Published at 26th of October 2026 3:34 pm

Chapter 4158: Reverse Maneuver

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

"Really, and this kind of thing has happened many times across the country." Feng Lei said:

"But, you know, it’s not very likely we’ll encounter something so extreme, but I think he’ll definitely find a way to deduct your deposit."

Xu Ying looked around the room.

When she lived here, she was very careful, and the attached furniture wasn’t damaged; the only issue was with that floorboard, and she didn’t know what had happened to it.

The deposit for the apartment was 3500.

If it got deducted, it would be quite a considerable expense.

"There’s nothing broken at home, it’s the same as when I moved in, it shouldn’t be like this, right?"

"They’ll find an excuse, for example, this floorboard, they’ll say you did it, and for other places, they’ll find some minor issues to deduct your deposit."

Having just graduated not long ago, Xu Ying’s social experience wasn’t very deep.

In her view, today was just a simple matter of returning the house, without much complication, and she didn’t expect there to be so many intricacies involved.

"What should I do now..."

"Don’t worry, with me here, you don’t have to be afraid, he can’t rip you off."

Feng Lei was very confident, even somewhat proud.

He felt that he had become Xu Ying’s support, bringing their relationship closer at once, even straightening his back because of it.

"Well, thank you then."

Although she didn’t like Feng Lei, since he could help, she still had to express her gratitude, and treating him to a meal afterwards would suffice.

At this moment, Lin Yi appeared at the door, and both of them turned to look.

"You’re here to move out, right?"

Seeing Lin Yi, Xu Ying suddenly put down her phone, her eyes lighting up.

Isn’t this guy too handsome?

"Yes, I’m vacating the place." Xu Ying stood up and said.

Although Lin Jiang was very handsome, she feared being scammed, so she was very cautious, even a bit guarded.

"I’ll first do an inspection, and if there are no issues, I’ll sign the move-out paperwork for you."

"Okay."

Lin Yi looked around the room and then went to the bathroom.

It must be said, a house lived in by a girl is indeed different from one lived in by a boy; not only was there no damage, but it was even tidied up well.

Just as Lin Yi was about to sign off on the move-out, he suddenly noticed a bulge on the floorboard.

The outer layer of the board had already fallen off, exposing the material underneath.

"This part is damaged."

"The damage to the floor should have been left by the previous tenant. Little Ying is a very careful person, so she couldn’t have done this to the floor," Feng Lei spoke up.

"Whether she did it is still unclear. There should be photos taken when the rental began, stored in the computer. Why don’t you come over and we can verify it together."

Seeing Lin Yi said this, the two didn’t say much else and followed him to 809.

Lin Yi turned on the computer, found the information for apartment 2001, and opened the pictures left from the time of moving in.

"Look here, when you moved in, the floor was fine," Lin Yi said, pointing to the computer.

Xu Ying looked at the computer, then checked the photos on her phone.

Although she couldn’t remember how it happened, the evidence was right there, so it definitely was her doing. Even if they wanted to deduct money, she couldn’t find fault with it.

"So what do you say should be done now?"

Xu Ying had already prepared herself; as long as it wasn’t too ridiculous, she could accept it.

Faced with the situation, Lin Yi wasn’t quite sure how to handle it, since this was his first time as a landlord.

But looking at the floor quality, it shouldn’t be worth much.

"Give 200 yuan, it’s not a big deal, no need to fuss over it."

After hearing it was only 200 yuan, Xu Ying let out a heavy sigh of relief; she thought it was a very reasonable price.

Just then, Feng Lei spoke up, saying:

"Isn’t that a bit too much? It’s just a little damage and you’re asking for 200? Do you think our money grows on trees?"

Lin Yi was taken aback. Although he didn’t know the market, 200 yuan wasn’t a lot. Why was this guy still complaining as if he was being cheated?

"Alright Feng Lei, stop talking. 200 yuan isn’t much and I did damage it, so compensating is only right," Xu Ying persuaded.

"The issue is that he’s asking for a bit too much. It’s just a small damage; 100 yuan should be enough. Asking for 200 is pure exploitation."

After saying that, Feng Lei looked at Lin Yi, "I’m telling you, we’ll only give you 100, or we’ll call the police to handle this."

"Then call the police."

Feng Lei was taken aback, he intended to spook Lin Yi with such words so Lin Yi wouldn’t dare shortchange Xu Ying, but surprisingly, Lin Yi actually agreed to have the police called.

"Do you really think I won’t call the police? I won’t let people like you succeed."

Lin Yi was quite speechless, "Then hurry up and call the police, I’m just waiting here, whatever amount they say I should receive, I’ll accept."

The two walked out of 809, and Xu Ying said:

"How about we just let it go? It’s just an extra 100 yuan, no need to involve the police."

"His attitude is just too arrogant, I even gave him a chance, but he kept confronting us. If we don’t let the police teach him a lesson, even more people might fall for this in the future, so we definitely can’t back down," said Feng Lei:

"Moreover, I’m telling you, the damaged area isn’t large, and the country seems to have a clear regulation, some damage during rental is normal and doesn’t require compensation. Us being willing to offer 100 yuan is already very generous, but he didn’t cherish the opportunity, so we have to rely on legal means to resolve the issue."

Xu Ying didn’t want to complicate matters, but thinking it over, Feng Lei’s words made some sense, leaving her unsure of what to do.

"Just wait here, I’ll deal with this for you."

"Okay."

Feng Lei called the police, and soon they arrived.

The incident wasn’t complicated, but they couldn’t make a decisive assessment of compensation, so they had no choice but to bring in the property management, then return to the scene.

From his demeanor, it was clear that Cao Xiaohui was quite professional in handling such situations, saying:

"The damaged area, though not large, is at the junction of two floorboards, and the adjoining third board is also damaged, so in total, three boards are affected."

"The wholesale price of the floorboards is 48 yuan each, the cost for three boards is 148 yuan, but floor repairs are quite cumbersome and labor costs are high. Without 500 yuan, no one would even take on this job, so even if we don’t charge extra fees, compensation of 648 yuan is needed."

Upon hearing this, Feng Lei was dumbfounded, and Xu Ying was also a bit stunned.

Initially, it was 200 yuan compensation, but now with the police involved, it ended up even more?

What kind of reverse situation is this?

Share