"Of course, it's me!" Xiao Han said hastily.
"Holy shit, you only scored three hundred on this mock exam. You really are crazy!" Li Dapang's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an entire egg.
"So, are you in or not?" Xiao Han asked.
Li Dapang stared intently into Xiao Han's eyes, which were clear, transparent, deep, and unruffled. This was all he could see. It seemed there were no impurities and no deception. Li Dapang felt something was off, "Damn it, I'll go crazy with you just this once. But dude, you want to open a training institute, where are you getting the startup capital?"
"That is indeed a problem." Xiao Han frowned.
Suddenly, Xiao Han's eyes lit up as he noticed the hundred or so yuan in change that Li Dapang held in his hand.
"Got it!" Xiao Han exclaimed with delight, "Give me your money."
Li Dapang handed over the money to Xiao Han without any hesitation and asked, "What are you planning to do?"
"Follow me!" Xiao Han said immediately.
After that, the two ran wildly towards the school gates.
On the playground, Xiao Han saw Jiang Xiaoliang entangling with Chen Zihan. Chen Zihan was riding a brand-new Yamaha electric bike and seemed somewhat displeased. Jiang Xiaoliang's motorcycle was parked in front of Chen Zihan, blocking her way.
"Chen Zihan!" Xiao Han hurried over.
"Xiao Han, is that you?" Chen Zihan's face lit up with delight.
"That um… could you take me somewhere?" Xiao Han asked urgently.
"Sure." Chen Zihan agreed without a second thought.
"You can't take him!" Jiang Xiaoliang exclaimed in a panic.
"It's my business, and besides, it's perfectly normal for classmates to help each other out!" Chen Zihan retorted without hesitation.
Xiao Han did not expect Chen Zihan to agree so readily, and he quickly climbed onto the back seat, grabbing the handrail behind the seat.
Li Dapang, pushing an old bicycle, poked his head out from under a canopy and called out, "Xiao Han, where are you going?"
"Yanzi Mountain!" Xiao Han replied decisively.
By this time, Chen Zihan had already accelerated away. Jiang Xiaoliang was green with rage. Li Dapang was extremely pleased; seeing Xiao Han getting on Chen Zihan's bike made him inwardly gleeful. In fact, he couldn't understand how Xiao Han, who was usually as clueless as a goose, had suddenly wisened up today—not only could he solve super complex math problems, but he was also hitting it off with girls? If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Li Dapang would never have believed it.
"Damn, Jiang Xiaoliang, your goddess has run off with our Xiao Han." Li Dapang chuckled heartily as he pedaled his bicycle, its worn condition evident by every part ringing except the bell.
"Bastard!" Jiang Xiaoliang was extremely annoyed. He was furious that Chen Zihan didn't give their past any consideration at all and had chosen to go with Xiao Han. Jiang Xiaoliang decided that no matter what, he had to snatch Chen Zihan back from Xiao Han's side.
Yanzi Mountain.
It was a local market in Wangjiang District. The market was large, and the people living nearby were a mixed bunch, including local bullies and thugs as well as some who were part of criminal organizations. This marketplace was a coveted spot for these people, with protection fees amounting to well over a hundred thousand a year. It was a piece of fat that everyone wanted a bite of.
"Xiao Han, what are you doing here?" Chen Zihan asked, blinking her innocent eyes which moved Xiao Han deeply.
Indeed, Chen Zihan was a good girl, with a pure heart and clean thoughts—a girl who could genuinely be called a goddess. Even someone as unresponsive as Xiao Han was touched by Chen Zihan.
"I... I'm here to buy vegetables!" Xiao Han said awkwardly.
"Oh." Chen Zihan blinked her pure eyes and said, "Xiao Han, you could actually work hard and strive for a good university. You demonstrated your academic talent this morning. Besides, I know you were once the top scorer in Wangjiang District's middle school exams."
"Heh heh..." Xiao Han chuckled and said nothing.
"Keep it up, Xiao Han." Chen Zihan clenched her fist and made a cheering gesture.
Xiao Han was somewhat dazed; for years, he had been looked down upon and despised by others. Aside from Li Dapang, the people at school would avoid him, fearing they would catch his bad luck. However, Chen Zihan never shunned him and had repeatedly helped him, seemingly never giving up on him.
Suddenly, Xiao Han asked, "Zi Han, why do you help me?"
The unexpectedly intimate way he addressed her made Chen Zihan a bit shy. She bit her red lip and softly said, "I think no one should give up the ideal they hold dear in their heart, right?"
"The ideal?" Xiao Han looked bewildered.
"Yes!" Chen Zihan said earnestly, "Do you remember the award ceremony of the LJ City Math Competition three years ago?"
"..." Xiao Han had forgotten.
"That time, I failed the exam," Chen Zihan said, her eyes reddening, "A boy took my hand and told me that a single failure was temporary and that our ideals in our hearts are eternal; no one should give up on the ideals they cherish..."
As she spoke, Chen Zihan gazed deeply at Xiao Han.
Xiao Han suddenly came to his senses and exclaimed in astonishment, "You... you're that girl?"
Three years ago, during that LJ City Math Competition, Xiao Han had taken the top spot, winning the first prize of ten thousand yuan. Chen Zihan, on the other hand, had not fared well.
"Yes!" Chen Zihan nodded.
"But... you..." Xiao Han simply didn't believe it. The girl from three years ago had dark skin, ear-length short hair, and a flat chest, just like a boy. She was nothing like Chen Zihan's outstanding facial features and deliciously beautiful figure.
"Pfft..." Chen Zihan covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Haven't you heard the saying? A girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood."
After speaking, Chen Zihan rode away on her electric bike, leaving Xiao Han standing there, dumbfounded.
A gentle breeze picked up, making Chen Zihan's silhouette even more stunning. Her dark, beautiful hair wafted in the breeze, releasing whiffs of a faint fragrance. Xiao Han closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he wanted to memorize that scent.
"Fuck me!" Li Dapang pedaled over on his broken bicycle, gasping, "That nearly killed me. You say... what are we here for?"
"To the casino!" Xiao Han's face turned cold.
"What?!" Li Dapang was shocked, saying, "Didn't you say that drugs, gambling, and prostitution are illegal?"
"We're going to eliminate harm for the people," Xiao Han replied, squinting his eyes. "To take some money from these guys."
After speaking, Xiao Han dragged Li Dapang toward a hidden casino in Yanzi Mountain.
This casino was in a building inside the market. The building had five floors—the first was a police station, and the fifth floor housed the casino. Such a clever layout was unbeatable!
The two of them took off their school uniforms and each wore a vest as they headed for the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was very spacious and featured all kinds of gambling equipment.
The hall mainly consisted of slot machines and fruit machines. There were also Pai Gow and Baccarat...
In the hall, security personnel wearing bulletproof vests and wielding batons patrolled the area. These men had broad backs and bears' waists, with eyes sharp as torches. The place had already gathered quite a crowd, who were busily engaged in gambling.
"What shall we have a go at?" Li Dapang asked curiously.
"Let's start with the slot machines," Xiao Han replied.
"Cool." Li Dapang also liked to play slot machines, though he generally lost more than he won.
A total of 120 yuan. Xiao Han needed to figure out how to get to 500 yuan and then exchange it for chips to play at other tables. Xiao Han gave Li Dapang twenty coins, keeping a hundred for himself to find a slot machine to play.
Playing the slot machine was a matter of probability. Xiao Han tested the waters with a few coins. However, his brain worked like a computer, feverishly calculating, as there was a computer chip inside the slot machine. It was a confrontation between the human brain and the machine.
Xiao Han tried about five yuan's worth, spinning it more than twenty times.
With an idea in his heart, Xiao Han confidently bet on the highest multiplier, betting a total of twenty yuan. However, he didn't win!
But, Xiao Han wasn't in a hurry.
Li Dapang next to him had already lost his twenty yuan. Seeing Xiao Han play so aggressively, he advised, "Lesser, lesser!"
The second time, Xiao Han still went with twenty yuan.
Still no win.
He was now left with only half of his coins, and only two more chances. If he didn't win these, he would have lost completely.
"One more time!" Xiao Han took a deep breath.
Ding ding ding...
A joyful sound rang out. Li Dapang slapped his thigh, excitedly saying, "Haha, won, won!!"
Two hundred points, a forty-fold return, suddenly he had eight thousand points.
Xiao Han sighed deeply with relief as he had 800 yuan in hand. The staff immediately came to settle the points and handed the money to Xiao Han. His face lit up with excitement, and an overjoyed Li Dapang said, "Fuck, that's awesome. Such good luck."
Xiao Han handed back the 120 yuan of capital to Li Dapang and then exchanged the remaining 700 yuan for chips.
Xiao Han immediately squeezed his way over to the Baccarat tables.
Baccarat is a game of betting on the 'bank' or 'player,' considered to be one of the fairest forms of gambling. Xiao Han didn't rush to place bets, instead observing several rounds. Once he had a sense of the game, he pushed all his chips onto 'player.' And indeed, 'player' won. Seven hundred yuan turned into 1,400. In the following rounds, Xiao Han remained patient, calmly observing until he felt confident, and then he pushed all his chips in. This cycle continued, and the amount in his hands reached over 20,000 yuan.
Xiao Han knew it was time to pull out.
After all, this was a casino, and behind every casino, there were owners watching. Using 700 yuan to take more than 20,000 from them could easily attract their attention.
"Let's get out of here!" Xiao Han turned and said to Li Dapang.
"Okay!" Li Dapang was also somewhat nervous, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead and upper lip.
The two turned and exchanged all their chips at the counter. Carrying over 20,000 yuan, they quickly left the casino.