r18novel Page 471
Page 471
How come he has no memory of Monday at all?
Was he so tired on Sunday night that he slept for two days straight?
The shop owner returned to his shop and scratched his head, completely baffled.
After a while, a group of people arrived at the underground plaza in a lively manner. Some people were holding fireworks, some were holding banners, and others were carrying video cameras and microphones.
The shop owner was puzzled and walked to the shop entrance to see what was going on, only to find that the group of people had stopped in front of his shop.
"Oh my, this is the kind person who helps our neighborhood welfare home!" A neighborhood committee auntie went up and shook the owner's hand tightly, smiling and thanking him, "You are so kind-hearted. On behalf of the local street office and the welfare home, I thank you for your good deed."
"Huh?" The boss looked completely bewildered. "I...I didn't do anything, did I?"
"You're so modest!" the neighborhood committee auntie said with a smile. "You made such a big fuss yesterday, doing a good deed in such a high-profile way, we weren't prepared at all. Now that we've found you, we really have to thank you properly. Look, reporters from the TV station and the local newspaper are here too, they'll continue to report on your good deeds!"
While the boss was still in a daze, the neighborhood committee auntie had already hung a big red flower on him and then handed him a banner, while reporters around him kept taking pictures.
Although the boss was bewildered, he straightened his posture. Moreover, he was quick-witted and immediately realized that this was a good time to promote his shop, no matter what.
A reporter handed a large microphone to the boss: "Boss, I have a question for you. If you had one billion yuan, would you be willing to donate it all to welfare organizations?"
The boss smiled at the camera, maintaining a kind expression, and said, "I'm willing!"
"If you had ten million, would you be willing to donate it all?" the reporter asked again.
Chapter 548 A New Cup of Rice Porridge? (A reference only veteran anime fans will understand)
"Of course I'd love to!" the boss nodded immediately.
"It seems this boss is someone who would give everything for charity!" the reporter exclaimed with genuine admiration. "That's why he's willing to donate all of his savings of 800,000 yuan accumulated over the years!"
"what?"
The boss was stunned. When did I ever agree to take out 800,000?
If a reporter asked him if he would be willing to donate 800,000 yuan, he would absolutely not.
Because he really does have 800,000!
"Boss, can you tell us why you decided to donate to the local welfare home? What prompted you to donate 800,000 yuan?" the reporter asked the boss.
"A donation of 800,000 yuan to an orphanage?" The boss was completely dumbfounded, as if he had heard something bizarre. "Did I really do it?"
"Stop pretending, we remember what you did yesterday!" The neighborhood committee auntie pulled out a notarized statement. "Look, yesterday you brought people from the notary office to the welfare home, saying you wanted to donate money to the welfare home, to be paid within a month, and asked us all to witness it. You even had the notary office draft a notarized document, saying that if you changed your mind, you would donate an extra million!"
"what???"
The boss snatched the notarized statement from the neighborhood committee auntie. It did indeed state that he was willing to donate money, but if he didn't pay within a month, he would have to pay an extra million.
That signature was also his handwriting, and there were fingerprints from both of his thumbs...
"This, this, this... How is this possible? I, I didn't do this, I, it wasn't me!" The boss started stammering, at a loss for words, and then repeatedly denied it, "It wasn't me, I couldn't possibly donate 800,000, impossible! Would I be out of my mind to donate 800,000! You're crazy!"
Everyone was stunned by what the boss said.
Why did you suddenly change your mind?
We agreed on this yesterday, didn't we?
"Boss, I must remind you." The reporter, seemingly seeing news value, immediately adopted a serious expression. "Your donation was notarized at the notary office and has legal effect. If you go back on your word, that's fraudulent donation, and you'll be held legally responsible, plus you'll have to donate an extra million."
"I... but I didn't do it at all! How can you frame me like this!" the boss shouted.
The TV reporter was somewhat displeased: "Yesterday you went to the TV station to contact the reporter, then called the notary office, and then asked the neighbors to go to the welfare home together. These are all public matters. I even filmed it on news footage. It was broadcast on the local news last night. Now you can say that the entire city knows that you are going to donate money. Now you are going back on your word... isn't that too embarrassing?"
"Huh? This...this is impossible, absolutely impossible!" the boss exclaimed. "I...I was definitely sleeping at home yesterday!"
"You slept at home yesterday?" The reporter laughed angrily. "How long did you sleep? You slept in bed for a whole day and night without going out? Who can sleep that long?"
"I..." The boss took a deep breath and was speechless.
Another print reporter pointed to the cashier: "Don't you have a computer over there? Go online and open our local TV station's website, and watch the recorded broadcast of last night's news. Is that you?"
Upon hearing this, the boss immediately sat down at the computer, opened a webpage, and then witnessed a shocking scene…
That person was indeed him!
The boss on TV was all smiles, appearing cheerful, but to the boss now, that smile was so creepy, like the corrupted Hone-onna from "Hell Girl"...
The shop owner immediately felt a chill run down her spine. She glanced up unintentionally and noticed a Hell Girl Ichiban Kuji figure of Enma Ai staring at her from the shelf.
Xiao Ai was wearing a black sailor uniform, her eyes were empty, and her face was expressionless, as if she were looking at a... dead person!
The boss jumped up abruptly, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
As someone who sells anime figurines, he naturally knows the story of "Hell Girl".
Enma Ai is a messenger from hell. If grudges in the mortal world cannot be resolved, you can find Hell Girl Enma Ai on a communication website. Then, Ai will give you a scarecrow and use underworld methods to help you kill your enemy directly.
And the price you'll have to pay is that you'll go to hell after you die...
Therefore, Enma Ai can be said to be the embodiment of justice, a person full of positive energy!
At this moment, Xiao Ai, dressed in a black sailor uniform, stared blankly at the shop owner, as if uttering her classic line in a cold tone: "A new cup of rice pudding? (Want to die again?)"
"what!!!!!"
The shop owner ran over in a panic, knocked the Xiao Ai speaker off the shelf, and then retreated in terror, looking at the crowd surrounding him.
Reporters, neighborhood committee members, and staff from the welfare home all had no idea why the owner had inexplicably knocked a doll to the ground.
The older generation doesn't watch cartoons much, let alone 2D culture, so they don't know what Hell Girl is.
"That, that's not me! I, I'm possessed by a ghost!" The shopkeeper leaned against the counter. "I, I didn't donate any money! I won't donate a single penny!"
The elderly woman and the staff at the welfare home were stunned. They couldn't understand why the owner had changed so drastically in just one day. He had been perfectly fine yesterday, so kind and gentle.
Now it has become so repulsive.
And you promised to donate money, so why didn't you?
This has been notarized, and you'll be held legally responsible!
When TV and newspaper reporters saw that the boss was unwilling to donate money, they were not disappointed at all; on the contrary, their eyes lit up!
Big news!
This kind of reversal is newsworthy. Good deeds are worth publicizing, but nothing attracts as much attention as fraudulent donations.
Reporters from both locations immediately huddled together and began interviewing the owner: "Why? Why are you no longer donating?"
The boss stammered, "I...I don't know! I never agreed to that! I...I've been messed with by Hell Girl! Yes! I've been messed with by Hell Girl! Someone's messing with me! They want me to go to hell with them!"
"What Hell Girl?" The older women looked at each other, none of them knowing.
"Are you trying to pretend to be mentally unstable?" the TV reporter said. "But yesterday, to prove that you made the donation decision while you were in a clear-headed state, you went to a top-tier hospital for a mental health diagnosis. The diagnosis and medical records are public. Isn't it a bit too late for you to pretend to be mentally unstable now? Let me tell you, our TV station has video recordings."
The newspaper reporter then said, "You even sent us copies of your medical records, one for each of us, saying that you were mentally sound and that you weren't just having a momentary lapse of judgment; you genuinely wanted to donate!"
The boss opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
He did indeed have the idea of feigning mental instability, which was the only way he could think of to evade legal punishment in his desperation.
He knew that fraudulent donations were illegal, and he also knew that once he promised to donate, he had to do so; otherwise, if the other party filed a lawsuit, the court would enforce the donation, and he would have no way to escape it.
But now, his plan to feign mental illness has been cut off!
The other party was so meticulous in their scheme to cheat him that they made him go to a top-tier hospital for a check-up in advance.
Is this something a human could do? This must have been done by Hell Girl!
No one but Hell Girl could do that!
Looking at the Enma Ai figure, the shopkeeper suddenly thought of the handsome young man from a few days ago...
"Good luck, good luck to you, good luck brings joy and love, good luck to us all, may good luck bring prosperity and success to all corners of the world..."
Just then, the boss's cell phone rang, its pleasant ringtone echoing throughout the entire shop.
He reached out and touched the Sony Ericsson flip phone. He glanced at it and saw that it was an unfamiliar number, so he opened it to answer the call.
"...Hello, who is it?"
"If it's not money you earned honestly, just donate it properly and everything will be fine. If you don't donate... you'll have to bear the consequences. Also, be honest in your business dealings from now on."
After that, the phone was hung up.
But the boss recognized the voice; it was the boy from Saturday…
With a thud, the boss collapsed to the ground.
The shop assistant then pushed a suitcase into the store. He was surprised to see so many people and then saw the boss slumped on the ground. He didn't know what had happened.
"I understand. I will transfer the donation to the welfare home tomorrow." The boss stood up dejectedly at this moment.
He figured it out and accepted his fate.
Hell Girl is not someone humans can fight. That boy is so powerful; he must be one of Enma Ai's subordinates.
The boss knew that he had made so much money through deception, which probably offended some people. Since they couldn't find any evidence, those people contacted Hell Girl and asked Enma Ai to deal with him.
Based on his experience with anime and manga, the boss came up with a reasonable explanation: he knew he couldn't fight city hall.
"You can all leave now. Anyway, I'll send the check to the welfare home tomorrow, or you can leave your bank account number and I'll transfer the money over there in a bit. Also, I don't give interviews. All of you, leave! Don't get in my way of doing business!"
"Hey boss, why are you willing to donate again?" The reporters started to complain; it would be big news if they didn't donate!
"Say a few more words, boss?"
"..."
After the owner chased everyone away, the shop became deserted.
He knelt tremblingly on the ground, picked up the Enma Ai figure, and respectfully placed it back on the shelf.
The shop assistant was a little surprised to see this. It was just a figurine, why did they have to give such a big bow?
I never expected the boss's love for anime to be so captivating!
The boss bowed respectfully to Enma Ai, then prepared to find a suitable place to enshrine this messenger of hell, offering incense morning and evening, and fasting and worshipping her on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month...
Chapter 549 Returning to the Zhang Family
Although the boss had thought that making money illegally would eventually lead to being reported, he figured he could just start over by opening a new shop.