"University student, if I must say so, I really admire you college-educated folks—you have so many ways to make money. Tell me, what kind of get-rich-quick scheme did you find recently? Care to share it with Brother Biao?"
Brother Biao asked this because he knew very well that Ye Chen, who had the audacity to go house-hunting at Jinlin Mansion, definitely hadn't won the money at a gambling table.
After all, gamblers like Ye Chen were a dime a dozen to him; he had seen hundreds, if not thousands of them, and not a single one of them ever had a chance to turn their life around.
Therefore, Ye Chen's money certainly wasn't won from gambling. As for borrowing it from someone? That was even more absurd.
Aside from predatory loan companies like theirs, who else would dare lend money to a gambler like that?
Besides, if they could actually borrow money elsewhere, why would they ever resort to loan sharks in the first place?
"I won the lottery!" Ye Chen smiled without any warmth.
"Damn it, are you messing with me? Winning the lottery just like that?" Brother Biao said.
"Brother Biao, does your company really need to audit the source of your clients' funds?" Ye Chen asked.
"Damn it, you really won't say?" Brother Biao's expression shifted.
"Nothing to talk about!"
Ye Chen shook his head.
Gone was the cowardly, panicked, and submissive demeanor he used to display whenever he met the man, as if facing an enemy of life-or-death proportions.
"Fine, you won't say it, right? Then let's properly calculate the interest. Hmm, the two hundred seventy thousand was from a few days ago, and now that a few more days have passed, it definitely can't be the same amount as before. I'm sure you know how these rules work!"
Brother Biao smiled at Ye Chen, raising three fingers. "I won't make things difficult for you. Three hundred thousand—principal and interest included, three hundred thousand will do!"
"I know the rules, which is why I never expected two hundred seventy thousand to settle it. There's exactly three hundred thousand in here. Go ahead and count it!"
Unexpectedly, Ye Chen had come fully prepared.
Brother Biao was rather surprised.
He immediately gestured to his subordinates.
The latter instantly opened the bag and began to count the cash.
"Brother Biao, the three hundred thousand is correct!"
Hearing this, Brother Biao looked at Ye Chen again. "Not bad, college boy! Looks like you really found a way to get rich! Say, would you like Brother Biao to introduce you to a more high-end establishment? It's way more upscale than the places you used to frequent, and they even offer special services. Whenever you want to blow off some steam, resources are available on demand. No brag, but the women there all look like celebrities!"
Ye Chen had originally planned to leave right then.
Hearing this, he paused.
Because Brother Biao's words had stirred up his memories.
In his past life, he had spent a tremendous amount of time and effort trying to exact revenge on these loan sharks.
Yet, time and again, they managed to wriggle out of trouble thanks to the protection of their umbrella.
Even the Inspection Team, which had been dispatched to Jiangzhou three separate times, returned empty-handed every single time.
In the end, it was only during their fourth surprise return—after a long period of secret surveillance and taking advantage of favorable timing, geographical convenience, and human harmony—that the Inspection Team finally raided that heavily funded, clandestine den which engaged not only in illegal gambling, but also prostitution and narcotics. That was how the entire syndicate, along with their behind-the-scenes bosses and protectors, was rooted out once and for all.
When the news broke back then, countless people in Jiangzhou cheered with delight. But beneath that celebration lay a deep-seated horror at the sheer, unbridled madness of the syndicate.
Many of the women providing those special services were university students and victims trapped through various coercive tactics. The gang not only used threats to force these women into absolute obedience, but also controlled them with drugs, completely shattering any will to resist.
Compared to loan-sharking on the streets, that clandestine den was truly a monstrosity that provoked the wrath of both gods and men.
Returning from rebirth, Ye Chen had initially thought that this den had not yet taken shape or appeared.
After all, in his past life, the total eradication of those scumbags because of that den had happened a few years later.
Yet, hearing Brother Biao say this right now, he realized that the den already existed.
"There are high-end places like that?" Ye Chen feigned a look of temptation.
"Damn it, do you think I'm lying to you? If you're interested, Brother Biao can introduce you. You can't just walk in there casually—newcomers have to match the secret passphrase to get through the door!" Brother Biao said.
"Where is it?"
The restlessness typical of a gambler was instantly put on display by Ye Chen.
"Maple Leaf Hotel. When you go, someone will ask if you have a reservation. Just say Brother Biao introduced you, and someone will take you up to the nineteenth floor. Once you're up there, someone will ask you how the weather outside is, and you just reply with four words: 'Clear skies and gentle breeze!'" Brother Biao said.
"Alright, thanks, Brother Biao!" Ye Chen said.
"Don't mention it. Brother Biao wishes you luck and a good time at the tables, haha!"
"I'll take your kind words, Brother Biao!"
After Ye Chen left, Brother Biao immediately pulled out his phone and made a call.
Nearby, a subordinate couldn't help asking, "Brother Biao, how much money could that kid possibly have? He was practically living in destitution just recently. Why did you send him to Maple Leaf Hotel?"
"That's what you don't understand. This sucker was quick to pay back three hundred thousand in principal and interest, and he's even buying a house over at Jinlin Mansion. I don't know how he suddenly struck it rich overnight, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that he definitely has a lot of cash on hand—at the very least, he can be fleeced for a few million!" Brother Biao sneered.
"Brother Biao, the boss did say we should be more cautious regarding the Maple Leaf Hotel business and not draw too much attention to avoid trouble. Do you think this might—"
Before the man could finish, Brother Biao cuffed him across the forehead.
"That coward and softie is going to bring us trouble? Damn it, if I get outsmarted by a punk like him, I'll let the boss chop me up and feed me to the dogs. Besides, with our boss's capability, when are a bunch of small-time nobodies ever going to make waves?"
Thinking of how a certain senior municipal police bureau leader had been completely wrapped around their boss's finger last time, Brother Biao's lips curved upward in spite of himself.
As if he were the main character who held absolute control over a municipal bureau leader.
The lackey standing nearby chimed in with agreement, ultimately not daring to argue.
He didn't dare utter the words: *Just a few days ago, Brother Biao, you were the one who got outsmarted by that very college boy in his rental apartment.*
***
Chapter 35: Maple Leaf Hotel
Maple Leaf Hotel.
Ye Chen was far from unfamiliar with this den.
In his past life, in order to retaliate against the loan shark syndicate, he had eventually followed the trail and tracked down this very location.
He had even gone deep inside to gather a mountain of evidence.
By that time, however, the Inspection Team was already deeply immersed in secret surveillance and had gathered all kinds of evidence of crimes to wipe out the opposition. Just as he was about to provide his findings to the Inspection Team, the syndicate's stronghold was already dismantled in a lightning raid.
After more than fifty long years, stepping back inside this place once again, a deep and irrepressible wave of righteous indignation surged within him.
Putting his own revenge aside, the secrets hidden within Maple Leaf Hotel were undoubtedly monstrous crimes that defied both human decency and the will of the heavens!
"Sir, do you have a reservation?"
As soon as Ye Chen stepped inside, the middle-aged lobby manager hurried over and asked with a smile.
"Brother Biao sent me!" Ye Chen said.
According to the information Ye Chen had gathered in his past life, getting a pass wasn't limited solely to mentioning Brother Biao.
He also knew a few other methods.
However, those other methods were clearly unnecessary at the moment.
"Brother Biao sent you? Right this way, boss, please come in!"
Hearing that Ye Chen was sent by Brother Biao, the lobby manager's attitude instantly transformed into that of a servile flatterer.
Although Brother Biao's main base of operations seemed to be Anda Finance Company outside, whenever there was any dirty work to be done at the Maple Leaf Hotel premises, Brother Biao was the one who handled it.
Therefore, in the eyes of the Maple Leaf Hotel staff, Brother Biao was truly a trusted and favored general of the boss.
They also knew what Brother Biao's introduction meant: it meant that the fellow in front of them was a fat sheep—a sucker who could be fleeced for at least a few million.
Guided by the lobby manager, Ye Chen boarded the elevator heading straight to the nineteenth floor.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, a henchman on twenty-four-hour rotating guard duty immediately asked, "Hey, let me ask you—how's the weather outside?"
"Clear skies and gentle breeze!" Ye Chen responded coldly with the passphrase.
The next second, several henchmen exchanged glances.
They bowed respectfully and made a gesturing motion. "Boss, please!"
Following the henchman's swipe-card verification, the dragon-and-phoenix carved double doors swung open.
Ye Chen strolled inside leisurely.
The scent of expensive perfume mingled with the heavy odors of various cigarettes and cigars.
The bustling roar of voices resembled the layout of a mini-Las Vegas gambling hall.
Glamorous women flitted back and forth among the men.
No one would ever have guessed that the unassuming Maple Leaf Hotel—a venue that didn't even rank in Jiangzhou's hospitality industry—concealed such a breathtaking world within.
Had Ye Chen not lived two lives, and had he not reached the heights of a multi-hundred-billion-yuan net worth in his previous existence, stepping through these doors would probably have sent his adrenaline soaring and plunged him straight into this decadent sinkhole of luxury.
Yet, the moment he stepped inside, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed several surveillance cameras swivel toward him—a complete newcomer.
A cold smirk formed inwardly.
On the surface, Ye Chen plastered an expression of feverish excitement and walked straight to the chip exchange counter.
He directly exchanged one million yuan for chips in a single go.
Then, he strode toward the gambling tables, fully embodying the persona of a reckless gambler.
Only after half an hour did he notice that the cameras focusing on him had finally shifted away.
Bloodshot eyes, irritability, cursing, agitation, anger, and hair-pulling.
These standard reactions of a gambler were executed by him with seamless, practiced familiarity.
One hour later, the one million yuan in chips had been entirely wiped out!
"Damn it, what rotten luck!"
Ye Chen indignantly stood up from the table.
Just then, a glamorous woman holding a champagne glass, whose age was impossible to guess, walked over to him. "Why so much anger?"
"Lost a million in less than an hour, dropping over a dozen hands in a row. Wouldn't you be angry?" Ye Chen wore an expression of sheer exasperation.
"Calm down, calm down. Having a bad run of luck is completely normal! Since your luck is cold, just stop and take a break. Looking at a fresh face, you must be a first-timer here, right? Since it's your first time, you shouldn't miss out on Maple Leaf's VIP service. This place is a man's paradise! Maybe after some fun, your luck at the tables will turn around?" The glamorous woman smiled.
"Hold on, who are you?" Ye Chen asked.
If Li Changfeng and Zhang Jiashan were here right now, they would definitely be dumbfounded.
Was this still that watertight, extremely composed Ye Chen?
"Chuckle. Let me introduce myself—people around here call me Sister Hong. You could say I'm the manager here!" The glamorous woman giggled.
"The manager!" Ye Chen's aggressive aura instantly subsided.
He assumed the exact expression of a nouveau riche upstart.
"About those special services, Brother Biao mentioned them to me. Where are they?"
"Biaozi? Biaozi introduced you? Hehe, looks like your relationship with Biaozi isn't ordinary!"
With that, Sister Hong suddenly snapped her fingers.
Immediately, two young men walked over. "Sister Hong!"
"Take this VIP to experience the fun Maple Leaf has to offer!" Sister Hong instructed.
Then she looked back at Ye Chen. "Sir, but those aren't free, you know. Hmm, basic service is eighteen thousand, the next tier is twenty-eight thousand, and deep-level service is thirty-eight thousand. There are quite a few grades, plus imperial suites and king suites. The girls will introduce them to you when you get there. No problem, right?"
"Isn't it just a matter of money? No problem!" Ye Chen grew restless.
"Great then, enjoy yourself, sir!"
Holding her champagne glass, Sister Hong walked away.
Meanwhile, escorted respectfully by the two young men, Ye Chen walked toward the deepest part of the casino.
As yet another door was pushed open, a spacious swimming pool came into view.
In the pool, numerous scantily clad women were playing and splashing around with men who wore the expressions of nouveau riche upstarts.
Along the edge of the pool, quite a few more women were seated.
"Sir, if you take a fancy to any of the girls, you can go right over and take her into the water, or you can take her to a room for the service you need. They'll explain the service rates to you in detail!" One of the young men said.
Ye Chen nodded offhandedly.
His gaze swept over the women sitting by the pool.
Soon, his eyes locked onto a woman with a slightly vacant gaze and a desolate demeanor.
"That one!"
Ye Chen raised a hand and pointed at the woman.
"Got it, we'll arrange it for the sir right away!" One of the young men smiled.
"Xiao Ya, come here!"
At the call, the woman named Xiao Ya stood up and walked over expressionless.
"Damn it, can you stop pulling a deadpan face all day long? Do you think life is too good right now, huh?"
Seeing Xiao Ya's numb expression, one of the young men rebuked her angrily.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Startled by the rebuke, the woman called Xiao Ya immediately trembled in panic.
As for Ye Chen, he stood frozen in place.
From a distance earlier, he hadn't been able to clearly make out her features.
Now that the distance had closed, wasn't this... wasn't this the woman from his past life whose corpse was buried inside the concrete of a construction site?
After the incident at Maple Leaf Hotel was exposed in his previous life, the authorities had also disclosed several women who had met a tragic end inside Maple Leaf Hotel.
However, at the time, the officials had not released detailed profiles or photographs of those women.
Yet, before the Inspection Team raided Maple Leaf Hotel, Ye Chen had already gathered detailed dossiers on the women murdered by the establishment.
The Xiao Ya before him was precisely the one who had been murdered, transported to a construction site, and buried in cement concrete.
And the person who had murdered her and buried the corpse was none other than Brother Biao!
"Sir, would you like to hang out in the pool for a bit, or head straight to a room?"
The young man's voice interrupted Ye Chen's train of thought.
"Straight to the room!" Ye Chen blurted out.
"You got it!"
Once the young man replied, he immediately turned to berate Xiao Ya again. "What are you still standing there for? Go show our VIP the way!"
***
Chapter 36: Are You a Good Person?
Inside the ingeniously designed room, wisps of curling incense drifted with a fragrance that seemed capable of stirring hormones.
At a glance, everything was crafted purely for sensual pleasure.
It had to be said that when a single man and woman were placed in this kind of environment, even someone like Liu Xiahui would likely find it difficult to exercise restraint.
As soon as he entered the room, Ye Chen immediately looked up toward the corners.
Instinctively, he wanted to check if there were any hidden cameras.
"Are you looking for cameras? Rest assured, there are no cameras installed in the rooms!"
As if reading Ye Chen's intentions, Xiao Ya said with a hint of numbness.
With that, she reached out and made a move to take off her clothes.
"What are you doing?" Ye Chen asked hurriedly.
"Don't I need to take off my clothes?" Xiao Ya asked dully.
Yet she didn't seem particularly surprised.
After all, many "VIPs" had their own peculiar fetishes.
"Help me massage my head first!"
Ye Chen walked over and lay down on the expensive, large bed, resting his head at the foot of the bed.
"Massage your head?"
This was the first time Xiao Ya had ever heard such a request.
In her past receptions, the clients were basically all impatient men itching to get down to business.
However, adhering to the principle that the customer is god, she obediently fetched a stool and began massaging Ye Chen's head.
"If we chat, will we be overheard?"
Under Xiao Ya's kneading fingers, Ye Chen, with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke.
"No, the rooms don't have cameras or audio recorders. Why?" Xiao Ya replied in a daze, her voice devoid of emotion.
Hearing this, Ye Chen hesitated.
The reason he had sought her out was because deep within her eyes and expression, there still lingered a struggle—a refusal to accept her fate, which indicated that she had not yet been completely broken.
After a moment of thought, Ye Chen asked, "What did you do before this?"
Little did he expect that this single question would cause Xiao Ya's massaging hands to freeze.
Ye Chen neither rushed her nor felt surprised.
After a brief pause, Xiao Ya spoke with bitterness: "Three months ago, I was still in university, a senior. Surprising, isn't it?"
"Oh? Then how did you end up working here?" Ye Chen asked again.
Xiao Ya hesitated, her face filled with struggle.
As her massaging motion resumed, she suddenly asked a strange, counter-question: "Are you a good person?"
"Not bad," Ye Chen thought for a moment and spat out those two words.
Whether it was because Ye Chen gave her a completely different vibe from the "VIPs" she had entertained in the past, or because Ye Chen unconsciously projected an inexplicable sense of approachability,
she—who had never once revealed her personal circumstances to any "VIP"—
magically began to speak, running the risk of being brutalized for it.
Blankly, she started to share: "I come from a single-parent family. My younger brother and I were raised single-handedly by my mother. My brother is still in his third year of high school. Three months ago, my mother developed a serious medical condition. The doctor said we needed fifty thousand. For our family, fifty thousand was an astronomical figure. But the situation was urgent, and knowing that a company called Anda Finance could lend money, I went to them."
"They granted my wish and lent me fifty thousand all at once! I figured I'd get the money to the hospital first to save my mother, and then slowly figure out a way to pay it back. But a month passed in a flash, and I couldn't think of any way to pay off that usurious loan. Faced with such a dead end, I even thought about completely abandoning my dignity and doing the dirtiest, lowest thing I'd ever imagined—finding a wealthy man to keep me!"
"But the moment that person heard I needed over fifty thousand all at once, they all ran off. The repayment date arrived, and since I couldn't pay, Brother Biao from Anda Finance sent men to drag me back to their company. They showed me two videos: one of my younger brother at school, and one of my mother in the hospital!"
"They gave me two choices: either pay back the money immediately, or come work off the debt at Maple Leaf Hotel. Otherwise, my brother and my mother would lose their lives! I had no choice. Even knowing what 'working here' meant, I had no choice."
Hearing Xiao Ya recount this, Ye Chen frowned. "You've been working here for so long—how much do you still owe?"
"How much? It can never be paid off. It only keeps piling up and growing," Xiao Ya said.