Gambling, prostitution, and drugs—touch even one of them, and at best you ruin your reputation, at worst you tear your family apart and lose everything.
Xu Lang had once sworn that in this lifetime he would never coexist with gambling and drugs!
If not for the fact that Li Jianwen had raised Li Sisi, he wouldn't even deign to glance at such scum, let alone rack his brains to help the man turn over a new leaf.
"My good son-in-law, which gambling den are we heading to? Should I lead the way?"
Li Jianwen had accumulated quite a few debts outside and was worried that the place Xu Lang took him to might have his creditors lying in wait, so he took the initiative to guide him to a shady parlor he rarely frequented.
"Old Wen, here to hand out free money to everyone again today?" a card player couldn't help teasing.
Li Jianwen glared at the man. "Dead frog, if you don't know how to speak, keep your trap shut. Your old man is here to sweep the board today."
With that, he shot a look at Xu Lang, signaling for money.
Without refusing, Xu Lang pulled one hundred thousand straight from his bag and handed it to him!
Delighted, Li Jianwen took the cash and headed straight for the gaming table, where the surrounding people, seeing him flash such deep pockets, proactively cleared a space for him.
Whether it was sheer bad luck or something else, in less than half an hour, Li Jianwen had lost every single cent of that one hundred thousand.
Unfazed, Xu Lang handed him another hundred thousand.
"My good son-in-law, I swear I'll win it back with interest," Li Jianwen vowed.
Xu Lang leaned in close to his ear. "Uncle, would you like me to teach you a few tricks? I guarantee you'll win."
Li Jianwen was startled and asked in a low voice, "Son-in-law, are you skilled in sleight of hand?"
Xu Lang chuckled. "It's not sleight of hand. It's called the art of gambling."
"Right, right, right! The art of gambling!" Li Jianwen was overwhelmed with excitement, before his worry flared up again. "Is it reliable? Won't people catch on?"
With absolute confidence, Xu Lang said, "Even the anti-gambling experts in the casinos of the Beautiful Country can't see through my techniques. Do you think anyone here has that kind of capability?"
Reassured, Li Jianwen agreed on the spot.
And so, Xu Lang followed Li Jianwen back to the gaming table.
"Son-in-law, what should I bet on?" Li Jianwen asked expectantly.
Instead of answering directly, Xu Lang muttered a few words in Li Jianwen's ear. Instantly regaining his backbone, the older man pulled out twenty thousand and placed it on the player's hand.
"Banker eight, player nine, player wins!"
He won!
Li Jianwen beamed from ear to ear, repeatedly proclaiming Xu Lang to be a divine being. On the next round, following the tip Xu Lang had given him, he bet on the banker.
He won again!
Over the next few rounds, not only did he win back the hundred thousand he had previously lost, but after deducting the house cut, Li Jianwen walked away with tens of thousands in extra profit!
Ignoring the wretch, Xu Lang went off by himself to smoke a cigarette.
To a true gambler, winning or losing money comes second; what they crave is the thrilling process itself.
Once Xu Lang taught Li Jianwen some cheating techniques, from then on he could win or lose in the casino whenever he pleased. Without that raw sense of excitement, sooner or later he would lose his obsession with gambling altogether.
......
East District, E Mansion.
The only reason Li Sisi had come to this nightclub was because she was being threatened.
Sitting across from her was a silver-haired young man, impeccably dressed and enjoying a bowl of noodles with great relish.
"Brother Yao!"
Wang Yong stepped forward cautiously. "I couldn't find Li Jianwen, but I brought his daughter back instead!"
Without raising his head, He Wenyao said, "Put her to work. She leaves only when she's paid off every last cent."
"I didn't borrow that money! What right do you have to make me pay?" Li Sisi argued defiantly.
"Slap!"
A sharp, crisp sound rang out as a distinct, five-fingered red mark appeared across Li Sisi's face. Wang Yong barked harshly, "Keep running your mouth and see if I don't break your legs!"
Though terrified, Li Sisi mustered her courage and stated her position: "I didn't borrow this money, and I refuse to accept this debt!"
"Oh ho, the little miss still has some fight in her, does she?" Wang Yong pulled a dagger from his clothes and waved it back and forth in front of Li Sisi. "I wonder what happens if I carve a few patterns into your face!"
Li Sisi's pupils constricted, and she panicked. "Don't you dare pull any stunts, or I'll call the police!"
"Hahaha, you think you can scare me?"
"Ah-yong, stand down!"
Before Wang Yong could continue his intimidation, He Wenyao, having finished his noodles, suddenly gave the order, his gaze locked fixedly on Li Sisi the entire time.
Beautiful. Truly, stunningly beautiful.
In He Wenyao's eyes, the women he had played with in the past were no different from common street trash compared to Li Sisi.
"Brother Yao, you..."
"Slap!"
He Wenyao struck Wang Yong across the face. "Who told you to lay a hand on her?"
Wishing the ground would swallow him up, Wang Yong lowered his head in silence.
A smile immediately returning to his face, He Wenyao approached Li Sisi and reached out to touch her cheek, but Li Sisi hastily shrank back to avoid his touch.
"Don't be afraid, miss, I mean no harm!" He Wenyao put on a gentlemanly facade.
Suddenly, Li Sisi found the young man before her terrifying—moody and utterly unhinged, like a complete psycho.
"My subordinate doesn't know any better. On his behalf, I apologize to you." He Wenyao's smile never faded. "Sit down. Can I buy you a drink?"
Li Sisi shook her head in refusal, maintaining her guard at all times.
Unfazed, He Wenyao smiled. "Miss, I'm a legitimate businessman. If you aren't willing to pay back Li Jianwen's debt, that's fine too. Your family's house might be a dump, but the land it sits on is still worth a pretty penny!"
The implied threat was crystal clear: if Li Sisi refused to acknowledge the debt, He Wenyao would target her home.
Li Sisi said in a deep voice, "I can pay back the money my dad owes you, but you need to give me some time."
"No way!" He Wenyao refused flatly. "The deadline I gave Li Jianwen has already passed. However..."
Mid-sentence, He Wenyao leaned back against the sofa and crossed his legs. "If you're willing to be my girlfriend, we'll be family from now on, and I can take care of all your father's troubles."
"In your dreams!" Li Sisi rejected him outright.
"Then you can either pay the money right now, or I'll have a bulldozer flatten your house this very minute!"
He Wenyao had absolute confidence; no woman he had set his sights on had ever managed to escape, and he believed the one before him would be no exception.
Clenching her teeth, Li Sisi took out her phone.
Wang Yong made to step forward and stop her, but seeing He Wenyao shake his head in warning, he backed off.
Finding a number in her contacts, Li Sisi took a deep breath and pressed call.
Meanwhile...
"Xiao Xu, don't you worry! I give you and Sisi my absolute blessing!"
Li Jianwen had won over two hundred thousand, which to him was far happier than celebrating the New Year, so he had brought Xu Lang to a foot massage parlor to unwind.
As Xu Lang smoked a cigarette, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
"Where are you?"
Once the call connected, Li Sisi's voice came through.
Xu Lang glanced at Li Jianwen, not daring to mention that he was out getting a massage with her own father, and asked in return, "I'll be heading back soon. What's wrong?"
"You... could you lend me one hundred thousand yuan? I'll definitely pay you back." By the end of her sentence, Li Sisi was already choking back sobs.
Hearing the slight panic in her tone, Xu Lang asked, "Where are you?"
"I'm at E Mansion!" Li Sisi covered her mouth to keep herself from crying out loud.
Xu Lang's eyes instantly narrowed.
"Wait for me..."