The money he made from raw materials was considered decent by industry standards, but it paled in comparison to the tips Zhou Xuan gave him and the money he gambled with. If Zhou Xuan were to gamble recklessly, like today, he could probably take away billions of dollars in cash from this casino in just one day. That would be truly astonishing!
Seeing Gao Mingyuan's extremely excited yet occasionally annoyed expression, Zhou Xuan found it somewhat amusing. Then he noticed a car following them. His supernatural ability detected that the person was none other than Yang Tiancheng and his bodyguards.
Zhou Xuan didn't remind Gao Mingyuan, letting him enjoy himself as he drove to the restaurant he wanted to go to.
Yang Tiancheng's car didn't close in too closely. Zhou Xuan was certain that Yang Tiancheng meant no harm. Yang Tiancheng was only chasing after him out of curiosity about him, while Zhou Xuan wanted to see if he could find any clues about drug dealers from him.
Zhou Xuan then used his supernatural ability to detect and analyze Yang Tiancheng's internal condition. He indeed found some abnormal sensations in his blood. There was something peculiar in his blood. Even those with supernatural abilities felt that this thing was problematic and could stimulate a person's nerves. It was probably drugs.
Yang Tiancheng had received injections of drugs in the VIP room, which is why they were clearly detectable in his blood.
This mysterious Yang Tiancheng is indeed related to drugs, but it's unclear whether he's connected to the drug trafficking network Zhou Xuan is trying to contact and find. Zhou Xuan just thought that if someone as wealthy and powerful as Yang Tiancheng were connected to this drug trafficking network, the danger would be enormous. This time, he deliberately revealed himself to Yang Tiancheng, letting him fall into his trap. It was actually Zhou Xuan's plan.
Of course, this idea only suddenly came to mind when he spotted Yang Tiancheng in the casino. Whether it was related to what Zhou Xuan wanted to obtain remained to be found out.
Yang Tiancheng lost 50 million at the casino today. In the third round, he followed Zhou Xuan's bet and won back 100 million. His profit was actually 50 million. Subtracting the more than 100 million lost in the first two days, he only lost tens of millions. In the last round, he followed Zhou Xuan and bet heavily again. As a result, he actually won and his profit reached 1 billion!
With this money won, Yang Tiancheng's predicament was completely resolved, and he could proceed at his own pace. There was no rush. Although the casino couldn't pay out today, Yang Tiancheng wasn't worried about not getting the money back. He had plenty of manpower and ways to recover the money. The key was to win it.
He owns a casino, and he knows it's incredibly difficult to win that kind of money. He really didn't expect things to develop this way. Zhou Xuan is far beyond his expectations. If he could win this person over to his side, and combine that with his manpower and influence, then go to casinos around the world to make quick money, that would be the best and most satisfying way.
Yang Tiancheng knew many influential people and had extensive connections. He thought that as long as he gathered those wealthy tycoons together and played gambling games, this would be the easiest and safest way to make money. More than 70% of the world's super-rich were gamblers. In fact, their money was the easiest to make. They had money in their hands and were extremely arrogant. They trusted no one but themselves and only believed in their own judgment and insight. So even if they lost money, they would only blame bad luck and would not think that there was something wrong with their intelligence.
Yang Tiancheng left two subordinates to negotiate with the casino and report to him on the situation. If the casino chose to close down and run away, he would have to use another method. If the casino chose to continue operating, there were generally two ways to handle it. One was to raise funds within a few days to fully compensate the bettors and maintain the casino's reputation. The other was to compensate a large portion of the small gamblers' bets and then secretly deal with the big clients, which would save money and trouble. He had done this kind of thing many times before.
However, it is estimated that the casino will not choose such methods against him and Zhou Xuan. Firstly, the casino should know something about his identity, and if they do, they will definitely not touch him, otherwise there will be endless trouble.
Yang Tiancheng had only uncovered some details about Zhou Xuan's identity, such as his domestic status, assets exceeding 20 billion yuan, and ownership of two companies. The identity of the owner of the Fu family's assets remained unknown. However, given Zhou Xuan's vast wealth in Beijing, he must possess considerable influence and connections there. As for President Chen's casino, the backers and various powerful figures involved were all based in the southern province, where they could easily control things. But in Beijing, these people would be far less influential; it was possible that Zhou Xuan had an extremely powerful backer he couldn't afford to offend.
Yang Tiancheng, accompanied by three bodyguards, drove up to Zhou Xuan. His purpose was to relax with Zhou Xuan, chat, and get to know him better, build a relationship, and test whether he would cooperate with him. In Yang Tiancheng's mind, it shouldn't be a big problem. In this world, who doesn't want to work hard to make more money? Money in your own pocket is the most comfortable feeling!
Gao Mingyuan drove to a restaurant in the suburbs with a smile. It looked very quiet, with green hills and clear waters all around. Yang Tiancheng was happy when he saw the place. He wanted to have a quiet place with few people, and this place was just right.
It is a relatively large farm restaurant.
As soon as they parked the car, Gao Mingyuan accompanied Zhou Xuan as they entered the restaurant. Just as they stepped inside, they heard someone call out from behind, "Manager Gao, Mr. Zhou, what a coincidence!"
Gao Mingyuan turned around in surprise and saw Yang Tiancheng and three bodyguards walking over from the parked car. Yang Tiancheng had a big smile on his face.
"Yes... Mr. Yang, what brings you here?" Gao Mingyuan felt a deep-seated fear of Yang Tiancheng. He knew he couldn't afford to offend this man, but he never expected to run into him in such a secluded place.
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Mr. Yang, what a coincidence! We meet again all the time!"
Yang Tiancheng chuckled and shook Zhou Xuan's hand affectionately, then walked inside with him, pushing Gao Mingyuan to the side. Yang Tiancheng never considered Gao Mingyuan a person; in his mind, Gao Mingyuan was of low rank, with the intelligence of a servant or slave, and not worthy of his respect.
Gao Mingyuan's face flushed red, but in front of Yang Tiancheng, let alone his secret identity, Gao Mingyuan didn't dare to complain about the three burly bodyguards beside him.
Zhou Xuan turned around and waved to him: "Old Gao, come here. We've run into Mr. Yang. We should treat him to a meal, have a chat, and check out the market for rough jade!"
Gao Mingyuan was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to stand next to Zhou Xuan. Although Yang Tiancheng looked down on him, Zhou Xuan did not have the same thoughts.
Yang Tiancheng paused for a moment, glanced at Zhou Xuan's serious expression, then patted Gao Mingyuan on the shoulder and laughed, "Together, together!"
Gao Mingyuan trembled at the slap, and after a few slaps, the side of Gao Mingyuan's body that was next to him slumped down, and he had a real sense of fear towards Yang Tiancheng.
The waitress at the farm restaurant led them to a private room. Yang Tiancheng waved to his three bodyguards, and the three of them went to the next room.
Yang Tiancheng clearly distinguished between superiors and subordinates, and his attitude towards those who were inferior to him would be very different. Gao Mingyuan was someone he looked down on and considered beneath him, but Zhou Xuan gave him a different feeling. Zhou Xuan was mysterious and unpredictable, and his abilities were especially terrifying to Yang Tiancheng. He was more powerful than his subordinates, the top fighters in other organizations, or the assassins he had heard of. Such skills and Zhou Xuan's shrewd mind made him a rare talent.
Even now, Yang Tiancheng, who runs a casino, still hasn't figured out what methods Zhou Xuan used to determine the winners and losers in those rounds.
The chance encounter was staged by Yang Tiancheng. He knew his true intentions, but Gao Mingyuan was completely unaware and thought it was a genuine coincidence.
Only Zhou Xuan truly understood that although Yang Tiancheng had followed him, his true background was not as clear as Zhou Xuan's. Zhou Xuan was the one who truly knew his enemy, but he still couldn't figure out whether Yang Tiancheng was the person he was looking for.
The dishes at the farm are basically pesticide-free, green farm-style dishes, as well as free-range chickens, ducks, and fish that grow freely without any feed or additives.
In particular, the pheasants raised on the farm weigh only two pounds, but the price is astonishing, costing more than 100 yuan each, which is about 70 or 80 yuan per pound, so it is not cheap.
But what do these prices mean to people like Zhou Xuan and Yang Tiancheng?
Even for Gao Mingyuan, spending several hundred to several thousand yuan on a meal is nothing, especially since he made a fortune off Zhou Xuan today.
When the farm-raised pheasant is served, it's not on a plate, but in a basin, which is called "big basin chicken" and is the most famous dish here.
Gao Mingyuan quickly took out the disposable chopsticks from the paper bag and gave one pair to each of Zhou Xuan and Yang Tiancheng. He then introduced, "Mr. Yang, Brother Zhou, this big basin of pheasant is the most famous local dish here. These pheasants are completely native and are not fed any feed. They eat grass and insects, so they usually only grow to about two pounds. They can sell for nearly one hundred yuan in the market, and even more in hotels and restaurants. This kind of chicken tastes great, the meat is extremely tender, and the bones are fragile and flavorful. When eating this kind of chicken, you have to eat the bones too. The bones are also rich in nutrients and vitamins. So the beauty of eating this kind of chicken is that you can eat the meat without spitting out the bones!"
When Gao Mingyuan said this, he emphasized the words "Brother Zhou" loudly in front of Yang Tiancheng, intentionally making sure that Yang Tiancheng heard it clearly and knew about his relationship with Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan smiled, picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. He then laughed and said, "Well done, eating meat without spitting out bones!"
Volume 1, Chapter 607: Tentative Exploration
Chapter 607 Testing
The pheasant was indeed tender and delicious, and the cooking method must have been a secret recipe. Otherwise, no matter how brittle the chicken bones were, they couldn't be eaten whole. Now, the chicken bones didn't even need to be chewed very hard before they softened, becoming like cartilage, and a very sweet and fragrant taste emerged.
Zhou Xuan ate another piece and couldn't help but praise it. This was indeed more delicious than the pangolins and other rare animals he had eaten before, and those were illegal, while this pheasant was definitely allowed.
Yang Tiancheng had never been to this place before, but he had eaten this kind of chicken before. At this moment, he had no appetite for food. Instead, he was eager to find out what Zhou Xuan was capable of.
With a chuckle, Yang Tiancheng beckoned to the waiter: "Waiter, what kind of wine do you have?"
The waiter immediately rattled off a long list of liquors, including Wuliangye, Xifengjiu, Dongjiu, Moutai, Jiannanchun, and so on, without even mentioning the brands. It seems he does this kind of thing often.
Yang Tiancheng waved his hand, not even asking the price, and said directly, "Ten bottles of Wuliangye, please."
The waitress was taken aback, then delighted. In restaurants, alcoholic beverages usually have a markup, typically increasing the selling price by about 20%. The waitress who promotes the product receives a commission of about 5% of that 20%. The Wuliangye she mentioned costs 480 yuan a bottle, and with the 20% markup, the selling price would generally reach around 600 yuan. The waitress would receive a commission of about 25 yuan from that bottle. If they could sell one or two bottles of this kind of liquor a day at their respective counters, it would almost equal their daily wage. The higher the price and the more upscale the liquor, the higher the commission. For liquors costing tens or hundreds of yuan, the commission would be at most a few yuan.