I used to always say gamblers were selfish and inhumane, but I hadn't truly witnessed and experienced it myself.
Today, however, I've had my eyes truly opened!
The gambler brother, Zhu Wendong, without his sister Zhu Wenjing's knowledge, secretly took her ID to Xiang Tianhua to pawn for money, and it was the rare "human pawn" at that.
In the end, upon learning that Zhu Wenjing had borrowed money to redeem herself, not only did he feel no shame, but he shamelessly asked for money to gamble again?
Honestly, the scene before me made me laugh.
But it was a cold laugh.
What kind of person could be so shameless as to sell their sister for money?!
Just as I was lost in thought, I heard Zhu Wendong roar, "Damn it! Where's that hundred thousand yuan?"
"Hurry up and give it to me to gamble!"
"Damn you, Zhu Wenjing! If I ever find out you're pulling these stunts behind my back again, I'll break both your legs!!!"
After speaking, Zhu Wendong directly reached out to grab Zhu Wenjing, seemingly wanting her to hand over the hundred thousand yuan.
Under Zhu Wendong's ferocity, Zhu Wenjing struggled and cried breakdown, "Brother, can you please not do this?"
"I'm your sister! That hundred thousand yuan is to pay off debts!"
"You, you... can you stop gambling?"
Trying to persuade a gambler to stop gambling is akin to persuading an addict deep in the throes of addiction to quit.
Will they listen?
The answer is simple: No!
Not only will they not listen, but those with a temper will even lash out.
Clearly, Zhu Wendong falls into the latter category.
Relying on Zhu Wenjing's usual forbearance, Zhu Wendong's expression changed drastically upon hearing his sister's plea to stop gambling.
Furious, Zhu Wendong didn't say another word and slapped Zhu Wenjing across the face!
Faced with her brother's sudden action, Zhu Wenjing was instantly terrified and frozen in place.
However, the burning pain and crisp sound of a slap on the face that she expected never came...
Upon closer inspection, she realized Zhu Wendong's hand was being firmly gripped by a large hand.
Before his fingers could reach Zhu Wenjing's face, Cheng Minglang had already stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Zhu Wenjing.
Casting a cold glance at Zhu Wendong, Cheng Minglang said in a deep voice, "A man's hand is not meant to hit a woman!"
Seeing that the person stopping him was the seemingly scrawny Cheng Minglang, Zhu Wendong immediately became enraged and yelled, "Fuck! Who the hell are you?"
"I'm hitting my own sister, what business is it of yours, you skinny stick!"
"Be smart and let go, or don't blame me for being rude!!!"
Hearing this, Cheng Minglang immediately sneered and applied force, "Rude? Fine! As long as you can break free from my grasp..."
"Not only will I let you be rude to me, but I'll also give you that hundred thousand yuan!"
Upon hearing that there was money to be had, and a full hundred thousand at that, Zhu Wendong was first slightly stunned, then immediately overjoyed, "Kid, I hope you keep your word!"
"If you dare to mess with me, remember that behind Qiaoxi's Zhu Wendong... there are still many brothers standing!"
"Why are you wasting words!?"
While continuing to exert force, Cheng Minglang said, "Hurry up! Let's see what you've got!"
About five minutes passed...
No matter how hard Zhu Wendong tried, he couldn't break free from Cheng Minglang's grip.
On the contrary, he was getting exhausted from the effort.
After trying one last time with a contorted face, Zhu Wendong, with a look of utter despair, stared at Cheng Minglang with a dazed expression and suddenly said, "Brother, have you trained?"
"It's like the Arm of the Qilin!"
Cheng Minglang, feeling the first half of the statement was rather pleasant, the moment he heard the latter half...
He immediately let go of Zhu Wendong, kicked him to the ground, and yelled coldly, "Crawl, damn you!!!"
Hearing this, Zhu Wendong not only remained unmoved but rolled and scrambled on the ground, shouting, "Help! Someone help, someone's beating me!"
After the commotion, nearby passersby stopped to watch and began to point fingers.
Seeing the crowd growing larger, seemingly confident that Cheng Minglang wouldn't dare to act aggressively in front of people, Zhu Wendong became even more emboldened.
Just then, Zhu Wenjing, who had been crying her eyes out, squatted down and said, "Brother, I'm begging you, okay? Stop making a scene here!"
"Don't you just want a hundred thousand yuan? I... I'll give it to you! Take the money and leave quickly!"
Seeing Zhu Wenjing about to compromise, Zhu Wendong, who had been lying on the ground groaning, immediately sat up briskly and said stubbornly, "It would have been better if you did this earlier! You're such a pain!"
Just as Zhu Wenjing, with a look of despair, was about to hand over the bag she had taken from the arcade to Zhu Wendong...
Suddenly, Cheng Minglang pushed Zhu Wenjing aside, drew his telescopic baton from his waist and extended it, then aimed it at Zhu Wendong's outstretched hand and brought it down heavily!
Crack!
"Ah!"
The sound of the baton hitting bone, and Zhu Wendong's cry of pain, erupted simultaneously. Cheng Minglang's movements didn't stop, gripping the baton and fiercely beating Zhu Wendong all over his body...
This sudden turn of events stunned many onlookers.
In 2008, surveillance was not widespread, and mobile phones were not yet capable of ubiquitous photography. The public's inclination to watch a spectacle was based on the assumption that things wouldn't escalate completely.
However, the current situation had far exceeded most people's expectations.
Fearing being implicated and caught in the crossfire, the onlookers quickly retreated.
Even those who remained stood at a distance, outside the sphere of the disturbance.
Seeing the crowd intimidated and dispersed, Zhu Wendong immediately clutched his head and wailed, "Brother, stop hitting me! I know I was wrong, please stop!"
Hearing this, Cheng Minglang not only did not stop but began to hit even faster.
The wicked need the wicked to keep them in check!
These words left by our ancestors are indeed profound truths.
To be honest, while I deeply sympathized with Zhu Wenjing's plight, I was far from Cheng Minglang's level of emotion.
Since getting to know Cheng Minglang, this was the first time I had seen him become so passionate and impulsive due to empathizing with someone else's story.
It wasn't until much later that this quiet man voluntarily told me that he wasn't sent to the martial arts school to strengthen his weak body, but rather his gambling father had sold him and his mother out!
On the night he learned they were sold, Cheng Minglang's mother gave him all the money she had and helped him escape.
The so-called martial arts school was where Cheng Minglang found a glimmer of hope after reaching rock bottom.
Naturally strong-willed, he had never revealed this secret to anyone... except me.
Because of Cheng Minglang's impulsive actions, I was later forced to agree to Zhu Wenjing's request.
What I didn't expect was that this reluctant, unintentional act would lead me to unexpectedly discover the secret that Xiang Tianhua and Da Fei, among others, had secretly pledged allegiance to Yu Shuang.
Furthermore, I also found a clue to the Thousand King Token...