However, Wei Ge was also a little uneasy, after all, they were just classmates, not relatives, and it was still uncertain whether Zhuang Rui would be willing to help.
"...Eight hundred million?"
Zhuang Rui's eyes widened upon hearing this. He had originally thought that the fourth brother would only lose 30 to 50 million, but he never expected that this guy would lose so much.
"Damn, does he think he's Cheung Tze-keung?"
Enraged, Zhuang Rui kicked a rock hard, sending it rolling downhill with a jarring sound in the night.
The man Zhuang Rui mentioned, Cheung Tze-keung, was a powerful figure in Hong Kong during the 1980s and 90s. Hong Kong and Taiwan tycoons were terrified of him. Even someone like him would obediently hand over his money to gamble in Macau casinos, which shows how powerful the casinos were.
"Who is it? What do they want?"
The armed police officers on night duty were highly vigilant. As the flashlight shone on Zhuang Rui, the dark muzzles of their guns were also pointed at him.
"It's me, Zhuang Rui, from the archaeological team. Xiao Zhao, I'm so sorry, I accidentally kicked a rock..."
Zhuang Rui quickly raised his hand; it would be truly unjust to be shot for no reason.
"It's Brother Zhuang. Keep your voice down, everyone's asleep..."
They had been together for almost two days. Zhuang Rui often tried to get close to the armed police officers by offering them good cigarettes, and the two sides were quite familiar with each other. When the armed police officer saw that it was Zhuang Rui, he put away his flashlight.
"Brother Wei, telling Lao Si to die? Does he have some nerve? How dare he gamble so much? Where did he get so much money?"
Zhuang Rui was a little exasperated. More than 300 million yuan was something he couldn't come up with right now. The project in Africa had encountered some problems and hadn't generated any revenue. For the past two years, Zhuang Rui had been relying on the museum and the Burmese jade mine to stay afloat. Where was he going to find these hundreds of millions of yuan to fill the gap for his fourth son?
"Sigh, isn't the fourth son the only college graduate in his family, and he studied accounting? So all the family's funds are in his hands. He wasn't originally planning to gamble on this much, but according to him, he was set up and gradually ensnared..."
It turns out that Lao Si was just playing around at first, but later a friend invited him to gamble in the VIP room, saying that the stakes weren't high. Lao Si went, and on his first try, he won more than three million.
Although the fourth brother's family was wealthy, it wasn't his own money. Now that money came so easily, the fourth brother lost his vigilance and gradually started gambling, and the stakes kept increasing.
However, apart from the first few times, Lao Si's luck got worse and worse. He not only lost the seven or eight million he had won earlier, but also put several million out of his own pocket.
Gamblers all have the mentality of wanting to win back their losses, believing that they can win it all back by gambling again. Lao Si had this mentality and gradually became addicted. When he looked back, he realized that he had already lost hundreds of millions.
Upon hearing Wei Ge's words, Zhuang Rui immediately understood. When he was learning antique appraisal from Uncle De, Uncle De had mentioned many insider tips and tricks of the trade.
The term "swindler" doesn't only refer to cheating in gambling. It also includes things like setting traps and rigging schemes, which fall under the scope of their business. They are similar to those in the antique trade.
Wei Ge sighed deeply on the other end of the phone. He couldn't describe how he felt about his former classmate falling into such a predicament. He wanted to help him, but the amount of money involved was not something that ordinary people could afford.
The second brother, Yue Jing, is a low-level civil servant. Although his family has connections, he doesn't have much money. The third brother is even poorer, and he had to rely on Zhuang Rui's help to buy a house. So, the only ones who can help the fourth brother are Wei Ge and Zhuang Rui.
"Youngest brother, I can only scrape together 30 million at most. That's all I can do. If it's too much trouble for you, that's fine, but don't drag yourself into it..."
When Wei Ge heard that Zhuang Rui hadn't responded for a long time, he sighed inwardly. He couldn't blame Zhuang Rui for not helping; it involved hundreds of millions of yuan, which was no joke.
"etc……"
Zhuang Rui stopped Yang Wei. He had been thinking about where to get the money, since more than 2 billion yuan was tied up in the African mines, and Zhuang Rui probably only had about 100 or 200 million yuan available at the moment.
"Here's what we'll do, Wei-ge. Doesn't he still owe 180 million? I'll try to raise the money and then transfer it to you. You go to Macau and bring him to Beijing. Let him stay at my manor and not go anywhere else. We'll talk about it when I get back..."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and figured he should be able to raise more than 100 million yuan. He couldn't just watch his fourth brother's life be in danger, could he?
After hanging up Yang Wei's call, Zhuang Rui sighed and, without caring what time it was, called Huangfu Yun directly.
"Hey boss, you're being way too picky. Either you disappear without a trace, or you disturb my sleep..."
Huangfu Yun grumbled, but judging from his energy and spirit, he didn't seem to be asleep at all.
"Brother Huangfu, it wasn't for you. You can go back to sleep. Give the phone to Yunman..."
Huangfu Yun and Yunman registered their marriage after the New Year and are now living together openly. Zhuang Rui guesses that the two of them are currently trying to conceive.
"Mr. Zhuang, what's the matter?"
Sure enough, Yunman was right next to Huangfuyun, her voice languid as she spoke, which made Zhuang Rui's heart flutter.
Chapter 898 The Gambler's Psychology
Zhuang Rui, no longer caring about disturbing his sleep, asked directly, "President Yun, how much money do I have in all my accounts combined?"
"Mr. Zhuang, please wait a moment..."
Yunman rarely saw Zhuang Rui ask about her account. Usually, she would report the income and expenditure of Zhuang Rui's various businesses to him every month. Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, she quickly opened her laptop.
"Mr. Zhuang, the museum's accounts show a total of 120 million, but 10 million is needed for museum maintenance and this month's expenses, and another 40 million needs to be allocated for next week's Kyoto auction..."
Qin Ruilin Jewelry has 90 million yuan, but 40 million yuan of that is for goods...
Xuanrui Zhai has 12 million in its accounts, which is readily available...
"All the industries in Pengcheng combined have about 30 million yuan in funds that can be mobilized. Uh... let me calculate, the total usable funds are 172 million yuan..."
As Yunman's fingers tapped on the keyboard, a series of numbers reached Zhuang Rui's ears.
"One hundred and seventy million? Mr. Yun, what about the funds from Myanmar?"
Zhuang Rui frowned, wondering if he should withdraw his investment from Africa. He had invested two billion yuan and hadn't seen a single penny of return; it would have been better to leave it in the bank to earn interest.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Yun Man on the other end of the phone said in surprise, "Mr. Zhuang, the Myanmar side hasn't distributed dividends for over a year, I told you..."
"Yes, yes, I forgot about that..."
Zhuang Rui slapped his forehead, feeling confused by Lao Si's actions today. Due to the continuous rise in jade prices in recent years, Hu Rong had stockpiled a large number of raw stones without selling them, a matter he had discussed with Zhuang Rui.
"Here's what we'll do, Mr. Yun. Tell Brother Huangfu later that he shouldn't participate in next week's auction. I need this money. First thing tomorrow at work, gather all the funds together. I'll contact you again tomorrow..."
Zhuang Rui thought for a while. Since the jewelry store's cash could not be touched, he could only try to find a way to access the museum's funds.
"Yes, Mr. Zhuang..."
Yunman didn't care what Zhuang Rui did with the money; she was only responsible for the accounting details. When the boss spoke, she naturally had to obey.
After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui went back to his sleeping place. He gave the tent to Professor Meng, and the rest of them, including Dr. Ren, slept in the open air.
Lying on the grass covered with a white sheet, looking at the twinkling stars in the sky, Zhuang Rui felt a strange mix of emotions.
I remember eight or nine years ago, my fourth brother and I, after drinking too much, also lay on the grass of the school playground looking at the stars like this. That scene seems like it happened just yesterday.
After his initial anger subsided, Zhuang Rui gradually calmed down. Based on his understanding of Lao Si, although Lao Si was a bit of a womanizer, he was still a reliable person. It seemed that he must have fallen into someone's trap this time, otherwise he wouldn't have lost so much money.
Some people might say that it's just that the fourth brother lacks a firm mind, and no one else is to blame. As the saying goes, flies don't land on eggs without cracks. As long as the fourth brother does the right thing and sits firmly, no one can do anything to him.
That's true, but Zhuang Rui knew that the tricks of the trade in the underworld were impossible to guard against. Those skilled in the trade could lure you into a trap without you even realizing it. The scheme he set up for Shanmu was nothing to a real con artist.
To be honest, someone like Lao Si, who has just graduated and doesn't have much experience, could probably be fooled even by someone like a monkey. So at this moment, Zhuang Rui wasn't so angry anymore, and instead turned his attention to the matter itself.
"Damn it, this is so inconsiderate..."
Without a doubt, someone must have targeted the fourth brother; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to have incurred such a large gambling debt.
This was also very unethical. In the underworld, one should always leave room for maneuver. Not only did he swindle over 200 million, but he also incurred an IOU for 180 million. This has the flavor of pushing someone to the brink of extinction.
After working all day, Zhuang Rui was quite tired. With things on his mind, he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Zhuang Rui asked Wei Ge for his account number and then instructed Yun Man to transfer the funds into it.
Although Zhuang Rui wanted to go to Macau with Wei Ge to see what was going on, he simply couldn't bring himself to ask. For this large tomb, their numbers were already insufficient, and with reinforcements yet to arrive, Zhuang Rui absolutely could not leave.
Moreover, Zhuang Rui also wanted to see what kind of wealth was inside that Huangchangticou tomb, and whose mausoleum this tomb, which was somewhat modeled after the mountains, rivers and stars of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, was.
While waiting for reinforcements to arrive, Zhuang Rui, Professor Meng, and others excavated several side chambers surrounding the Huangchangticou (a type of ancient Chinese wooden frame structure), unearthing a large number of cultural relics.
One of the side chambers was a burial pit filled with the remains of animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses. These items did not serve a significant purpose, only providing some assistance to animal husbandry at the time.
In another side chamber, a large number of terracotta figurines were unearthed, numbering more than three thousand. In order to transport these terracotta figurines out smoothly, the local cultural relics department specially built a pulley cart on the edge of the cliff.
In addition to the terracotta figurines and animal burial pits, a large number of bronze weapons were found in a side chamber, which also contained many iron artifacts and steel artifacts.
This discovery is extremely important, demonstrating that the forging technology in the Han Dynasty was already very advanced. These major discoveries have kept Professor Meng beaming with joy these past two days.
On the third day, more than twenty experts and scholars from Peking University and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage arrived, easing the immediate shortage of manpower. Professor Meng also planned to solve the Huangchang Ticou puzzle the next day. ...
"Fourth brother, can you stop acting like you're about to die? I haven't even said anything to you yet, but if Zhuang Rui sees you like that, he'll definitely slap you across the face..."
Sitting in Zhuang Rui's manor on the outskirts of the city, Bi Yuntao looked ashen-faced. Even when he saw King Kong, he showed no reaction and seemed to have lost all fear.
"Youngest child...why didn't you call? Are you angry with me?"
Hearing Wei Ge mention Zhuang Rui, Bi Yuntao raised his head, a hint of life returning to his eyes. He had really messed up this time; if Zhuang Rui and the boss hadn't pulled him up, he probably would have been sunk to the bottom of the Pearl River by now.
"Nonsense, don't other people need to work? Why would they come here just to serve you?"
Wei Ge was so angry he wanted to slap Lao Si. Ever since he brought this guy back from Macau the day before yesterday, he'd been like this. He'd eat and drink whatever was offered to him, but his face looked like his mother had died, without a single smile.
Yesterday, the second brother came to visit him at the village. This guy just buried his head in his crotch like an ostrich and didn't say a word until the second brother left. Wei Ge suspected that the kid had been knocked stupid.
"Brother Wei, I'm doomed. My family doesn't know about this yet, but if they find out, I'll..."
The fourth brother's face twitched. He couldn't imagine how his parents, grandparents, and other relatives would react if they found out. And his uncles and elders would definitely want to eat him.
"Wait, what... what did you say? Fourth brother, your family doesn't know about this yet?"
Before Lao Si could finish speaking, Wei Ge interrupted him with an incredulous expression. More than 200 million yuan had been embezzled, and nobody knew? What kind of company is this?
"I didn't know. I was using the family's reserves, which are kept in Switzerland. Normally, these funds aren't used unless there's an emergency, but..."
The fourth brother didn't dare to think any further. He didn't know if he had lost his mind at the time, just gambling away hand after hand. Now that he thought about it, it was clearly a trap set by that guy called Brother Hui.
Lao Si met Hui Ge in Guangzhou. At the time, he felt that Hui Ge was very generous and spent money like water, which suited Lao Si's taste. So when he invited Hui Ge to go to Macau, Lao Si readily agreed.
The first time he went to Macau, Hui gave Lao Si 100,000 yuan in chips. Lao Si actually won 3 million yuan in one night with these 100,000 yuan. This made Lao Si feel unreal, as if those chips were not money and could be bet on at will.
Every gambler has this mentality: once money has been converted into chips, it seems like it's no longer money. If you were given a million dollars in cash to throw on the table, many people would probably stop gambling.
However, a million chips is a psychological barrier that is easy to overcome. No one knows how many Lao Si has thrown onto the gambling table recently.
Looking back now, the fourth brother himself finds it somewhat unbelievable. Several hundred million yuan, converted into 100-yuan bills, could fill a house, and it just slipped through his fingers so easily. However, at that time, his mind seemed to be under a spell, and he was no longer very clear-headed.
"Don't look so gloomy. When the youngest brother comes back, let's ask him what he thinks. Fourth brother, this more than 100 million was all covered by the youngest brother..."
Wei Ge looked at Lao Si and shook his head. If he wasn't afraid that Lao Si would try to kill himself, he would be at home with his wife and son right now, instead of facing this bitter face.
The fourth brother hung his head and said in a muffled voice, "I can't pay it back. When the youngest brother comes back, I'll lend him another million..."
"Still want to try and win back your losses? Damn it, I'm furious!" Upon hearing Lao Si's words, Wei Ge immediately stood up. Everyone says that men in Zhonghai have good tempers, but that's only because they haven't encountered a troublemaker. When Wei Ge saw someone like Lao Si, he felt the urge to hit him.
"No, I want to hire someone to take care of the person who framed me, otherwise I won't be at peace even if I die." A fierce glint appeared in Lao Si's lifeless eyes. Chaoshan people have always been good at fighting and daring to take risks. Lao Si had reached a dead end and had no way out. He just wanted to take Hui Ge down with him.