Chapter 2103: Who Said That The Loss Couldn’t Be Recovered?
Chapter 2103: Who Said That The Loss Couldn’t Be Recovered?
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The mountain village returned to silence. Only the night wind and a few dog barks in the distance were heard.
The 12 assault helicopters slowly stopped rotating, and the searchlights went out one by one. However, the lights on the roof of a SWAT vehicle were still flashing. Red and blue lights alternated between the adobe houses, the hillside, and the desperate faces.
Zhou Jianguo stood in front of the adobe house, his face ashen. Behind him, a few SWAT team leaders were reporting in low voices.
"Reporting to Director Zhou. All 19 households in the village have been searched."
"The total amount of cash found... Twelve thousand four hundred and fifty-six yuan. Most of them were small change, and the largest amount was fifty yuan."
"In terms of bank accounts, Wang Cuihua only had a savings card with a balance of 3.2 yuan. The other villagers either didn’t have a card or their balance didn’t exceed 100."
"There were no valuable electrical appliances or furniture in the house. The most valuable thing was an old-fashioned color TV. It’s probably more than ten years old."
"We’ve searched the cellar, pigsty, and woodshed. Other than farming tools and junk, we didn’t find anything."
Zhou Jianguo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He turned around and walked towards Ye Feng. His steps were heavy.
"Mr. Ye." He spoke, his voice filled with exhaustion and helplessness. "I’m sorry to disappoint you."
Ye Feng was standing at the door of the adobe house, looking at the villagers who were handcuffed as a group. Zhang Youting stood beside him, and she was biting her lower lip tightly.
"Where’s the money?" Ye Feng asked.
"All gone." Zhou Jianguo shook his head. "According to the preliminary interrogation, the money that Wang Cuihua and the others swindled was split and spent on the same day. Liquor, food, gambling in the county, prostitution... In no more than three days, the money was spent."
He paused and added, "Lingyun Real Estate invested nearly ten million in donations this time. Adding in the donations from other companies and internet celebrities that they cheated previously, it’s conservatively estimated to be more than twenty million. But now... We can’t get the money back."
Zhang Youting’s body swayed.
She held onto the door frame of the adobe house, her fingers turning white from the force. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t make a sound.
Twenty million.
To Lingyun Real Estate, it wasn’t a big deal. But to her, it was a charity project that she personally promoted. It was her painstaking effort to give the "poor villagers" hope.
But now...
"I’m sorry, Brother Ye." Zhao Fulin also walked over and patted Ye Feng’s shoulder. "I didn’t expect this result. This bunch of bastards, they’re really..."
He couldn’t continue cursing.
Ye Feng did not speak.
He looked at Zhang Youting’s pale face, at the villagers who were escorted into the car by the special police, and at the particularly dilapidated mountain village.
"Director Zhou, Big Brother Zhao, thank you for your hard work."
"The people have been arrested, the matter has been settled. The outcome is not something you can control."
He smiled. There was no blame in his smile, only a faint sense of relief. "At least, now they can’t hurt anyone else. It’s worth it."
Zhou Jianguo looked at him with a complicated expression.
He had handled many cases and met many victims. Some were crying, some were unwilling to let go, and some wanted to swallow the criminals alive.
It was the first time he saw someone like Ye Feng who could say that it was "worth it" so calmly after losing close to ten million.
"Mr. Ye is magnanimous." Zhou Jianguo saluted solemnly. "We will do our best to push forward the subsequent judicial procedures. Wang Cuihua and the others will be prosecuted for fraud, kidnapping, and extortion. They will be sentenced to at least ten years."
"Thank you." Ye Feng nodded.
Zhao Fulin said a few more words to Ye Feng before leaving the village with Zhou Jianguo and the SWAT team.
The engine sounds and sirens gradually faded away.
The last batch of SWAT cars turned around the mountain bend, and their taillights disappeared at the end of the road.
The village was completely silent.
Only a dozen dilapidated adobe houses stood quietly under the setting sun, like a group of silent tombstones.
"President Ye..." Zhang Youting’s voice was very soft, so soft that it seemed like the sound would be blown away by the night wind at any moment.
"Hmm?" Ye Feng turned to look at her.
"Am I... Useless?" Zhang Youting lowered her head as tears fell to the ground. "Sister Xuan gave me the charity project, and I swore that I would do it well... But in the end, all the money was scammed from her, and she almost got hurt. You even had to come and save her personally..."
She looked up, her face full of tears. "Am I not worthy of being Sister Xuan’s secretary?"
Ye Feng looked at her for a long time.
Then, he reached out his hand and gently wiped away the tears on her face.
"Youting." His voice was very calm. "Do you know that there are two kinds of people in this world that are the most hateful?"
Zhang Youting looked at him blankly.
"The first type is those who take advantage of the kindness of others for their own benefit." Ye Feng said. "For example, Wang Cuihua and the others."
"The second type is those who are afraid of being cheated and who no longer want to be kind."
He paused and looked into Zhang Youting’s eyes. "You were cheated today. You’re sad, right?"
Zhang Youting nodded.
"If after you’re cheated this time and don’t trust anyone or do charity anymore, then you’ll become the second type of person." Ye Feng smiled. "Then do you think Wang Cuihua won or you won?"
Zhang Youting was stunned.
"There’s nothing wrong with being kind, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to do good." Ye Feng retracted his hand and turned to look at the dark village. "The ones who are wrong are those who use kindness."
"So, don’t cry. They should be the ones crying, not you."
Zhang Youting looked at Ye Feng’s back in a daze.
The setting sun cast a long shadow on him. His shoulders were broad, and his back straight, like a mountain that could block all the wind and rain.
She suddenly didn’t want to cry anymore.
"President Ye." She said softly. "Thank you."
Ye Feng did not turn around; he just waved his hand.
Then, he suddenly stopped.
Because at this moment, when he wanted to activate the deep treasure hunting navigation to try his luck, he accidentally found a treasure.
"Twenty-seven meters ahead, under the garbage dump. Target detected: Collected Works of Wang Wengong (Wang Anshi): Song Edition. Value: 68 million Dragon Country bills..."