"You...you, you're the kind of guy who forgets his mother after finding a wife. It's a shame your aunt asked me to pass on a message to you..."
Ouyang Jun pointed at Zhuang Rui, both amused and exasperated. He assumed Zhuang Rui's actions were to avoid disturbing the people sleeping inside. Little did Ouyang Jun know that this couple, who had just tasted the forbidden fruit, had done it in the living room the day before, so naturally they couldn't receive them.
What message did my mom ask you to pass on?
Zhuang Rui felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. He had been having a great time these past few days, but he hadn't called his mother once.
"Your aunt wants you to bring your girlfriend back this time. Grandpa is staying at your courtyard house now, so let everyone meet her. Okay, let's go to your room and talk more."
Ouyang Jun had been up and about all night and was quite exhausted, so he didn't want to waste time arguing with Zhuang Rui.
After receiving Ouyang Jun's call, Zheng Hua reserved a room for him. On the same floor, he led the group to the room, arranged to have breakfast together in the morning, and then Zheng Hua took his leave. He knew that Ouyang Jun's visit was definitely related to today's gambling game, and he didn't want to listen any further. After all, both sides were friends, and Zheng Hua didn't want to offend either of them.
"Fourth Brother. Why didn't you tell me you were coming over the phone? By the way, who is this gentleman? You haven't introduced him yet."
After entering the living room and sitting down, Zhuang Rui opened the refrigerator with practiced ease, took out a few cans of beer and drinks, and placed them on the coffee table.
"What I wanted to say was, you just hung up your phone after answering a call, how am I supposed to find you? This is Mr. Lu Wenpeng, a master card player who has even appeared on CCTV to demonstrate some cheating techniques in gambling. I wanted him to gamble on your behalf."
Ouyang Jun was busy with a lot of things last night. First, he asked around to see if there were any gambling experts, then he invited Lu Wenpeng out overnight before rushing over.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui glanced at the man named Lu Wenpeng. He had an ordinary appearance and nothing particularly outstanding about him. He shook his head and said, "Fourth Brother, I appreciate your kindness, but I still want to go up and gamble myself. Even if I win, it'll be a thrill, right? Since Mr. Lu is here, could you keep an eye on things for me tomorrow? As long as the other party doesn't cheat, it's fine. When it comes to luck, I'm no worse than anyone else."
"Mr. Zhuang, playing Texas Hold'em is not just about luck. There are many skills involved. You have to be careful to prevent your opponent from cheating and bluffing. If you are not careful, you may lose all your chips in one round."
Seeing Zhuang Rui's nonchalant attitude, Lu Wenpeng offered a word of advice.
"It's okay, I won't look at my cards. I don't care if they're big or small, everyone will rely on luck. I don't even know what cards I have, so how can he cheat me?"
Zhuang Rui had already made up his mind that once the game started, he would pretend to be an amateur and never reveal his hand, so that his opponent would be unsure of his strategy. Of course, it would still be necessary to secretly use his spiritual energy to take a look.
"This...this will work?"
Lu Wenpeng was stunned by Zhuang Rui's words, and then looked at Ouyang Jun.
Ouyang Jun frowned and said, "Wu'er, aren't you being too hasty? Quite a few people know about this bet now. If we lose, it won't look good for us either."
Zhuang Rui didn't answer Ouyang Jun's question, but looked at Lu Wenpeng and said, "Mr. Lu, I heard that the person they invited is a gambling king who has participated in the Las Vegas gambling king competition. I wonder how confident you are in beating him?"
Lu Wenpeng was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, and after thinking for a while, he said, "At most, I have a 30% chance, and it also depends on luck..."
"Yes, in the end it all comes down to luck, and I've been blessed by the Living Buddha, so my luck should be a bit better than yours, right?"
Zhuang Rui laughed smugly.
Chapter 396 Helicopters
"This...it depends on luck. But..."
“There’s nothing wrong with it. Since it’s all about luck, I’ll just go myself. Mr. Lu, I heard you once exposed cheating techniques in gambling on CCTV. You just need to keep an eye on whether the other side is cheating.”
Zhuang Rui interrupted Lu Wenpeng, "What a joke! You only have a 30% chance of winning, and you're already thinking of gambling on behalf of your buddies? That would be like handing money over to someone else. Zhuang Rui wouldn't agree to something like that."
"Wu'er, I reckon you can't even beat me at gambling, so why are you getting involved? Others can hire someone to gamble for them, so can we. Let Wenpeng go, he'll have a better chance of winning than you."
Ouyang Jun also didn't think highly of Zhuang Rui and offered some words of advice from the side.
Zhuang Rui was amused by Ouyang Jun's words and laughed, "Come on, it's a betting game I set up with someone. You guys are just joining in the fun. Alright, you've been up all night, you should go to sleep. Don't you know it's immoral to disturb someone's sleep? You two can just treat this as a vacation, and cheer me on tomorrow..."
Zhuang Rui yawned, feeling incredibly sleepy. He stood up, waved, and headed for the door. Since it was still early, he planned to catch up on some sleep. Otherwise, he would look like he had overindulged in his pleasures, which would be quite embarrassing in the eyes of his father-in-law and mother-in-law.
"Alright, Wenpeng, go to sleep. Auntie's right, my little brother's made up his mind, and nobody can change it. Consider this trip a vacation..."
After Zhuang Rui left, Ouyang Jun and the other two stared at each other for a long time. This was the only way. If Zhuang Rui disagreed, even if Lu Wenpeng was a skilled gambler, he wouldn't be able to participate.
"Zhuang Rui, who's here so late?"
Qin Xuanbing had been waiting in the bedroom for a long time and was no longer sleepy. She was standing on the balcony in her pajamas watching the sunrise when she saw Zhuang Rui return and hurriedly went to greet him.
"I'll introduce you to my little cousin when it's light out. Go to sleep, go to sleep, or you'll be too tired later..."
Zhuang Rui gave a casual reply, then pulled Qin Xuanbing back onto the bed.
"Don't tell me that. If it weren't for your fussing, you should be up by now..."
Qin Xuanbing replied irritably, only to find that Zhuang Rui had already fallen asleep and was snoring softly.
However, Zhuang Rui didn't get to sleep for long. Around 8 o'clock, the roar of a helicopter woke him up.
"What a lousy ship! The soundproofing is terrible..."
Zhuang Rui muttered something under his breath, turned over, and was about to go back to sleep, but the roaring sound was so loud that it was like it was right next to his ears, and even closing the sliding door to the balcony didn't help.
"Damn! It can't be that exaggerated, can it?"
Zhuang Rui walked from the bed to the balcony and looked out, immediately stunned. There wasn't just one helicopter in the sky, but more than a dozen helicopters circling overhead, being guided by the ship's pilot and docked one by one on the ship's helipad.
However, the helipad on this gambling ship can only accommodate five or six helicopters at most, so the crew cleared out a large area on the aft deck for temporary helicopter parking.
Next to Zheng Hua's private yacht, Zhuang Rui saw more than a dozen yachts docked there. People the size of ants were taking elevators to enter the gambling ship. Zhuang Rui returned to his room, took out his binoculars, and looked inside. He saw several familiar figures, all of whom he had seen at the charity auction.
The helicopters soaring through the sky and the luxury yachts cutting through the waves made Zhuang Rui feel as if he were in a dream. Was this a Hollywood blockbuster? When did helicopters become as cheap as cabbages?
“Zhuang Rui, many people in Hong Kong have helicopters, it’s not surprising. We have one at home too. Look, it’s the one that just landed on the deck. Look, my mommy and daddy are here. Oh? Grandpa’s here too. Come on, Zhuang Rui, let’s go wash up quickly.”
There were special binoculars in the room for guests to enjoy the sea view. Qin Xuanbing took one out and pointed out her family's helicopter to Zhuang Rui. However, she found that her parents and grandfather had arrived. She became anxious and pulled Zhuang Rui to run to the bathroom.
"What's the rush? Their phones are all switched off anyway. They can't find us. Let's just have a morning exercise first..."
Zhuang Rui's words startled Qin Xuanbing. She hadn't had enough after a whole night of commotion. Just as she was about to dodge, Zhuang Rui wrapped his arms around her waist and then pressed his large, aggressive lips against hers.
"Uh, that feels so good!"
After a passionate kiss that lasted a full three minutes, Zhuang Rui finally released Qin Xuanbing, whose face was flushed, and took a deep breath of the air filled with the smell of the sea.
"Helicopters are so much better, they're so convenient. Xuanbing, how much did your family pay for your helicopter?"
Seeing that most of the helicopters in the sky had already landed, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but think of the congested traffic in Beijing. It seemed that converting his big house into a helipad wouldn't be a big problem.
Qin Xuanbing rolled her eyes at Zhuang Rui, annoyed, and said, "Helicopters aren't expensive; you can buy one for a few million. But, Zhuang Rui, are helicopters allowed to fly in mainland China?"
Qin Xuanbing's words immediately poured cold water on Zhuang Rui's enthusiasm. Yes, even if he bought it, he couldn't fly it. Domestic air traffic control is very strict, especially in Beijing. It would probably be shot down before it even flew twenty meters. There are too many reckless people these days. Haven't you seen how two planes managed to knock down two skyscrapers in the US?
After Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing finished washing up and turned on their phones, more than a dozen text message notifications sounded, and Qin Haoran's call came in at the same time.
"Dad is calling us to have breakfast..."
After Qin Xuanbing answered the phone, she spoke to Zhuang Rui.
"Then let's go. Let me see if my cousin and the others are up yet. I can introduce them to Uncle Qin..."
Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing had just stepped out of the room when they saw Ouyang Jun walking towards them with a famous actress in his arms, presumably to knock on the door. The four of them met up, and Ouyang Jun and Xu Qing, who had never seen Qin Xuanbing before, immediately brightened up.
Qin Xuanbing was wearing a very formal black dress today. Her hair was pulled up high, making the necklace around her neck particularly eye-catching. The transparent fabric with lace trim made Qin Xuanbing's proud breasts faintly visible. Her slender waist was being held by Zhuang Rui's large hands. Her height of over 1.7 meters, coupled with high heels, made her and Zhuang Rui, who was 1.8 meters tall, complement each other perfectly. They were a handsome couple.
"Ouch, why are you pinching me? Zhuang Rui, is this your sister-in-law?"
Qin Xuanbing's appearance and temperament stunned Ouyang Jun and his wife. However, Xu Qing reacted quickly and pinched Ouyang Jun's waist, which made the young master Ouyang come to his senses and greet Qin Xuanbing.
"Xuanbing, this is my cousin Ouyang Jun, and that's my future sister-in-law Xu Qing. She's a big star with a high profile in mainland China. Fourth brother, this is my girlfriend Qin Xuanbing. By the way, where's the gift?"
Zhuang Rui introduced the two sides and then reached out to ask for the gifts. As their younger brother, he had given them quite a few nice things, and now that he had the chance, he was definitely going to ask for them back.
"Ahem, well, I came in too much of a hurry, Xiao Qin. When you get back to Beijing, your fourth brother will definitely give you a big gift."
Zhuang Rui's words nearly made Ouyang Jun cough up his breath. "Brother rushed over overnight to support you." He had no time or inclination to prepare a gift. He never expected Zhuang Rui to pull this stunt. He immediately gave Qin Xuanbing a wry smile and explained.
"Fourth Brother, you're too kind. By the way, Sister Xu, I've seen many of your movies in Hong Kong..."
Qin Xuanbing's aloof personality changed a lot after meeting Zhuang Rui. Knowing that the men had something to talk about, she immediately took Xu Qing's hand, and the two followed behind Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun, whispering to each other.
"Hey bro, you're really not being fair. Your brother came all this way to cheer you on, and you're making your fourth brother look bad."
Ouyang Jun said in a low voice with a displeased look, but then he changed the subject and gave Zhuang Rui a thumbs up, saying, "I have to say, you really have good taste. No wonder you ignored those women who wanted to offer you a girlfriend. With Qin's looks and temperament, you really can't find many like him in the country."
"Come on, let's not even talk about distant examples. Your sister-in-law is no less beautiful than Xuanbing..."
Zhuang Rui made a few humble remarks, but he looked smug. This is a common problem for men; no man doesn't want to show off his beautiful wife.
Zheng Hua was busy entertaining those extremely distinguished guests and didn't have time to greet Zhuang Rui. However, he still sent a subordinate to guard that floor. When he saw Zhuang Rui and the others come out, he led them down to the third-floor restaurant in the elevator.
When Zhuang Rui and his group entered the restaurant, they discovered that quite a few people had come without having breakfast. The restaurant, which was usually not crowded, was now almost full.
Of course, the arrival of Zhuang Rui and his group attracted countless stares. They all knew that this young man in front of them was actually recklessly going to gamble against the world's gambling king. Although these people put down their business to watch the game, no one believed that Zhuang Rui would win today's bet.
Zhuang Rui had no time to guess what these people were thinking. After seeing Qin Haoran waving at him, he led Ouyang Jun and his wife over and introduced them to the Qin family. Ouyang Jun also gave Zhuang Rui face and greeted Old Master Qin as a junior before sitting down to eat.
The Qin family knew the whole story. Although they were skeptical about whether Zhuang Rui's luck would continue, they had no choice but to act now that the die was cast, so they didn't say anything more.
After a quick breakfast, Zhuang Rui and his group, led by a waiter, arrived at a private room on the second floor of the gambling ship. Today, this private room was much larger than yesterday's, and there was only one gambling table inside. About seven or eight meters away from the gambling table, there were more than ten chairs.
Chapter 397 The Gambling King
Seeing this, Zhuang Rui felt somewhat helpless. What had he done to deserve this? He'd only come to the gambling ship for fun, but he'd been forced into a bet, and winning against the younger one had brought out the older one. Zhuang Rui wondered if things would finally be peaceful after this bet was over.
Zhuang Rui also discussed it with Qin Xuanbing yesterday. After this bet, they will return to the mainland immediately. There are just too many troubles in Hong Kong. Sometimes you don't provoke others, but others will provoke you.
Although he had gained a lot from his trip to Hong Kong, Zhuang Rui still felt a little regretful. He thought to himself, "I should keep a low profile." But he knew that after today's gambling game, people in Hong Kong's wealthy circles would probably all know him.
What Zhuang Rui didn't know was that these wealthy people's group trip had greatly worried the paparazzi in Hong Kong. However, these people were traveling by private yacht or helicopter, leaving the paparazzi with no opportunity to take pictures. Otherwise, Zhuang Rui's photos would probably be on the front page of Hong Kong entertainment newspapers tomorrow.
“Mr. Ouyang, please have a seat here. My grandfather will be here shortly.”
Zheng Hua, who was directing people to arrange chairs in the casino, quickly came over to greet Ouyang Jun and the others when they entered.
"Oh? Grandpa Zheng is here too? Grandpa told me to say hello to him."
As soon as Ouyang Jun finished speaking, a group of old men walked in from the entrance of the gambling hall. That's right, a group of about ten elderly people with gray hair walked in with the help of others. Qin Xuanbing's grandfather was also among this group.
Zhuang Rui was most afraid of these social interactions. As soon as he saw these people enter, he pulled Qin Xuanbing to hide in a corner. Ouyang Jun, on the other hand, led Xu Qing to greet them and chatted with some of the elderly people who had a good relationship with Old Master Ouyang. Of course, given his status and seniority, he could only nod and greet them. If it were Ouyang Lei, these elderly people would not dare to be presumptuous.
The elderly people walked to the front row of chairs at the gambling table and sat down one by one, while those of Qin Haoran's generation sat in the back row. As for Zheng Hua's generation, they could only stand and watch from the sidelines. However, Ouyang Jun was a guest and represented his grandfather, so he had two seats at the front.
Just as everyone sat down, another group of people walked in from outside the gambling hall. The leader was a tall old man with a broad forehead, a high nose, and piercing eyes like a hawk. This old man seemed to have an indescribable charm. As soon as he entered the gambling hall, he attracted everyone's attention. Judging from his appearance, Zhuang Rui should be of mixed race, and he looked somewhat familiar.
"He is Stanley Ho, the gambling tycoon of Macau..."
Qin Xuanbing whispered in Zhuang Rui's ear that she didn't think much of this gambling king. In her eyes, this man, who had married four wives and had many mistresses, and whose life was full of romantic encounters, was nothing but a womanizer.
Stanley Ho was born into the prominent Ho Tung family in Hong Kong. However, his achievements and fame were not due to the protection of his ancestors. His father went bankrupt when he was young, and his family fell into decline. He experienced the harshness of life. In his youth, he fled to Macau to escape the war with only HK$10 in his pocket. He fought bare-handed and survived many near-death experiences, eventually earning a fortune of millions.