Release that Man

“I didn’t do something like that!” You Yang felt so wronged that he almost cried. Zou Feiyang saw this and realized that he had probably misunderstood his friend. He was about to apologize when he heard You Yang say sincerely, “If Brother Ye had asked, of course I would have told him, but he didn’t ask!”

So, you would still tell on me! Zuo Feiyang was speechless. He did not know whether to deal with his friend’s potential betrayal first or find out how Ye Shuang knew about the news first.

Ye Shuang could not help but chuckle. Then she admitted with a laugh, “Mr. Zuo can stop guessing. I know this because of some other reason… If certain news is confirmed, I will be visiting your company in one or two days, then you’ll know what’s happening.”

Zuo Feiyang still was not quite convinced, but even though there were still questions that needed to be answered, he believed Ye Shuang would not lie to him—Brother Shuang’s face alone would guarantee that. If the man was lying, it would be very easy for Zuo Feiyang to get people to find him to demand for an explanation.

Furthermore, even though the cooperation had not been revealed to the public, actually, there was no reason to hide it. There was simple no reason to share it, so the news was not supposed to be known by most. After realizing that, Zuo Feiyang stopped being hung up over how Ye Shuang knew about the news as long as the man did not have any bad intentions toward his family’s organization.

He relaxed and leaned back against the sofa. Zuo Feiyang lifted his eyes to look at the client who was sitting next to the roulette. There was a crowd around the table. On the surface, they looked like well-dressed business people, but at this type of location, they put down that air and looked no different from common gamblers, loudly shouting the number that they had bet on. Influenced by this atmosphere, Zuo Feiyang, who had originally come to rest, felt like joining the fun. He used his shoulder to bump into You Yang. Raising his brows, he invited, “How about we go for a round or two‽”

Why would You Yang want to play anymore? After being taught a few lessons by Ye Shuang, if he was asked to join the card table, it would feel like asking the man to go to the registration of an international school with an incomplete report card—he was not qualified to play with the rest. Therefore, You Yang shook his head. He was not only not feeling the vibe, and he was feeling rather down. “Nah, even if we play, it’ll just be gifting people money.”

“You’re not lacking that little money, and this is just for fun…” Zou Feiyang frowned. After all, they were good friends, so Zuo Feiyang knew his friend’s personality well. You Yang was the type of boy who had no personal conviction and could be persuaded by others easily. A few words later, Ye Shuang noticed the shift of expression on You Yang’s face when Zou Feiyang said, “Just come and accompany me!”

It really isn’t easy to babysit a child.

Ye Shuang sighed wordlessly. Without pointing it out too obviously, she said, “It’s quite fun over there. There’s a physicist… And even an engineer is going to join you at that table. I’ve noticed he has been calculating the statistics of that roulette wheel. After all, it is impossible for each machine to be the same. Due to factors like gravity and the tightness of the screws as well as the weight of the ball and the familiar force of the host when he spins the wheel, the probability of the appearance for the thirty-six numbers is all different, meaning that there will be a chance for certain numbers to appear more often.

“Even though the machinery has decreased that minute difference, the man’s biggest strength is his ability to calculate the ball’s speed instantly. He might be someone whose career is related to this. You can follow his bets. The man’s win rate is 52%, which is considered excellent.”

The two were struck speechless.

This was no different from someone giving spoilers while watching a movie. The main point of gambling was the unknown, the heart racing. What was the point if they already knew everything? They were not really there because they needed the money.

You Yang, whose interest had just been ignited, cried once more. He sunk back into the couch, and his whole person was surrounded by gloom. “I knew… I knew this world is a cruel one.”

Now, You Yang saw the casino with extreme hatred and resentment, just like a bad student when he was invited to join the smart students.

The chips in Zou Feiyang’s hands almost dropped to the ground. He stammered after realizing what Brother Ye was saying, “What… what do you mean‽”

Aren’t we here for a good time‽

Ye Shuang flashed a peaceful smile. “We’re all friends, so I was giving you tips to win.”

Who wants those type of tips‽ Zou Feiyang was stressed.

“Most gamblers think they have the ability to stop before things take a turn for the worse.” Ye Shuang looked at the rowdy table, and her smile faded. She spoke so softly that it felt like she was whispering. “Initially, everyone’s thoughts are the same: ‘I’m just playing for fun’, ‘I will not bet anything big’, or perhaps there are those who are innocently enough to think, ‘Perhaps I might win today’. However, French mathematicians have found out that the design behind most casinos is based on an endless and powerful statistical formula. No matter how much you have, as long as you stay in the casino long enough, you’ll eventually lose everything you have.

“And you yourself can sense these two underlying rules. You might think you’re not betting big… but if you look over a few years, looking back, you’ll realize that the money that you’ve lost has far exceeded your expectation. When the original amount of chips could no longer bring you the same amount of satisfaction, the casino is already slowly working its magic.”

Ye Shuang scoffed and turned her chilling gaze unto Zuo Feiyang, “If you’re just here to have fun… Well, gamblers only remember the joy when they win, but if you try to focus, you’ll notice you fail to remember the feelings when you lost. Therefore, with the pumping of adrenaline through your body, the more you play, the more serious you’ll become. You might be playing for fun in the beginning, but when the adrenaline passes a certain threshold, you’ll forget your original objective.”

Ye Shuang’s acting skill was approved by the public, and Zuo Feiyang was made speechless. When he recovered, he coughed awkwardly, and for some reason, he felt embarrassed. “That is just a bunch of baseless speculation.”

“I’ve been paying attention.” Ye Shuang interrupted Zou Feiyang and smiled apologetically, meaning she was not really purposely watching him. “Mr. Zuo has exchanged 200,000 chips at the beginning, right? Then you went to the counter to exchange more chips and handed your credit card to the server. If I’m not mistaken, the few exchanges after that were simultaneously for 300,000, 500,000, and 800,000. This is more than accompanying your client.”

Zuo Feiyang was startled and subconsciously he tried to explain himself. “I just thought since it’s not common for us to come here…”

“Then, what was the plan when you first walked in here?” Ye Shuang asked.

You Yang took the opportunity to chime in. “That’s right, Feiyang, didn’t you say you just came to accompany the client and you have no interest in gambling yourself? You only came to wait for them to finish and then planned to send them to the hotel!”

Ye Shuang smiled. “That is the rule of gambling. Everyone starts small and is just there to have some fun. But after that, it becomes ‘trying my luck’, ‘if I play a bit more, I’m sure I’ll win’, ‘just one more round’, ‘next round, I’ll win’… This cycle repeats itself until you have nothing left to lose.”

Zou Feiyang frowned, and by then, he realized that Ye Shuang was trying to tell him something. “Mr. Ye, you’ve told me so much even though we have just met. Are you that chatty in nature, or is there something else‽”

“I just wanted to lend you a helping hand since you have not tumbled deep into the hole.” Ye Shuang pushed the dessert that she had grabbed from a waitress toward Zou Feiyang. She glanced at the blue chip in the man’s hands and sighed. “Initially, Mr. Zou, you had chips of all colors in your hands, blue, red, and white. White was the most, but now all you have is blue. Seriously, I feel like the money that you will earn from the client might even be less than the money you’ll spend from ‘accompanying’ your client.”

When Zou Feiyang was deep in thought, someone squeezed out from the roulette table. The man looked around the casino, and when he noticed the three sitting on the couch, the man’s eyes lit up, and he walked over. “Mr. Zuo, Mr. You, why are you just sitting here? Come join us!”

The man walked to the back of the sofa and placed his hands on the back of the sofa. He did not intend to sit down. He chatted with the two young masters before moving his gaze to Brother Shuang. “This is… a celebrity‽”

“Barely counts as a celebrity… but I do have a small business,” Ye Shuang lied. Her smile was graceful but proud like a young master as well. As she expected, the man’s smile grew bigger when she said that., “Since we’re all friends, why don’t you join us at the table as well, Mr. Ye?”

“You know me?” Ye Shuang changed her pose to make herself more comfortable and looked at the man with a hint of a smile on her face.

You Yang’s face was confused because, in that moment, he felt Ye Shuang’s presence multiplying several times. Just as he was about to ask something, Zou Feiyang seemed to have realized something already. He silently pulled on You Yang’s shirt to stop the dummy from interrupting Ye Shuang.

The man who walked over did not notice anything. He only smiled deeper and then invited Ye Shuang like he was trying to feel out the man’s bottom line. “Of course, your movie has been very successful, but I had no idea you also visit places like this to relax.”