Universe Infinite Canteen

Ms. Chen was like a crowing rooster whose neck had been suddenly grasped, her face swollen red with inability to make a sound.
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She realized she had just let something slip.

Although she had finally agreed on a rent of 15,000 with Director Zhang, increasing by 10% each year, she had just told Zhen Ye before entering the room that the contract she was given was for 5,000 a month.

At this point, she couldn't claim a higher amount without seeming ridiculous, making Ma Lu's 10,000 seem quite reasonable.

Ms. Chen snorted coldly, no longer intending to reason with Ma Lu, as she had seen the contract on the table and dashed over, intending to tear it up.

There were two copies of the lease contract, and Ma Lu had already put his own copy in his backpack.

The remaining one belonged to Zhen Ye, and it wouldn't have mattered much if it had been torn, as they could have just signed a new one.

However, Ma Lu was standing right there and snatched the contract away first.

This move not only grabbed the contract but also snatched away all of Ms. Chen's wrath.

Ma Lu raised the contract above his head, and after Ms. Chen jumped twice and failed to reach it, she turned to launch a personal attack on Ma Lu.

She grabbed the collar of his shirt with one hand and was about to scratch him with the other.

Ma Lu was not polite either; if she dared to scratch, he was ready to pretend to collapse, and then he would claim discomfort everywhere and go for a full medical checkup at the hospital, demanding both a sperm health check and a test for Helicobacter pylori.

But just at the critical moment, a commanding shout suddenly came from outside the door!

"Hey, you're getting physical, huh? One swipe of your claw, and you'll get at least five days of administrative detention, and if it gets serious, intentional harm will send you straight to prison, and your kid can forget about taking the civil service exam!"

Ms. Chen hesitated at his shout, turned her head, and saw a young man in a suit and leather shoes, with an air of integrity, walking in from outside.

"What are you looking at? Let go of my client!"

Ms. Chen reluctantly released her grip.

"I'm not your client," Ma Lu said, "Your client is right beside you."

The young man immediately turned away from them and enthusiastically shook hands with Zhen Ye.

"Miss Zhen Ye, I presume? Delighted to meet you, I'm your lawyer, Zhuang Bufan."

Zhen Ye was still a bit confused and paused for a few seconds before saying, "How did... you get up here?"

"Oh, the door downstairs was open, so I came straight in. Wasn't it left open especially for me?"

"Ah, but that's not important now. I've already roughly understood your situation from Ma Lu. Rest assured, we are a country with rule of law; Miss Zhen, you can fully protect your legal rights through litigation."

Seeing the situation, Ms. Chen wanted to say something, but Zhuang Bufan had already turned to her again, speaking with righteous indignation.

"My client, Miss Zhen, has reached the age of 18, is fully competent in civil conduct, and is the owner of this property. Miss Zhen is fully entitled to dispose of the property, and the lease she has signed with another party as a fully competent individual is also legally valid."

Ms. Chen hadn't expected Ma Lu to act so quickly, not only signing the contract with Zhen Ye while she was away but also finding a lawyer.

When a professional steps in, it really is different from an ordinary person. Ms. Chen felt somewhat overwhelmed, and although she said, "It's just a lawyer, nothing special," she had already begun to think about backing down.

Yet, she was somewhat reluctant to part with the ten thousand yuan every month.

Zhuang Bufan's words were not yet finished, "Although you used to be Miss Zhen's guardian, you had no authority to dispose of her assets, such as savings and real estate.

"Before Miss Zhen turned 18, you were supposed to safeguard her property, and you should have protected her property rights and personal rights. Your previous act of withholding the rent on your own has already caused damage to Miss Zhen's assets. I hope you can return the undue benefits as soon as possible, or we will see each other in court."

Zhuang Bufan looked gentle and refined, but his words were quite forceful.

"The previous tenant here was the owner of Wang Ji Copper Pot Shabu Meat. I found his number on Meituan and got the contract you initially signed from him.

"And the monthly payments you made to Miss Zhen can be clearly seen by checking the bank statements. This indisputable fact can be confirmed by any lawyer you might consult, and I believe they would all give you the same advice—to honestly make up the difference.

"Because in court, you won't have a chance of winning, and you will also have to bear an extra amount for legal costs," Zhuang Bufan adjusted his tie and continued methodically.

Ms. Chen's face changed drastically, "What do you mean?! You want me to pay out of pocket? The child's parents are gone. It was my husband and I who painstakingly raised her to this age and helped her rent out the house! What's wrong with deducting a little money? That's our maintenance fee, yes, the maintenance fee."

"You see, this is why I don't like talking law with a legal illiterate like you," Zhuang Bufan spread his hands.

"Who are you calling an old lady?!" Ms. Chen was furious.

"Since that's the case, I can only educate you a bit more on the law."

Zhuang Bufan cleared his throat, "As a guardian, your responsibility for Miss Zhen's upbringing and the infringement on Miss Zhen's property are two separate matters.

"In court, the judge would tell you the same thing, you need to first return the undue benefits you received, and then if you have any disagreements about the maintenance fee, you can sue my client and submit relevant evidence.

"But to my knowledge, you and your husband have almost ignored my client over these five years, and I highly doubt you have any such evidence. Moreover..."

Zhuang Bufan paused then continued, "After Miss Zhen's parents passed away, they left more than just this little building as an inheritance. Their other assets, savings, and the settlement from the car accident... should also have been managed by you.

"Given your dirty tricks with the rent, tsk tsk, it's really hard to believe that you haven't tampered with that part of the accounts."

Ms. Chen's face finally changed color, and she pulled out a property deed and a floor plan from her file bag, tossing them onto the sofa.

"Hmph, you're ruthless!"

However, as she turned to leave, she found the door still blocked by Zhuang Bufan.

"Did you forget something?"

"What else?"

"The rent difference for the past five years, and the embezzled inheritance."

"The inheritance... let's just... forget it," Ms. Chen hesitantly said.

Zhen Ye suddenly spoke up.

Zhuang Bufan frowned, but he followed along with what Zhen Ye said, "Fine, we'll concede on the inheritance, but the rent must be returned. I've calculated it already—it totals to four hundred and eighty thousand yuan, and that's without interest.

"You'd better transfer it to my client's account within ten days, or we'll see you in court. By then, it won't be just this amount of rent anymore, but also the inheritance money, not a penny less."