Chapter 44 Old Huang
The next day, Zhang Jingshan did not go there early that time around.
After all, the place in the western suburbs where stone gambling was held would only be lively in the afternoon.
Hence, it was already noon when that Land Rover appeared at the intersection of Dong Pu Street.
It was just like what Ye Chen had expected.
Since Zhang Jingshan did not drive that red and flirty Porsche Panamera, he must have brought Li Changfeng along.
"Mr. Ye!"
The moment Ye Chen got into the car, the two of them turned around in unison and greeted him with a smile.
"General Manager Zhang, General Manager Li, thanks for what happened yesterday!"
Ye Chen, who had gotten into the back seat, instantly spoke of that.
"Mr. Ye, why do you have to thank me? You saved my life. Besides, Wang Tao's various actions had long challenged my limits. Previously, I endured it again and again because of that bit of so-called kinship, and I didn't find a suitable chance to get rid of him. We happened to bump into that incident yesterday. So, I had the chance and excuse!" Smiling, Li Changfeng said so.
"Old Zhang, this is the smartest choice that you've ever made from the first day I've known you up until now! That stupid bastard! Really! If you didn't get rid of him, he would have harmed you sooner or later!"
As Zhang Jingshan was turning the steering wheel, he said so by taking advantage of the situation.
Li Changfeng smiled slightly. He did not say anything much about that issue.
He then changed the topic of conversation. "Mr. Ye, have you ever had any contact with stone gambling before?"
"It wasn't any kind of contact at all. I just went and joined in the fun several times, but I didn't do anything about it," replied Ye Chen.
In the past, he had indeed gone and enjoyed the fun several times.
The reason why he did not do anything about it was not that he was unwilling, but he had no money.
After all, it was the kind of stone that would easily cost tens or hundreds of thousands. How could a person like him with such a level afford to play with that?
He just wanted to enjoy the fun and broaden his knowledge by going there.
"Then why did you come along this time around?" asked Li Changfeng in doubt.
Hearing that, Zhang Jingshan was all ears too.
Ye Chen shook his head and smiled slightly.
He knew what the other party was thinking about.
He then said, "I've never done that, so I want to go and give it a try!"
When both Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng heard that, they should feel puzzled.
But when they saw Ye Chen's calm expression, their interests were piqued again.
They truly yearned to see if this guy's instinct was so excellent or not.
Throughout the journey, they had a normal chat with each other.
After that, they reached the western suburbs.
Dozens of cars of various levels were parked outside a large single-story house that had nothing to do with luxury.
There were Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, and Land Rover.
There were also some cheap scooters worth tens of thousands.
There were even some taxis.
The Land Rover stopped.
Zhang Jingshan, who was familiar with the place, led Ye Chen and Li Changfeng, who went to that kind of place for the first time, to the single-story house directly.
"Hey, here comes General Manager Zhang!"
"Young Master Zhang, it's been such a long time!"
"General Manager Zhang, when will you take me to meet those beautiful anchors of your company? Ha! Ha!"
"General Manager Zhang..."
"General Manager Zhang..."
The moment Zhang Jingshan, who was popular, appeared, various kinds of bad people immediately greeted him with a smile.
"Hmm? Damn! Ye Chen, how capable you are! I thought that I was mistaken. When did you get to know such a big shot like General Manager Zhang?"
Suddenly, a thin man approached them when he had confirmed that he was not mistaken.
"Mr. Ye, is he your friend?"
Zhang Jingshan asked in bewilderment.
"I used to play cards with him!" Ye Chen explained.
Ye Chen was not at all surprised by that gambling companion's appearance.
During the same day in his previous life, Ye Chen went there to enjoy the fun with him.
"Oh, alright. You guys can talk first. I'll go and greet some people. Let's meet up later," said Zhang Jingshan.
After he said that, he patted Ye Chen's shoulders before he continued walking into the place with Li Changfeng.
"Fuck! Ye Chen, how did you get to know such a big shot like General Manager Zhang? He's the president of Yun Shan Network, the grandson of the former clerk of the Municipal Committee, and the young master of Yong An Architects. No. You're a gambling addict who can't even afford meals. How did you get to know such a person?"
The gambling companion acted like he had seen a ghost. He exclaimed.
"What do you mean when you said that I'm a gambling addict who can't afford meals? Are you so much better than me?"
Ye Chen rolled his eyes at him and said grumpily, "Ahem! We're just two birds of a feather!"
The gambling companion coughed drily once and said seriously, "Dude, you're now acquainted with such a man. You'll have lots of chances in the future. It'll be nice to stay by a big shot even if you're just a lackey who runs errands. You'll have bright prospects. Don't gamble anymore. Don't think of becoming rich through gambling. Throughout these years, we've been sailing in the same boat. But in the end, our wives and children leave us. We have nothing! So, you have to grab this kind of chance. Live like a human. Stop gambling and drinking!"
"Old Huang, what's wrong with you today? Are you drunk? Why did I find it quite awkward to hear such words from you?" Ye Chen was dumbfounded.
He was acquainted with that gambling companion for several years. Although they did not have a close relationship, and he only knew that the man was called Old Huang, he had a basic understanding of the man even though it was not a deep relationship. He knew that the man was just like him.
Hence, he was indeed bewildered to hear such a statement from that gambling addict.
Besides, he went there with Old Huang on the same day in his previous life. But he did not see such an abnormality in Old Huang.
"Fuck! Did you smell the alcohol? The reason why I said that to you is not that I'm drunk. But I saw that there's hope for you to turn over a new leaf in your life! If you're still your usual self, I might not have said that. Do you know why? Because people like us are not managed by God. To put it more nicely, we're people who are out of the three worlds and the six great divisions in the wheel of karma. We're just a bunch of fucking, useless people!
"Frankly speaking, we're aware of those principles. But we can't keep our hearts and hands in check. The poorer we are, the more we yearn to gamble. The poorer we are, the more we want to get rich quickly through gambling. If I fucking have the great fortune to get to know a big shot, I'll not gamble anymore! But motherfucker! I don't have such a fortune. So, I've sunk to such depths. Anyway, my wife and children have left me. I've nothing to lose!"
Old Huang sighed with regret as he said those words earnestly.
It was just like what he had said. Every gambling addict was aware of those principles. Every gambling addict was much more rational and conscious than anybody when they repented.
But they could not bear it after repentance. They could not keep their hearts and hands in check again. It was just like that statement. The poorer they were, the more they yearned to get rich through gambling. The more they gambled, the poorer they became. They would fall into that kind of pattern endlessly.
"But you're different now. You've someone powerful to rely on. I guess that you don't have to worry about anything by staying with a person like General Manager Zhang. If you work harder, he may not treat you badly. So, be good. Remember. After you've gone ashore and turned over a new leaf, don't gamble anymore. No one will gain a good consequence from that. There's no hope for me now. I'll be in this bad state whether I gamble or not. I might as well walk this path until the very end!" Old Huang said again.
"Alright, let's not talk about this!"
Ye Chen smiled bitterly and shook his head as he was filled with many emotions.
He asked the obvious, "Tell me. Did you come today to get rich quickly by relying on stone gambling?"
During the same day in his previous life, he went there to enjoy the fun with Old Huang. But Old Huang risked everything he got to gamble.
Of course, Old Huang was utterly defeated on the very same day in his previous life.
At that time, Ye Chen was quite curious as to how Old Huang could take out more than tens of thousands all of a sudden.
But at last, he did not inquire about that. He only remembered how Old Huang collapsed on the ground, his face turned ashen from utter despair.
And the final scene Old Huang left for him was a numb and vacant gaze. Old Huang then left the place like a walking dead.
Old Huang would neither make a reply nor turn around no matter how much Ye Chen called after him from behind him.
Since then, he never met Old Huang...