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After Simon Bai finished telling his story, he grabbed the whole bottle of 'Drunkard' liquor from the table and started chugging it down. He probably hadn't had a drink in days, and tonight he’d already had plenty. Drowning in painful memories, he soon polished off the entire bottle, his face flushed red and his mind spinning. Slumped over the table, he mumbled nonsense in his Shandong dialect, lost in a drunken haze.
Leon Longhair checked his phone for the time, went out to pay the bill, then returned and looked at Simon Bai, who was mumbling to himself, tears in his eyes as he lay across the table. With a sigh, Leon helped Simon up and said to Shawn Young, “Man—this old guy’s had enough! It’s getting late, we should head out. Those three animals already went off to have their fun, so it’s just us listening to his tragic life story! Honestly, there are tons of people like him in Mai Zayan! He’s not even the worst off—”
Shawn Young picked up Simon Bai’s shoeshine kit and joined Leon Longhair to help Simon out of the restaurant. The three of them made their way onto the street. It was late at night, but the air was thick with the scent of perfume. In the shadows, young, pretty street girls flirted openly with their customers, and the casinos were still blazing with lights. From the smaller casinos, you could hear the gamblers yelling—it was the liveliest time of night.
A cool breeze swept by, giving Simon Bai a jolt as he was supported by Shawn Young and Leon Longhair. He opened his blurry, drunken eyes, perked up at the faint sounds of gambling in the distance, and muttered, “Ah—this place really makes you never want to leave. Even the air is full of temptation!”
“Seriously? You’re in this sorry state and still thinking about gambling?” Leon Longhair grumbled.
“Uh—not really, I’m just… just reminiscing, that’s all—I… I’ll never gamble again! Not that I’d even get another chance—” Simon Bai waved his hand, eyes bleary with booze.
“Sigh—this old guy’s a poor soul. I’ll get him a room. Mr. Shawn, wait here for me!” Leon Longhair said, grabbing Simon Bai’s shoeshine kit and helping him toward a hotel by the street.
Shawn Young waited alone at the street corner while Leon Longhair helped Simon Bai into the hotel. Just a couple minutes later, Shawn spotted a luxury minibus pulling up in front of the New Orient Casino. Out came a short, stout, bald middle-aged man in a checkered shirt, looking clean and neat, who stood by the door waiting. As the bus door opened, a group of well-dressed men and women filed out, mostly middle-aged. The bald man flashed a fawning smile, clearly eager to serve them, but most of the group just ignored him, turning away with a look of disdain. He didn’t seem bothered, though—he just kept bowing and grinning like a sycophant.
Last off the bus was a young, beautiful woman in a tight black shirt, with an oval face, fair skin, and a graceful figure, her long hair flowing. But at her waist was a small dark red pouch—just like the ones used by street vendors to carry cash—which looked a bit out of place with her stunning appearance.
The moment the young beauty stepped off the bus, the bald middle-aged man’s eyes lit up. He forced out a 'friendly' smile and sidled up to her. "Hello, gorgeous! You’re a new face—first time in Mai Zayan Special Economic Zone?"
"Uh—yeah! Who are you? I don’t know you," the pretty girl replied, her voice sweet but her face wary.
"Oh—don’t get me wrong, I’m not a bad guy! My name’s David Yu, from Hubei. I’ve worked here in Mai Zayan for almost two years now. If you need any help—advice, whatever—I’m your guy. Just a small service fee, no pressure!" David Yu grinned, all eager and sycophantic.
"Oh! Thanks, but no thanks—" The pretty girl shot him a look and hurried after the group, heading into the New Orient Casino.
David Yu got totally shut down, didn’t get a single perk. He could only shrug helplessly, rub his shiny bald head, and sigh. Then he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, squatted on the street, and lit up, looking all lonely and dejected.
Just then, Leon Longhair came out of the hotel and saw Shawn Young watching the bald man nearby. Leon glanced over and laughed, "Oh! That guy’s surname is Yu, from Hubei. Around here, he’s known as the most hardcore gambler and top hustler!"
"Huh? The most famous gambler and hustler? Everyone here loves to gamble, so why is he the most famous?" Shawn Young asked, puzzled.
"He’s got seniority! His story is legendary in every casino. He used to be the 'God of Wealth' at all the big casinos in Mai Zayan! Over two years ago, when the Special Economic Zone first opened, he was already here gambling. He’s got guts—he once booked an entire VIP hall at the New Orient Grand Hotel and went wild for a whole week, losing over a hundred million RMB! Never even blinked! Tips for the dealers were always ten grand at a time! Every bet was fifty thousand, and even when he lost, he didn’t flinch. His style and his gambling spirit—absolutely jaw-dropping!" Leon Longhair explained.
"Wow! Losing over a hundred million in a week? That guy’s insane—Simon Bai’s got nothing on him!" Shawn Young’s eyelid twitched.
"Yeah, he’s seriously hardcore. Besides gambling in Mai Zayan, he’s hit up casinos in Macau, Las Vegas, Malaysia’s Genting, and Myanmar’s Mong La and Muse—he’s lost over a billion RMB in total! After blowing over a hundred million at the New Orient Casino, he lost another ten million at Golden Mountain Casino! Back then, the VIP rooms were ruled by folks from Fujian and Guangdong, but once Yu showed up, he crushed their swagger! That’s why he was the big shot—everyone respected him! His business in China was huge—so big even government leaders met him, and he had big deals overseas too. But he crashed and burned here! Now he’s bankrupt, just hustling for scraps. Still, the wildest thing is he never lost his love for gambling. Even broke, if he gets a little cash, he’ll run straight into the casino, hoping for a comeback. He’s the biggest gambling addict I’ve ever seen!" Leon Longhair laughed.
"Wow! There really are people who gamble like their life depends on it! If he was that rich and still risked everything, what was he after?" Shawn Young wondered aloud.
"Honestly, I’ve got no clue why he’s like that! You’d have to ask him yourself!" Leon Longhair shook his head.