Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 96: Zhuang Bufan

Translator: StellarNovels Editor: StellarNovels

Ms. Chen was like a crowing rooster suddenly choked by the neck—her face turned bright red, but she couldn’t make a sound.

She realized she had just let something slip.

Although she had finalized the rent with Boss Zhang at 15,000 per month with a 10% annual increase, she had just told Zhen Ye before coming upstairs that the rent stated in her contract was 5,000 per month.

At this point, there was no way to claim a higher number, which made Ma Lu’s offer of 10,000 seem quite generous.

Ms. Chen snorted coldly, unwilling to reason with Ma Lu any further. She spotted the contract on the table and rushed over to tear it up.

The lease agreement was in two copies, and Ma Lu’s copy was already safely tucked into his backpack.

The remaining copy was Zhen Ye’s, and even if it were torn, it wouldn’t matter much—they could simply sign another.

But Ma Lu was standing right there and quickly snatched the contract away.

This move only fueled Ms. Chen’s anger.

Ma Lu raised the contract above his head, and after Ms. Chen’s two failed attempts to grab it, she resorted to attacking him directly.

She grabbed Ma Lu by the collar with one hand and raised the other, ready to scratch.

Ma Lu wasn’t about to back down; if she dared to scratch him, he would collapse on the spot and claim to feel unwell everywhere, insisting on a full medical checkup at the hospital, from sperm health to Helicobacter pylori.

But just as things were about to escalate, a booming voice thundered from outside the door!

“Hey, going for a fight, huh? You scratch him, and that’s at least five days of administrative detention! If it’s more serious, it could be intentional harm, and you’ll be looking at jail time. And forget about your kid passing any civil service exams!”

Ms. Chen hesitated, turning to see a sharply dressed young man in a suit, radiating righteousness, walking in.

“What are you staring at? Let go of my client!”

Ms. Chen reluctantly released her grip.

“I’m not your client,” Ma Lu said, “Your client is right next to you.”

The young man immediately shifted his focus, enthusiastically shaking hands with Zhen Ye.

“Ms. Zhen Ye, right? A pleasure to meet you, I’m your lawyer, Zhuang Bufan.”

Still a bit confused by the situation, Zhen Ye paused for a few seconds before asking, “How… did you get up here?”

“Oh, the door downstairs was open, so I just came up. Wasn’t it left open for me?

“Ah, but that doesn’t matter now. I’ve already been briefed on your situation by Ma Lu. Don’t worry, we live in a country governed by the rule of law. Ms. Zhen, you can fully protect your legal rights through litigation.”

Ms. Chen was about to say something, but Zhuang Bufan turned to her with a stern expression.

“My client, Ms. Zhen Ye, has reached the age of 18 and is a fully competent adult under civil law. She is also the rightful owner of this property. As an adult, Ms. Zhen has the full right to manage her property as she sees fit, and any lease agreement she signs is lawful and valid.”

Ms. Chen hadn’t expected Ma Lu to act so quickly. Not only had he signed the lease with Zhen Ye in her absence, but he had also hired a lawyer.

The moment a professional got involved, it was a different ballgame. Ms. Chen felt out of her depth. Although she muttered, “It’s just a lawyer; anyone can get one,” she was already considering backing down.

Still, she was reluctant to let go of the 10,000 yuan a month.

But Zhuang Bufan wasn’t finished yet. “Even though you were previously Ms. Zhen’s guardian, you had no authority to dispose of her assets, including her savings, real estate, and other properties.”

"Before Ms. Zhen turned 18, you were responsible for safeguarding her assets and protecting her property and personal rights. Your previous actions of withholding the rent have already harmed her property rights. I hope you will return this unjust enrichment as soon as possible, or we will see you in court."

Despite his scholarly appearance, Zhuang Bufan spoke with a firm tone.

"The previous tenant here was the owner of Wang Ji Copper Pot Hotpot. I found his contact on Meituan and obtained the original lease agreement you signed with him.

"The payments you made to Ms. Zhen each month can be clearly traced through bank records. Any lawyer you consult will likely give you the same advice—pay back the difference honestly.

"If this goes to court, you won’t have any chance of winning, and you’ll also have to pay additional legal fees." Zhuang Bufan adjusted his tie and continued calmly.

Ms. Chen's expression darkened. "What do you mean?! You’re asking me for money? This child lost her parents, and my husband and I have painstakingly raised her and helped rent out her property! So what if we kept some of the money? It’s our maintenance fee, yes, maintenance fee."

"You see, this is why I don’t like talking to people like you, who are ignorant of the law," Zhuang Bufan shrugged.

"Who are you calling ignorant?!" Ms. Chen was fuming.

"In that case, let me give you a little legal education."

Zhuang Bufan cleared his throat. "As a guardian, your duty to support Ms. Zhen and your infringement on her property rights are two separate matters.

"If we go to court, the judge will tell you the same thing. You’ll need to return the unjust gains first. If you have objections regarding the maintenance fee, you can file a lawsuit against my client and provide relevant evidence.

"But as far as I know, you and your husband have barely checked in on my client in the past five years. I highly doubt you have any evidence of support. Moreover..."

Zhuang Bufan paused before continuing, "After Ms. Zhen's parents passed away, they left behind more than just this building, correct? Their other assets, bank savings, and the car accident compensation… those were also handled by you.

"Given your shady behavior with the rent, it’s hard to believe you didn’t manipulate those accounts as well."

Ms. Chen’s face finally changed. She pulled a property deed and a floor plan out of her folder and threw them onto the couch.

"Hmph, you’ve got some nerve!"

She turned to leave, but found her path still blocked by Zhuang Bufan.

"Are you forgetting something?"

"What now?"

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

"As for... the inheritance... let’s just… forget it."

Suddenly, Zhen Ye spoke up.

Zhuang Bufan frowned but nodded in agreement. "Fine, we’ll let the inheritance slide, but you must repay the back rent. I’ve calculated it—it’s 480,000 yuan, not including interest.

"You’d better transfer the amount to my client’s account within ten days, or we’ll see you in court. And then, it won’t just be about the rent; the inheritance will be on the table, and we won’t let a single cent slide."

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