Seven o'clock sharp, class ended. Song Jianhao emerged from the casino looking a bit weary, but he was happy to see Yang Jian.
"Xiao Yang, you're finally here. Your luck seems to be better. You win money every day you're here, and I lose money when you leave. Even your wins aren't that big."
Song Jianhao appeared particularly superstitious, attributing his wins and losses to luck.
Yang Jian chuckled, "Is that so? Then now that I'm here, did I lose or win today?"
"I lost eight thousand today."
"Then I'll go back and reconcile the accounts with you for the past few days to see how much I owe you."
The money lost these past few days had been fronted by Song Jianhao, and Yang Jian needed to cover nearly twenty thousand yuan.
"Alright, we'll talk about it later. Oh, you didn't drive here?"
"No, my car got scratched at home, and it's at my brother-in-law's for repairs."
Yang Jian didn't want to tell him about being chased at home. After Biao Biao's reminder, he no longer fully trusted Song Jianhao and felt it was best to keep some distance.
Song Jianhao's car was crammed with six people. Upon returning to the Century Huating residential complex, Sixi and his crew were already home. They had lost over three thousand yuan that day as well.
The apartment rented by Emperor Company was on the eighth floor, a four-bedroom, two-living room, one-kitchen, two-bathroom unit. Song Jianhao had his own room, another was reserved for Song Jianmei who was coming to cook, and the remaining two rooms were for Biao Biao and the others. These were large rooms, each equipped with four bunk beds, capable of housing sixteen people.
Biao Biao had already arranged Yang Jian's sleeping space, even buying and making the bed with bedding and pillows. Yang Jian could move in directly, and he and Biao Biao would be sharing a bunk.
Besides them, Old Wu, Liang Liang, and San Pang were also in this room.
Sixi, Sigou, and the four new young men stayed in another room.
Yang Jian was very satisfied with the apartment. The living room was spacious, with a sofa and television. Living together not only reduced costs but was also lively. When not at the casino, they could play cards or watch TV. This was what it meant to be part of Emperor Company.
Seeing that Yang Jian's accommodation was settled, Song Jianhao gathered everyone in the living room for a meeting.
First, they settled the day's accounts, including rent and the losses from the past few days. Yang Jian needed to contribute twenty-one thousand yuan, leaving him with less than forty thousand in cash.
"Xiao Yang, the Hongqi Street area is basically stable now and can be operated as a long-term dealer. Safety is also guaranteed. I plan to assign you and Biao Biao to a shift with Old Wu and the others to deal in the Baihuating area. Having you manage the money will increase the safety factor. Sixi and Sigou will go to Hongqi Street. Do you have any objections?"
After settling the accounts, Song Jianhao began reassigning personnel.
"No objections, Brother Hao. You make the decisions."
Having already guessed that this allocation had ulterior motives, Yang Jian still did not object, nor could he. He couldn't speak without evidence, and he wasn't yet capable of going independent. After the incident where he was chased, he couldn't go to Wu Wangchun's place either. He decided to stay here for a while.
"Good, the personnel are set. Now that our company is officially on the right track, we need to establish some rules. First, unity. There should be no internal disputes. If there are arguments or fights within the company, both parties will leave.
Second, we must present a united front in the casino and not back down when faced with trouble. Especially for those of you who do the work, I hired you not just to be dealers. Anyone can do that job. I want you to be brave and decisive when it matters. Last time in Qingjiang District, Yang Jian, Liang Liang, and Biao Biao set an excellent example for us, saving the company from a loss of fifty thousand yuan. From now on, anywhere, anyone who retreats in the face of danger will pack their bags and leave.
Third, members of each team must supervise each other. Accounts and money must be counted and handed over face-to-face. If anyone is found to be tampering with these matters, they will be immediately dismissed. No one will be spared."
Song Jianhao's educational background was not high, but his speaking ability was quite good. In a few words, he laid down the rules, and the question was whether they could be enforced.
The third rule was originally something Yang Jian intended to suggest to Song Jianhao. This saved him the trouble. It turned out Song Jianhao already knew about potential loopholes and countermeasures.
Since the Century Huating residential complex was a bit far from Yang Fan's gym, and he didn't have a car, Yang Jian decided to shift his training time from morning to evening, as taking public transport in the morning could easily cause delays.
The establishment where Old Wu was currently dealing was only one street away from the Baihuating residential complex. It was also a small establishment, with only about twenty patrons.
When Yang Jian first entered with Old Wu, he didn't feel good about it. Such a place wouldn't yield large profits.
Old Wu was reluctant to deal in this small establishment himself. He had checked it the previous day and believed there were no cheating devices. He let Biao Biao take over as the dealer.
After Yang Jian gave Biao Biao the twenty thousand yuan stake, he watched for a while and then went out. There was a barbershop nearby where he could relax. Getting a hair wash for ten yuan was very comfortable.
Biao Biao was not new to dealing. Apart from not knowing how to cheat, he was familiar with all the rules of the casino and was quite skilled. His only drawback was his bad luck. In less than an hour, the twenty thousand yuan was almost gone.
Old Wu grew anxious and wanted to take over himself.
Biao Biao, annoyed and unconvinced, said, "Old Wu, let me try one last roll. If I lose again, you can take over."
Old Wu had no choice but to agree.
The new round began. After Biao Biao shook the dice twice, he waited for the patrons to place their bets. Again, it was a one-sided bet on doubles. It was strange; the patrons here today were very shrewd, winning more than losing. Otherwise, Emperor Company wouldn't have lost over ten thousand in this small establishment.
"Bets are closed, dealer opens."
Biao Biao, with emotion, lifted the porcelain cup and slammed it onto the gambling table. As expected, it was doubles. Emperor had lost again.
Just as the patrons were celebrating, Biao Biao suddenly felt something was wrong. It seemed something had fallen from the porcelain cup. Upon lifting it, he found a thin piece of porcelain with a copper wire coiled around it.
"Wait a minute, Liang Liang, don't pay out the money. The gambling company is cheating."
Before Biao Biao could react, Old Wu immediately recognized that the porcelain cup had been tampered with.
The venue fell silent. All eyes were fixed on the table. The gambling company's dealer was also stunned, not expecting to be caught. For a moment, they didn't know how to respond.
"Biao Biao, secure the scene. I'll go call Yang Jian."
Old Wu, with his extensive experience, knew that if there was going to be an argument, Yang Jian had to be present.
Biao Biao also understood. No wonder his luck had been so bad today; someone had been cheating. He immediately pulled out his extendable baton from his back waist and jumped onto a stool. "Nobody move, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Liang Liang's reaction was also quick. He drew his baton and jumped directly onto the gambling table, moving closer to Biao Biao.
Another young man, Song Ge, also from Song Family Village, was experiencing this for the first time and reacted a bit slowly. However, he also jumped onto the gambling table with Liang Liang, but he wasn't holding anything.
Seeing this display, the patrons quickly grabbed their bets back and retreated. This was the first time they had witnessed cheating being caught red-handed. Something big was definitely going to happen.