After parting ways with Qin Lei, I didn't immediately try to flag down a car.
I observed my surroundings for a while, and only after confirming that no tails were following me did I quickly walk to the roadside, signal for a car, and return to the hotel.
The first thing I did upon my return was pack my bags, preparing to change my lodging again.
All these actions were the hidden, less glamorous side of those seemingly dazzling gamblers.
In the gambler's dictionary, the word "home" simply doesn't exist.
For us, the so-called "home" is those hotels of varying sizes and styles lining the city streets!
By the time I had completely finished packing, it was already two in the morning.
Lying in bed, I silently recalled everything I had recently experienced. Though my mind was still a bit jumbled, I was thankfully clear about my ultimate goal.
And this goal has never wavered or changed due to anyone or anything!
That goal is: revenge!
Although the path of revenge now seems to be nearing its first ray of dawn, I was perfectly aware in my heart.
I feared that before the dawn arrived, the world would be filled with boundless darkness!
Besides carefully protecting the backup evidence, I also had to constantly guard against Yu Shuang's next move.
This ruthless queen bee wanted to use me as her pawn, control and drive me to overcome obstacles and reclaim the Huadu Casino for her.
Having seen through Yu Shuang's schemes, I naturally wouldn't let her have her way...
For some reason, as I was thinking, a strange premonition suddenly arose within me.
I had a feeling that at Wang Yangming's birthday banquet next month, the queen bee Yu Shuang would find a way to drag me into it, using me as a shield for her!
After repeatedly thinking and reviewing everything, I became increasingly certain... this premonition was likely to come true!
To prevent the premonition from becoming reality, I decided to expand my team.
There was no other way! Since I started dealing with Yu Shuang, I had basically been a loser, constantly defeated yet constantly fighting.
To be honest, I was truly a bit afraid of her.
Because she only cared about maximizing profits and was generally someone who would stop at nothing.
And my path of revenge was one of no retreat; a single misstep could lead to disaster.
Therefore, to avoid being countered by Yu Shuang again, I had to build my own force as quickly as possible.
Even if I had to spend money lavishly, I needed to recruit one or two more people who would be completely loyal to me!
At the very least, a "Fire General" was indispensable!
In addition to the core team, I also needed to recruit some helpers from outside this time to share some of the pressure.
A single tree doesn't make a forest. Han Qingmei was the first helper I had in mind!
Although this venture had cost me 120,000 yuan, with 20,000 of it being my principal, as long as Han Qingmei came around and was willing to cooperate with me, I, an unknown nobody, was confident I could cross the river and turn the tables on Yu Shuang!
...
With the general plan figured out in my mind, I decisively sent a message to Qin Lei and arranged to meet him again tomorrow.
The next morning, around ten o'clock.
Qin Lei and I met outside an arcade called "Happy World" in the city.
Ten in the morning was the prime time for the arcade to start attracting customers.
As soon as he saw me, Qin Lei waved from a distance to greet me.
"Brother Xiang, over here!"
"He's inside."
Seeing this, I walked straight towards him and offered him a Red Nanjing cigarette.
At close range, I noticed the look in Qin Lei's eyes and his demeanor when facing me seemed somewhat different from before.
If I wasn't mistaken, the words I spoke to Qin Lei before we parted last night must have truly and completely won him over.
Although I had missed many things about the various social strata and the Eight Great Jianghu (or the Eight Gates) during my guidance, in a situation like last night, if his brain had worked a little faster, he could have completely avoided losing 120,000 yuan.
For me, saving Qin Lei was a matter of goodwill; not saving him would have been simply fulfilling my duty.
After all, I was the one paying his salary.
And it was a time of peace, so even if I hadn't saved Qin Lei, he would have at most suffered some physical pain.
But not only did I step in to save him, but I also resolved the 120,000 yuan issue in just a few words.
Therefore, I deduced that Qin Lei was most likely impressed by my actions and decisiveness last night.
This kind of unexpected gain felt quite like an unintended success.
Understanding this, I didn't say much, nor did I put on airs. I simply followed him and turned towards the arcade.
As we walked, I inquired about the situation with Qin Lei.
To be honest, when I saw Qin Lei's message asking to meet here early in the morning, I instinctively thought he had found a "Fire General" for me.
But after receiving Qin Lei's call and confirming, I realized that this guy had actually found me a "Rumor General"!
A Rumor General, in the Thousand Doors' Eight Generals, is specifically responsible for spreading rumors.
As a Rumor General, the main task is to lure "old customers" (i.e., victims, also known as "sheep") into believing the rumors and falling into the trap unknowingly.
"Are you sure... this Sun Miao is good at deceiving people?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Lei quickly grabbed me, who was walking, and earnestly replied, "I am absolutely, positively, and definitely sure!"
He paused, then quickly lowered his voice and whispered in my ear, "During his final year of vocational training, he was tricked by someone involved in pyramid schemes and taken to Ningnan. He called us classmates one by one to borrow money."
"His family found out and were so anxious they practically ran to the police station every other day to report him."
"In the end, guess what happened?"
"In less than three days, Sun Miao came back on his own! And what was most incredible was... he wasn't injured at all!!!"
"Later, when everyone accompanied him to the police station to give a statement, the police officers asked him how he escaped, and he talked for nearly two hours!"
"It wasn't until the police officer taking the statement became impatient that he said to him..."
"'Young man, could you please get straight to the point?'"
Hearing the last sentence, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Amazing! Truly incredibly amazing!
You have to understand, pyramid schemes back then were extremely brutal! Many people were scammed by them. And those who didn't return were even more numerous!
To escape with broken limbs or missing parts would have been considered incredibly lucky.
To return completely unharmed... I must admit, I had never heard of it, nor had I ever seen it!
Looking at it this way, Sun Miao is indeed a rare talent, definitely worth meeting!