"Why are you guys here?" Lei Dian shouted angrily.
"If we didn't come, were you planning to die in here?"
"I'll just play a little while and then go back."
"Right now, immediately, come with me!" Lei Yu commanded.
Lei Dian ignored him and continued staring at the machine.
"Cao Yang, beat him up. Don't hold back for me!"
Cao Yang reached out, grabbed Lei Dian by the neck, and lifted him up.
"Hey, Cao Yang, we're brothers! You don't just forget me because you've got my sister now!"
He wasn't afraid of Lei Yu, but he was a little scared of Cao Yang—this was a fight he couldn't win.
"Enough nonsense. How much did you lose?"
"Five hundred."
"Pathetic."
Cao Yang moved Lei Dian aside and sat down at his machine to play in his place.
"Hit the dragon! Hit the dragon! It's about to explode!"
Lei Dian shouted instructions from the side.
Lei Yu was dumbfounded. He asked Cao Yang to beat up Lei Dian, not to play along!
"Damn it! All these shots and it still won't explode. Garbage!"
They cursed at each other, but even after draining all the points, they didn't defeat the dragon.
"Got any more money? Recharge some more."
Cao Yang wasn't satisfied and told Lei Dian to top up more.
"Three hundred left," Lei Dian said, taking the card to the front desk.
"What are you doing, Cao Yang?!" Lei Yu stomped angrily and grabbed him.
"Relax. I have it under control."
Lei Dian recharged three hundred, and Cao Yang continued playing. Soon, all the money was gone, and Lei Dian sighed in frustration.
"Let's go." Cao Yang stood up, and the three prepared to leave.
Just at the door, a small-time thug stopped them. His arm had some tattoos—he was one of the arcade staff.
These arcades were usually run by gangs, so it was normal for their men to work there.
"Brother, this money looks fake," the thug said, handing a hundred-yuan note to Lei Dian in an unfriendly tone.
"Fake money? I withdrew it from an ATM. How dare you say it's fake?" Lei Dian, already furious from losing money, snapped at him.
The thug's face darkened. "I don't care where the money came from. This note is fake. Exchange it!"
"I'll exchange it, my ass! Picking a fight? Even if it's fake, how do you prove it came from me?!"
Lei Dian's outburst attracted attention. Several staff members came over, ready to beat him.
Lei Dian wasn't scared at all—with Cao Yang here, what's there to fear?
Just as a conflict was about to erupt, a man who seemed like a manager approached.
He looked at Lei Dian, recognized him as a frequent customer, and decided it wasn't worth offending such a generous spender over a hundred yuan. He waved the staff away.
The three then went to a street food stall to eat. Lei Dian kept complaining, and Lei Yu kept scolding him.
Lei Dian cursed the arcade; Lei Yu cursed Lei Dian.
"You lost eight hundred in a day? Do you know my monthly salary is eight hundred?"
"Could you say less? I didn't lose your money—it's all mine!"
"Earnings? How do you earn it? Slacking off, stealing, gambling all day. One day you'll end up in jail."
"Fine! Let it be! I'm happy!"
Their argument escalated. Lei Yu slapped him.
Lei Dian covered his face, wanting to retaliate but afraid to.
"Unbelievable! Can't you get a proper job?"
"You just bully me because I won't hit you. Why don't you tell Cao Yang? Why not make him get a proper job?"
"He's my brother-in-law. I can control my own brother. He's got nothing to do with me."
"Isn't he your man?"
"Dream on. To be my man, he has to pass my test."
"Enough with the arrogance. You slept with him before the test. What are you denying now?"
"Slap!" Lei Dian received another slap.
Lei Yu was fuming. Was this really a sibling discussion topic? People outside were already watching the drama.
"Alright, alright, give him some face outside," Cao Yang pretended to be reasonable.
He pulled Lei Dian aside. "Tell me, does the arcade make money?"
"Hell yes! Bad days make a few thousand, good days a few ten thousand!"
"Then why don't we open one too?"
Lei Dian got excited at the suggestion, nodding eagerly, then shook his head.
"It's not that easy. A venue, equipment, and customers are secondary. The main issue is avoiding trouble with other gangs and paying off the cops."
"Worry about that? I, Cao Yang, am somewhat known. The gang bosses mostly know me. They'll give me face for this small matter."
Cao Yang wasn't exaggerating. After dealing with Liu Zhenhu, he gained fame in the streets. Later, he joined Tang Shaojie's group. The bosses witnessed all this.
Even without Tang Shaojie, no one would dare trouble him—he could fight ten at once. No one would pick a fight over such a small matter.
To deal with him, either kill him outright or don't touch him. Otherwise, he's a ticking time bomb, who knows when he'll explode.
Besides, gambling arcades weren't monopolized. Every gang ran one. At most, it affected business a little. No need for violent conflicts.
Of course, this was the famous and well-connected Cao Yang. Try someone else, and they'd be beaten bloody for sure.
Lei Dian nodded, agreeing. "What about the cops? They don't take bribes from everyone."
"Don't worry. I've got it." Cao Yang was confident. Even his sister-in-law would make all arrangements.
Jie Ge's men all had their own businesses—A Le even had a dance hall. Running an arcade wasn't too much.
It was just that he hadn't repaid the previous favor yet. Going to trouble his sister-in-law again felt awkward.
"Alright! It's settled!" Lei Dian patted his thigh, excited.
Then he scratched his head. "I don't have much money…"
"I'll handle the money. You just manage the daily operations."
"Good, brother-in-law! Meeting you is the luck of my life!" Lei Dian hugged Cao Yang, tears of joy streaming down his face.
"Hey! Did you guys forget about me?!" Lei Yu was angry. Earlier she told her brother to get a proper job, and now Cao Yang was setting up an arcade with him.
"Do you have any objections?" Lei Dian looked at her.
"I want you to get a proper job."
"Oh, now I follow my brother-in-law. He tells me what to do, I do it. If you have a problem, talk to him."
Lei Dian passed the buck, thinking, I can't handle you. Can Cao Yang handle you?
Lei Yu looked at Cao Yang, opened her mouth, then said nothing.
She didn't dare speak—if she did, Cao Yang would pretend to listen but actually ignore her.
That was fine, but this guy remembered grudges. Outside, he might give her face, but in private, he'd take revenge in all sorts of creative ways.