Both of them turned their heads at the same time.

They looked at me with puzzled faces.

I said indifferently:

“You can’t go downstairs now. If those guys see you, you’re doomed. You might lose both your lives and your money!”

As soon as I finished speaking,

Both of them were stunned.

But they knew I was telling the truth.

The man with the crew cut thought for a moment and then pleaded with me:

“Brother, we’re from out of town and not familiar with this place. Could you find a way to take us somewhere safe?”

“Follow me!”

With that, I turned and walked away.

At this moment, the power was back on.

The whole corridor was brightly lit.

But the sounds of the recent fight had vanished.

Many people were poking their heads out of their rooms, trying to see what had happened.

The man with the crew cut and the rose lady were obviously still very nervous.

They clutched their suitcases tightly.

Bowing their heads, they followed me cautiously.

I led them into a standard room I had booked earlier.

As soon as they entered, they looked at me with some confusion.

The rose lady asked me nervously:

“Brother, is it, is it safe here?”

They were afraid of Old Qian’s people making a comeback.

I still spoke calmly:

“Don’t worry! There’s no safer place than here right now!”

With that, I tossed the room card onto the table.

“I guess Old Chef Zheng won’t have time for you today! You two get some rest. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have Old Chef Zheng send someone to pick you up…”

As soon as I finished speaking, I turned to leave.

“Wait a minute…”

Both of them spoke almost in unison.

I turned back to look at them.

The man with the crew cut immediately asked me:

“Brother, where are you going? Don’t get targeted by Old Qian’s people…”

I shook my head and told a lie.

“It’s fine, I booked two rooms. I’m going back to the other room…”

In the world, to be prepared for the unexpected,

It’s quite normal to have multiple hideouts and book several rooms.

The man with the crew cut naturally understood.

He stepped forward and shook my hand.

With a grateful expression, he said:

“Brother, my name is Gao Cheng, from Fengtian. I won’t say much about today’s events. Let’s exchange contact information. Next time I’m in Fengtian, I’ll definitely look for you, Brother Gao. I’ll surely repay this favor…”

The rose lady also shook my hand.

“My name is Hu Guil, and I’m a few years older than you. If you don’t mind, call me Sister Rose. If you ever need anything in Fengtian, just tell me. Then, you’ll see how I can help you…”

These two were expressing their gratitude to me.

After all, under the current circumstances,

It was not easy for them to have a safe place.

But I would never take their words seriously.

It’s like when some so-called friends tell you they’ll treat you to a meal someday.

You naturally can’t take it seriously.

Because that someday might turn into some year.

Or even more likely, the next lifetime.

“Alright, you two get some rest early, I’m leaving!”

I said indifferently.

Back in my own room,

I put the two million into two suitcases.

And the hundred thousand I won, I put in the bag I brought with me.

Carrying the items, I went downstairs.

Old Hei was in the car, smoking.

The car’s CD player was playing Andy Lau’s new song, “Men Should Cry, It’s Not a Sin.”

As soon as I got in the car, Old Hei immediately asked me:

“Master Chu Liu, is everything okay now?”

“There’s something!”

“What is it?”

“Go to the old street, watch the show!”

“Alright!”

Old Hei agreed with a shout.

Our car had just left the parking lot,

When we saw a white sedan also coming out of the parking lot behind us.

And quickly overtaking us.

Although the other car was fast,

I still got a clear look at the people inside.

“Old Hei, overtake them, block them!”

Old Hei’s driving skills were good.

He floored the accelerator and quickly passed the car in front.

Then, he turned the steering wheel to the right.

Our Santana was firmly positioned in front of the white car.

This sudden move clearly startled the white car.

With a sharp brake, the white car came to a stop.

And Old Hei and I leisurely got out of our car.

The other party also got out of their car.

A man and a woman.

Two familiar faces.

The woman was He Huan, who had tried to collaborate with me several times.

And the man was Old Qian’s swindler with the hooked nose.

Both of them looked a bit nervous,

Especially He Huan.

Seeing me, she immediately asked:

“Chu Liu, what are you doing?”

I didn’t answer her question.

Instead, I asked:

“Where are you two going?”

“Back to the arcade!”

The corners of my mouth lifted in a slight, cold smile.

“Is that so? Then let’s go together, get in our car…”

As I spoke,

My eyes were fixed on He Huan.

He Huan’s gaze began to dodge.

After a while, she finally spoke:

“Chu Liu, I won’t lie to you. We’re leaving, leaving Old Qian, leaving Harbin North. Can you please let us go, give us a way out?”

I lit a cigarette.

Silently, I said nothing.

He Huan and the man with the hooked nose exchanged glances, then she continued:

“Chu Liu, I know you don’t understand. You think Old Qian has been good to me, and I shouldn’t betray him, right? But let me tell you, it’s not like that at all. I’ve been with him for three years, helped him win a lot of money. But he only gave me four hundred thousand in total. Fine, I won’t say anything about the four hundred thousand. The most insidious thing is, he found various reasons to borrow over three hundred thousand from me. He always said he’d give it back to me tomorrow, but to this day, he hasn’t paid me a penny…”

As she spoke, He Huan looked towards the man with the hooked nose and continued:

“His situation is similar to mine. Chu Liu, as long as you let us go this time. If you ever need us in the future, rest assured, we’ll go through fire and water for you!”

“Right! Brother, I hope you can show mercy…”

The man with the hooked nose also echoed.

I didn’t care about their mess at all.

And the reason I stopped her,

Was to find out what her plan really was.

After all, it involved me.

Seeing that I was still silent,

She immediately turned around and took a suitcase from the trunk.

“Chu Liu, we’re all out here to make money. Let us go, and the one million in this case is all yours!”

One million.

A huge sum.

Tempting, indeed.

But I still shook my head slightly and said indifferently:

“It’s okay, you can go. Keep the money!”

With that,

Old Hei and I got back in the car.

While driving, Old Hei glanced at me curiously and asked:

“I say, Master Chu Liu. That’s a million we’re talking about, aren’t you tempted?”

I chuckled coldly, looking out the window, and said lightly:

“The money in that case is fake!”

Huh?

Old Hei looked at me with a bewildered face.

He felt that I hadn’t even looked at it.

How did I know it was fake?

Actually, it’s simple.

The case He Huan used at the card game and the one she just took out were both black.

But there were subtle differences.

For example, the color of the combination lock was different.

And the size of the case was slightly different too.

Clearly,

The money in this case was something she had prepared in advance.

And now I finally understood what He Huan’s plan was.

She wanted to collaborate with me.

Definitely to win against the two from Fengtian first.

After winning,

Old Qian would surely arrange a celebration drink.

She planned to take advantage of the drunkenness to switch the cases, replacing Old Qian’s real money with this fake money.

After the switch, they would make their escape.

Lucky for me, I didn’t collaborate with her.

After the deed was done, she could run away.

But me? I couldn’t leave at all.

Because in Harbin North, I still had the most important thing to do.

That was, to avenge my father.

When we arrived at the old street,

We saw more than a dozen cars parked at the street corner.

These cars were all called by Old Qian.

They had already chased us to the old street.

We parked the car properly,

And walked into the old street.

At this time, the old street was lit up with lights from a hundred homes.

But the usual hustle and bustle was gone.

In the air, there was a heavier sense of solemnity.

As we approached the chess and card room,

We saw a crowd of people at the street corner ahead,

Heading towards the direction of the chess and card room.

I turned to Old Hei and asked:

“Can we find a high place that’s convenient for watching the excitement?”

“Sure thing, follow me!”

Old Hei was very familiar with this place.

He took me to a three-story dilapidated building that was no longer inhabited.

The two of us sat on the rooftop.

We could clearly see everything on the street below.

At this moment, Old Qian and Yin Wu, with dozens of men,

Were almost at the door of the chess and card room.

These people were carrying various weapons.

Iron rods, wooden sticks, machetes.

Yin Wu was indeed ruthless.

Even with four fingers gone,

He had only bandaged them simply.

Still holding a knife in his left hand, he followed by Old Qian’s side.

And Old Chef Zheng and Zhao Ping, with solemn faces,

Stood with a dozen men, coldly at the entrance of the chess and card room.