Chapter 107: Leopard!
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Chapter 107: The Leopard!
The reason Bai Su had gotten out of the car halfway, asked the driver to take Tang Zhong back to Purple Garden, and then stood by the roadside waiting until the car had disappeared before flagging down another vehicle was that she did not want anyone to pry into her family affairs.
Anyone would have felt ashamed to have a father like that.
More than that, she was afraid her father’s problems might damage the reputation of the Butterfly group. She was the group’s manager, yet her father was a compulsive gambler. If the media found out and embellished the story with a few fabricated details, Echo Hepburn and the others would certainly not make things difficult for her, given their friendship. But the company would undoubtedly consider replacing her.
What she had never expected was that Tang Zhong would come after her anyway.
Bai Su was deeply grateful. She was grateful that someone cared enough to keep her in his heart. An old woman was still a woman, after all; how could she possibly have no desire at all for a hero to come and rescue her?
And yet she also felt humiliated, as though she were standing naked before Tang Zhong. In fact, she would rather truly have stood naked in front of him than face him with this kind of “honesty.”
“Little darling, don’t be afraid. I’ll win you back.” He wore a gentle smile and showed not the slightest trace of nervousness. It was as though he were filming a movie, where a bad performance could always be stopped and redone. Or perhaps he had played the hero so often that rescuing beautiful women had become second nature.
“Leave, quickly,” Bai Su urged. She knew Tang Zhong could fight, but the mustached man had a gun. No matter how skilled one was, bullets could still cripple you. No matter how fast you moved, bullets could still hurt you. She was already sinking in the mire—how could she drag Tang Zhong in as well?
“What, you think you can just waltz in here? Why should I wager her on you?” The mustached man still had not grasped the situation. He had plenty of men guarding the place outside. How had this kid gotten in? “Biaozi! Biaozi, where the hell are you?”
“Stop shouting.” Tang Zhong waved a hand. “I don’t know who Biaozi is, but I do know he’s very busy right now and has no time to answer your question.”
The mustached man shifted the muzzle toward Tang Zhong and gave a sinister laugh. “I didn’t see that coming. You’re quite the expert, aren’t you? So what now? Want to find out whether you run faster than my bullets?”
“No need to find out. Your bullets are faster,” Tang Zhong said candidly.
“Then why the hell did you come here to show off?” the mustached man suddenly roared. “Are you tired of living?”
“I’m showing off so you won’t make a fool of yourself,” Tang Zhong replied with a smile. He pointed at Bai Su. “Do you know what will happen if you lay a hand on her?”
“I really don’t,” the mustached man sneered. “And I don’t want to know.”
“Then allow me to explain.” Tang Zhong smiled. “When the police conduct a surprise raid, they’ll discover a large quantity of drugs hidden in your casino—”
“Bullshit! I’ve never touched drugs,” the mustached man interrupted furiously.
“How strange.” Tang Zhong’s smile remained calm. “Drugs will be found on your premises, and one of your underlings—Biaozi, or Doggie, or Kitty, or someone of that sort—will step forward to testify that you bought them from a drug lord in the Golden Triangle.”
“Bullshit! I’d never betray Brother Dragon, even if I died!” shouted a long-haired man in terror.
Tang Zhong turned around in confusion. “Are you Doggie or Kitty?”
“Kitty—and you’d better call me Lord Kitty.”
Tang Zhong had not expected the name he had casually blurted out to hit its mark.
He pointed at Kitty. “Fine. You, then. You’ll be the one to report your boss.”
“You son of a—”
“If you keep cursing, you’ll be implicated in the drug trade too,” Tang Zhong said with a smile. “Someone else will come forward to report the two of you.”
Tang Zhong then turned back to the mustached man and continued, “There will be enough drugs to send you to the firing squad. Your casino will be shut down, your business will be seized by your competitors, and the ill-gotten money in your accounts will be confiscated by the state. Your children and family will end up homeless—assuming you have any. Your boss and your friends will be dragged into prison because of you, and every bad thing they have ever done will be dug up. Do you really want to see that happen?”
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The mustached man burst out laughing.
He laughed hysterically, doubled over with laughter, until tears streamed from his eyes.
Pointing at Tang Zhong, he said, “Kid, you’re—you’re—a writer, aren’t you? You’re fantastic at making up stories. Tell me your name. I’ll buy your books.”
Tang Zhong did not laugh. He knew he could make it happen.
Bai Su did not laugh either. She knew Tang Zhong could make it happen.
Crash!
The mustached man kicked the chair in front of him away and cursed. “But that joke isn’t funny at all. Kid, who the hell do you think you are? You’re nothing but the kept boy she supports. Who are you trying to scare?”
“Then pull the trigger,” Tang Zhong said.
He walked over to Bai Su and stood beside her. With a smile, he said, “You can kill only one person with a single shot. By the time you fire the second, one of us will certainly have escaped. Don’t doubt it. I’ve already dealt with the thugs you stationed outside. Whether it’s me or her, all we have to do is get through that door and we’ll be able to leave without obstruction.”
“At that point, you’ll know whether everything I’ve said comes true. My advice is to shoot me, because I run faster than she does—”
“No. Shoot me,” Bai Su shouted urgently. Tang Zhong had come because of her. Whatever happened, she could not let him be harmed.
Tang Zhong turned around and gazed at her with a bright smile. “You’re adorable.”
“You—” Bai Su was furious. At a time like this, that bastard still had the nerve to flirt with her.
“I was only saying it,” Tang Zhong said in front of the mustached man. “Do you really think he dares to shoot?”
Seeing Tang Zhong flirting with the woman he coveted—and openly saying, right in front of her, that he did not dare fire—made the mustached man feel as though his lungs were about to burst.
But Tang Zhong was right. He truly did not dare pull the trigger.
Small fights were one thing. The moment a gun was used, the whole situation changed.
Had it been easy for him to build this little empire, working from dawn until dusk every day?
“Put the gun away,” Tang Zhong said to the mustached man. “A gang leader once told me that people in your line of work may look bold and fearless, but in truth, you’re more afraid of death than anyone else. Why? Because you know how much harder it is for you to earn money. Once something goes wrong, everything collapses, and you’ll be the one facing the reckoning.”
The mustached man felt close to breaking down. What kind of monster was this kid? How could he understand the psychology of people in their profession so thoroughly?
“Are you one of us?” the mustached man asked. “From the Eastern Gate or the Green Gate?”
The Eastern Gate was the largest gang in the eastern district. It had no official name; because most of its leader’s territory lay in the east, people simply called it the Eastern Gate. The Green Gate referred to the Green Gang, an old-established organization in the kingdom of Hua. Its influence in Pearl City was considerable as well.
Naturally, these organizations were extremely discreet. They dealt in businesses that straddled the line between legitimate and illicit, while maintaining good relations with the government.
If Tang Zhong belonged to either of those factions, the mustached man could use the opportunity to back down gracefully: Since they were all on the same side, today’s misunderstanding could be forgotten. The woman would stay, and Tang Zhong could get lost.
“I’m from the Southern Gate,” Tang Zhong said.
“The Southern Gate? Who’s your boss?”
“Wang Chiguo.”
Wang Chiguo was the president of South University, which made him, in a sense, Tang Zhong’s boss.
“Wang Chiguo?” The mustached man searched his memory. “I’ve never heard of a Southern Gate, and I don’t know any boss named Wang Chiguo. You said just now that you wanted to gamble with me?”
“Yes. Let’s gamble.”
“What do you want to bet on?” the mustached man asked.
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“You can decide,” Tang Zhong replied. “Cards or dice. Either is fine.”
“And if you lose?”
“Since this is gambling, naturally I’ll follow casino rules.” Tang Zhong took a credit card from inside his coat. “If I lose, this card is yours. There are two million on it.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“What would I gain by lying to you?” Tang Zhong countered.
“What if I lose?”
Tang Zhong pointed at Bai Su. “She becomes mine.”
“You sound very confident.”
“I don’t have a better choice.”
“Fine. I’ll gamble with you.” The mustached man laughed loudly, thinking, What an idiot. He’s practically handing me two million. Once I have the money, I’ll get rid of this pretty boy, and the woman will still be mine.
He turned and shouted, “Bring me the dice.”
One of his underlings understood at once and ran into the inner room. Moments later, he returned with several dice and a dice cup.
“You go first.” The mustached man pushed the dice toward Tang Zhong.
Tang Zhong picked them up and weighed them in his hand. His expression turned strange.
“You’re sure you want to use these dice?”
“Of course. These ones.” The mustached man shouted loudly to conceal his unease.
“All right.” Tang Zhong nodded. “High or low?”
“High,” said the mustached man. “Whoever rolls higher wins.”
Tang Zhong nodded. He placed five dice on the table, gave the cup a quick shake, and the dice leaped into it of their own accord.
An acrobatic flourish!
The mustached man’s expression grew solemn. The kid’s movements were astonishingly fast, and he had performed that dazzling trick with the dice. Anyone could see he was an old hand.
Clatter, clatter—
Tang Zhong conserved his strength, shaking the cup for only two or three seconds before slamming it down with a bang.
“You open it,” Tang Zhong said. “That way you won’t suspect me of tampering with it when I lift the cup.”
The mustached man snatched up the cup.
Five sixes lay side by side, blatantly grinning up at him.
Five of a kind!
The highest possible roll in the dice game.
Postscript: Please unleash a fiery barrage of votes!