I was convinced that Ying Baolin would call.
And it would definitely be after I had safely left Wenzhou.
The onlooker sees clearly, while the participant is blinded!
Last night, as the participant, I subconsciously thought that Ying Baolin was using Shen Mengqing and Xu Peiyu to keep me here to vent his personal grudges and seek revenge.
Even earlier, when Luo Qiwén appeared aggressively, this thought was firmly imprinted in the depths of my mind.
But when I saw Jiang Xiaowan appear and managed to switch to the perspective of an onlooker, I suddenly realized that I had fallen into a serious conceptual trap.
Throughout history, merchants have always pursued profit.
The fact that Ying Baolin could make a fortune from gambling ships and quickly become the helmsman of the entire underground casino in Wenzhou was enough to prove that he was an incredibly successful businessman!
For a successful businessman like Ying Baolin, even if he had personal grudges to settle, as long as he could see enough profit…
There was no absolute need to act on personal grudges!
This could be seen from his relationship with Yun Jin.
Earlier, when he was swallowing up and acquiring small and medium-sized casinos, Yun Jin, as the vanguard of resistance, directly placed her own flagship establishment, Ruichi, in opposition to Ying Baolin.
They had engaged in open and covert struggles several times, wasting who knows how much manpower, financial resources, and material resources.
At that time, Yun Jin and Ying Baolin were irreconcilable mortal enemies.
Yet, not only had they made peace, but they had also become engaged, turning into a sweet engaged couple.
To say this was the power of love, only a fool would believe it!
Therefore, I concluded that Ying Baolin chose to stand with Yun Jin for immense benefits that others could not know.
As for why he was so insistent on keeping me, it was likely related to Yun Jin, or rather, to some immense benefit that Yun Jin could bring him.
That's right!
It was the divided Thousand King Token!
After using Yu Shuang to re-establish a foothold in Wenzhou, Yun Jin had to choose to defect to Ying Baolin's camp in order to completely shake off the former and seek powerful protection.
However, Ying Baolin, having dealt with Yun Jin before, could not possibly not know what kind of woman she was.
Ordinary tokens of allegiance would not impress him.
After all, Ying Baolin wanted to unify the entire underground casino of Wenzhou and become the absolute master.
Given everything Yun Jin had done, only an idiot wouldn't see her ambition!
Therefore, Yun Jin's token of allegiance was: that half of the Thousand King Token!
By offering half of the Thousand King Token to Ying Baolin, Yun Jin could not only gain his trust instantly but also protect herself to the greatest extent.
In addition, she could indirectly use Ying Baolin to help her find the other half of the Thousand King Token!
Killing three birds with one stone! A single arrow hitting three targets!
If this deduction held true, excluding the deceased owner of the Thousand King Token, Uncle Tuo, the people who knew that the Thousand King Token had been split into two, besides me, Yun Jin, and Fan Yixin, would now include Ying Baolin!
This was also the real reason why Ying Baolin, a dignified influential figure, had been relentlessly pursuing me for the gambling match on the cruise ship!
It was certain that Yun Jin, in order to gain Ying Baolin's trust, had divulged all the relevant information without reservation.
There were very few people who could be considered close friends of Uncle Tuo.
My suspicion had likely been secretly ruled out by Yun Jin from the very beginning.
Next was Helian Shan.
Helian Shan's suspicion was likely ruled out around the time Yun Jin went to Anhai.
After ruling out my and Helian Shan's suspicions, Yun Jin set her sights on the group of old comrades with whom she had once fought.
Among them, who was close to Uncle Tuo, who was feigning friendship, and who harbored malicious intentions, Yun Jin, as an insider, would certainly be aware.
So, among Uncle Tuo's old comrades, the only ones she invited to help were Fan Yixin and Hua Liang.
If I guessed correctly, before the gambling match concluded, Yun Jin had likely not yet decided to fully defect and attach herself to Ying Baolin.
She must have intended to choose between Fan Yixin and Hua Liang to figure out who was keeping the other half of the Thousand King Token.
Once she figured it out, she would surely have to combine the two halves of the Thousand King Token, by any means necessary, and claim it all for herself.
Once she successfully obtained the other half of the Thousand King Token, Yun Jin would likely disappear from the Wenzhou scene forever!
Yun Jin had calculated everything, including Queen Bee Yu Shuang, who was as cunning as a fox, and everyone and everything within her sphere of influence.
She just didn't account for human nature, which, besides selfish greed, also included fear of death and cowardice.
The owner of the other half of the Thousand King Token, Fan Yixin, had grown completely weary of the deceit and trickery among people of the Thousand Gate and decided to withdraw from this chaotic underworld, voluntarily gifting that half of the Thousand King Token to me.
Whether Fan Yixin had told Yun Jin the truth, I couldn't verify.
But what was certain was that Yun Jin had definitely tested Fan Yixin and Hua Liang in her own unique way.
However, the results were completely contrary to what she had anticipated.
Therefore, she had no choice but to place all her final hopes on me.
After all, Fan Yixin's sudden betrayal at the last moment of the finals was highly controversial.
Yun Jin knew very well that given the circumstances where I had been looking for her and she had been avoiding me, if the situation suddenly reversed, I would definitely become suspicious.
So, she and Ying Baolin conspired to stage a play.
A "grand drama" that began last night and had not yet concluded until this very moment!
Strictly speaking, it had concluded.
Jiang Xiaowan was the one who drew the curtain!
It's just a pity that Yun Jin still hasn't reflected on herself or realized her situation.
She miscalculated one step earlier, and there was no longer any room for strategic planning afterward.
In this "mantis stalks cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" play directed by Yun Jin, I don't know if she is the hunter.
But Ying Baolin will definitely not be content with being merely the prey!
Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to separate Luo Qiwén and Jiang Xiaowan, and directly employ a strategy of "encirclement and suppression" against me…
Even with Yu Shuang's assistance, I would not be able to break free from the cage, unable to escape!
Therefore, this grand drama of the chase between prey and hunter truly begins from this moment!
………………
Just as I emerged from my deep contemplation, my phone in my pocket vibrated repeatedly.
Taking it out, I saw that it was indeed Ying Baolin calling.
I didn't answer immediately, but looked at the road ahead and asked, "Where are we now?"
"Just left the city!" After taking a sip of water, Han Jinlun replied, "About ten more minutes of driving, and we'll be completely out of Wenzhou!"
After hearing Han Jinlun's answer, I pressed the green answer button on my phone…