From Fengqi Hotel, Yang Jian went directly to the car dealership. Lu Yao and Wei Xia were already waiting for him there.
"Sister Xia, why isn't Brother Nan here?"
Upon arriving at the dealership, Yang Jian didn't see Lin Nan.
"He had something at the bureau. He just left not long ago. Little Yang, Lin Nan said he only wants a Volkswagen. The Camry is too expensive, he won't accept it, and neither will I."
Wei Xia only agreed to Yang Jian's offer to gift her a car after Lu Yao pestered her relentlessly. She did work night shifts frequently and indeed needed a car. The public security in the town center wasn't great, and it was unsafe for a girl to walk alone at night, which was also why Lin Nan hadn't strongly objected.
Lin Nan's family circumstances were decent. Both his parents were workers, and he was their only son, so there wasn't a huge burden. However, buying a car worth over a hundred thousand yuan was still a bit difficult. Lin Nan himself drove a company car.
Wei Xia's family, on the other hand, was much less well-off. Her parents were in poor health and had low incomes. They had even received financial assistance from Lu Yao's family in the past. It was impossible for Wei Xia to afford a car with her current salary.
"Sister Xia, let's just buy a better one. Get it done in one go, so you don't have to change cars later."
Yang Jian felt that a car worth over a hundred thousand yuan wouldn't adequately express his gratitude to Wei Xia and Lin Nan.
However, Wei Xia was very firm. "No, a car worth over a hundred thousand yuan is already a luxury for me. If Yao Yao hadn't tricked me into giving her my ID, I wouldn't have come."
"Sister Xia, I'm not paying for this car alone. You saved Ah Feng and Jun Jun, and their boss gave us twenty thousand yuan. I didn't spend much myself."
"I don't care. If you don't agree, I won't sign. We won't be friends anymore."
"Alright then, a Volkswagen it is."
Yang Jian knew that if he argued any further, Wei Xia wouldn't even accept a car worth over a hundred thousand yuan.
They had already chosen the model, so Yang Jian just needed to pay and complete the paperwork.
After buying the car, Yang Jian and Lu Yao accompanied Wei Xia to try on wedding dresses and buy candies, preparing things needed for the wedding.
Since both Lin Nan and Wei Xia were very busy, and only the wedding house was prepared by Lin Nan's parents, other arrangements were still pending.
Yang Jian ran around for them, contacting wedding planners, hotels, and vehicles.
Then he helped Lin Nan host his comrades who were coming from out of town for the wedding, arranging their accommodation and food, and accompanying them to visit scenic spots near Xinhe.
Yang Jian was busy until the wedding on October 1st.
The wedding of Lin Nan and Wei Xia was held at Fengqi Hotel, fulfilling Yang Jian's promise to support Yu Feng's business. Moreover, it was the highest-class venue in the town center.
Ah Feng and Jun Jun arrived early. Each of them gave a gift of fifty thousand yuan. Wei Xia had saved their lives, and this was their opportunity to repay her.
Song Jianmin sent eight thousand yuan and did not stay for drinks because his brother was also getting married that day.
Yang Jian couldn't be in two places at once, so he asked Jing Yongli to deliver twenty thousand yuan on his behalf.
He only gave Lin Nan eight hundred yuan, as both Lin Nan and Wei Xia were working-class individuals. Giving them too much money as a gift now would make it difficult for them to reciprocate in the future.
"Ah Feng, has the casino been lively recently? Any unexpected incidents?"
After the wedding banquet began, Yang Jian was no longer busy and sat at a table with Ah Feng and the others.
Ah Feng, who was driving, didn't drink and poured Yang Jian a cup of beverage. "Brother Jian, more and more people are gambling at the casino. The operating hours have been extended to three in the morning. Li Jin has decided to operate the casino twenty-four hours a day starting today."
"Operate twenty-four hours a day?"
"Yes, today is the first day of the National Day holiday. Li Jin said there will be even more people coming to play during these few days, and we should seize this golden week to make a killing."
Yang Jian smiled. "Brother Jin has some brains. Running a casino also needs to ride the wave of the golden week. Have the September accounts been settled?"
"Not yet. Biao Biao said to wait until you go over tomorrow. The profit in September was huge. You should get about four million yuan."
"That much? Are there any bad debts or unrecoverable debts from the betting?"
Yang Jian was a bit surprised. The income increased by a million yuan this month. As for bad debts or unrecoverable debts, it referred to situations where the money lent out by the betting company encountered unexpected problems. Some people who borrowed money ran away without repaying, and couldn't be found for a while; these were considered bad debts. Others were gamblers who lost all their assets and couldn't even borrow money, yet they could still be found. They were like dead pigs unafraid of boiling water; no matter how much you pressured them, they had no money to repay. These were considered unrecoverable debts, and you could only try to recover them bit by bit when they had money.
"I was just about to tell you about this. We have nearly fifty thousand yuan in accounts that are difficult to collect. This is within our risk control, so we haven't taken any strong measures against those who borrowed money.
However, Li Jin's betting company had an incident. Three days ago, his subordinates pressured a gambler, causing him to jump from the fifth floor and die."
Yang Jian almost dropped the cup in his hand. "What the heck! How did Brother Jin handle it?"
"He didn't handle it much. At that time, his subordinates went to collect the debt with the IOU. They didn't say much after arriving at the deceased's home, nor did they lay a hand on him. The person directly rushed over the balcony and jumped. His family was present. This was considered suicide, and the police couldn't hold Brother Jin and his people responsible. The matter was dropped."
"Did the deceased's family not make a fuss or file a complaint?"
"No, they probably didn't dare. That family is very timid. They are also from Xunsihe Street and are afraid of retaliation from Li Jin. Li Jin's methods of debt collection are quite brutal. We personally witnessed him lock a debtor in a room next to the casino for three days and three nights without food or water, almost causing another death."
Yang Jian pondered for a moment and said, "This is not a good omen. If this continues, this casino won't last long. Is our betting company experiencing any similar situations?"
"We are doing alright. This is because most of our clients are construction bosses from Xinhe. Even if someone loses a lot, we don't pressure them for repayment. Since they have ongoing projects, we're not afraid they won't repay; it just takes a little longer. Or we can directly convert it into a high-interest loan with a five-percent monthly interest, which is quite profitable.
Li Jin's betting company clients, on the other hand, are mostly nearby shopkeepers or residents affected by demolition. Some of them have even lost their shops and have no means to earn money. They either jump off buildings or run away.
This situation exists in any casino. As long as the procedures are made legal for the debt, the police cannot find any loopholes in the betting company's operations, so you don't need to worry too much about such matters having a significant impact on the casino."
The casino was currently at its most profitable stage. Ah Feng was worried that Yang Jian might suddenly withdraw from the casino, which would result in significant losses. The few of them had become accustomed to the life of making a fortune every day, and other ventures were not as profitable.
Moreover, in this area of Xunsihe, Li Jin's influence was strong enough, and Yang Jian's reputation was well-known. No one dared to oppose them, so there were no violent confrontations, ensuring safety. They hoped the casino would continue to operate indefinitely.