money player

The tooth, propelled by inertia, hurtled towards Hu Lancheng's epiglottis, making his throat itch. Meanwhile, the surge of adrenaline from the blow to his finger made him oblivious to the pain in his front tooth. He felt no pain from the broken tooth, only the warmth of the bleeding.

He felt like vomiting, but had no chance. The ruler pressed against his other front tooth, and with a snap, the tooth flew out again, this time piercing his throat. His throat twitched, and both front teeth were swallowed.

Crack, crack, Hu Lancheng's teeth were broken one by one, some were pulled out by the roots, and some broke in the middle with the roots left in the gums.

The team members counted them: eight, not one more, not one less. Mission accomplished.

The jinx was gone. Madam Yizhi took a few deep breaths and glanced with disgust at Hu Lancheng, who was spitting out blood. Just now, her filter had been shattered, and the floodgates to discover Hu Lancheng's flaws had been opened. This man in front of her was nothing special.

"She is my woman."

"Lover?"

"That's it."

Chen Azhu glanced at Chen Jinxuan again, "Mr. Xian flirted with me in front of his lover, how can you expect me to fall for you?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "Sister Ah-chu, a lover is not necessarily someone who loves each other. It could also be someone who has something that the other needs."

"She needs your money, you need her looks?"

"It's not that superficial. It's a little deeper than that. Let's not delve into my relationship with her. I'm different from other men. You can't see your possible ending or fate through her. I treat every woman as an independent individual and treat them differently according to each person's different needs."

"Treat people differently based on their status?"

"What Sister Zhu said may be unpleasant to hear, but it makes sense." Xian Yaowen grabbed Chen Azhu's wrist and said with a half-smile, "I'm going to take a direct approach to Sister Zhu. Sister Zhu, can I stay at your house tonight? She needs a guest room. I don't mind, I can make do. I can share a bed with Sister Zhu. You can sit on the left and I can sit on the right, I can sit on the left and you can sit on the right, I can sit on the top and you can sit on the bottom, it's up to you."

Chen Azhu said coquettishly, "How can you be like this?"

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly, his hand that was holding Chen Azhu's wrist moved to the back of his hand, wrapped around her soft hand and gently kneaded it, the two shrimp-like smells blending together.

Chen Azhu did not react violently, nor did she shake off Xian Yaowen's hand, nor did she show any signs of being in love. She simply used her free hand to tease the shrimp in the basket.

Whether it's lust or love, adults won't disregard everything for it. Even if Chen Azhu is tempted, she won't forget the important things she should be doing right now.

Sin Yiu-man didn't hold onto Chan Ah-chu for long. When the atmosphere was right, he let go. Chan Ah-chu unceremoniously shoved the bamboo sieve into Sin Yiu-man's hands, telling him to wash it. She then put the clay pot on the fire and stir-fried the shrimp shells in it.

Sin Yiu-man stood by the bamboo basket, immersing the basket in the stream water, and carefully washed each shrimp.

The stream is flowing, crystal clear, with pebbles lying quietly, and water plants swaying gently. The filth flushed from the toilet upstream is easily settled and filtered, so there's not much to worry about.

After washing the shrimp, Sin Yiu-man came to the stove and watched as Chan Ah-chu stirred the shrimp with a spatula, the shells sizzling in the pot.

The shrimp oil was forced out. She scooped up the shrimp shells, took the sieve from Xian Yaowen, poured the shrimp meat into the pot, stir-fried it a few times, set it aside, took a piece of firm tofu, cut it into pieces, put it in the pot and fried it until golden brown on both sides. Then she added the shrimp meat, poured in water, and simmered it slowly.

Chen Azhu walked to the bamboo basket, fished out a few bamboo tubes from the water, carried them to the stove, opened one, and took two big gulps directly to her lips. She then handed it to Xian Yaowen, saying, "Homemade rice wine, it won't make you drunk."

Sin Yiu-man took it, brought it to his lips and took a small sip, holding it in his mouth to feel the alcohol content. He felt that the alcohol content should not be high, so he took another small sip.

Seeing this, Chen Azhu chuckled and said, "You dare not drink it in big gulps, for fear I'll poison it?"

Sin Yiu-man responded with a faint smile, "I've been burned by rice wine before. Guangxi rice wine and Zhejiang rice wine are said to be sweet water and not intoxicating, but they make you drunk as soon as you feel the wind. I once got drunk in a field and when I woke up I saw a rice shovel head wrapped around me, which almost scared me out of my wits."

Chen Azhu laughed and said, "Our rice wine here is different; it really doesn't make you drunk."

As she spoke, she took the bamboo tube, took two large gulps, and made an example before handing it to Xian Yaowen.

Sin Yiu-man took a large sip, wiped his mouth, and said, "Did my elder sister live in the north?"

You could tell the accent?

"Ah."

“I spent a few years in Shimen and Tianjin before,” Chen Azhu said, tossing her hair. “When did you come to Taipei?”

"I've been here for a few months, just to expand my business."

Chen Azhu said meaningfully, "My home is here, and I don't plan to go out again."

"I plan to expand the bus routes to all of Taiwan, from Taipei to other cities, from rural areas to urban areas. Big places need big stations, and small places need small stations. For example, Jingmei needs an open space for buses to stop, a simple waiting room that can be sheltered from the wind and rain, a baggage drop-off point, and public toilets."

Regarding land, I'm sure Sister Zhu knows firsthand how complicated this issue is in the countryside. I need a capable person to be responsible for purchasing the land for building the station and handling all the subsequent problems.

Sin Yiu-man gazed at Chan Ah-chu's face and said sincerely, "Sister Ah-chu, I hope you are this person."

Chen Azhu said casually, "How do you know I'm capable?"

"I just intuitively feel that you can handle this job. If you think you are capable and interested in taking this job, you might as well give it a try. The compensation I'm offering you is a monthly salary of 1000 yuan plus profit sharing. I'm talking about stock dividends."

Sin Yiu-man paused for a moment, then continued, "To be honest, Sister Ah-chu, I don't think the passenger transport business can last long. Right now, the government doesn't have the capacity to fully expand bus routes and allow private individuals to enter the passenger transport industry, but things will definitely tighten up in the future. Maybe in three years, maybe in five years, my passenger transport company will be sold to the government."

Sin Yiu-man pointed at Chan Ah-chu and said, “This is a business worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. If you can do it, I will at least give you half a percent. If you play a big role, one percent or one and a half percent is not impossible. In short, I will give you as much food as you can eat.”

Chen Azhu's eyes lit up, her lips unconsciously tightened, and then the right corner of her mouth lifted slightly. It wasn't a smile, but rather the riddle loosening itself just before an answer was about to be revealed.

She leaned forward slightly, her small shoulders remaining in the same position, but her spine was already taut in a preparatory arc for a starting run. "I've experienced the cruelty of those who discard their usefulness after they've served their purpose. Is Mr. Xian that kind of person?"

“Whether it’s true or not, no matter how eloquently I describe it, you wouldn’t believe it entirely. You have to see for yourself.” Xian Yaowen grabbed Chen Azhu’s soft hand and pressed it against his heart. “Sister Azhu, I have a principle: I don’t sleep with women I work with, but I will work with women I’ve slept with.”

I want to sleep with you, and I also want to work with you. You have plenty of time to get to know me, and if you feel something's not right, you can always walk away.

"Slowly?" Chen Azhu teased, "Your heart is beating very fast, you seem to be in a hurry."

Sin Yiu-man leaned close to Chan Ah-chu's ear and whispered, "Sister Ah-chu, your eyes are full of stories, and you have a heart that has been through a lot. A woman your age knows too well what she wants. The fact that my frivolous words didn't earn you a slap shows that things are quite clear."

Chen Azhu smiled and said, "You're right, I really don't dislike you."

“Between adult men and women, as long as there’s no dislike, that’s enough to move forward.” With that, Sin Yiu-man took a step back, bringing himself to a distance suitable for normal conversation. “I’ll leave after dinner today and come back in a couple of days to give Sister Ah-zhu time to calmly consider things. For now, I’ll go back to being a good lover, and Sister Ah-zhu can continue being the restaurant owner.”

Before he finished speaking, Sin Yiu-man had already turned around and sat down next to Chan Kam-shuen.

The bamboo basket was so small that most of his conversation with Chen Azhu had reached Chen Jinxuan's ears. She picked up a fish and put it into Xian Yaowen's bowl, saying softly, "It'll get cold if you don't eat it."

Xian Yaowen glanced at the plate of fish, counted them, and found that four fish were missing; Chen Jinxuan had eaten three. He picked up a fish, took a bite, and said as he chewed, "I'm sorry, my behavior just now was disrespectful to you."

Chen Jinxuan shook her head and remained silent.

"I have a lot of things to do, so I can't be slow. Besides, I don't want to hide my true feelings from you, for fear that you'll think too highly of me."

Chen Jinxuan shook her head again, "Master is very well."

Sin Yiu-man patted Chan Kam-shuen's soft hand, "There are some things you don't need to worry about. Relax, what you already have won't be lost again."

"Mm." Chen Jinxuan nodded.

Xian Yaowen placed a fish into Chen Jinxuan's bowl, saying, "You eat too."

"Ah."

They ate fish, river shrimp and tofu, stir-fried eggs with wild scallions, and drank homemade rice wine. The three of them played their roles and had dinner together. When it was time to leave, Chen Azhu did not give a discount. The eggs were used to offset the cost, but it was still 150 yuan, which was really not cheap.

The next day.

Sin Yiu-man went to the library on the second floor of the U.S. Information Service on Zhongshan North Road, where he read the English version of the "Taiwan Economic Yearbook" for free with his passport. He then went to the U.S. Military Advisory Group to get free news briefings, went to the Information Service on Bo'ai Road to get free daily press releases, and went to the City Hall building to get a gazette.

After going around in circles, I obtained all the administrative laws and regulations that the National Government had made public.

After spending the day at home researching, he called Song Chengxiu, who was interning with Long Xuemei, into his study after dinner and gave her a few sheets of paper. "Tomorrow, go to the Highway Bureau and apply for a franchise license in the name of Prince Passenger Transport. You don't need to do much; just apply according to the procedures."

"Ok."

"Call Chen Hua."

A short while later, Chen Hua came to the study and sat opposite Xian Yaowen.

"How's it going with CNPC?"

"Now that the personnel relationships have been sorted out, Chairman Ling Hongxun hardly gets involved in anything. If you want to get things done, you have to go to General Manager Jin Kaiying."

Sin Yiu-man nodded and said, "It doesn't matter who's in charge; Taiwan needs oil like us."

"I think so too. I didn't put in too much effort on this."

"Well, I have something else I need you to do." (End of Chapter)