Everyone was talking, one accusation after another.

The villagers were full of anger.

Their words were harsh and malicious.

At this moment, they perfectly embodied the term "troublemakers."

Even the police officers felt overwhelmed by their unreasonable behavior.

The police had pieced together the general story.

But none of it was Zhong Jian She's fault.

It was like the saying: "One willing to strike, another willing to endure."

If they hadn't wanted to sell, no one could have forced them.

And let's be real—those houses and land plots in Jinzhong Village—if it weren't for the government extending the subway line to that area, or if Henda Group wasn't planning to develop the land,

no one would've offered even a million, let alone half a million!

Now, seeing that development is imminent and the land is about to skyrocket in value, they accuse Zhong Jian She of colluding with outsiders to scam them. They're directing all their anger at him.

Does that even make sense?

And if Zhong Jian She had really conspired with the other party or been bought off with a large sum, why would they even be able to find him now? Wouldn't he have taken the money and quietly disappeared?

"Uncles and brothers, I didn't conspire with anyone! Really, I didn't! I swear I never lied to you. If I lied, it was just about exaggerating my influence. Here's what happened: I was sitting at the village entrance when someone approached me. They asked if there were any houses or land for sale in Jinzhong Village. I said mine was for sale, but they replied they wanted to buy in bulk—to build a factory or something. They needed large-scale acquisition and said if they couldn't buy in bulk, they wouldn't bother...

"So, I came to ask everyone if you wanted to sell. You all immediately agreed and were so excited! You even kept pushing me to finalize the deal, asking me to hurry the buyers to proceed! When the buyers delayed for a few days, you were all so anxious, worried that they might back out and leave everyone disappointed. Have you forgotten all this?

"Please, can you be reasonable? Can you give me a way out? Honestly, can you really blame me? Did I ever force you? Fine, yes, each household gave me a 3,000-yuan thank-you fee. I'll return all of it to you—every last cent. I don't want a single penny anymore, okay?"

Shaking with fear and on the verge of tears, Zhong Jian She was visibly distraught.

He was devastated—absolutely devastated!

"Return 3,000 yuan? You think that solves everything? This isn't just about the 3,000 yuan anymore!"

"Zhong Jian She, didn't you say you didn't collude with the buyers? Fine. Then help us get our houses and land back!

"If you can get our properties back, the entire village will forgive you and owe you a great debt of gratitude!"

"In short, this all boils down to one thing: if it weren't for you, Zhong Jian She, we wouldn't have sold our land. No matter what, you need to either get our properties back or get the buyers to pay us an additional four million! Anything else you say is pointless!"

They showed no sympathy for Zhong Jian She.

The villagers remained relentless, their anger unabated.

This moment revealed the rawest side of human nature.

One million versus tens of millions.

That difference was enough to make them abandon any sense of fairness or logic.

In their minds, it all boiled down to one thing:

It was Zhong Jian She's fault!

"Can you all hear yourselves? You were the ones who willingly sold your land. Did Zhong Jian She ever force you? What logic are you using to blame him? Just because he asked if you wanted to sell? Is that a reason? Also, the party that bought your land and houses completed the acquisition through formal procedures and paid you fully. This was a fair, legal transaction. How can you now act so shamelessly?

"And as for demanding Zhong Jian She get your properties back—be honest with yourselves. Is that even possible? If you were in the buyers' shoes, would you return the properties at the original price in this situation?

"Bottom line: whether you go after Zhong Jian She or the buyers, you're being unreasonable and showing a lack of understanding of the law. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves!"

The lead police officer couldn't stand it anymore.

He raised his voice sternly.

Another officer chimed in:

"This is like Zhong Jian She selling his house today, then finding out the price has gone up tomorrow. Could he demand the buyer pay him the difference? Would the buyer agree? Villagers, you need to be reasonable!"

"And let's be clear: it's only because the government is extending the subway to the suburbs and Henda Group is developing the area that Jinzhong Village has increased in value. Without that, you know better than anyone what your village was worth. When the buyers offered a million, you weren't just happy—you thought they were idiots throwing money around!"

The officer's words silenced the villagers.

Indeed, back then, they had all thought the buyers were gullible fools with too much money.

But who could've predicted that, in less than half a month, Jinzhong Village's land value would skyrocket?

"Officer, it's been less than two weeks since we sold our properties—less than two weeks! Who could take this lying down?" the leading villager exclaimed.

"Whether you can accept it or not, you have to. This is just bad luck on your part, and there's no one else to blame! Now, disperse immediately. Stop making life difficult for Zhong Jian She, and don't disturb the other residents in this neighborhood!" the officer ordered.

"What? Are you siding with Zhong Jian She? Are you defending that scumbag who scammed us?" one young villager shouted.

"Are you seriously coming at us now? We don't even know who the buyers are, and you're accusing us of siding with them? We're just explaining the facts to you!" one officer snapped back angrily. "I'm warning you all: leave now. If you keep causing disturbances, don't blame us for taking you all to the station!"

Faced with this warning, the villagers finally backed down.

The village leader fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he turned to the group and said, "Everyone, go home for now. Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Seventh Grandpa, Sixth Brother, Wanzi, Xiaoshuai, and Lao Wu, stay behind. Let's have a proper talk with Jian She."

He then addressed the police.

"Officers, I'll have the rest leave. A few of us will stay to talk to Zhong Jian She. Is that okay?"

"As long as Zhong Jian She agrees, it's fine," the officer replied.

"Jian She, can we have a proper discussion?" the village leader asked.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhong Jian She nodded.

He had no choice—this situation wasn't going to let him rest otherwise.

"Officers, he agreed!" the village leader confirmed.

The police didn't say much more.

They looked at Zhong Jian She and said, "If anything happens, call us. The station is just a few hundred meters away!"

This was not only advice for Zhong Jian She but also a warning to the unreasonable villagers.

The police then addressed the remaining villagers:

"Leave immediately. If anyone calls us about disturbances again, you're all coming with us to the station!"

Under the officers' firm words and the village leader's signals, the crowd finally dispersed.

Once the police left, only the village representatives and Zhong Jian She's family remained.

"Jian She, things have come to this. Let's not waste words. Here's what we'll do: call the person who bought our land. Put it on speaker. Call them now!" the village leader demanded.

Taking a deep breath, Zhong Jian She realized he had no other choice.

He reluctantly nodded, pulled out his phone, and dialed Ye Chen's number.