paying with your life, and injuring someone means going to jail. I don't want to trouble my dad for everything, but if it's for justice and to make my girlfriend happy, I can still persuade my dad. Oh, and don't harass my girlfriend when you're collecting the debt. Wang Rujun and the other three have already been in jail. You can ask them what they did wrong later."

"It's unheard of for a high school student to be a guarantor..." The man with gold-rimmed glasses smiled, poured himself a glass of wine, and toasted Li Zhuangsheng from a distance, "I have met Director Li once before, and it's true that a good father will have a good son. I believe you, seven years is seven years, I can wait!"

"Thank you, uncle." Li Zhuangsheng responded with the warm water in the cup.

"Are you really asking this student to guarantee you?" others were surprised.

"How about you skin Zhu Shan? If you skin him, you can get the money back?" The man with gold-rimmed glasses squinted his eyes.

Everyone had complicated expressions. The reality was that Zhu Shan's IOU had become a bad check and no matter how unwilling they were, they would not get it back.

"You are in love with a girl now, so naturally you are willing to be open-hearted to her...If you break up in the future, will you still be able to admit it?" the fat man asked loudly.

"Once you sign the guarantee, is there any room for regret?" Li Zhuangsheng smiled. "Besides, many of you should have seen my girlfriend. Can you bear to break up with such a perfect girlfriend?"

Everyone was still hesitant, but had begun to waver, and some even felt that this was a somewhat absurd proposal, but they could actually accept it.

The fat man hesitated for a long time, then slammed the table and said, "Damn it, I believe you too! Anyway, I've already thrown the money away! Let me make it clear first, if you guarantee that Zhu Shan can't pay you back in the future, you still have to pay it back! With your guarantee letter, even if your father becomes a high-ranking official, I will come to your house to ask for the money with confidence!"

"Of course, truth can travel the world. The monk can run away, but the temple cannot." Li Zhuangsheng smiled.

The fat man nodded, and immediately asked the waiter to bring paper and pen, and asked Zhu Shan and Li Zhuangsheng to rewrite the IOU and guarantee letter.

"What are you afraid of? Young Master Li has already signed a letter of guarantee. If he doesn't pay back the money, so many of us will come together to collect the debt... Will his family be able to save face? Officials are afraid of losing face, so they will definitely have to pay back something!" the fat man said to everyone.

"Zhu Shan owes me 180,000 yuan, I definitely can't give it up!" The man with gold-rimmed glasses looked at everyone coldly, "Those who don't want the money can leave now, and be careful not to be imprisoned with Wang Rujun in the future!"

Before they knew it, the man with gold-rimmed glasses and the fat man's facial expressions had been swapped.

Two people took the lead, and the rest became even more shaken. After much hesitation, they had no choice but to agree.

"Before I write the letter of guarantee, please give me a guarantee as well." Li Zhuangsheng held the paper and pen in his hand but did not start writing immediately.

"What guarantee do you want us to give you?"

"My plan is this. Seven years later, I will divide the debt into ten parts, including the principal and interest, and pay one part off every quarter. It will take three years and three quarters, and it will be paid off in about ten years. During this period, you have to guarantee us that... Uncle Zhu will work honestly in the future, not gamble again, and give his daughter two thousand yuan a month for living expenses. If he gambles outside or owes a penny in gambling debts, or fails to give money to his daughter in a month, then my guarantee will be invalidated immediately! Moreover, even if he has gambling debts during the repayment period, the repayment behavior can be stopped immediately."

Li Zhuangsheng is serious and solemn.

After these words were spoken, everyone, including Zhu Shan, stared at Li Zhuangsheng in surprise.

"How can we assure you that he is just a gambler and we can stop him?"

Some people immediately expressed dissatisfaction. It was already unpleasant to know that the debt would not be settled in one lump sum after seven years, not to mention guaranteeing Zhu Shan, a gambler. Although he had stopped gambling in the past two years because he had no money, who knew he wouldn't return to his old ways?
"That's your business. I know that he often gambles because of you guys... Or, if he gambles again, one hand will cost 200,000, and one foot will also cost 200,000." Li Zhuangsheng said, taking out two gold plates from his pocket and said coldly, "I think I can afford the money for the hands and feet."

"Is this gold?" exclaimed the man with gold-rimmed glasses.

"My grandfather gave this to my wife. He bought it after the financial crisis in 08. At that time, one gram was only over one hundred yuan. He said that gold is hard currency and is valuable at all times." Li Zhuangsheng casually threw it to the man with gold-rimmed glasses for inspection.

"It weighs four kilograms, so it must be worth at least five or six hundred thousand now, right?" People came forward to watch, touch it, and click their tongues.

"I can pay back about half of the debt now, but I don't want to, because I need ten years to observe whether he has changed and whether it is worth my help." Li Zhuangsheng glanced at Zhu Shan.

(End of this chapter)