money player

"fine."

Sin Yiu-man ripped the blanket off Chan Kam-suen and continued exploring the country lanes.

Xie Tingyun had already given the signal that she was going to the restroom—otherwise, there would have been no chance for such a commotion outside. The commotion was clearly quite loud, and Chen Jinxuan could hear it clearly. How could Xian Yaowen be completely unaware? He wouldn't be in any trouble even without Xie Tingyun.

When Sin Yiu-man said it was nothing, Chan Kam-shuen felt relieved. It was true that she was having an affair, but she had already come clean with her husband, who was only in name. She wasn't afraid of being caught in bed with him, but she was worried that Sin Yiu-man would feel uncomfortable.

In the midst of their revelry, the shoji door was suddenly pushed open, the old wood screeching harshly. In the dim moonlight, a thin man with cloudy eyes stepped in.

Chen Jinxuan's husband, Lin Mingxuan, whose once somewhat heroic face has been worn down by years of gambling and opium addiction, is now only a tired, pale, and violent look, and his clothes are in a mess.

He staggered and leaned against the door frame, his gaze first sweeping over the messy bed and clothes scattered on the floor, then fixed on Chen Jinxuan's naked back, a cold and vicious smile slowly curving his lips.

"Heh... It's so late, and you're still making love with my wife in my house?" Lin Mingxuan's voice was hoarse and carried a chilling threat. He fiddled with his keychain, swinging it back and forth like a weapon ready to be wielded at any moment.

Xian Yaowen freed one hand, lifted the blanket and gently placed it on Chen Jinxuan's shoulder, his eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Lin Mingxuan's shoulders.

Chen Jinxuan's heart pounded like a drum, her chest heaved violently, and she could barely breathe. But within this urgency was more resentment. Lin Mingxuan had to come back at this time of all times. The tenderness she had finally longed for, and her hopes of having a child, were about to be completely shattered by him.

After confirming that Lin Mingxuan had no intention of making a move, Xian Yaowen spoke slowly, his tone polite but with an undeniable distance: "Mr. Lin, there are still leftovers in the kitchen, and there is wine on the table. Why don't you go and have a couple of drinks first? I'll join you in half an hour."

Lin Mingxuan chuckled, his eyes sweeping over the two men with a sinister glint in them. He spoke in a hoarse voice, "This gentleman certainly knows how to behave. He slept with my woman in my house and still dared to send me out for drinks."

“Mr. Lin, when you are clear-headed, you must have considered the cause and effect and already know the truth. Why are you still trying to save face as a husband? Take my advice and go have a drink.”

Lin Mingxuan's face turned pale and then flushed as he was struck on a sore spot. He clenched his fists but didn't dare to actually rush forward. He sniffed, a hint of resentment flashing in his cloudy eyes, and finally gritted his teeth and sneered, "Fine, very well... I'll give you that face. I'd like to see if you'll still be so composed in half an hour."

After saying that, he staggered and turned around, dragging his feet towards the outer room. When he closed the door, he deliberately slammed it shut, making the shoji door vibrate loudly.

Chen Jinxuan flung off the blanket, grabbed Xian Yaowen's hand, pressed it against her spinning top, wrapped one arm tightly around his neck, and ran the other hand through his hair, stroking and pulling it...

Xian Yaowen said half an hour, not a second off. At 11:55, the shoji door was pushed open. He slipped on his wooden clogs, went to the bathroom to fetch a basin of water, and then took a thermos from the kitchen and brought it back to the bedroom to wipe Chen Jinxuan's body.

Next, I went to the bathroom to wash up, dressed neatly, and sat down at the dining table.

He didn't touch the bottle of Kinmen Kaoliang liquor that Lin Mingxuan had opened. Instead, he picked up an old beer bottle sealed with a gauze stopper and poured himself a bowl of glutinous rice wine brewed by Chen Jinxuan.

She took a small sip, looked up at Lin Mingxuan, and slowly said, "Mr. Lin, you indulge in all five vices: eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, and smoking. If I hadn't met Jin Xuan, she would either have run away with Zhiwei by now, or you would have sold her to Baodou."

You're too weak to lift a finger, so you can't possibly earn a penny. The few coins Jinxuan works so hard to earn are barely enough to support your smoking habit, let alone fill your stomach.

"I'll take care of your eating, drinking, gambling, and smoking, and I'll even raise Zhiwei for you. He's your son, a member of your Lin family. He eats well, dresses well, and goes to school."

As he spoke, Xian Yaowen suddenly stood up and slapped Lin Mingxuan hard across the face.

He withdrew his hand, slowly smoothed out the slightly disheveled cuffs of his shirt, sat down again, and spoke in a calm tone but with sharp words: "Jin Xuan is an adulterer, and I am her lover, but you have no right to catch her in the act. You have already sold off all your dignity, so don't even think about anything else."

He took a wad of banknotes from his pocket and gently patted them on the table. “I know you’re angry. Take this money. When you’re feeling good, go find a decent woman. Mr. Lin, that’s all I have to say. What you do is entirely up to you.”

After saying that, he picked up the wine bowl, gestured slightly to Lin Mingxuan, took a small sip, and then put it down steadily. He then got up and walked straight to the bedroom, without pausing or showing any interest in hearing Lin Mingxuan's response.

Lin Mingxuan, being a young master from a wealthy family, had some education and knew better than to judge whether a dark or light green cuckold's hat was better. Sure enough, he didn't cause any more trouble, silently ate his fill of the good food and wine on the table, took the money, and left quietly.

Now that Lin Mingxuan has accepted Qianlu, it's time to put some things on the agenda.

The next morning.

Sin Yiu-man went to the Taipei branch office of HK Consulting, located on Zhongshan North Road, and had a chat with the branch manager, Wen Po-yuan.

In Taipei in 1951, there was no legitimate job market. On one hand, intellectuals, military officers, and technicians who had fled to Taiwan were scrambling to find work, resulting in a severe surplus of talent. On the other hand, government agencies and private businesses relied solely on personal connections for hiring, and outsiders couldn't even get in touch with anyone.

Headhunters don't even have a foothold here; HK Consulting's Taipei branch can barely get orders from its sister companies.

It is precisely because of the current talent surplus that the Lin family can set extremely high standards for recruiting people: applicants from other provinces must have a minimum education level of one of the nine national universities or one of the five most prestigious universities. Even top private universities will only consider exceptionally outstanding candidates, and those from provincial universities will not be considered at all.

After careful selection, the Lin family troupe finalized four members: two from other provinces, Shen Yiqing and Meng Lingxiu, and two from the province, Pei Shouzhuo and Yi Shenxing.

Hong Kong.

On Beihe Street, Xian Yaowu and Guo Biwan walked side by side.

Xian Yaowu felt extremely awkward. His former bedmate was now his elder brother's woman, and he didn't know how to maintain proper boundaries.

He took out his cigarette case, handed one to Guo Biwan, and then bent down to light it for her.

Guo Biwan took a drag, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and asked softly, "Can we get the things back?"

Xian Yaowu lit a cigarette and said in a deep voice, "The Kuaishou and Wenque people in this area all rely on Heshenghe's docks. If something is lost, they can most likely find it by contacting Zhen Guolong."

Guo Biwan took another deep drag on her cigarette, her tone becoming more tense: "Losing the money is fine, but we can't afford to lose that delivery note."

“It won’t get lost.” Xian Yaowu paused, his gaze sweeping over Qi Tieyi, the bodyguard following behind Guo Biwan, before hesitantly speaking, “You and Big Brother…”

Qi Tieyi was the cousin of Qi Longdao and Qi Longque, and one of the seven sons of the Qi family recruited from Dengzhou. Although his elder brother never said it outright, Xian Yaowu had long guessed that his elder brother intended to build a Qi family army to control Chu Zifei.

"Not yet," Guo Biwan replied calmly.

What do you think of my brother?

Guo Biwan paused for a moment, then said softly, "He is very charming."

A pang of jealousy welled up in Xian Yaowu's heart, and he blurted out, "How does that compare to me?"

Guo Biwan lowered her eyes and remained silent for a moment before softly saying, "That day I was planning to let loose just once, as long as I met a man I didn't dislike..."

"Stop talking." Xian Yaowu's cigarette paused abruptly, and after a long while, he managed a weak laugh, his voice hoarse: "So, I'm just a man you don't dislike? What about my brother?"

"Feel sorry."

"No need to apologize."

Guo Biwan was silent for a moment, the image of Xian Yaowen flashing through her mind, and said in a soft but firm voice: "Because it is him, I want to indulge myself."

Xian Yaowu choked up, took a drag of his cigarette, and said in a hoarse voice, "I think I understand now. I just happen not to dislike him. It's my brother who is your willing choice."

Guo Biwan didn't look at him, but simply brought the cigarette to her lips, took a light puff, and said in a voice as faint as mist, "If I were ten years younger, I would be willing to be his concubine."

To Xian Yaowu, these words carried no sincerity whatsoever; they sounded more like expressions of loyalty and were not to be taken seriously. This topic should be left at that point.

He quickened his pace, eager to get things done as soon as possible.

Guo Biwan silently followed, her eyes constantly glancing at both sides of the street.

About five minutes later, the two arrived at the entrance of a mahjong parlor and went straight up to the second floor by scanning their faces.

In a secluded office on the second floor, Zhen Guolong was having tea with Su Lizhen at the coffee table. Several stacks of banknotes were piled on the executive desk, and two people were sitting face to face reconciling accounts.

"Madam Xian, I plan to open two new mahjong parlors on Ruzhou Street. I need to borrow another seven thousand, and I'll pay you back next month by taking a cut of the profits."

Zhen Guolong claimed it was a loan, but his real intention was to attract investment. According to the rules of this industry, the initial cost of setting up a standard mahjong parlor—including renting the premises, decorating, setting up tables, and bribing the staff—is exactly three thousand five hundred.

If Su Lizhen is willing to come up with this money, nominally as a loan, she will actually become the financial backer of his two businesses, securing a 40% stake and priority in profit sharing. In the future, she will take the lion's share of the restaurant's revenue.

Su Lizhen stroked the rim of her glass and said softly but resolutely, "Brother Long, let's not talk about this anymore."

Zhen Guolong's smile faded slightly. He lightly tapped the table with his fingertips and ultimately did not insist. He simply replied in a deep voice, "Since Madam Xian does not like it, I will not mention it again."

Su Lizhen picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp. She then turned to look at Yu Zhengdong, who was checking the accounts: "Uncle Yu, are you almost done?"

Yu Zhengdong looked up and replied, "Madam, it will be ready soon."

Just as Su Lizhen was about to speak, the office door was gently pushed open, and Xian Yaowu and Guo Biwan walked in one after the other.

Xian Yaowu walked to the coffee table and nodded in greeting, "Brother Long, Big Sister."

"Yaowu, what brings you here?" Su Lizhen asked, her gaze shifting slightly to Guo Biwan.

“I need to speak with Brother Long.” Xian Yaowu replied, and then introduced Guo Biwan to Zhen Guolong, “Brother Long, this is Bi Ting’s sister, Guo Biwan. Her bag was vandalized on Beihe Street and a delivery slip was lost.”

Upon hearing this, Zhen Guolong's expression darkened slightly. He tapped his knee lightly with his fingertips and looked at Guo Biwan, saying in a deep voice, "I'm in charge of Beihe Street's operations. Losing the delivery slip is a minor matter; it's good that no one was frightened. Ms. Guo, please rest assured, I will definitely help you find the items before dark today."

Xian Yaowu handed a cigarette to Zhen Guolong: "Brother Long, I have something else to tell you. This morning, a female police officer was also slashed. The guy who did it was clumsy and injured her as well. Her husband is a newly transferred superintendent, and he's demanding an explanation."

"Shovel the whole house!" (End of Chapter)