The God of Wealth starts with doing whatever you want

The air in the private room seemed to freeze.

On the big screen, the footage of the "Night Boat" crossing the finish line was played repeatedly. The slight advantage of less than five centimeters was magnified infinitely under the ultra-high-definition lens, becoming the most dazzling focus of the entire venue at that moment.

"They...they really won?"

Ruan Shaohua's voice was so dry it sounded like it was being forced out of his throat.

He stared intently at the small print on the screen.

"Champion: No. 12 'Night Ship', odds 1:87," and then everything went black.

It wasn't about the five million I lost, but about this reversal that was completely beyond my comprehension.

A bet of fifty million.

87 times odds.

HK$4.35 billion.

These numbers spun wildly in his mind, making him dizzy.

His family has run an entertainment company for years, and they've seen big money, even making transactions worth hundreds of millions, but 4.3 billion...

This is almost the sum of his company's net profit over three years.

Xu Yun, however, accomplished this in just one match—no, with just one bet.

"Brother Xu..."

Ruan Shaohua turned his head, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Xu Yun had completely changed. There was shock, confusion, and even more so, a kind of bewilderment that was almost awe.

"How...how did you figure that out?"

All eyes turned to them.

Fu Baoying stood beside Xu Yun, and she could feel her palms sweating slightly.

As a former Jockey Club executive, she knew better than anyone what this result meant.

It's not just the astronomical payouts; it's a fatal blow to the fairness of the entire Jockey Club race.

Once is luck, but twice?

And yet, right under everyone's noses, they correctly predicted a super upset with odds of 87 times?

Zhang Jin and Ada Choi held their breath.

They don't understand horse racing, but they understand numbers.

Four billion three billion is a figure that is beyond their comprehension; it is more like an abstract concept that only exists in financial news.

Xu Yun simply smiled.

The smile was faint, even carrying a perfectly measured hint of surprise, as if he himself was also surprised by the outcome.

He picked up the champagne glass from the coffee table, swirled it gently, and the golden liquid formed an elegant arc on the crystal glass.

"Just luck."

His voice was calm, without any emotion, and he replied with a smile, "Didn't we almost lose just now? We only overtook each other in the last ten meters, by just five centimeters."

"If 'Son of Thunder' had been even a fraction of a second faster, my fifty million would have been gone for good."

He spoke casually, as if he were talking about an insignificant game.

But no one in the private room believed it was just "luck".

Ruan Shaohua opened his mouth, wanting to ask another question, but was stopped by a look from Fu Baoying.

She knows Xu Yun too well.

When he doesn't want to talk, no one can get anything out of him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room.

The knocking was soft, yet carried an undeniable rhythm.

Once, twice, three times.

Every strike hits the heart.

The staff member quickly walked over and opened the door.

There were three people standing outside the door.

The leader was a man around sixty years old, with his hair neatly combed, wearing a dark gray custom-made suit and gold-rimmed glasses.

He wasn't tall, but standing there, he exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect without needing to be angry.

It is Cheng Yu-ming, the current chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Behind him were two middle-aged men: Chen Wenbin, the race department manager, who was pale and sweating profusely, and Zhou Yongnian, the Jockey Club's legal advisor.

Zheng Yuming's face didn't reveal much expression, but his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, seemed to be holding back a storm.

He walked straight into the private room without waiting for an invitation.

"Mr. Xu."

Zheng Yuming's voice was steady, even with a hint of polite smile, as he said, "I've long admired your name."

The atmosphere in the private room instantly became subtle.

Ruan Shaohua subconsciously stood up, Fu Baoying frowned slightly, and Zhang Jin and Ada Choi exchanged a glance, both seeing tension in each other's eyes.

They know all too well what the name Cheng Yu-ming means in Hong Kong.

The position of Jockey Club Chairman is not just a title, but also a symbol of status and power.

In Hong Kong's unique society, those who can sit in this position possess unfathomable power.

Xu Yun remained seated on the sofa, only slightly adjusting her posture to appear more relaxed.

He put down his champagne glass, nodded to Zheng Yuming, and said, "Chairman Zheng, it's a pleasure to meet you."

There was no getting up, no polite formalities, and not even any unnecessary small talk.

A hint of displeasure flashed across Zheng Yuming's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

He sat down on the single sofa opposite Xu Yun.

Chen Wenbin and Zhou Yongnian stood behind him, like two silent sculptures.

"That match was really exciting."

Zheng Yuming spoke, his tone casual, saying, "Especially the reversal in the last hundred meters, my heart was racing even when I was sitting on the podium."

Mr. Xu's prediction of the "Night Ship" was spot on; he has excellent foresight.

"Just lucky," Xu Yun said with a smile, repeating the same thing.

"luck?"

Zheng Yuming smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He said, "Last year in Happy Valley, Mr. Xu won 1.2 million with a single bet. At the time, we also thought it was just luck."

But today, it's another 50 million, another 87-fold odds, another stunning reversal...

If this is considered luck, then Mr. Xu's luck is simply too good.

As soon as he finished speaking, the temperature in the private room seemed to drop a few degrees.

Ruan Shaohua felt a chill run down his spine.

Fu Baoying's hands clenched slightly; she knew all too well the subtext of Zheng Yuming's words.

The Jockey Club began to suspect that Xu Yun "had something going on".

What does Chairman Zheng mean by that?

Xu Yun raised an eyebrow, his tone remaining calm, and asked with a smile, "It's just a mere forty billion or so. Does the horse racing club not care about losing?"

"of course not."

Cheng Yu-ming immediately denied it, but then changed the subject, saying, "The Jockey Club has been established for over a hundred years and has always adhered to the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency."

Every race is subject to the strictest monitoring, from horse quarantine to jockey management, from track maintenance to the betting system.

We must ensure that no one can influence the outcome of the match through unfair means.

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife as he looked at Xu Yun's face, and said coldly, "Especially when it involves huge payouts."

That's already made very clear.

The private room was deathly silent.

Chen Wenbin stood behind Zheng Yuming, his face even paler.

He knew that the Chairman's words were not only for Xu Yun's ears, but also for his.

Someone has to take responsibility for the loss of 4.3 billion.

And he, as the person in charge, was the first to bear the brunt.

"so what?"

Xu Yun leaned back on the sofa, his hands folded on his knees, his posture as composed as if he were sitting in his own living room. He asked in return, "Chairman Zheng came here today to tell me that I won't get that 4.3 billion?"

"Mr. Xu has misunderstood."

Cheng Yu-ming adjusted his glasses and replied, "The Jockey Club never defaults on its debts. It will pay every penny it owes, but..."

He paused deliberately to observe Xu Yun's reaction.

Xu Yun simply watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

“It’s only HK$4.35 billion, which is no small amount.”

Zheng Yuming said slowly, "Even the Hong Kong Jockey Club would need time to raise such a large amount of cash at once."

Moreover, such a large flow of funds will inevitably attract attention from the outside world, and may even cause unnecessary speculation and rumors.

I think this isn't good news for Mr. Xu either.

"Oh?"

Xu Yun asked with a half-smile, "So, what does Chairman Zheng mean?"

"Can we try a different approach?"

Zheng Yuming leaned forward, clasped his hands together on his knees, a gesture befitting a negotiating partner.

"For example, installment payments? Or... offsetting with other assets of equivalent value?"

The private room fell silent again.

Fu Baoying's heart sank.

She knew Zheng Yuming too well; that old fox never did anything he wasn't sure of.

His personal visit today is not merely to "discuss" the compensation method.

He must have already prepared a contingency plan.

But right now, they are just testing Xu Yun's bottom line.

Xu Yun narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a moment.

His fingers tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, making a rhythmic sound.

Once, twice, three times.

Each strike resonated deeply in the hearts of everyone present.

"Installment payments are unnecessary."

Xu Yun finally spoke, smiling as he said, "I don't like to drag things out. As for other assets..."

He raised his eyes, looked directly at Zheng Yuming, and said, "I want shares in the horse farm."

"What?" Zheng Yuming was stunned.

Not only him, but everyone in the private room was stunned.

"I said..."

Xu Yun said clearly and deliberately, "Convert the 4.35 billion I am entitled to into shares of the racecourse, and I will become a shareholder of the horse racing club."

A deathly silence.

The smile on Zheng Yuming's face vanished completely.

He stared at Xu Yun as if he were looking at a madman.

"Mr. Xu, this joke is not funny."

His voice turned cold as he said, "The Jockey Club is a membership-based organization, and its shares are never sold to the public. This has been the rule for over a century."

"Rules are made by people."

Xu Yun said calmly, "Besides, didn't Chairman Zheng just say that we can discuss it? I'll present my proposal now: I want shares."

"This is impossible."

Cheng Yu-ming flatly refused, saying, "The shareholders of the Jockey Club are all members who have undergone rigorous screening. The background, qualifications, and social status of each individual must be reviewed by the board of directors."

Although Mr. Xu is financially well-off, this is not in accordance with procedure.

"program?"

Xu Yun laughed, a hint of mockery in his smile, and said, "Chairman Zheng, there's no need to say that in front of me. It makes me look stupid, and it makes you look stupid too."

"..."

Zheng Yuming's face turned ugly.

Xu Yun continued, "Or is it that the Jockey Club's so-called fairness and impartiality only apply when you lose money?"
"Once someone wins too much, it's time to start talking about 'procedures' and 'rules'?"

Xu Yun's words were too direct, so direct that they tore away the layer of hypocritical politeness.

Chen Wenbin, standing behind Zheng Yuming, had begun to tremble.

He knew that things had really blown up today.

The chairman's personal intervention not only failed to resolve the issue, but also backed him into a corner by Xu Yun.

"Mr. Xu."

Cheng Yu-ming took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and said, "You must understand that the Jockey Club is not an ordinary commercial company. Its shareholder structure and operating model are subject to the supervision of the SAR government and society."

If we rashly introduce new shareholders, it could trigger a series of chain reactions.

"That's not something I need to consider."

Xu Yun stood up, walked to the French windows, turned his back to the crowd, looked down at the still noisy racetrack, and said calmly, "Chairman Zheng, I'll give you two choices."

First, transfer 4.35 billion in cash to my account within three days.

Second, give me shares of equal value.

There is no third way between us, so don't blame me for being unsportsmanlike then.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable tone.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yuming stood up with a gloomy face. He was half a head shorter than Xu Yun, and looking up at the other's back, he suddenly felt a strange pressure.

This young man was more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

Or is his confidence due to the power behind him?
He had dealt with people from those top families in mainland China before, and once he offended them, they seemed to be just that domineering and unreasonable.

"I can't make that decision."

Cheng Yu-ming finally relented and said, "I need to convene a board meeting to discuss this with the other shareholders."

"can."

Xu Yun turned around, his face regaining its faint smile, and said, "Then I'll wait for Chairman Zheng's good news, but just a heads up, my patience is limited."

Three days, I'll only wait for you for three days.

Zheng Yuming gave Xu Yun a deep look, his expression indescribably complex.

There was anger, resentment, apprehension, and even a hint of fear that he himself was unwilling to admit.

"We will give Mr. Xu a reply as soon as possible."

He finished speaking, then turned and left the private room with Chen Wenbin and Zhou Yongnian.

The door closed.

Silence fell over the private room once again.

After a long while, Ruan Shaohua swallowed hard and asked in a dry voice, "Brother Xu... do you really want to buy shares in the horse farm?"

"why not?"

Xu Yun walked back to the sofa, sat down, picked up the glass of champagne again, and said with a smile, "The Jockey Club's annual betting volume exceeds 100 billion, and its net profit is nearly 10 billion. Exchanging 4.3 billion for some shares is not a loss."

"But……"

Fu Baoying spoke, her voice full of worry: "Zheng Yuming won't agree easily. The shareholders of the Jockey Club are the top families and conglomerates in Hong Kong. They won't want outsiders to come in and share the pie."

"That depends on whether they want to share the cake or watch it get smashed."

Xu Yun took a sip of champagne, his eyes deep, and said, "A cash payout of 4.3 billion will be a fatal blow to the Jockey Club's cash flow."

If the news gets out and triggers a run on the bank or a crisis of confidence, the losses will be far more than 4.3 billion.

Fu Baoying was stunned.

She suddenly understood Xu Yun's scheme.

He wasn't asking for shares at all; he was forcing the Jockey Club to make a choice.

It's either cut your flesh or bleed.

Regardless of which path they choose, the Jockey Club will suffer a severe blow.

"But... in that case, you'll be completely at odds with the Jockey Club."

Fu Baoying said in a low voice, "Zheng Yuming is a vindictive person. He won't let it go after you humiliated him like this today."

"Oh."

Xu Yun looked at her, suddenly smiled, and asked in return, "Baoying, you must have suffered a lot of humiliation when you were at the horse racing club, right?"

Fu Baoying was taken aback, then fell silent.

She recalled how she had put in ten times more effort than others to become the manager of Sha Tin Racecourse.

Even so, in the eyes of those long-established shareholders, she was always an "outsider".

Her final resignation, though seemingly voluntary, was actually fueled by a great deal of helplessness and grievance, a truth known only to herself.

Because someone has to step forward and take responsibility for the 1.2 million yuan loss that Xu Yunying took back.

However, it was precisely because of this misfortune that she was able to have her subsequent story with Xu Yun.

"So..."

Xu Yun said softly, "Some rules should be broken, and some positions should be filled by different people."

His words were loaded with meaning.

Fu Baoying's heart suddenly started beating faster.

Does he want to rejoin the Jockey Club as a director?
While Xu Yun and Zheng Yuming were confronting each other in the VIP box, the Jockey Club's operations center was in complete chaos.

"Manager, the betting system shows that there have been over five thousand bets requesting the payout of the 'Night Voyage' prize, totaling over twenty million!"

"Social media is in an uproar, everyone's talking about this upset! Some are questioning the fairness of the competition, saying there might have been something fishy going on!"

"A financial reporter called to ask if the Jockey Club was going to release a major financial announcement!"

As soon as Chen Wenbin returned to the monitoring room, he was overwhelmed by a deluge of reports.

His face turned ashen. He shoved away the tablet that was handed to him and roared, "Shut up, all of you!"

The room fell silent instantly.

Everyone was looking at him, their eyes filled with unease, sympathy, and schadenfreude.

Chen Wenbin knew he was finished.

No matter how this matter is resolved in the end, he will lose his position as the event department manager.

Someone has to take the blame for the loss of 4.3 billion.

And he was the perfect scapegoat.

But he was not willing to give up.

He walked to the control panel and pulled up all the data for the sixth game.

From pre-race checks to post-race drug tests, from track monitoring to jockey communication records, I flipped through page after page.

He didn't believe it; he didn't believe that Xu Yun really won by "luck".

There must be something he overlooked, there must be some clue...

"manager."

A young analyst said cautiously, "Actually... there's something strange."

"Speak!" Chen Wenbin said without even looking up.

"Fifteen minutes before the start of the match, we increased the amount of water sprayed on the field as you instructed."

Logically, when the track becomes softer, the speed of all horses will be affected, especially 'Nightship', which has always performed poorly on soft ground.

"and then?"

"But looking at the sprint data for the last 400 meters..."

The analyst pulled up a chart and explained: "'Night boat's' speed decay rate on soft ground was 37% lower than the usual training data."

In other words... it adapts better to soft ground than usual.

Chen Wenbin suddenly looked up: "What do you mean?"

"It means..."

The analyst swallowed hard and replied, "Either our previous data was wrong, or... this horse is behaving unusually well tonight."

Who is responsible for the training data?

"It was provided by the stables, and trainer Li Zhenbang signed and confirmed it."

"Bring him here!"

Chen Wenbin roared, "Now! Immediately!"

Ten minutes later, Li Zhenbang was taken to the monitoring room.

The horse trainer, in his fifties, had gray hair, wore overalls trousers covered in hay, and his face was etched with the marks of time.

He stood in front of Chen Wenbin, nervously rubbing his hands together.

"Master Li."

Chen Wenbin stared at him and asked, "Did you provide the training data for the 'Night Voyage Ship'?"

"It's...it's me." Li Zhenbang's voice trembled slightly.

Is the data accurate?

"Accurate, absolutely accurate!"

Li Zhenbang replied, "I personally record every training session, and I dare not be careless in the slightest!"

"Then how do you explain its performance on soft courts tonight, which was so much better than the training data?"

Chen Wenbin slammed the tablet in front of him and demanded, "A 37% difference? That's a world of difference!"

Li Zhenbang looked at the charts, his face gradually turning pale.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

"Speak!" Chen Wenbin said sternly.

"Actually..."

Li Zhenbang finally spoke, his voice barely audible, saying, "In the past month, I have adjusted the training methods for the 'Night Voyage Ship'."

"What method?"

"I added a little bit of... traditional Chinese medicine to its feed."

The meeting room erupted in an uproar.

Chen Wenbin's pupils suddenly contracted, and he asked, "What Chinese herbal medicine? Who told you to add it? Do you know this violates regulations?!"

"It's...it's what Master Chen, the horse owner, meant."

Li Zhenbang lowered his head and replied, "He said he got the prescription from an old Chinese medicine doctor in the mainland, which can strengthen muscles and bones and improve blood circulation in horses."

I initially disagreed, but Uncle Chen said... that the horse was too old, and if we didn't give it another shot, we'd miss our chance.

Moreover, he guaranteed that those herbs were all natural, not illegal drugs, and would absolutely not be detected by drug tests…

"Foolish!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wenbin trembled with anger and said, "Any drug not approved by the Jockey Club is illegal! You've ruined 'Night Boat' and yourself!"

"But I've checked, it really isn't a performance-enhancing drug..."

Li Zhenbang was so anxious that tears were almost in his eyes. He explained, "I just wanted this horse to have one last moment of glory. It's been with me for seven years, and I can't bear to see it retire like this..."

Chen Wenbin closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He finally found the source of the "abnormality".

It wasn't that Xu Yun cheated, nor that the jockey let him win; rather, this old horse, at the end of its career, was given an irregular but effective "boost."

Those traditional Chinese medicines are indeed not on the Jockey Club's list of prohibited substances.

Because no one has ever used it before.

But what can that change?

The result of the match cannot be changed.

The drug test report showed that "Night Boat" contained no prohibited substances, and the Jockey Club had no reason to cancel its results.

The 4.3 billion in compensation still needs to be paid.

"You can leave now," Chen Wenbin said wearily, waving his hand.

Li Zhenbang felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly left.

Silence fell over the office once again.

As Chen Wenbin watched the frozen image of the "Night Ship" crossing the finish line on the screen, he suddenly felt a sense of absurd powerlessness.

He did everything he could.

Increase water spraying, talk to riders, and strengthen monitoring.

In the end, however, they suffered a complete defeat.

And that young man named Xu Yun, so casually, took 4.3 billion from his hands.

No, it's not about taking it away.

They won.

With an old horse that nobody believed in, and a judgment that nobody could understand, they won this high-stakes gamble.

"manager."

Someone asked in a low voice, "What do we do now?"

Chen Wenbin remained silent for a long time before finally saying helplessly, "Let's wait for the board of directors to decide."

At 11 p.m., the lights at Sha Tin Racecourse gradually went out.

The spectators dispersed, the horses returned to their stables, and the arena, which had been bustling all night, finally returned to tranquility.

In a small conference room at a high-end private club, Zheng Yuming was holding an emergency conference call.

The oval conference table was empty, but the six tablets on the table displayed the faces of six different people.

The six core members of the Hong Kong Jockey Club's board of directors.

That's the situation.

After saying his last sentence, Zheng Yuming took off his glasses, rubbed his throbbing temples, and said, "Xu Yun demands 4.35 billion in exchange for shares in the horse farm, or else he will pay the full amount in cash within three days."

Silence fell over the screen.

After a long while, an elderly man with gray hair spoke up on the screen in the upper left corner: "Absolutely impossible. The shares of the Jockey Club have never been sold to outsiders. This is the bottom line."

"But Elder Lin."

A middle-aged woman in the lower right corner frowned and said, "We can't come up with 4.3 billion in cash right now."

Last quarter, we invested 2 billion yuan to expand the horse farm facilities, and now we have less than 3 billion yuan in working capital.

If we insist on paying, we'll have to sell some of our investment assets, which would result in even greater losses.

"Then let him wait!"

Another director scoffed and said, "If we pay in installments and drag it out for a year or two, he might just give up on his own."

"He won't give up."

Zheng Yuming shook his head and said, "I've met this person before. He's not the kind of person who can be easily dismissed, and... I suspect he's not after money at all."

"Not for the money?"

Old Lin narrowed his eyes: "Then what for?"

"For the admission ticket."

Zheng Yuming slowly said, "What he wants is the qualification to enter the world of horse racing. 4.3 billion is just the entrance fee." (End of this chapter)