The next half-day and the entire sixth day, I led Qin Lan in skillfully "bumping into" Jiang Jinshan multiple times in the hotel lobby and restaurant.
In the span of a day and a half, Jiang Jinshan and I progressed from mere nods of acknowledgment during our chance encounters to sitting at the same table, laughing and chatting. The progress was incredibly smooth.
Of course, I didn't initiate the greetings with Jiang Jinshan at first, as I had acted quite angry when he was caught peeking at the contract.
Unaware that he had fallen into my trap, Jiang Jinshan offered me repeated apologies, and I "reluctantly" forgave him.
Throughout this process, I maintained perfect control and executed every step without the slightest flaw.
The way men build rapport is quite straightforward, essentially boiling down to the methods I mentioned earlier.
During our multiple casual chats over the day and a half, Jiang Jinshan indirectly asked me about my hobbies no less than five times.
Instead of giving him direct answers, I played coy, hinting but not revealing.
It wasn't until we were drinking together on the evening of the sixth day that, after a few drinks, I alluded to it intermittently. Only then did Jiang Jinshan finally understand… that I was one of "his kind"!
My cautious demeanor perfectly fit the image of someone who frequently travels for business.
Anyone who has worked in sales knows that you can talk all you want with clients, but you should never easily reveal your true intentions.
This is because people can be frightening, and you never know how far some individuals will go for profit, without any bottom line or shame.
Upon hearing this, he immediately declared that we were destined to meet.
Little did Jiang Jinshan know, our connection was a genuine entanglement of fate!
Everything he saw and heard was precisely what I wanted him to see and hear.
That evening, as the drinking session was drawing to a close.
I deliberately made myself appear half-sober and half-dazed, and on the table, I let slip a piece of information to Jiang Jinshan.
I told him I was in Longxi to conduct business, had booked a room at the Four Seasons Hotel for a total of four days, that tomorrow was the last day, and I would be leaving the day after.
Now that the business was concluded ahead of schedule, I wanted to find a place to relax and indulge in some gambling, but I lacked the connections.
The saying "drunk words reveal true thoughts" is not just an empty phrase.
I fully committed to my performance of being drunk, and Jiang Jinshan couldn't detect any flaws.
His curiosity and interest in me weren't solely due to my status being comparable to his, but more importantly, because he wanted to expand his network and elevate his own business further.
This was the true reason he was making such an effort to cultivate a relationship with me.
Now, a perfect opportunity lay before him, and there was no reason for him to hesitate or refuse!
If he wanted to do business with me, he would undoubtedly find a way to arrange a gambling session for me after I woke up tomorrow.
All I had to do was enjoy a good night's sleep and wait for Jiang Jinshan to approach me proactively the next day.
Time flew by, and soon it was the agreed-upon final day.
The morning of the seventh day.
While I was still asleep from drinking too much, my phone on the bedside table began to vibrate frequently.
Groggily picking up my phone, the sleepiness in my mind immediately vanished.
It was Jiang Jinshan calling!
As soon as the call was connected, Jiang Jinshan started boasting.
He said he had secretly recorded my words from the previous night and had, overnight, arranged a game with some friends to fulfill my wish.
The reason he was calling so early was that they were playing with cash and the stakes were high, so he wanted to remind me to withdraw some cash from the bank.
The moment Jiang Jinshan finished speaking, my eyes lit up.
A "boss game"!
By sheer chance, I had stumbled upon the very kind of game that card sharks loved most – the boss game!
As the name suggests, a boss game is a gambling session organized by wealthy individuals, and it's usually very difficult for outsiders to infiltrate.
Among the various types of gambling games, the boss game is considered the most high-end and sophisticated.
This is because it's a lucrative place for card sharks to make money!
Under normal circumstances, to get into a boss game, one must first spend considerable time finding the right people, then engage in meticulous planning, and finally, withstand the scrutiny of the bosses.
Only by passing these three hurdles can one join the table.
The total time for these three stages, while not excessively long, is certainly not short; it's rare to succeed in just a week or two.
The reason my situation was so smooth was primarily that I didn't solely focus on attracting Jiang Jinshan's attention.
Many of the details I presented were passive designs, allowing Jiang Jinshan to discover them proactively.
This is the highest level of application for the saying, "What you hear is false, what you see is true."
"Hello, little Hu, are you listening?"
Just as I was concentrating deeply, Jiang Jinshan on the other end of the line suddenly called out my fake name.
Hearing this, I immediately snapped back to attention and replied, "I'm listening, Brother Jiang, please go ahead."
"Little Hu, I've already arranged the game for you. Are you ready on your end? If you are, you can go to the bank to withdraw money."
"Brother Jiang, are the players you found reliable?" I asked.
"Don't worry!" After a pause, Jiang Jinshan continued, "Don't dawdle, little Hu! If you want to satisfy your gambling craving, hurry up and go withdraw money from the bank!"
"After I've welcomed everyone, we'll have lunch together, and the game will start precisely at one in the afternoon!"
"Brother Jiang, um… how much money should I prepare?" I asked again.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Jinshan replied, "We have plenty of time! Today is just to satisfy your gambling craving, so prepare a hundred for now!"
"Okay! No problem!"
"Good, I'll see you then."
With that, Jiang Jinshan hung up the phone.
As expected, it was a boss game; a mere hundred million was casually mentioned.
As long as it wasn't Mahjong, if Jiang Jinshan could gather three or more players, I could easily achieve the hard target of four million per game!
Jiang Jinshan, oh Jiang Jinshan, don't blame me for being ruthless.
In this world, it's a case of big fish eating small fish, and small fish eating shrimp; survival of the fittest.
Furthermore, you took the bait yourself in this final instance, so I have no reason to let you go!
One o'clock in the afternoon.
I followed Jiang Jinshan and the others to the chess and card entertainment room upstairs at the Four Seasons Hotel. A server led us into a private room with a bed, clearly modified.
Today, the orchid woman who had disappeared for the past two days also came with Jiang Jinshan.
Upon seeing me, a look of intense vigilance naturally appeared on her face.
Then, a cold glint unexpectedly shot from her eyes towards mine.
This was clearly a warning from her.
I completely ignored it, offering a calm smile.