The Youths of Wuling, East of the Golden Market, Riding Silver Saddles and White Horses Through the Spring Breeze Chapter 138: Journey to Treasure Island (11)

Fang Yu had just wagered fifteen thousand. At ten to one, the payout came to exactly one hundred and fifty thousand.

He nodded happily and had only just taken the banknotes in hand when a polished male baritone sounded behind him.

“Mr. Fang, you truly have an uncanny eye.”

Puzzled, he turned around and saw a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six. He wore rimless glasses and an impeccably pressed suit, though no tie.

“May I ask who you are?” Fang Yu said awkwardly. The other man knew his surname, yet this was Shawan, where he clearly had no acquaintances.

“My name is Zhou Yun. Manager Tian told me how brilliantly you performed at our establishment last night.” The man called Zhou Yun smiled faintly and extended his hand.

Fang Yu’s heart jolted. Damn it. The little steel-ball arcade where Cheng Chen had lost his money was backed by the Triad Society. Could it be that they could not afford to lose?

He forced a smile that looked worse than tears and shook Zhou Yun’s hand.

“Of course, of course. May I ask what brings you here, Mr. Zhou?”

“Heh, Mr. Fang, there’s no need to be nervous. We’re respectable businessmen. We merely wanted to ask how you knew Chapan would lose this match.”

This Zhou Yun was clearly of a much higher standing than Tian Jisheng. With a casual wave of his hand, he had two servers promptly bring over two cups of tea and set them before the pair.

Fang Yu’s mind was racing at tremendous speed. Zhou Yun did not look as though he meant to make things difficult for him. Besides, his identity as someone from the mainland worked in his favor. He had merely won a little money; for a major organization like the Triad Society, it should not be a serious matter.

He moistened his lips and deliberately put on an air of mystery.

“Haha, as the old saying goes, whenever something is out of the ordinary, there must be something strange behind it. Could it be that you instructed Chapan to lose?”

A sharp gleam flashed through Zhou Yun’s eyes.

“Mr. Fang truly has a discerning eye. No wonder you cleared three rounds in a row last night. Where in the mainland do you hold such an illustrious position?”

In truth, Fang Yu was terribly nervous. Though the other man was only twenty-five or twenty-six, he had a criminal-society background, while Fang Yu currently possessed nothing but the body of a nineteen-year-old. He hurriedly brought up his status as a student.

“Heh, you flatter me, Mr. Zhou. I’m merely a tourist from the mainland, playing around for fun. I’m still in university.”

Zhou Yun looked even more surprised.

“I had no idea you were still studying. It seems my eyes failed me. Truly, heroes emerge from the young. How much longer will you be staying in Shawan?”

“Mm, I’ll be leaving in a couple of days.” That, at least, was the truth.

Zhou Yun nodded silently. After several seconds of silence, he took a business card from his suit pocket and handed it to him.

“My name is Zhou Yun, assistant to the president of Taoyuan Group. If you ever return to Shawan, Mr. Fang, perhaps we’ll meet again.”

Fang Yu awkwardly wiped his hand before carefully accepting the card.

“Heh, I’m only a student and don’t have a business card, so I’ll refrain from leaving my number with you, President Zhou.”

He had clearly seen the title printed beneath Zhou Yun’s name: Assistant to the President of Taoyuan Group.

“Of course. If you’d like to stay in Shawan for a few more days, you can look up Manager Tian. He’ll take care of your arrangements. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you company any longer.”

Zhou Yun rose as he spoke.

Fang Yu immediately stood as well. At that moment, he could not have wanted anything more than for the man to leave.

“Of course, of course. Take care, President Zhou.”

Zhou Yun chatted with him for a few more moments as though nothing were amiss, then opened the door. Two men who looked like bodyguards were waiting outside and escorted him out of the basement.

Fang Yu stood there somewhat dazed, slipping the business card into his pocket. He glanced cautiously at the servers nearby.

“Er... I can leave now, right?”

The server continued smiling warmly.

“Of course, sir. Please keep your winnings safe. If you can’t hold your liquor, our bar also provides a private car service.”

All Fang Yu wanted now was to get away as quickly as possible. He waved his hands in refusal.

“No, no, we can make our own way.”

With that, he hurried back to his seat. Cheng Chen and the others had been craning their necks the entire time.

“Damn, what took you so long? We thought they’d detained you and refused to pay out.”

Fang Yu quickly waved his hands.

“No, nothing like that. It’s getting late, isn’t it? Let’s go back to the hotel and get some rest.”

Shen Moran waved grandly from the side.

“What’s the rush? I’m treating you all to a late-night meal. Come on, I heard there’s a pretty good place nearby.”

By then, all the matches in the basement had ended. Most of the customers who had lost money had already left. Some had returned to the first floor to keep dancing and drinking, while others had cursed and slammed their way out.

Fang Yu and the others also made it out of the bar without incident. It was already past two in the morning, yet plenty of young men and women still crowded the streets.

Late-night food in Shawan was much the same as on the mainland: either light rice porridge or staples such as hot pot and beef noodles.

The group settled into a hot-pot restaurant. The three young men stared miserably at their thinning wallets.

“Damn, a thousand-plus gone just like that. We worked for nothing all month!”

Apart from Fang Yu, all three of them had bought wagers worth several thousand Bay dollars.

“Hee-hee, that’s what you get for being greedy. Fang Yu was the smart one.”

Only Xia Churan was beaming from ear to ear.

“That’s not fair. You have to treat us tomorrow, or we’ll never feel balanced again,” Cheng Chen grumbled as he swallowed a mouthful of freshly boiled beef.

After they returned to the hotel that night, Xia Churan complained that she was exhausted, washed up early, and fell asleep. Fang Yu, meanwhile, silently took out the business card Zhou Yun had given him and studied it over and over for nearly an hour. Only when sleep finally overwhelmed him did he drift off.

The next day, he dragged Xia Churan back to Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. Relying on the money he had won the previous night, he swaggered into the Louis Vuitton boutique and paid for a Voyage NM men’s commuter bag, along with a wallet. In an instant, he had spent every last bit of his winnings.

One had to treat oneself well in this life, didn’t one?

Xia Churan watched from the side, utterly astonished.

“I really never realized it before, but you’re remarkably good at spending money, Fang Yu.”

He laughed without the slightest attempt to hide it.

“What’s the big deal? It was free money. It would be a waste not to spend it.”

When they returned to the hotel that evening, he gathered everyone together.

“We’ve been out for about a week now, haven’t we? It’s about time we headed home.”

Cheng Chen nodded repeatedly.

“That’s true. Yanhua has probably reached his limit after working for a whole week. We’d better get back soon.”

Lu Zhen rubbed his hands together.

“Exactly. I haven’t touched a game in a week, and my hands are itching.”

Only Zhao Bin seemed deeply reluctant.

“I think we could stay a few more days. It’s not every day we get to come out here. Yanhua can work a few more days at the internet café. He’s new there, so this is the perfect time to show what he can do. The guides online say North Bay is highly developed. Why don’t we go there first, then visit Mount Mingyang and soak in the hot springs?”

Fang Yu rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Forget it. If we make Yanhua keep working, he’ll drop dead in that internet café. All right, it’s settled. Go book the tickets. We’re returning to Xianjiang at the earliest possible time!”