Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 012 First Love
Seeing Wang Xuewei push open the door and leave with a frosty expression, Yang Hongtao didn't care. He patted his still somewhat empty stomach and immediately decided to go out for a good meal.
Having been away from worldly food for three years, he was finally able to start anew and naturally couldn't let himself down. He had to properly enjoy the delicacies of the human world.
Yang Hongtao went upstairs, grabbed a set of Zhou Ziwei's clothes from the closet, put them on, stuffed the thousand yuan he had just swindled from Wang Xuewei into his pocket, and then swaggered out of the community.
There are several hotels opposite New Century Garden, but these hotels, located outside the city's most luxurious villa area, are naturally not of low quality. Yang Hongtao looked at the magnificent hotel facades and then touched the ten bills he had in his pocket. His confidence suddenly became seriously lacking.
In his previous life, Yang Hongtao worked for a large company and frequented similar high-end hotels. Therefore, he naturally knew that these places were ruthless when it came to ripping people off. With only a thousand yuan in his pocket, if he really wanted to eat here, he estimated that even if he didn't spend it all, he wouldn't have much left after a meal!
Just as Yang Hongtao was hesitating about whether to take a taxi to the city center, he suddenly saw a BMW drive up and stop in a parking space not far from him. Then the car door opened and a man and a woman got out.
The man and woman both appeared to be in their early twenties, dressed fashionably and boldly. The woman, in particular, wore a leather mini-skirt so short that her underwear would be exposed with just a slight lift of her leg. Her top was a black, low-cut, cropped top that revealed her snow-white waist and most of her breasts. The contrast between her white skin and black clothing created a striking and alluring effect, highlighting her sexy and seductive aura.
To be fair, that woman wasn't particularly beautiful; at best, she was above average in looks, definitely not in the same league as Wang Xuewei. However, this outfit showcased her assets to the fullest extent, ensuring she would attract the attention of most men on the street.
Yang Hongtao was no exception. The moment the woman got out of the car, his gaze involuntarily fell on her, and he remained motionless for a long while. However, Yang Hongtao wasn't seduced by the woman's beauty, but rather because she had touched a certain nerve in his mind…
Liu Ni – Zhou Ziwei's first love!
Soon, Yang Hongtao searched his memory for bits and pieces about this woman.
Liu Ni was Zhou Ziwei's high school classmate and one of the school's four most beautiful girls. Relying on his family's wealth, Zhou Ziwei launched a series of flower and romantic offensives, finally defeating many competitors and winning Liu Ni's favor.
However, the good times didn't last long. Liu Ni was still young and a bit frivolous by nature. Influenced by Hong Kong and Taiwan romance novels, she always longed for romantic and legendary love.
When Zhou Ziwei was pursuing her, he put a lot of effort into being romantic. However, once they became lovers, Zhou Ziwei naturally put less effort into this aspect, which greatly displeased Liu Ni, and she gradually lost her initial enthusiasm for Zhou Ziwei.
At this time, Liu Ni met a homeless painter who drew portraits of tourists in the park. The painter wasn't actually handsome, but he had an artistic temperament full of melancholy, which was absolutely irresistible to a high school girl who longed for romance. So, before long, Liu Ni naturally fell in love with him and ran away from home without hesitation, leaving the city with the homeless painter...
This incident was a devastating blow to Zhou Ziwei. From then on, Zhou Ziwei became very decadent, self-destructive, and idle, and dropped out of school before graduating from high school.
It can be said that... without Liu Ni's betrayal, Zhou Ziwei might not have amounted to much, but he certainly wouldn't have ended up like that. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Liu Ni ruined Zhou Ziwei's life.
Such an event that caused a major shift in Zhou Ziwei's personality can certainly be considered an obsession. Therefore, the memories that Yang Hongtao received from Zhou Ziwei's remnant soul were clearly preserved. When Yang Hongtao first saw Liu Ni, this memory immediately came to mind.
Most student romances have a playful element to them, and breakups and makeups are quite common. People come together when they are destined to be together and part ways when the time is right. Yang Hongtao really doesn't need to do anything because of the memories preserved in a remnant soul.
So far, Yang Hongtao has absorbed nearly a hundred remnant souls. Each of these remnant souls inevitably had some grudges and affections that they couldn't let go of in their previous lives. Naturally, Yang Hongtao couldn't possibly fight for justice for each of these remnant souls' obsessions.
However, Zhou Ziwei was different from other remnant souls. Yang Hongtao not only absorbed his soul after death, but also occupied his body. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei's influence on Yang Hongtao was definitely incomparable to that of other remnant souls.
In addition, Yang Hongtao was framed and killed in his previous life. His girlfriend Xiaoya's betrayal played a significant role in that conspiracy, which made Yang Hongtao particularly abhor women who betray their lovers. Therefore, after reading the part of Liu Ni's memories, he immediately felt an indescribable disgust for Liu Ni.
Whether it was Yang Hongtao's gaze that was too sharp or not, Liu Ni felt a chill run through her body as soon as she got out of the car, and she couldn't help but shiver.
A sudden sense of unease washed over her, and she quickly looked up and scanned her surroundings. Her gaze swept across the area and she immediately saw several pairs of hungry eyes staring intently at several sensitive parts of her body, like ravenous wolves.
Liu Ni was already used to such looks and naturally didn't find them offensive. After all, she dared to dress like that precisely to attract men's attention.
However, among those greedy eyes was a sharp, dagger-like gaze. Liu Ni quickly noticed the strangeness of that gaze and followed the chilling look in her eyes. She immediately saw Yang Hongtao, dressed in casual clothes, staring coldly at her from a dozen meters away.
"Zhou Ziwei!"
Seeing that familiar figure suddenly appear before her, Liu Ni took a half-step back guiltily, but after glancing at the luxuriously dressed young man beside her, a bright smile immediately appeared on her face.
She took two quick steps, affectionately linked her arm with the man's, as if she hadn't seen her first love at all, and pulled him into the hotel.
However, the man clearly noticed Yang Hongtao as well. He took only two steps before abruptly stopping. He first gave his female companion, who was clinging to him like a little bird, a look of amusement before looking up at Yang Hongtao with a mocking smile. He said loudly, "Eh... isn't this Young Master Zhou? What... could it be that Young Master Zhou is also here to attend Mr. Hong's private party? Haha... what a coincidence!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao turned his gaze to the young man and sized him up. He found the man's appearance somewhat familiar, and guessed that he was someone Zhou Ziwei knew well, but not someone very important. At least, he hadn't left any obsession in Zhou Ziwei's remnant soul, so Yang Hongtao naturally didn't recognize him.
Since he hadn't mistaken the other person, Yang Hongtao wouldn't address him casually. He simply shook his head and said, "No, I'm just passing by. I'm not here to attend any private party."
"Oh—" The man looked like he had just realized something, deliberately drawing out the "oh" sound, and then said with a smirk, "I knew it... Young Master Zhou used to attend almost every one of these kinds of events a few years ago, but recently... hehe... I heard that Young Master Zhou seems to only occasionally go to the underground gambling dens in the shantytown to have some fun, and it seems that he hasn't attended any of these private gatherings for a while, right?"
Yang Hongtao was taken aback at first, but then he realized that what this person called a private gathering was actually a temporary gambling game.
However, this kind of betting is not open to just anyone. It is usually held only within a certain fixed circle, and most of the people invited know each other. People from outside the circle rarely participate.
Moreover, these kinds of bets are usually very high, with wins and losses often reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions. Some successful private entrepreneurs who have worked hard for decades to accumulate a fortune have lost everything in these bets just to seek excitement, and in a moment of impulsiveness, they have made a huge bet.
Of course, the person who dares to organize such a gambling game must be someone who has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles. This is to ensure the safety of the gambling game and to prevent people who are desperate for money from defaulting on their debts or causing trouble.
Generally speaking, the organizers of these gambling games do not participate in the gambling, but after each game, the organizer is always the biggest winner.
Because the organizers take a very high percentage of the winnings, with the highest reaching as high as 25%.
However, they only take a cut from the winners. The losers not only don't get a cut, but they are also provided with good food and drink, and when they leave, they are given a considerable amount of "pocket money" for good luck.
Because of this rule, which is very "humane", many gamblers still enjoy the high stakes despite the heavy penalties.
Anyway, if you lose at this kind of gambling game, you won't get a cut, and if you win, it's all unexpected wealth. Even if you share some with the host, you'll still have plenty left. In addition, there are people who will provide you with food and drink, and if you get tired of playing, there are plenty of escorts to sleep with you for free. So why not?
Zhou Ziwei was a compulsive gambler in life, and many of his remnant memories after death were related to gambling. Therefore, Yang Hongtao immediately understood the situation as soon as the young man mentioned it.
Then a thought struck him... There's a big gamble here! Great... I'm short on money right now, why not dig out my first pot of gold after my rebirth right here?
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 013 A Chip
In his previous life, Yang Hongtao was not a gambler and could even be described as a model young man without any bad habits. However, now that he has taken over Zhou Ziwei's body, he seems to have been somewhat assimilated by Zhou Ziwei's personality. Now, as soon as he hears about a gambling game, he immediately perks up.
In addition, among the nearly one hundred remnant souls that Yang Hongtao absorbed, one was a con artist who had some knowledge of gambling in his previous life. Although his skill level might not have been very high, it was at least much better than that gambler Zhou Ziwei.
However, Yang Hongtao didn't place too much hope on the half-baked gambling skills or cheating techniques he inherited from the remnant soul of that con artist. His greatest reliance was actually the power of his soul.
First, he can see through certain objects by penetrating his soul power; for example, mahjong tiles and playing cards appear transparent to him.
The essence of gambling is the unknown. Once Yang Hongtao can see through everything, then there is no point in gambling. Whoever gambles with him is like a human ATM. Unless he deliberately lets them win, it would be difficult for them to lose even once.
However, this temporary gambling game isn't open to just anyone. Even if you claim to be the richest person in the city, they might not let you in without an invitation card. But those with invitation cards can bring up to three other people with them. Judging from this young man's arrogant demeanor, he probably got an invitation card for the temporary gambling game and brought Liu Ni here to show off.
Yang Hongtao could tell that the young man was deliberately mocking him in front of Liu Ni, but since he didn't even know who the young man was, he didn't bother to argue. He was hoping this man would take him to the impromptu gambling session later, so he just pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh... so Mr. Hong is holding a private party here! That's great! I've been itching to play these past few days, now I can have some fun! Oh... but... I didn't hear about this beforehand. If I had known, I would have asked Mr. Hong for an invitation card! Sigh... I guess I won't be able to get one now!"
"Haha... Young Master Zhou, you can't be serious, can you?" The young man's face showed undisguised disdain as he laughed and said, "If you had said this two years ago, I, Yan Jun, would have absolutely believed you, but now... haha... I'm telling you, Young Master Zhou, stop pretending to be something you're not!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao shrugged lightly and said nonchalantly, "It's just a private party, what haven't I, Zhou Ziwei, seen? Hmm... I've been thinking of buying a car to play with lately, but... I'm a little short on cash. Maybe if I go in here and play a few rounds, I'll have a car! Alas... it's a pity I don't have an invitation card, so I'll just have to wait until next time!"
Upon hearing this, the young man who called himself Yan Jun muttered to himself, wondering if this notorious spendthrift had won over his father's favor again. Otherwise, where would he get the money to gamble at such a high-stakes, impromptu gambling den? But that seemed unlikely. Just a few days ago, he'd heard that his father was going to disinherit him. How could things have suddenly changed so drastically in such a short time? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Just as Yan Jun was unsure how to expose Yang Hongtao, he suddenly felt Liu Ni shake his arm forcefully and say in a coquettish voice, "Brother Jun, since this gentleman also wants to have some fun at this private party, why don't you take him in with you? Didn't you say your invitation card allows you to bring three people? Anyway, we still have two empty spots, so why not just help this gentleman out? Hehe, Brother Jun, don't you always say that happiness is the most important thing in life?"
Yan Jun was a classmate of Zhou Ziwei and Liu Ni in the same high school, so he was naturally familiar with the story that had happened between Zhou Ziwei and Liu Ni. Now, hearing Liu Ni plead for Zhou Ziwei (Yang Hongtao) in person, he felt a little uncomfortable.
Although he only considered Liu Ni a temporary playmate for pleasure, he couldn't stand her being nice to her ex-lover. Angered, he was about to sternly refuse when he suddenly noticed Liu Ni winking at him repeatedly behind Yang Hongtao's back. Yan Jun paused for a moment, then a thought struck him, and he immediately understood.
It's clear that Liu Ni wasn't helping Zhou Ziwei at all; she was obviously trying to embarrass him in front of her! It's not hard to understand, considering that Liu Ni was young and naive back then, and actually betrayed Zhou Ziwei for the sake of so-called romance, running away from home with a penniless, homeless painter.
Now that Liu Ni has returned to Dangyang City all alone, it's clear that she's either too poor to survive with the painter, or she's been abandoned by him after being used. What Liu Ni will find hardest to accept is naturally being mocked by Zhou Ziwei. However, if Liu Ni can prove that Zhou Ziwei is even worse off than her, then Zhou Ziwei will have no right to ridicule her.
Of course, if Zhou Ziwei were still the same Zhou Ziwei who was riding high a few years ago, Liu Ni would likely rather endure his ridicule than give up on him and try to win him back. Therefore, Liu Ni's strong encouragement for Yan Jun to take Zhou Ziwei (Yang Hongtao) to the temporary gambling den was likely also a way of testing Zhou Ziwei's (Yang Hongtao's) financial strength. After all, that temporary gambling den wasn't for ordinary people; the smallest chip there was 1,000 yuan, and regardless of what you gambled on, you'd need at least 300,000 to 500,000 yuan in chips just to play a single game.
If Zhou Ziwei (Yang Hongtao) can only pull out tens of thousands of yuan inside, he'll definitely lose it all in no time, and all he'll do is embarrass himself. But if Zhou Ziwei (Yang Hongtao) can pull out hundreds of thousands of yuan without batting an eye, Yan Jun is sure that the woman currently nestled in his arms will immediately turn around and snuggle into Zhou Ziwei's arms.
However, based on Yan Jun's understanding of Zhou Ziwei, he naturally didn't believe that a second scenario could occur. So... having harbored a deep dislike for Zhou Ziwei since high school, Yan Jun naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to humiliate him. He immediately laughed and nodded in a seemingly generous manner, saying, "Alright! Since the little girl wants me to help her, then let's take Young Master Zhou in for a bit of fun... um... so we can see how Young Master Zhou dominates the battlefield... hahaha..."
The impromptu gambling event was held on the rooftop of the Cloud Hotel. The entire rooftop had been booked by Mr. Hong. The event was scheduled to last for three days, and today was actually the second day. When Yang Hongtao, Yan Jun, and the other two entered the rooftop with Yan Jun's invitation card, they found that there were already at least forty guests scattered in several rooms, playing games enthusiastically.
The first thing to do upon entering a temporary gambling game is, of course, to exchange for chips. Although these games are basically between guests and there is no organizer involved, in order to avoid trouble and to make it easier to tally each guest's wins and losses for profit taking, cash cannot be used directly on the table. Therefore, each guest must first exchange for enough chips at the bar using cash or online bank transfer before entering the formal gambling game.
Yan Jun's father is a real estate tycoon in Dangyang. He has now joined the company and started taking over some businesses, so he's naturally not short of money. He immediately transferred 500,000 yuan from his card to exchange for chips. Then he and Liu Ni stepped aside and watched coldly to see how many chips Yang Hongtao would exchange.
Yang Hongtao wasn't embarrassed at all. He took out all the 1,000 yuan he had just swindled from Wang Xuewei, slapped it on the bar, and said in a grand manner, "Miss, please exchange all this money for chips. Hmm... you'll definitely get a tip later!"
Everyone present was stunned.
Although Yan Jun already knew Yang Hongtao wouldn't have much money, he hadn't expected him to be this stingy. Coming to a gambling den of this caliber to exchange for a thousand yuan in chips was practically like several people going to a five-star hotel and only ordering a bowl of noodles with soybean paste—it was just too ridiculous! The waitress at the counter was momentarily at a loss, unsure whether this man was just joking or deliberately trying to cause trouble!
However, she saw that Yang Hongtao and Yan Jun had come together, and Yan Jun had just exchanged 500,000 yuan worth of chips, so she couldn't say anything even if Yang Hongtao didn't exchange any chips. So she could only ask with a bitter face, "Excuse me, sir, the smallest denomination of our chips is 1,000 yuan each. May I ask... sir, are you really going to exchange for a chip?"
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 014 Room Number One
"The smallest denomination is one thousand yuan a coin?"
Yang Hongtao was genuinely surprised to hear this. Although he had just read some information about the temporary gambling game from Zhou Ziwei's memories, he hadn't had time to learn about it in detail, so he was completely unaware of the rules.
He couldn't help but secretly rejoice that he hadn't had time to spend the money he had. Otherwise, even if he had just bought a bottle of soda on the street, he wouldn't have enough money to buy a single chip. If that had happened, he would have really made a fool of himself today!
However, he hasn't had time to spend the thousand dollars yet, so he doesn't have to worry about anything. In fact, for a gambler like him who uses cheat devices, whether he exchanges one chip or a thousand chips, the result is the same.
Therefore, despite the bartender's questioning and the strange, mocking looks from Yan Jun and Liu Ni, Yang Hongtao remained unfazed, acting as if it were perfectly natural, and said, "Since you have chips with a face value of one thousand yuan here, that proves that I can exchange these for one chip... What? Is my money fake? Or... is there a rule here that one thousand yuan cannot be exchanged for chips?"
"No, no, no... Of course your money isn't fake, and we... we didn't say we couldn't allow customers to exchange only one chip! Uh... since you want to exchange it, sir, then... please fill out this form first, and then... please keep this chip with a face value of one thousand dollars."
The bartender handed over a form while patiently explaining, "The reason we need you to fill out this form is so we can record the amount of chips you exchanged inside. That way, when you decide to leave, you can bring the remaining chips here to settle your account. If the total value of your chips is less than 1,000 yuan, we won't charge you any fees, and you won't even need to pay extra for the food and drinks you ordered here. We'll transfer the full face value of the chips to your account. However, if the total value of your chips exceeds 1,000 yuan, the excess will be deducted at a rate of 25%..."
To avoid disputes later, the bartender always had to explain these rules to people before exchanging chips. However, after repeating the rules, she really felt like she was being a bit redundant.
This person only exchanged one chip of the lowest denomination. Is there any chance they could win money? This... is this a joke?!
Yang Hongtao received the only chip, but seemed not to feel embarrassed at all. He turned around and greeted Yan Jun, saying, "Hey... I've redeemed all my chips. So... should we play separately or together..." After all, Yan Jun had brought Yang Hongtao in, and regardless of whether Yan Jun's intentions were good or not, Yang Hongtao still had to greet him. As for Liu Ni... Yang Hongtao completely ignored her.
"Oh..." Yan Jun finally came to his senses upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Together...of course we should go together! I want to see how Young Master Zhou will win back a car with just one chip!" The reason he brought Yang Hongtao in was to see Yang Hongtao make a fool of himself, and now he naturally wouldn't give up this opportunity.
Anyway, Yang Hongtao only has one chip. No matter what he plays, he'll probably lose everything in less than five minutes. Then he can humiliate Yang Hongtao to his heart's content.
Yang Hongtao didn't mind. Holding a chip in his hand, he casually followed Yan Jun into the left corridor.
Two flamboyantly dressed women with seductive smiles immediately came forward. Most of these women were escorts from various high-end entertainment venues. Although they were also service personnel hired by Mr. Hong, they did not receive any salary and earned entirely from the tips of the customers.
However, as long as they can hook up with a wealthy boss, a few chips from him will be enough for them to live on for several months.
Generally speaking, they mostly target single, lecherous, and wealthy nouveau riche. When they saw that Yan Jun already had a female companion and Yang Hongtao only had one chip, the two girls' enthusiasm immediately cooled down. However, since it was their duty, they did not dare to neglect their duties. They still gave a simple introduction to the situation of each room in the venue according to the rules, and then asked the three men what they liked to play, so as to lead them to the corresponding rooms.
"Hehe... I'm open to anything, let's see what Young Master Zhou thinks!" Yan Jun doesn't actually play everything; he usually only plays mahjong in these situations. However, he's waiting to see Yang Hongtao make a fool of himself, so he naturally doesn't want to miss the opportunity.
However, his words made the two girls' eyes light up. They thought that Yang Hongtao was the leader of the three, and Yan Jun was probably Yang Hongtao's follower.
If that's the case, then most of the chips Yan Jun is holding on the tray probably belong to Yang Hongtao!
This delightful misunderstanding instantly reignited the passion of the two escorts, who were like cats smelling fish. They quickly pressed themselves against Yang Hongtao, their four arms wrapped around his like snakes, and they shamelessly rubbed their ample breasts against his body, calling him "boss" in a voice so sweet it was sickening.
Yan Jun was stunned at first, then covered his mouth and almost burst out laughing.
He was a frequent visitor to such places and was very familiar with the rules. He knew that the two escorts had probably mistaken Yang Hongtao for Yan Jun's boss. However, he didn't feel insulted; he just found it amusing. He didn't expose them at the moment and just waited to see how Yang Hongtao would handle the situation.
When Yang Hongtao's sensitive areas were rubbed by the two escorts, he couldn't help but feel his heart racing. Fortunately, although he hadn't lost his virginity when he died in his previous life, he had absorbed the memories of nearly a hundred people, so he was no longer unfamiliar with such matters between men and women, and thus didn't embarrass himself.
Originally, according to his nature, he wanted to push the two women away directly, but considering that Zhou Ziwei was originally the kind of womanizer, he was afraid that his sudden change would arouse suspicion.