Chapter 130: Eyes Meet

The limping man who had won the money no longer walked with a limp.

The ordinary-looking snake-skin bag now carried a value comparable to a luxury handbag. It was seven or eight in the evening in midsummer, and with darkness having only just fallen, the streets were still bustling with pedestrians, which gave the limping man a modicum of comfort.

He felt foolish for being so paranoid over a mere two hundred thousand. Walking down the street, he eyed everyone with suspicion, fearing they were out to rob him. It was no wonder, really; he regretted not heeding the words of the "God of Wealth." He had won the money, but he wasn't sure if he’d live long enough to spend it.

A cool breeze cleared his head. He didn't know how Xiao Cheng had possessed such foresight, but he now understood the intention behind not letting him go all-in. The gradual increase in the first three bets aligned with a gambler's psychology; then, when morale was high, using the winnings to push his luck wouldn't have been too conspicuous. But the fifth and sixth rounds, the continuous streak of victories, and that final, risky bet in the seventh—if he had played that way, even with a win of eighty or ninety thousand, the casino wouldn't have bothered him. But now...

The limping man could already feel someone trailing him.

Fortunately, there were plenty of pedestrians, and the shops along the road were still open. However, further ahead, there was a stretch without streetlights.

Not only had he won two hundred thousand, but he had also caused a group of strangers to follow his lead, resulting in the casino losing over three million in one fell swoop! The two men behind him were surely looking for trouble.

The limping man knew that with his leg, running was futile. Besides, with his daughter at home, he dared not lead them there. He ducked into a small shop to buy a pack of cigarettes and sneaked a look behind him. There were two men; he had no idea what kind of weapons they might be carrying.

He couldn't go home. Having made up his mind, he hailed a taxi. The two men behind him followed suit, jumping into another cab. Old Ding was lost in thought, and it took two prompts from the driver before he realized he was being asked for his destination.

"The Military District Guesthouse!"

The Provincial Military District Guesthouse was likely the largest hotel in town. Besides, nobody would dare cause trouble in a military-run establishment.

...

The large iron gates of the farmhouse, usually kept tightly shut, were now wide open. Six police cars had arrived; two blocked the main intersections, while the other four drove straight into the courtyard. Before the gamblers could grasp what was happening, they were pinned to the ground by rushing officers. The sensible ones immediately pressed themselves against the walls and crouched with their hands over their heads to avoid a beating.

Gambling raids were typically classified as administrative offenses, usually outside the jurisdiction of criminal investigation. However, this time, they had killed two birds with one stone: they had stumbled upon this major gambling den while in the process of apprehending the criminal suspect Jiang Xiaotao. It was a major achievement! The officers moving the gambling equipment back and forth were beaming, except for Lei Yang, who remained silent.

Lei Yang had not wanted to show his face, but since none of the police had ever seen Jiang Xiaotao, his identification was required. A line of men crouched against the wall, each lifting their heads for his inspection. An officer asked, "Is Jiang Xiaotao here?"

A thin young man with an ear stud raised his hand. "That's me."

The officer turned to Lei Yang and asked, "Is it him?"

Jiang Xiaotao followed the officer’s gaze. Their eyes met, and for a long moment, there was silence.

"Speak up. Is it him?"

In truth, the police understood the situation just by looking at the two men, but since this was a formal identification, Lei Yang had to confirm it himself.

Lei Yang pursed his lips and forced a "Yes!" through his teeth. Two officers immediately stepped forward, handcuffed Jiang Xiaotao, and led him away. Xiaotao stared straight at Lei Yang, not saying a word.

Locked in each other’s gaze, a thousand words went unsaid.

...

Having lost over three million in a single day, Li Daoshi felt he couldn't answer to Brother Wai, so he had taken a subordinate to tail the limping man himself. He never expected that this excursion would spare him from disaster; less than half an hour after he left, his hideout was raided by the police! Lei Yang’s associate, Jiang Xiaotao, had also been arrested.

While Xiao Cheng and his group celebrated, the police were equally pleased. Not only had they captured the suspect Jiang Xiaotao, but they had also dismantled a large-scale gambling den in Dongfeng Town, arresting over thirty people and seizing countless pieces of equipment. The only regret was that the confiscated cash was meager; even emptying the pockets of all thirty people yielded only ten or twenty thousand.

The casino staff certainly wouldn't admit that a limping man had just walked away with their money. They claimed they were only playing for small stakes, and that the chips were worth less than online currency—a "ten-thousand-point" chip was only worth a hundred yuan. "We're just simple country folk having a little fun; where would we get that kind of money to gamble?"

From the police's perspective, Xiao Cheng’s group didn't even register. Brother Wai’s side suspected something fishy, but the trail had gone cold due to the police intervention. However, many who were present that day saw that it was Lei Yang who had led the police to the raid. Thus, the blame fell squarely on the man named Lei.

Losing a few million was one thing—they could always make it back—but bringing the police to raid the casino was equivalent to cutting off Brother Wai’s livelihood!

...

Pushing open the ward door, they saw the large man propped up against the pillows. The two exchanged a grin, thick with camaraderie.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be in class today?"

Lu Qi asked this because it was the day of the High School Entrance Exam. The final exams for the first and second years were scheduled after the entrance exam, and they should have been in class.

"Heh, isn't skipping class standard procedure for me? Where are your parents?"

"They're both out. My mom is bringing me food later. Why are you asking? Planning to snitch to my dad?"

Xiao Cheng burst into laughter. It was rare to see Lu Qi make a joke.

He pulled the spiced beef he had bought on the way from a paper bag, set it on the bedside table, pulled up a small plastic stool, and sat down. As a visitor, he had to ask: "How are you recovering?"

There was really no need to ask; one look at the way Lu Qi eyed the spiced beef was enough. A tri-edged blade to the abdomen—even if it wasn't a brush with death, it was close enough. But as long as the initial surgery was successful and the danger period had passed, there were usually no lasting complications. Lu Qi was in the prime of his youth; a week had passed since the incident, and he was largely out of the woods. The only issue was that wounds from tri-edged blades were slow to heal and prone to tearing with movement, so the doctor still restricted him from walking around.

"I’m almost better. It’s just... being stuck here is stifling."

It was certainly stifling to be in the hospital, especially today, on the day of the entrance exam.

His classmates, with whom he had spent three years in school, were all in the exam halls fighting for their futures, while he could only lie in a hospital bed. The bitterness of that realization was easy to imagine.

"What are your plans?" Xiao Cheng finally asked. "Repeating the year? Then we’ll be in the same grade."

Lu Qi gave a bleak smile and shook his head. "Sigh, whether I take the exam or not, it makes no difference. I’m just not cut out for school. In the second semester of the second year, our homeroom teacher, Mr. Qin, approached me about the 'diversion' program. I was tempted, but my dad wouldn't hear of it; he insisted I take the entrance exam. But man proposes, God disposes. I guess I wasn't meant for high school."

——————

"Diversion" here refers specifically to the practice of having students with poor academic performance, who have no hope of entering a standard high school, leave a year early for vocational school. This ensures the school's entrance exam pass rate and average scores remain high. Perhaps for the students, entering the workforce early is a way to avoid wasting another year.