Around eight in the evening, Xiao Zhang and I left the hotel, one after the other. Xiao Zhang quickly walked ahead to the parking lot and drove the car. He slowly pulled up to the hotel entrance, got out, and opened the car door for me. I glanced around and saw quite a few eyes watching us. After all, the two of us were indeed too unconventional.
Most unconventional of all was that it was late at night, and I was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, with my long hair also making it hard to distinguish my gender.
At this moment, Zhen San, the fellow inmate Wen Siqiang had contacted, was already waiting for us outside the lobby. Before we could even approach, he bowed and scurried over, tightly gripping my hand, saying, "Young Master Wang, you've finally arrived. Come with me quickly to the VIP lounge. Good cigarettes, fine wine, beautiful women – whatever Young Master Wang needs, just ask."
I waved my hand. Xiao Zhang took out a few large bills from his bag and handed them to Zhen San. Zhen San's eyes lit up, and his words flowed like honey as he showered me with compliments.
We didn't enter the main lobby but instead went through a side door into the elevator area. This side door was very discreet; one might think it was connected to the main entrance.
Zhen San pressed the button for the fifth floor and then, with a fawning smile, said to me, "Young Master Wang, you must have a blast today. Don't worry, you can play however you like here. If anything comes up, just mention my name, Zhen San, and I guarantee no one will dare to touch you."
Zhen San was getting a bit carried away, his flattery reaching new heights.
He was just a low-level goon overseeing the place, yet he dared to boast about his influence. His bragging knew no bounds.
I smiled, not calling him out, as for now, I couldn't afford to offend him.
Seeing my apparent approval of his capabilities, Zhen San became even more elated, as if the entire Cloud Pavilion had become his.
"May I ask you something?"
As the elevator ascended, I looked at Zhen San and asked.
"Young Master Wang, please don't hesitate. Just say whatever you need to."
"Alright, I'm asking you, I want to get to know your boss. Do you have a way?"
Zhen San was taken aback by my question; it was clearly beyond his scope.
I continued to smile and said, "I'm not in a hurry. When you're convenient, help me arrange an introduction. You won't be shortchanged if it works out."
"Yes, yes, Young Master Wang's business is my business. I'll arrange it immediately."
As we spoke, the elevator stopped on the fifth floor. We stepped out and beheld a different world.
I had been to several casinos and wasn't entirely unfamiliar with them. However, the gambling hall that unfolded before our eyes completely shattered my perceptions.
How to describe it? Rather than a casino, it was more fitting to call it a Bagua formation, requiring a dedicated guide to navigate.
Zhen San accompanied us to the bar to exchange our chips. He asked what I wanted to gamble on. I said Baccarat. He expertly led us through the intricate passageways and soon brought me to a larger room.
In the center of the room was a gambling table. The dealer stood there, dealing cards, with four people seated around the table.
I took a quick look; the chips they were betting were not large, a hundred or two hundred, with the largest wager not exceeding five hundred.
I remained silent, watching them finish the current hand.
Two of the four people bet on the banker winning, one bet on the player, and another followed the player but then, after a moment's thought, placed another hundred-chip bet on a tie.
The dealer revealed his cards: a Jack, Queen, and King. Although not of the same suit, it was already a strong hand. If his hidden card was a ten or an Ace, the banker would win everything.
The two betting on the banker chose not to draw more cards. The two betting on the player each took another card.
The dealer asked a couple of times if anyone wanted more cards. No one responded. He then dealt himself a card.
This card was also face up, a diamond 2.
The dealer turned over his hidden card. It was indeed a ten. Although not a flush, it was a respectable straight. The cards on the table were all miscellaneous, and the banker won.
I sat down, idly shuffling the chips in my hand, and watched the table.
As if by accident, I placed a hundred-chip bet on the player.
The previous two players, likely having lost quite a bit betting on the player, looked at me as if I were an idiot for betting on the player as soon as I sat down.
I remained silent, waiting for the dealer to deal the cards.
After two rounds of dealing, I looked at my hand and then took out ten thousand-chip bets and placed them on the player.
These people immediately became agitated, looking at me as if I were an alien. According to the betting pattern, the banker was supposed to win, and yet I had bet on the player. They had every reason to think I was an idiot.
This was precisely the effect I wanted to achieve: foolish and rich, playing outside the usual patterns.
Next, I asked for another card. I didn't even look at it as I pushed twenty to thirty thousand-chip bets forward.
This time, even the dealer seemed a bit bewildered. He repeatedly checked his cards, and finding no error, asked us if we wanted any more cards.
I waved my hand, indicating no.
The other players were thrown off by my rhythm and seemed to have forgotten how to play, staring blankly at the pile of chips on the table. The dealer then revealed his cards, and indeed, the banker won. The dealer, without hesitation, used a small rake to collect the chips from the table.
I continued to do the same. Before long, my twenty thousand in exchanged chips dwindled to two thousand-chip bets and six hundred-chip bets.
On the other hand, the other players, who were directly opposing me – betting on the banker when I bet on the player, and on the player when I bet on the banker – had managed to win a considerable amount of money from me.
I casually took a few thousand-chip bets from the pile of chips and handed them to him, saying, "For the tea."
Zhen San was startled and hastily refused, saying he couldn't accept them. In the casino, they were not allowed to handle chips, and chips held by them couldn't be cashed out.
After he finished explaining, I told Xiao Zhang to collect all the chips and go exchange them for cash.
Just as Xiao Zhang left, a voice called out, "Heroes emerge from the young, Young Master Wang. If you don't mind, how about joining Old Hei for a cup of tea?"
As soon as the voice finished, a man in his forties walked out from the corridor. He had a buzz cut, wore a floral checkered shirt, and a thick gold chain around his neck.
It was truly a case of finding what you weren't looking for. I had been trying to find him, and now he had come to me.