money player

At the western end of Rua Nova da Praia Grande, opposite Ponte 16, stands an international hotel. In the lobby, Fok Po Choi and his daughter Fok Chi-han sit at a table.

With a cigar in his mouth, Huo Baocai looked at Huo Zhixian with a kind expression. "Zhixian, Dad has decided that we will go to America after the New Year."

Huo Zhixian asked happily, "Dad, are you really going to come to America with me next year?"

"It's decided." Huo Baocai nodded. "Our Huo family has been involved in opium trafficking and gambling since your grandfather's generation. These are not legitimate businesses, and we have a bad reputation. It's time for a change."

"Once I leave, the Huo family's past will be forgotten, and your younger siblings will not be implicated by my reputation."

Huo Zhixian took Huo Baocai's arm. "Dad, if we go to America, will we live in New York?"

Huo Baocai patted Huo Zhixian's hand. "Didn't you want to study at Harvard? Dad plans to settle down in Boston, so you can come home every day."

"That's wonderful!" Huo Zhixian exclaimed excitedly. "Dad is so great!"

At this moment.

Sin Yiu-man and Mary entered the lobby. Sin Yiu-man habitually glanced around. His gaze passed over Huo Bao-cai, and he felt that Huo Bao-cai looked familiar, but he was sure that he had never seen him before. He must have seen a picture of him in the newspaper, but he couldn't think of a corresponding name for the moment. He didn't pay any attention to it and went to the front desk to book a room.

After checking into the room, as he turned to walk towards the elevator, Huo Baocai's gaze locked onto him.

Huo Baocai let out a soft "Huh?", "Why is Xian Yaowen in Macau? The Portuguese woman next to him looks familiar..."

When Huo Zhixian noticed that Huo Baocai's gaze had left her and lingered there, she asked in a coquettish tone, "Daddy, what are you looking at?"

Without turning his head, Huo Baocai said, "Xian Yaowen."

Huo Zhixian followed Huo Baocai's gaze to Xian Yaowen, "The Xian Yaowen who seized the shares of Ritz Garden?"

"it's him."

Huo Zhixian suddenly chuckled and said, "Dad, that Portuguese woman was holding Xian Yaowen's hand. Are they here to have an affair?"

Huo Baocai naturally saw that Xian Yaowen's arm was being held by the Portuguese woman, and he felt that the Portuguese woman looked familiar. He had probably seen her at a banquet before, and he was basically certain that she was married. Therefore, he confirmed that the two were having an affair. However, he did not care about the "cheating" and instead fell into deep thought.

Li Caifa disappeared without a trace, and his shares in Ritz Garden were seized. Then Xian Yaowen appeared. How could he not investigate Xian Yaowen's background? He had been watching Xian Yaowen's actions closely and had conducted an investigation. He had grasped the information on the surface.

I recently learned of two major events concerning Sin Yiu-man. One is the grand opening of King Fu Gui Holdings, which brings together forces from Hong Kong, the UK, and Shanghai.

Another incident involved Xian Yaowu taking two concubines as if he were marrying a wife. The newspapers reported on it extensively, even going so far as to reveal the dowry. This action was clearly suspicious, yet the underlying reasons remained a mystery.

A slightly more significant event is Sin Yiu-man's large-scale investment in Taiwan, a major investment, and the gossip about his concubine in her forties moving into his household. In the past two days, I've also heard rumors that Sin Yiu-man picked up Tang Chi-shan's used wife, Wang Youjia.

Huo Baocai skipped the gossip and carefully pondered Xian Yaowen's business connections. After Xian Yaowen disappeared into the elevator, he turned to look at Huo Zhixian, and an idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Zhixian, what do you think of Xian Yaowen?"

Huo Zhixian curled her lip and said sarcastically, "A lecherous scoundrel."

"Which wealthy businessman in Hong Kong and Macau doesn't have multiple wives and concubines? But which of them do you see working in public? Only the Sin family, only Sin Yiu-man, Zhou Ruoyun, Cen Peipei, Su Lizhen, Cai Jinman, Liu Wanqing, and Fei Baoshu all have their own businesses."

“Dad, it seems that Xian Yaowu’s wives and concubines also have their own businesses.”

You mean Zhong Jieling?

"Hmm, doesn't she own a law firm?"

"Xian Yaowu's wives and concubines are far inferior to those of Xian Yaowen. It is clear that the trend of showing one's face in public originated from Xian Yaowen. This young man, Xian Yaowen, is not simple, quite simple."

Huo Zhixian sensed the praise in Huo Baocai's words, "Dad, you think highly of Xian Yaowen?"

“In less than two years, Sin Yiu-man has surpassed many of Hong Kong’s established families in terms of strength. It’s not surprising that my father is optimistic about him.”

"Sin Yiu-man is capable, but he's too lecherous."

“A man’s lustfulness isn’t a major flaw. Since we’ve bumped into him here, Dad wants to meet him.” As he spoke, Huo Baocai glanced at his watch. “If he doesn’t come down in an hour, we’ll invite him to the rooftop.”

Huo Zhixian pouted and said "Oh," a bad feeling suddenly creeping into her heart.

In a guest room on the ninth floor, Xian Yaowen pinned Mary against the arched window, his right hand tightly gripping her neck...

"Bag."

Sin Yiu-man kicked off his wide-open trousers, picked up his bag from in front of the door, and handed it to Mary.

Mary took a small mirror out of her bag, looked at her neck and collarbone, and saw the red pinch marks on her neck and the plum blossom marks on her collarbone. She couldn't help but complain, "Damn it, how am I supposed to get home?"

Sin Yiu-man picked up a cigarette, lit it, and put it in Mary's mouth, saying nonchalantly, "Just cover it up with foundation."

Mary threw the mirror away, took a drag of her cigarette, and said, "It's the only way."

Then, she looked at Xie Tingyun, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, and asked a question that Xian Yaowen had heard countless times, "Do you need someone to watch you while you're doing it?"

"uh-huh."

Mary gave Sin Yiu-man a flirtatious wink, "What a disgusting hobby."

"Disgusting?" Xian Yaowen pinched Mary's chin, staring intently at her. "Who was it that insisted on turning around to look at her just now?"

Mary chuckled, "Because it's exciting."

Sin Yiu-man released Mary's chin and began unbuttoning his cuffs. "I'm in a hurry to get back to Hong Kong. See you next time."

Upon hearing this, Mary nestled into Sin Yiu-man's arms, stroking his face with her right hand. "I was so happy just now. Let's spend a whole day together next time we meet."

"I'm very happy too..."

Before Xian Yaowen could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door. He went to the door, opened it a crack, and Xie Zhanran said from outside, "Huo Baocai and his eldest daughter Huo Zhixian just came by and invited you to go upstairs for a while."

Xian Yaowen asked in surprise, "You know Huo Zhixian?"

"I don't know you. This is the first time we've met."

"understood."

Sin Yiu-man closed the door and fell into thought.

The incident that just happened indicates that the kind-looking person seen in the lobby was Huo Baocai, and the woman next to him should be his daughter, Huo Zhixian.

Huo Baocai wanted to see him, he only needed to tell Xie Zhanran his identity, there was no need to go through the trouble of introducing Huo Zhixian, but Huo Baocai did it anyway, which means that Huo Baocai was eager for him to get to know Huo Zhixian.

What is Huo Baocai planning to do?
The most likely reason is to arrange a marriage between him and Huo Zhixian, but his status as his legal wife has already been taken by Zhou Ruoyun. Huo Baocai's father, Huo Zhiting, sold opium for decades and also invested in casinos, real estate, and banks, leaving behind a large inheritance. There has been no rumor of Huo Baocai going bankrupt. It seems that this old man has no need to let his daughter be his concubine.

"I'm not short of money, I'll be a mistress..."

Xian Yaowen couldn't guess what Huo Baocai was up to for the time being. He went up to Mary and kissed her on the cheek. "Do you know who owns this hotel?"

"The major shareholders are Huo Baocai and his cousin Wu Tingwei, and there may be other minor shareholders. What happened?"

"Huo Baocai wants to see me and asked me to go upstairs. What kind of place is upstairs?"

“The house and roof garden are where Huo Baocai’s family lives.”

"Hmm, does Huo Baocai know you?"

“I’ve met him,” Mary shook her head, “but we didn’t know each other formally.”

Are you afraid your husband will catch you cheating?

Mary laughed and retorted, "Are you afraid of being thrown into a pig cage?"

Upon hearing this, Sin Yiu-man was certain that Mary and her husband were a fake couple, each doing their own thing, and that her heartbreak yesterday was just a pretentious display of wanting both ways.

He took a few dollar bills from his suit pocket, folded them into roses, placed them in Mary's palm, and kissed her fingers. "Sorry I didn't have time to buy you a gift. Buy yourself one."

Mary hooked her arms around his neck, kissed him for a while, then gazed intently at his face with burning eyes, "I'll wait for you."

Touching Mary's cheek, Sin Yiu-man went into the bathroom to take a shower. As the cold water poured over him, he continued to ponder Huo Baocai.

Knowing full well that their business was not respectable, the Huo family had kept a very low profile since Huo Zhiting's time. Only Huo Zhiting and Huo Baocai were well-known, while Huo Baocai's brothers were not.

When it comes to casinos in Macau, outsiders only know Fu Laorong and Gao Kening of Tai Hing Company, but they don't know that Huo Zhitin is one of the major shareholders behind the scenes. The Gao family has pawnshops all over Macau, and Huo Zhitin was also an early investor. The Huo family has deep involvement in the company.

The Fok family has a typical old-money mentality; they buy bricks and mortars as soon as they make money. Fok Po-choi is one of the biggest landlords in Macau, owning multiple arcade buildings on Rua Nova da Praia Grande, with ground-floor shops rented to gold shops and trading companies, with rent calculated in gold bars. They also own a large number of properties in the Rua do Campo and Rua do Almirante Sérgio areas, and private mansions in Sai Van and Bishop's Hill.

The Huo family owned a bank that offered huge exchange services for US dollars, Hong Kong dollars, and Portuguese patacas.

The Huo family is the major source of funds behind loan sharks. No matter who the gamblers borrowed the money from, the source of the funds is very likely the Huo family.

The Fok family is a major shareholder of Guangdong Bank in Hong Kong and has been investing in real estate for decades, owning a large number of properties.

These are the assets on the surface; it is estimated that a lot of investments have been made behind the scenes. The Huo family has ample cash flow and unfathomable strength.

As for Huo Baocai, after Huo Zhiting's death, almost all of the Huo family's assets fell into his hands. Although he was the eldest son, Huo Zhiting would not have left any inheritance for his other sons. The distribution of the inheritance is quite intriguing.

His impression of Huo Baocai was that he had only heard of him by name but never seen him in person. The news about Huo Baocai that could be seen in the newspapers were all continuations of old news, and there was no news about him in recent years. Huo Baocai was deliberately keeping a low profile.

Casinos, pawnshops, banks, properties, loan sharks—the Huo family's assets are all established and conservative. As long as they don't make reckless moves or the situation changes drastically, even an mediocre person can maintain the family business. There's no need to force a business genius into it.

In the short term, Huo Baocai doesn't need to worry about the Huo family's decline. He has plenty of time to slowly nurture his children. Even if the next generation of the Huo family is incompetent, Huo Baocai is only in his early forties and still has the ability to learn new skills.

His business dealings have little to do with the Huo family's assets. Huo Baocai wouldn't bother having his daughter become a concubine to achieve a powerful alliance, unless Huo Baocai is seeking change.

How did it change?
Should we go outside and find a legitimate way to get around?

Sin Yiu-man turned off the tap, took a towel off the hook and draped it over his head, recalling Fok Chi-han's appearance.

Huo Zhixian's face resembled a rising full moon, fair with a rosy glow, its lines soft and without a single sharp angle. It possessed a full, rounded quality, as if she had never suffered the hardships of life, giving one a sense of peace and security at first glance.

A pair of eyes that seem to hold starlight, with pupils that are dark and bright, as if they have been washed by the purest spring water.

When she looks at you, her eyes are always brimming with a smile, and the corners of her eyes curve slightly downwards like two crescent moons. Even if she does nothing, you feel like she is smiling at you, making you want to give her your whole heart.

Her nose was round and cute, exuding a charming naiveté. Her lips were full and rosy, with naturally upturned corners, as if she was always secretly smiling. If she just opened her mouth to ask for candy, the whole world would line up to give her some.

Her skin was stunningly beautiful, as white as mutton fat jade, yet not a cold, deathly pale white. Instead, it had a faint rosy glow emanating from beneath her skin, like peach petals in March. Sitting there, she seemed to have a built-in soft-focus filter, radiating a warm and cheerful aura.

"A full forehead and fleshy cheeks indicate wealth; clear eyes with many black pupils and bright whites suggest a pure mind and good fortune; a rosy complexion with a gentle glow indicates a lucky face and good interpersonal relationships; a fleshy nose with full nostrils indicates abundant wealth; rosy lips with full cupid's bow and naturally upturned corners indicate a blessed appearance."

Huo Zhixian has the appearance of great wealth and honor. In modern terms, she has the destiny of a lucky koi. Even if she is not very bright and cannot do much, keeping her at home can improve one's fortune.

If Huo Baochai is as I think, then I'll take Huo Zhixian as my girlfriend.

A few minutes later, Sin Yiu-man took the elevator to the rooftop garden, where he was led by a servant into a chrysanthemum patch. After going around two bends, he arrived at a stone table.

Huo Baocai greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Xian, welcome to the Huo family."

"Hello, Mr. Huo."

Huo Baocai gestured to Huo Zhixian beside him, "Mr. Xian, this is my daughter, Zhixian."

Xian Yaowen gave Huo Zhixian a look of admiration and deliberately showed a hint of appreciation. "Hello, Miss Huo."

Huo Zhixian responded gracefully and appropriately, "Mr. Xian, hello."

"Mr. Xian, please sit here."

Huo Baocai greeted Xian Yaowen and they sat facing each other at the stone table. Huo Zhixian sat to their left, holding a teapot and preparing tea.

After the brief incident of offering cigars, Huo Baocai said, "Is Mr. Xian here in Macau for business?"

"I heard that opening a restaurant in Macau is like throwing money into a pond, so I came to check out the market. After seeing it, I found that the rumors were indeed true. I am planning to open a restaurant on Rua Nova."

"Opening a restaurant is just a small business, is it really necessary for Mr. Xian to make the trip himself?"

“My daughter will be of school age in a few days, so I don’t plan to have a big banquet, but the wedding gifts can’t be sloppy. I plan to save the profits from the restaurant here to prepare her dowry.”

Huo Baocai's mind raced, equating "my daughter" with Xian Qianzhi. He was surprised that Xian Yaowen valued his stepdaughter so much, but his face remained impassive. "Mr. Xian has truly gone to great lengths for your daughter."

“My daughter is the apple of my eye, and I just want to treat her even better.” As he spoke, Xian Yaowen glanced at Huo Zhixian out of the corner of his eye.

Huo Baocai turned to look at Huo Zhixian, "Mr. Xian is right, a daughter is the apple of one's eye." (End of Chapter)