To be honest, a business card game like the one Yang Yuanyuan set up on the gambling boat, if it involved cheating, would most likely be a setup by an acquaintance.
But since she insisted that the regular client was unaware, it meant there was definitely something more to it.
After a moment of thought, I didn't waste any words and directly asked, "How long have you been booking rooms and playing cards for business on the gambling boat?"
Upon hearing my words, Yang Yuanyuan's beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed, and she froze.
Business people's minds work fast.
Clearly, Yang Yuanyuan understood the implication of my question.
If the person brought by the regular client had a problem, and the problem wasn't with the regular client himself, then it was most likely on the gambling boat.
To tell the truth, whether it's a chess and card room or a gambling boat, there isn't a single venue that is completely clean.
The so-called privacy and security are all just bluffs by the bosses to the outside world!
In the eyes of the bosses, as long as a guest has played at the venue... there's no such thing as privacy.
Cases of bosses coveting gamblers and setting up schemes to cheat them out of money are everywhere.
Let me tell you a true story.
[An uncle from a village next to my hometown, who was originally in civil engineering, had already bought two or three apartments in Shanghai in the early 20s.
Besides the apartments, he also had considerable savings and several luxury cars. He retired early before the age of 50 and returned to his hometown to open a building materials store.
This uncle had no other hobbies; he didn't indulge in women or drugs, but he was fond of gambling. He frequented the chess and card room in our town whenever he had the chance.
At first, the owner of the chess and card room treated this uncle like a god of wealth. But later, seeing him always losing money, he started to have wicked intentions.
I won't go into the details of the process, I'll just state the outcome. This uncle's final end was tragic. All his external possessions were cheated away! His family fortune was gone, his wife and children left him, and the words "family ruined" can only roughly describe, not fully encompass, what happened.
Because after discovering the truth, the uncle... committed suicide!
So, if you can quit gambling, quit. If you can't quit, please remember, never play cards with strangers! Even if they are brought by an acquaintance, it's not allowed!]
Yang Yuanyuan, being in the real estate business, had a personal net worth of at least nine figures.
To put it bluntly, people like her were a big piece of fat meat, and everyone wanted a bite!
If this were in an ordinary chess and card room or casino, a swarm of cheaters would have pounced on her long ago!
After all, no one would complain about having too much money.
As the saying goes: A passing wind leaves a sound, a flying goose leaves a trace.
There has never been a wall that doesn't let in the wind!
Yang Yuanyuan booking a private room on the gambling boat for card games and business talks might be unknown to others, but the gambling boat owner would definitely be aware of it.
Therefore, I deduced that what happened to Yang Yuanyuan before was likely a scheme within a scheme!
Yang Yuanyuan set up the game to talk business.
The gambling boat owner set up the game to cheat people.
...
After staring at me with her bright eyes for a while, Yang Yuanyuan finally spoke slowly and said, "It's been about half a year."
Upon hearing this, I didn't reveal my previous deduction but instead asked again, "Why did you choose to conduct business talks on the gambling boat?"
Yang Yuanyuan took a sip of tea and sighed softly, "You know, many things related to the real estate industry are not meant to see the light of day, and it's not always successful after one or two meetings!
"Constantly changing venues to talk is far less secure than doing it on the gambling boat!
"I chose the gambling boat because of its high privacy and security. Moreover, gambling boats operate under the guise of sightseeing cruise ships, and they are very mobile.
"In addition, the entertainment options on the gambling boat are very comprehensive! Whether the business talks are successful or not, at least the guests can be entertained! This is absolutely not a problem."
As if thinking of something else, after a slight pause, Yang Yuanyuan continued, "Although I don't know what basis you have for suspecting the gambling boat, I can tell you responsibly..."
"The gambling boat is definitely not a problem!"
"Why do you say that?"
I was somewhat confused by Yang Yuanyuan's words.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Yang Yuanyuan didn't answer directly. Instead, she deliberately turned her head to look around.
Seeing that no one was nearby, she explained to me in a very quiet voice: It was Xiao Qing who introduced me to this gambling boat! And its owner... is Ying Baolin!"
"Since you work at Ruichi, you must have heard of the Ying family of Wen Zhou, right?"
"Ying Baolin is the current head of the Ying family! He is much richer than me and has no reason to ruin his reputation for a mere twenty million."
This time, it was my turn to fall silent.
Ying Baolin, mentioned by Yang Yuanyuan, is on a similar level as Xiao Tianci of Longxi.
Although in terms of reputation alone, Ying Baolin's name is not as resounding as Xiao Tianci's, it's not much different.
Furthermore, it is said that the Ying family's gambling boat business is not limited to Wen Zhou Port; they have operations in most of the nearby cities.
In addition, the largest private casinos in Wen Zhou are also owned by the Ying family.
Following this logic, Ying Baolin indeed has no need to ruin the reputation of his establishment for a mere twenty million.
So, where could the problem be?
Seeing my brow furrowed and my silence, Yang Yuanyuan patted my shoulder as if to comfort me and said with a faint smile, "If you can't figure it out now, don't think about it for the moment. The gambling game hasn't started yet.
"Once everyone arrives, I'll pull you onto the table as a friend, and you can observe up close then."
Upon hearing this, I nodded silently.
As Yang Yuanyuan said, as long as the gambling game hadn't started, any amount of thinking on my part would be futile.
After chatting idly for a while longer, and with less than an hour left until ten o'clock, Yang Yuanyuan left with her bodyguards.
She told me she would wait in the gambling hall and asked me to wait for her call.
After Yang Yuanyuan left, I also left the second-floor lounge and entertainment area with Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun.
There was no other reason; among the three of us... someone's butt was about to get restless!
...
To be honest, I didn't believe in "fortune-telling" or "luck" before.
But after getting to know Han Jinlun, I gradually started to believe.
Because this guy is truly my lucky charm!
Just like that time in Longxi, because Han Jinlun couldn't stand the boredom, I didn't stay on the second floor. Instead, I took him and Cheng Minglang back to the first floor.
It was this move that led me to encounter Xianyu, the junket promoter from Ruichi, in the first-floor gambling hall!