“What?”
It turned out that You Junyu had been arrested by the Wuhan police during the New Year holiday last year for selling pirated cassette tapes and other counterfeit branded goods.
You Sen rushed over from Shenzhen, greased every wheel he could, spent a fortune, and went through enormous trouble before finally getting his son out.
After that, You Sen forbade his son from continuing any of the businesses he’d been doing before and kept You Junyu close to his side.
You Junyu himself seemed to have given up on life a little. Now he didn’t do business at all, didn’t help manage the Shenzhen factory either. He spent his days calling up friends, messing around, teasing cats and dogs, frequently running off to Hong Kong to party. He didn’t take relationships seriously either—girlfriends came and went, one after another.
Jiang Luo was stunned. “How did he end up getting arrested just for doing business?”
One of the bosses said, “Didn’t keep his eyes open.”
“He saw that cassette tapes of Hong Kong and Taiwanese singers sold well, so he started making pirated tapes.”
“And a bunch of other stuff too—all knockoffs. Either fake Hong Kong goods or some so-called foreign brand.”
“Knocking things off is one thing, but he even copied the brand names.”
“Once the police investigated and traced it back to him, they arrested him right away.”
“He really did make a lot of money selling that stuff.”
“I’d guess more than his dad makes running the factory.”
Another boss chimed in, “Not just more—way more.”
“But it doesn’t matter how much. Once he got caught, the accounts were checked and every cent had to be spit back out.”
“You Sen even had to cover a lot of it himself.”
“Otherwise that kid would already be sitting in prison.”
Listening, Jiang Luo sipped tea to sober up. He didn’t feel much emotion—just thought that fate and the paths people take in life were strange things.
In his previous life, You Junyu hadn’t known him at all and had been riding high in Haicheng.
In this life, Jiang Luo went to Wencheng and started tinkering with business in a small market. You Junyu found out, copied him, stole his business, and went down the road of selling counterfeit goods—only to fall flat on his face.
Steal business? Still want to steal?
After leaving the restaurant, You Sen walked alongside Jiang Luo and brought up You Junyu on his own, sighing as he spoke. “If he hadn’t gone to Haicheng back then to steal your business, if he’d stayed in Wencheng and later come to Shenzhen with me to run a factory… maybe none of this would’ve happened. Sigh.”
Jiang Luo naturally didn’t say much.
You Sen, gentle and courteous, said, “Another day, President Jiang, come visit my factory. I’ll show you around.”
“Sure.”
Then You Sen added softly, “If you happen to see Junyu later, please don’t laugh at him.”
“He’s been pretty down since that incident. I know he’s not in a good place.”
Jiang Luo responded politely, “There’s always a chance to make a comeback.”
“Yes, yes,” You Sen nodded. “He’s still young. There’s always a chance. President Jiang is right—let’s take that as a good omen.”
A few days after that dinner, Zheng Bin came by again. With Wang Chuang along, the three of them went out to have fun—and unexpectedly ran into You Junyu at the biggest casino in Macau.
…………………………………
By then, Jiang Luo, Zheng Bin, and Wang Chuang had already been playing for a while. The casino was extravagantly luxurious and dazzling—no smoking inside, with designated smoking areas, air infused with scented oxygen. Once you stepped inside, walking on plush carpets and surrounded by refined elegance, you felt invigorated, more excited the longer you stayed.
Jiang Luo quite liked it here. Mainly because it was clean and quiet—no shady characters. Sitting at a table, whether players or dealers, everyone at least looked respectable.
Jiang Luo sat at a table with Zheng Bin and Wang Chuang. Eight or nine people played a round of high-low guessing for about twenty minutes. Then they quit, left the table, and made sure to take their chips with them.
“How do you always guess right?” Zheng Bin complained.
Jiang Luo rolled the chips in his hand as he chatted with them, walking together and thinking about what to play next. He turned his head—and suddenly met the gaze of a man walking straight toward him. Both froze.
You Junyu?
What a coincidence, Jiang Luo thought.
You Junyu clearly recognized Jiang Luo too. He dropped the arm he had around the girl beside him, shoved a hand into his pocket, and jerked his chin at Jiang Luo in a familiar, casual way. “Here to play too?”
Wang Chuang looked over and immediately recognized him—the guy who’d once stolen their business at the small market.
“You know him?” Zheng Bin asked, confused.
Jiang Luo looked back at You Junyu without saying anything.
With his usual slouchy air, You Junyu nodded toward the tables again. “Wanna play a round together?”
“Sure, why not,” Zheng Bin said readily. “Rare to run into someone we know.”
Wang Chuang was speechless. He had zero interest in gambling with someone who’d once stolen their business.
But seeing Jiang Luo say nothing and tacitly agree, Wang Chuang didn’t object.
The group went off to find a table.
As they walked, You Junyu said lazily, “I heard from my dad—you guys had dinner together a few days ago. He said you’ve got a clothing factory in President Chen’s industrial zone.”
“And that you’ve got two factories in Haicheng and two in Jiangsu.”
“President Jiang, you’re impressive.”
Those last words didn’t sound like praise.
Jiang Luo didn’t hold back, replying evenly, “Not as impressive as you—doing business and ending up behind bars.”
“You—!”
You Junyu hadn’t expected Jiang Luo to still be this sharp-tongued.
Then he laughed—coldly—and snorted. “Yeah. You’re impressive. I’m trash.”
Up ahead, Zheng Bin had already found a table with fewer people and turned to wave them over. “This one.”
They all sat down. Instead of jumping right in, they watched how the three players already there were playing. It was simple: the dealer dealt each player five cards. Each round, everyone played one card at the same time and compared values. Whoever won three rounds first won the hand.
“This is easy,” Zheng Bin said eagerly.
After one round, coincidentally, the previous players all left the table. Only Zheng Bin, Wang Chuang, Jiang Luo, and You Junyu remained.
The dealer first showed that the deck was clean, then shuffled and explained, “No jokers. Ace is lowest, King highest. Best of five—first to three wins.”
Then he started dealing.
The four players took their cards, each with a different expression.
First round:
Zheng Bin: K
Wang Chuang: J
Jiang Luo: 9
You Junyu: 7
The dealer gestured to Zheng Bin. “King wins.”
Cards collected.
Zheng Bin looked smug. The other three remained calm.
Second round:
Zheng Bin: 10
Wang Chuang: 6
Jiang Luo: 9
You Junyu: 8
Again, the dealer signaled Zheng Bin’s win and collected the cards.
Zheng Bin was delighted.
Third round:
Zheng Bin: 8
Wang Chuang: 5
Jiang Luo: Q
You Junyu: K
Fourth round…
As the game went on, Zheng Bin—who always liked throwing out his biggest cards first—could only win early. Wang Chuang played conservatively, winning and losing evenly. Jiang Luo and You Junyu, however, quickly figured out Zheng Bin’s and Wang Chuang’s styles after a few probing rounds. From then on, they dominated, taking turns winning. Later, it was almost always one of them.
Jiang Luo: 10
You Junyu: 8
Jiang Luo: J
You Junyu: K
…
Before long, Zheng Bin and Wang Chuang were losing again and again, while Jiang Luo or You Junyu won every hand.
“Damn! Such bad luck!” Zheng Bin cursed after another loss. No matter how he played, in a five-round hand he could win at most once.
Shit.
Wang Chuang tossed his card down and saw that he’d lost yet again. He was speechless.
Only Jiang Luo and You Junyu, who kept winning, sat there calm and composed.
Jiang Luo rested a hand on the table, his posture relaxed, expression easy, flipping a chip between his fingers.
You Junyu, meanwhile, played while casually wrapping an arm around the girl beside him, taking champagne from her hand to drink.
“I’m done. I’m done,” Zheng Bin said, bored now that he couldn’t win. He’d lost half his chips and left the table.
Wang Chuang wasn’t upset—he simply saw his chips running low too. He flicked his cards aside and quit as well.
That left Jiang Luo and You Junyu.
Jiang Luo: 10
You Junyu: 6
Jiang Luo: 7
You Junyu: J
With just the two of them, the pace sped up. Cards were dealt, five at a time, played and discarded round after round.
At first, Jiang Luo and You Junyu were evenly matched, trading wins back and forth.
But soon, the balance tipped decisively—
Jiang Luo: 7
You Junyu: 4
Jiang Luo: 8
You Junyu: 3
Almost every hand, no matter who won the opening round, the one who reached three wins first was always Jiang Luo.
Huh?
Watching from the side, Zheng Bin and Wang Chuang noticed too. Intrigued, they crowded closer to Jiang Luo to watch his cards.
You Junyu’s expression gradually tightened, the easygoing look fading.
Another hand was dealt. Both players slid their facedown cards forward.
At the dealer’s signal, they flipped.
Jiang Luo: Q.
You Junyu: 10.
Next card—Jiang Luo lost, You Junyu won.
Then Jiang Luo won again.
Fourth round—Jiang Luo’s card was higher. Three wins first. Jiang Luo won.
Shit.
You Junyu’s face showed clear irritation.
“Not bad,” Zheng Bin said, eyes bright, praising Jiang Luo.
You Junyu gestured at the dealer. “Again!”
Again—and once more, every time, it was Jiang Luo who reached three wins first.