As expected, the two big shots stood by the Han River and discussed for half an hour. During this time, there were heated arguments, and they parted ways unhappily, seemingly without reaching any verbal agreement.
Both sides took their men and left.
Yang Jian breathed a sigh of relief. This time, helping out was smooth sailing. He should have no problem asking Yang Fan to be the Zhuang.
On the way back, Luo Tong remained silent. Upon returning to the villa, Yang Jian and Yang Fan's three disciples stayed outside the courtyard, while Yang Fan and Luo Tong discussed something inside.
After more than ten minutes, Yang Fan finally came out.
"Xiao Yang, you and Afeng go back first. I'll treat you to a meal when I have time."
"Brother Fan, are you going to the gym tonight?"
"Not necessarily, what's up?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to chat with you. Whenever you have time."
Haste makes waste. Yang Jian could tell that Yang Fan and his group had important matters to attend to at the moment. He knew it wasn't appropriate to ask for favors now.
He returned to the gym with the three disciples and did some exercises. Afeng, Yang Fan's disciple, specifically drove him to the Century Huating residential complex.
Yang Jian went upstairs to his rented room and found everyone awake and preparing for lunch.
"Xiao Yang, where did you go early this morning? There's something I need to discuss with you."
Song Jianhao, wearing his pajamas, had just finished washing his face.
"I went to the gym. Brother Hao, what is it?"
"We've taken on another big venue, with a minimum of twenty thousand yuan per table. We need to be there to operate the Zhuang this afternoon. How much of a stake are you planning to take?"
"Twenty thousand yuan per table? That means a ten percent stake would require a twenty thousand yuan investment?"
"I want to invest thirty thousand yuan for a ten percent stake because this venue is opened by the most influential brothers in Hanjiang District, Fuping and Fugui. The gamblers who come to play here are all well-off. They say twenty thousand yuan per table, but it's likely more. So, I plan to bring in three hundred thousand yuan."
Three thousand yuan per share, Yang Jian hesitated. If he were to take a twenty percent stake as before, he would need to invest sixty thousand yuan. He currently only had eighty thousand yuan. If he lost the first game, he wouldn't even have the qualification to invest in the second game. The risk seemed a bit high.
The main thing was that Song Jianhao was no longer trustworthy. If he played any tricks, Yang Jian would have to suffer in silence.
Biao Biao said from the side, "Brother Jian, your funds have all been transferred back home for the factory. Take a smaller stake. For such a big venue, taking half would be enough."
This was a subtle reminder. Yang Jian made a decision instantly: "Brother Hao, I don't have much money, less than fifty thousand yuan in total. I'll just take a ten percent stake."
"Alright, but the structure of this venue is very good. Old Wu has also been watching for a few days, and he said it's a good venue. I've given you the opportunity. If you win money, don't regret it, okay?"
"Why would I regret it? I truly don't have that much money. The money I've earned recently has all gone to my family for the factory. With insufficient funds, I can only accumulate slowly. When I have more money, you can give me more shares, alright?"
"Okay, no problem. Then it's settled. You take ten percent. After eating, give the thirty thousand yuan to Sixi. Biao Biao, Liangliang, do you guys want to take a share of the Zhuang? A few of you can pool your resources to take ten percent."
No one responded to Song Jianhao's proposal. Among these hired hands, only Sixi, Biao Biao, Liangliang, and Sanpang had saved some money. The rest were all living paycheck to paycheck. Every day after returning from the casino, they would either be at internet cafes or foot massage parlors, and they were all consuming ketamine and ecstasy.
Sixi was a disciplined person. He never spent money on himself. He was also at an age where he had elderly parents and young children to support. The money he earned had to be used to support his family, and he was unwilling to take risks.
As for Biao Biao, Liangliang, and Sanpang, they were restrained by Yang Jian. They were not allowed to indulge in entertainment venues, use drugs, or participate in gambling. Otherwise, they wouldn't even be considered brothers.
This time, when Song Jianhao asked them to participate, they were not tempted at all. On one hand, they felt Song Jianhao was not trustworthy. On the other hand, they wanted to start something new with Yang Jian and invest in the Hongqi Street casino.
After lunch, the shareholders pooled their money. They rested until three o'clock. The Emperor Company still split into two groups. One group, led by Yang Jian with Biao Biao, Liangliang, Sanpang, and Song Ge, went to the Hongqi Street casino. The other group, personally led by Song Jianhao, went to the Toudaojie casino in Hanjiang District. Their gambling session was from five in the evening to nine at night.
"Brother Jian, did you run into Yang Fan at the gym today?"
In the taxi on the way to the casino, Biao Biao asked impatiently. Although Song Ge was present, this young man was tight-lipped and wanted to follow Yang Jian closely, so there was no need to worry about him revealing their information to Song Jianhao.
"I did. I was helping him with something this morning, but I didn't bring up that matter. Don't worry, this should be fine. It's not a loss for him, so I believe he'll give me this face."
"That's great. Should we call people from home?"
"Not yet. It's not too late to call after I confirm it with him."
Yang Jian was very confident. Arranging for a Zhuang was a trivial matter for Yang Fan. It wouldn't affect their casino's revenue regardless of who operated the Zhuang. This was just a favor done as a matter of course.
Song Ge caught the unusual information: "Brother Jian, if there's something good, bring me along. I promise to listen to you in everything and never say a word."
Yang Jian smiled, "I haven't even gotten to the first step yet. Let's talk after it's confirmed."
Song Ge was a decent young man, with some spirit. He wasn't intimidated at all at Monkey's casino last time. If conditions allowed, he could give him a chance.
Upon arriving at Hongqi Street, they didn't see Yang Fan. Another manager of the casino said Yang Fan wouldn't be coming here today. Yang Jian was a bit disappointed. He could only try his luck at the gym tonight, as it was inconvenient to discuss this matter over the phone.
He won another eight thousand yuan today. After the seven o'clock gambling session ended, Yang Jian asked Biao Biao and the other three to return to the rented room first. He went to the gym to train and also to find an opportunity to talk to Yang Fan about the Zhuang.
"Brother Liangliang, is Brother Jian planning to start the Emperor Company on his own?"
On the way back, Song Ge couldn't help but ask what Yang Jian was up to.
Liangliang was a distant cousin of his, three generations removed, so he didn't hide anything: "He has that intention. Don't say anything foolish at the company, you know Brother Jian can't tolerate any nonsense."
"Don't worry. Compared to Brother Hao, I'd rather follow Brother Jian. Last time, when we took such a big risk to fight with Monkey and recovered our losses, Brother Hao didn't show any appreciation. Fortunately, Brother Jian distributed the money in advance. From this incident, you can see how loyal Brother Jian is to his brothers."
"It's good that you know. It's not impossible to follow him, I can talk to him about it, but you must be absolutely loyal. Brother Jian hates betrayal the most, especially when it comes to money. He won't treat his brothers unfairly."
"No problem, I can definitely do that."
"Also, if you follow him, you can't gamble or do drugs. If you can't do that, it's also not okay. Biao Biao spent tens of thousands of yuan to quit drugs, and I quit ketamine. Otherwise, Brother Jian won't let us follow him."
"Then I'll quit too. I haven't been using for long, and I'm not addicted. I promise not to touch it again."
Having been in Hancheng for only two months, Song Ge had followed suit and frequented clubs to consume ketamine, and his money was almost spent. Now, he understood that such things were harmful.