Chapter 1

The day my parents ran away with my sister, Lily, they handed me over to the debt collectors as collateral.

"This kid's got issues, always glued to books, talking nonsense like an idiot."

"If you can take her, fine. If not, just sell her for cash."

Lily's bright laughter floated from the hallway: "Mom, isn't Chloe coming with us?"

"No, sweetie. We're not taking her."

I'd heard that sentence countless times.

After Lily was born, everyone in the family revolved around her.

I ran over, wanting to see, but Mom pushed me away: "Don't touch your sister, your hands are dirty."

From then on, I was the extra one.

When the debt collector's big brother kicked open the door, he saw me squatting in the corner, reading a book on criminal law.

"Hey, your parents bolted. How do you plan to pay back the money?"

I closed my book: "Sir, I've analyzed your recordings of violent debt collection. Twelve points can be argued as civil disputes. Follow my plan, and you can avoid jail time."

He froze.

I broke down their three years of past cases one by one, writing out strategies to mitigate risks.

The man with the dragon tattoo finished reading, then cursed: "I've been a gang boss for 20 years, and today I just learned you can collect debts legally."