Back at Lushan International, Tang Shaojie took Cao Yang to the underground casino.
After a tour, they arrived at the office.
"How do you like the casino?"
"Very good," Cao Yang replied bluntly.
"In what way?"
"High-end, classy, luxurious, and it makes a lot of money."
Jie Ge chuckled. "Currently, the casino takes in an average of four million a day from the rake."
Cao Yang's jaw dropped. Quickly calculating, four million a day—how much is that per year?
"Do you think four million a day is a lot?"
Cao Yang nodded.
"Last year we made six to seven million a day, but now it's not possible anymore. And what you see is just the surface. Of the four million daily rake, half goes to the croupiers, another portion to the higher-ups, leaving only the gross profit."
"Employee salaries, guest services—these are costs. The actual money in hand isn't much."
Cao Yang didn't quite understand why Jie Ge was telling him all this, but he nodded anyway.
"If our business continues to decline, it might not be profitable in the future. Once we lose profitability, the higher-ups won't protect us, and the good days will be over."
"Before me, casinos were exclusive to Macau. Those in our province were all small-scale. Now I've built it properly, and everyone wants a piece."
"Liu Changling of the Sichuan gang, Liao Dongxing of the Yihehui, even others are trying to make moves…"
Tang Shaojie explained that while there were many small casinos in the province, his was the only large-scale one, because only he could maintain control. Others couldn't.
Now that the casino was big, others were envious and had set up a gambling ship on international waters, attracting mostly his clients.
Operating at sea was a bit more complicated, but they didn't need to pay the higher-ups, so their costs were much lower. Giving a portion to the croupiers encouraged them to attract customers.
"That's the gist. I want to shut them down. Do you have any good suggestions?"
Cao Yang scratched his head. "Bro, I can handle things on land, but at sea… I've never even seen the ocean."
Tang Shaojie laughed. "I'm just asking. You don't have to go if you don't want. Think it over these days—if you're confident, tell me. Money, people, guns, all can be provided."
"Alright," Cao Yang nodded and went home.
On the way, he thought about how to handle things at sea. Helping him with this task would repay a favor.
Back home, Li Yan was jumping around the sofa like a happy monkey in the living room.
"What are you so happy about?"
"We have a house now. We have a home in this city. Shouldn't I be happy?"
When Cao Yang first saw the apartment, he was satisfied—downtown, prime location, well-designed community and decoration.
Though second-hand, the previous owner barely lived there; it was practically new.
After seeing the villas and estates, however, this apartment seemed ordinary, almost like a slum.
"It's just a crappy house. What's there to be happy about?"
Li Yan widened her eyes. "Are you alright, Cao Yang? This house is crappy? Do you want to go back and see your old home?"
"Pfft! Peasant, you've never seen a proper house!"
Cao Yang put his hand on her shoulder and described Li Kun's mansion—its vastness, luxurious facilities, cinema, swimming pool, courtyard that could hold dozens of tables, perfect for parties.
Li Yan listened with envy. "That must cost millions, right?"
"What millions? In Shenzhen, such a large piece of land costs at least twenty million."
"Too expensive! We could never afford that in a lifetime."
"Look at you. People need dreams. You couldn't buy that house before, but now we live here!"
"When I'm successful, I'll buy a house like that. Then I'll… you know, in the pool, cinema, and garden…"
"Shut up! Your mind is filthy!"
Li Yan punched him lightly, then nestled in his arms to change the topic. "Those are far-off dreams. I just want a job for now."
"What job? You still have over a hundred thousand in your account."
"I feel restless if I don't work. I have no sense of security."
"Besides, the money is yours. I'm just keeping it for you. You can't spend it recklessly."
"Don't be so fake, Yan Jie!"
Cao Yang rolled his eyes. If he stopped her from using the money, she would nag endlessly. Being generous, he let her use it—then she would act coy, saying things like "It's your money, I can't use it," nonsense.
"What's fake? I genuinely want to help you save it," Li Yan cooed shyly.
A phone rang, interrupting her. The caller ID showed Lei Yu.
"I'll take this," Cao Yang said, stepping outside.
"Who's calling? Sneaking off to answer? Is it that little bitch Lei Yu?" Li Yan asked suspiciously.
"No, my boss."
Outside, he answered the call.
"Yu Jie, itchy?"
"Cao Yang, behave yourself!"
"Oh… what's up?"
"Nothing. Can't I call you? Did that little bitch Li Yan come back, so you're ignoring me?"
"No, I've been busy with work, didn't have time to see her."
"Really?"
"Of course. I won't lie to you."
"Alright, I trust you."
Lei Yu sounded a bit happier.
"Cao Yang, can you do me a favor?"
"Of course. Money or people?"
"People."
"Alright, I'll come right away. Clean up and wait for me."
"You damn it! That's not what I meant!"
"Then what do you mean?"
"I want you to help me beat someone up."
"Who pissed you off? I'll smash him into pieces!"
"Lei Dian, he doesn't listen to me anymore. I can't control him. You help me teach him a lesson."
"Ah? Wha… what did he do?"
"He doesn't work, gambles at the arcade all day, losing all our family's money!"
"That bastard! I'm coming right away. Lead me to him!"
Lei Dian was her brother, also her brother-in-law. It's normal for a brother-in-law to discipline a younger relative, right?
Lei Yu led Cao Yang to an arcade. The place had many machines—slot machines weren't even in the top ranking. The games were mainly fishing, Forest Party, and Wild Animal games.
Lei Dian was furiously firing at a golden dragon on a fishing machine.
Seeing this, Lei Yu was furious. She slapped him.
"Goddamn it!" Lei Dian shouted. Turning around, he saw his sister. Things were getting messy!