It was as if he knew exactly what cards You Junyu was holding, which one he’d play first every time. He kept him pinned down, round after round.
You Junyu lost one game after another—lost in rotation, kept losing—his face growing darker and more sour by the minute.
“Fuck!”
He lost again. Furious, You Junyu slammed the table with his palm.
Again. Lost again.
Face taut, You Junyu tossed his chips at the dealer.
Still lost. Kept losing. Wouldn’t stop losing.
I’m done.
In the end, You Junyu coldly flung all the remaining chips in front of him at the dealer, stood up, and walked off without a backward glance—not even bothering with his date.
Wang Chuang and Zheng Bin were both grinning ear to ear, helping Jiang Luo scoop up the chips the dealer pushed over.
Jiang Luo looked perfectly at ease, as if he’d known from the start he was bound to win. He wore that calm confidence that anyone would read as arrogance.
Only when You Junyu stood up to leave did Jiang Luo flick a quiet glance his way.
“Don’t follow me! Let go!”
You Junyu’s emotions were written all over his face. With zero gentlemanly manners, he shook off the woman clinging to him. She stamped her foot in anger, turned around, and left.
You Junyu didn’t care at all. Face cold, he pushed through the door to the outside, lighting a cigarette—one drag after another, one cigarette after another.
Inside, Jiang Luo and the others kept playing like nothing had happened.
Zheng Bin even commented, “Man, that guy couldn’t handle losing at all.”
Wang Chuang slung an arm around him. “You know who that asshole is? Back when Luo-ge and I were doing business in the small market, this bastard came over and stole our business—sold cheaper on purpose to squeeze us out.”
“Huh?”
Zheng Bin said, “Then why’d you still play with him?”
“If it were me, running into an enemy like that, I’d be spitting in his face, not gambling with him.”
Wang Chuang snorted. “Who wanted to play with him? Didn’t you see Luo-ge just now? Had him completely crushed.”
Zheng Bin quickly lost interest in talking about You Junyu and went over to Jiang Luo. “Hey—how were you winning every time just now? How did you always know whether his card was big or small, which one he’d play?”
The three of them soon moved on to other games, calling over the roaming attendants for juice and drinks.
Later, Jiang Luo stopped playing and took a break.
He handed all his chips to Zheng Bin and Wang Chuang, letting them do whatever they wanted, while he found an empty sofa and sat down to rest.
While resting, he sipped champagne that was barely alcoholic. Then a casino manager came over to greet him, asking politely, “Are you a friend of President Huo’s?”
Jiang Luo was a little surprised.
The manager smiled. “President Huo just called to give us a heads-up. He said you could take chips from his account to play.”
Then he added, “Mr. Huo is a friend of our owner.”
Jiang Luo smiled and chatted casually with the manager for a bit, asking whether Huo Zongzhuo used to come here often.
Mid-conversation, Jiang Luo’s peripheral vision landed on the coffee table across from him—where You Junyu had plopped down, staring straight at him.
The manager noticed too and, very tactfully, said to Jiang Luo, “I’ll go get you another glass of champagne,” then smiled at You Junyu and left.
Once the manager was gone, You Junyu—slouched against the sofa, expression blank—tugged at his collar and said irritably, “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Seeing me like this.”
Jiang Luo leaned back as well, looking at him, expression calm, revealing nothing.
You Junyu said, “I know. Back then I went to Haicheng to steal your business. Then I copied what you did, and later I got arrested. It’s my karma.”
“My dad, my mom, my grandma—they all say that.”
“They say I never should’ve copied you in the first place. Never should’ve hauled those goods to Haicheng, never should’ve pushed you out.”
His expression never changed, his words coming fast. “I admit it too—you’re better than me.”
“I also didn’t expect that you weren’t selling in the small market anymore. Turns out you went into factories, into clothing.”
“You’re better than me.”
“So?”
Jiang Luo looked at him unhurriedly. “You telling me all this—what are you trying to say?”
You Junyu’s face was gloomy, jaw clenched, staring at Jiang Luo.
Jiang Luo looked down at him coolly. “You trying to say you regret it? That you shouldn’t have stolen my business, and that this is your punishment?”
Yeah?
“So?” Jiang Luo pressed. “Then what?”
You Junyu was stumped. Yeah—then what? What was the point of saying all this?
He asked himself the same question. He didn’t even know why he’d come over to say these things to Jiang Luo.
But just before leaving, Jiang Luo spoke evenly, “You Junyu.”
“You walk your road. I cross my bridge.”
“Saying you stole my business—you’re really flattering yourself.”
“For your dad’s sake—for the fact that he worked with me back then and even brought you to apologize, and for the fact that he invited me to dinner this time—I’ll give you one piece of advice.”
You Junyu watched him, forcing himself to hold it together, his dejection buried beneath a façade of toughness.
Jiang Luo said quietly, “From last July at the small market to when you got arrested—it was barely half a year. From then until now, this moment—it’s only been a year.”
“One year. Ups and downs are normal. You looking like this—who’s it for?”
“Other people struggle for ten, twenty years. One fall, and they still grit their teeth and make a comeback.”
“You’ve only had one year. What you’ve been through doesn’t even count as much. You’re alive, you’re fine, you’ve got a rich dad and a factory in Shenzhen—and you’re giving up already?”
Jiang Luo scoffed. “Weren’t you pretty cocky back in the small market?”
With that, Jiang Luo stood up and left, leaving You Junyu alone on the sofa.
Not long after, You Junyu’s eyes reddened, every bit of the bravado on his face completely collapsing.
Yeah.
He thought—half a year. One year.
In one year, Jiang Luo already had three factories in China.
Where exactly was he worse than Jiang Luo?
A fierce unwillingness surged up in You Junyu’s chest.
His emotions were like a tornado, spinning faster and faster inside him, unstoppable.
……………………………………………………….
“Huh? You’re heading back? It’s so late already.”
After finishing up at the casino, Jiang Luo was getting into a car to return to Shenzhen. Wang Junqing and the other two were waiting nearby at the entrance.
Jiang Luo insisted on going back. Normally it wouldn’t matter—staying overnight at the casino hotel was no big deal, resting and leaving the next day. But tonight, Huo Zongzhuo’s flight was landing in Shenzhen. He had to go back to the Silver Lake house.
“You guys stay.”
After saying that, Jiang Luo ducked into the car the casino had arranged.
“All right, all right.”
Seeing that Wang Chuang was leaving too, Zheng Bin figured staying alone would be boring, so he got in the car as well and went back to Shenzhen.
By the time Jiang Luo returned to the Silver Lake villa, it was already past one in the morning.
As the car drove in, he saw lights on both the first and second floors. He knew right away that Huo Zongzhuo had already come back and had been waiting.
He entered the house. No one was on the first floor. Upstairs, back in the bedroom, he saw Huo Zongzhuo wearing summer pajamas, lying propped against the headboard, asleep—probably just meant to nap for a bit. One foot was still on the floor, slippers on.
“Dad?”
Jiang Luo walked over, calling softly as he bent down to take off Huo Zongzhuo’s slippers, lifting his legs onto the bed and settling him properly.
“President Huo?”
Jiang Luo turned off the main light, leaving only the bedside lamp. In its glow, the exhaustion on Huo Zongzhuo’s face was obvious, making Jiang Luo’s chest ache.
So Jiang Luo didn’t wake him again. He bent down by the bed and looked at the man for a while.
Warmth spread through his heart, affection flowing like a stream, fast and full.
He thought maybe he shouldn’t let Huo Zongzhuo keep flying back and forth between Haicheng and Shenzhen all the time. He was already busy, buried in work, constantly traveling. Better to save his energy—it was exhausting.
He even regretted telling him on the phone tonight that he was coming back to Shenzhen.
If he hadn’t come back, Huo Zongzhuo wouldn’t have waited up so late.
All his fault.
After watching Huo Zongzhuo a bit longer, Jiang Luo quietly went to the bathroom to wash up.
When he came back, Huo Zongzhuo was still sleeping soundly. Jiang Luo climbed into bed carefully, moved closer, reached out to turn off the lamp, pulled his hand back, closed his eyes, and went to sleep with him.
Just as Jiang Luo was drifting off, Huo Zongzhuo stirred. In the dark, he wrapped an arm around the younger man and asked in a low, gentle voice, “You’re back?”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Luo adjusted his position.
“Go to sleep.”
Huo Zongzhuo’s hand patted him lightly twice, like soothing a child.
Jiang Luo closed his eyes in peace.
Over the next few days, Jiang Luo was busy—busy with work, busy going out, busy spending time with Huo Zongzhuo. He’d long since forgotten the chance encounter with You Junyu at the Macau casino.
Until one day, while Jiang Luo was in the workshop inspecting a batch of newly made clothes, Fourth came running over. “President Jiang, there’s a guy surnamed You. Says you know him. He’s here to see you.”
“He’s in your office.”
You?
You Sen?
It couldn’t be You Junyu… could it?
Jiang Luo was busy and didn’t have time. “Tell him to wait.”
When Jiang Luo returned to the office, he saw You Junyu standing by the mannequin against the wall, looking at a clothing mock-up Jiang Luo had pinned together that morning with fabric and straight pins.
“Well, look who it is,” Jiang Luo said as he walked in.
You Junyu turned around, pointing at the clothes. “You designed this? So you actually know clothing?”
Jiang Luo didn’t even close the office door. He went straight to the tea table, dropped onto the sofa, poured himself water, and got straight to the point. “You looking for me? What is it?”
You Junyu walked over and sat down too. “At least pour me a cup of tea.”
“If you’ve got something to say, say it.”
Jiang Luo couldn’t be bothered to entertain him and didn’t bother hiding his impatience. He knew You Junyu wouldn’t come without a reason.
You Junyu leaned back against the sofa, crossed his legs, looked at Jiang Luo, his expression thoughtful—maybe choosing his words.