The call came from Old Qian.

Right now, he must be more anxious than I am.

As soon as I picked up, I heard Old Qian on the other end saying directly:

“Brother Chu, tonight, the gambling round begins. I’m sending someone to pick you up, shall we meet and talk?”

“No need to pick me up, I’m coming to you! Is tonight’s game for cash or chips?”

“Cash!”

“Good!”

I hung up the phone.

Then I went downstairs.

Old Hei was already waiting for me downstairs.

As soon as I got into the car, Old Hei immediately said to me:

“Master Chu Liu, my two fellow disciples have arrived. I’ve arranged for them to go to the hotel…”

“Alright, I know. Have them wait for instructions…”

As soon as I finished speaking, I lit a cigarette.

I went over the plan in my head again.

There can be no slip-ups in tonight’s game.

Otherwise, the consequences are unimaginable.

After thinking for a while, I sent a message to Old Chef Zheng.

Telling him that I would contact him in the afternoon.

To wait for my call.

The reason I sent him this message.

I was worried that when I met Old Qian.

With so many people around, if Old Chef Zheng called me, it might be seen by others.

Thoroughness and caution.

Are one of the elements of being The Swindler.

When I arrived at Old Qian’s arcade’s office.

Old Qian was sitting at his desk, fiddling with his phone.

On the sofa.

He Huan leaned there, staring into space.

Not knowing what she was thinking.

Next to her, there was also a middle-aged man sitting.

Not tall, with ordinary looks.

What caught the eye the most.

Was the eagle hook nose beneath his small eyes.

Seeing me enter.

Old Qian immediately stood up, enthusiastically saying:

“Brother Chu, tonight’s game is all set. It’s in the suite on the sixth floor of Huilin Hotel. Whether we can win tonight depends on you three…”

I had thought.

Old Qian was only asking me and He Huan to play.

I didn’t expect him to arrange another person.

Old Qian seemed to see my confusion.

He immediately explained:

“Here’s the thing, Brother Chu. Originally, I had an agreement with those two from Fengtian. They would bring two, and I would have two on my side, making it a four-person game tonight. But to be on the safe side, I decided to let you join as well. I thought, I’ll give the hotel manager a heads up later. Just say you’re a regular customer of their hotel, a rich second generation. Bored and wanting to play a few hands…”

I shook my head and said indifferently:

“No need, I’ll talk to him myself!”

“Why?”

Old Qian looked at me puzzled.

His eyes also carried a hint of wariness.

This expression of his, even more so, indicated that tonight’s game was no small matter.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so nervous.

“To avoid any complications! Since I’m going undercover, I might as well do it thoroughly. I’ll contact the manager myself, it’ll seem more genuine. In a while, I’ll go to this hotel to book a room. Before five o’clock in the afternoon, you find someone new to deliver the gambling funds needed for tonight to my room…”

The reason I refused.

Was because I was afraid Old Chef Zheng might do the same.

If both of them talked to the manager.

It would be easy to slip up.

Old Qian was still a bit confused, he asked me back:

“You don’t know the manager, will he take you there?”

“Money! With money, won’t he do it?”

Old Qian nodded.

“Right, we’ll do as you say. I’ll provide whatever amount you need!”

Old Qian acted very generous.

“Also, the reward you promised me, Old Qian, pay it now…”

Old Qian’s face changed slightly.

But he immediately said with a smile:

“Brother Chu, don’t you trust your Eighth Brother? But no matter, I’ll pay you now!”

Saying so, he took out fifty thousand yuan and handed it to me.

I didn’t refuse.

Taking the money, just as I was about to leave.

Suddenly, I heard a “bang”.

The door was pushed open from the outside with force.

Then, a strong smell of alcohol wafted into the office.

Turning my head to look.

I saw Old Qian’s brother.

Also the one who wanted to catch me cheating that night, Yin Wu.

He walked in with a drunken face.

Behind him followed Centipede and two underlings.

Now, it was just past nine in the morning.

I didn’t know if he had been drinking this morning.

Or if it was a hangover from last night.

As soon as he entered, Yin Wu staggered over to me.

He looked at me with a half-smile and said:

“Kid, I knew it, you’re just a little swindler. That night, you were still arguing with me. If it weren’t for Eighth Brother calling me, I would have shown you…”

Saying so, he burped.

The unpleasant smell made me frown involuntarily.

“But now you’re working for Eighth Brother, I won’t hold the past against you. But let me tell you, if you can’t beat those two bastards from Fengtian tonight, don’t say that I’ll settle both new and old scores with you…”

As he spoke.

Yin Wu raised his hand and patted my shoulder.

“Got it, kid?”

My face turned cold as I pushed his hand away.

Yin Wu was extremely rude to me.

And Old Qian had been silent all along.

Sitting in his office chair with a smile.

I knew, he was doing it on purpose.

In other words.

What Yin Wu said was also what he wanted to express.

If I really couldn’t win tonight’s game.

Then he would turn against me.

And I, with a cold face.

Looked at Yin Wu and asked indifferently:

“How do you want to settle it?”

My attitude.

Made Yin Wu somewhat displeased.

He glared at me and said fiercely:

“According to the rules of you little swindlers, I want your hands!”

Ha!

I sneered.

Just about to speak.

Old Qian suddenly interrupted.

“Old Wu, what nonsense are you talking about? Brother Chu is one of our own, you can’t be so rude to him…”

Saying so, he turned his head to look at me.

With a smile full of explanation:

“Brother Chu, Old Wu hasn’t sobered up from the alcohol, don’t stoop to his level. I believe, with your skills, you will surely win big tonight. Rest assured, Eighth Brother will definitely not shortchange you…”

The two brothers coordinated well.

One playing the good cop, the other the bad cop.

Playing a good game of carrot and stick.

It’s just that this trick, it seems, doesn’t work on me.

Leaving Old Qian’s arcade.

I got into the car.

Just about to call Old Chef Zheng.

Suddenly, a message came in on my phone.

I opened it to see, there were only two words:

“Please!”

The message was from He Huan.

I knew, since I wasn’t cooperating with her.

Now she could only hope that I would let her win more.

I didn’t reply to her.

Up to now.

I still didn’t know her real purpose.

But I still had that feeling.

This person, not reliable.

I went to the old street again to see Old Chef Zheng.

What was said was similar to Old Qian.

However, there were a few points that I didn’t know before.

First, tonight’s game, each person was to prepare one million.

The game would not stop midway, and only when two were bankrupt could a stop be proposed.

Also, the reason for choosing Huilin Hotel.

Was because it was neither Old Qian’s territory.

Of course, it wasn’t Old Chef Zheng’s either.

It was a neutral third party.

Both sides felt secure gambling there.

However, Old Chef Zheng mentioned one point different from Old Qian.

That was, in this game, I had to let the two people from Fengtian win.

Not me.

The specific reason, I didn’t know.

Maybe it was distrust of me.

Or maybe there were other reasons.

After leaving Old Chef Zheng’s place, I went straight to Huilin Hotel.

I found the lobby manager directly.

As soon as we met, I asked directly:

“How many rooms does your hotel have left?”

The lobby manager immediately had the front desk check.

Telling me, there were two suites left, six standard rooms, and three double rooms.

I pulled the lobby manager aside and whispered:

“I’ll take all these rooms! If there are any cancellations, reserve them for me too!”

Upon hearing this, the lobby manager immediately beamed with joy.

And I handed him five thousand yuan, whispering:

“Arrange these rooms, book them under someone else’s name. And make sure, only you know about this. Also, there’s a game on the sixth floor tonight. I want in, can you arrange it?”

The lobby manager stared at the five thousand yuan in my hand.

Excitedly nodding, he said:

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it…”