If I had to guess and infer, between the white-haired elder and the middle-aged man beside Mr. He, who was Yu Shuang's partner in cooperation for mutual benefit… I would have unhesitatingly guessed the middle-aged man!
Because, judging from both his appearance and demeanor, the middle-aged man looked exactly like the archetypal villain from television and movies.
But the moment the white-haired elder stood up with him, I realized I had guessed wrong.
This wasn't just one person plotting a usurpation; it was an entire cast of villains!
The middle-aged man, the white-haired elder, and the beautiful woman – these three people around Mr. He were all, without exception, traitors!
No wonder Yu Shuang had spoken to me so fearlessly earlier; she had known all along that nothing would happen to her.
If Mr. He, like me, had only subconsciously identified the mole in one person, then even if he had prepared to purge the disloyal, the outcome of facing an entire group of villains would be futile.
Although he was the undisputed overlord of Macau's gambling industry, as he grew older, his prestige among his subordinates had long since waned.
Furthermore, coupled with his early tendency to promote based on favoritism and his extremely stingy nature, it was not surprising that he was now reaping the bitter fruits of his actions.
Please don't think I'm exaggerating. Anyone truly born and raised in Macau knows that while Mr. He was immensely wealthy and a fervent supporter of various charitable causes, he was quite strict and demanding with his family and subordinates before he fully delegated power.
As he was nearing ninety years old, his family members had been clamoring to divide the family assets for the past two years.
Logically speaking, a normal family division of assets would involve distributing the property according to legally defined proportions.
However…
Mr. He had four wives, and each of them had borne him many children, expanding the family tree.
But among the four wives, Mr. He favored the youngest.
And among his many children, he particularly favored the children of his second wife.
[PS: For those interested, you can search for the specific names yourself.]
Therefore, Mr. He's family… was not easy to divide!
As for his subordinates, they were simultaneously trying to secure more benefits for themselves while also secretly colluding with his children, who were gradually gaining power.
The bolder ones had even switched their allegiance outright.
Ever since confirming that Mr. He intended to cause trouble for me, I had discreetly inquired about Mr. He from Gao Jing.
I heard, or rather, it was rumored, that one of Mr. He's sons had a significant conflict with him, and this son had been quietly gathering support from many of Mr. He's old subordinates.
There were even rumors that these conflicts stemmed from the management and operational issues of the Grand Lisboa casino, as well as related equity distribution.
As Macau's new landmark, the Grand Lisboa Entertainment Complex was completed on February 11, 2007, and its opening ceremony was personally presided over by Macau's Chief Executive, Edmund Ho Hau Wah. The significance of this was self-evident.
Everyone knew that the Grand Lisboa, once opened, would be a non-stop, super "money-printing machine." Gaining the right to manage it was equivalent to holding this super "money-printing machine" in one's hand!
Owning an additional 1% of the equity could bring in wealth that many people couldn't earn in several lifetimes!
On the very night the Grand Lisboa casino was completed and opened, Mr. He had boasted that to bolster Macau's gambling industry and attract more domestic and international tourists (gamblers) to Macau for entertainment (gambling), the winner of the 2009 Gambling King competition, in addition to the usual reward of the Gambling King Token and its accompanying privilege, would also receive an additional 5% equity dividend from the Grand Lisboa casino!
As before, this was for a ten-year term!
In other words, the winner of this year's, the fourth Gambling King competition, if they were to exchange the Gambling King Token's accompanying privilege for the equity reward from Mr. He, and also exchange for the Grand Lisboa's equity dividend…
They would enjoy an unprecedented 10% equity dividend over ten years!
For example, if I were the holder of a complete Gambling King Token and used the holder's privilege to register for the competition, I could be directly qualified for the finals.
The finals were the ultimate competition where nine people competed for one spot, with each person having a 1/9 chance of winning the ultimate victory and the 10% equity dividend reward.
If there were high-ranking and influential insiders working in collusion, the probability of winning would not be one-ninth, but 100%!
Upon winning, the Gambling King Token's accompanying privilege could be directly exchanged with Mr. He for ten years of fixed 10% annual equity dividends from the Grand Lisboa casino!
This was precisely why Yu Shuang had gotten involved with Mr. He and those individuals.
She and they had all set their sights on the fixed 10% annual equity dividend reward from the Grand Lisboa casino for the next ten years.
One must realize, this was a sum of money approaching astronomical figures!
The reason the rich get richer is that they want to earn more when they earn a lot; they want to earn ten times more when they earn one hundred million, achieving their goals even by unscrupulous means!
Where would an ordinary person find such audacity?
Therefore, being born into a wealthy family that doesn't worry about food and clothing isn't necessarily a good thing; it brings many troubles and grievances!
Because if you don't go for certain money, others will rush to earn it; if you don't fight for certain things, others will fight for them!
In the current situation, if Mr. He hadn't bypassed those internal moles and laid down contingency plans… whether he would be alright or not, I didn't know.
But I knew that I would surely be doomed!
………………
After being surrounded, I glanced at Mr. He. Although his gaze remained cold and deep, his right hand, holding the cigar, trembled uncontrollably.
Clearly, Mr. He had likely not bypassed them…
I dared not, dared not think further.
As I shifted my gaze away from Mr. He, I heard Yu Shuang beside me sigh faintly, "Chen Xiang, if you had known this day would come, why did you act like this in the first place?"
"If you had been sensible and handed over the item to me earlier, not only would you have been fine, but you would have also received a share when I benefited."
"But now, alas~"
Upon hearing this, I replied with a chilling expression, "Our paths diverge; we cannot plan together! There's no need for you to put on such a show here!"
Seeing my defiant attitude, Yu Shuang, feeling her face was lost, let out a heavy snort and said coldly, "I hope your mouth can remain as tough in a moment!"
I ignored Yu Shuang and turned my head away.
Just then, the middle-aged man moved.
He first glanced at Mr. He subconsciously, and after confirming the latter had no reaction, he walked up to me with his hands in his pockets, frowned, and said, "Hand it over!"