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Shawn Young was chatting away, when he spotted the pretty girl who’d gone into the New Orient Grand Hotel casino with that bunch of middle-aged men and women. Now she was coming out and heading straight for David Yu, the bald guy squatting on the curb, puffing gloomily on a cigarette.
David Yu’s face broke into a big, cheesy grin when he saw her come back. He jumped up, bowing and nodding, all eager to please. "Hi there, gorgeous! What can I do for you today?"
"Oh—um, I... I wanted to ask you about someone!" The pretty girl said, clearly nervous.
"No problem at all! You came to the right guy—I know this place inside out! Just tell me who you’re looking for and I’ll track them down for you!" David Yu thumped his chest, then made a counting-money gesture. "But—there’s gotta be a little consultation fee, you know? Finding people’s hard work, gotta eat! Heh heh—"
The pretty girl hesitated, then unzipped her little waist bag, pulled out a few crisp red bills, and handed them over. David Yu’s eyes lit up—he snatched the cash with his pudgy hand, greedily eyeing the rest of her bag, which was stuffed with cash!
She quickly clutched her bag with both hands, glaring at David Yu. "I already paid your consultation fee, so what else do you want?!"
David Yu shook his head fast. "Whoa—don’t get me wrong, beautiful! I just wanted to warn you, this place isn’t like back home—it’s wild out here. All kinds of people. You’re a woman alone, carrying all that cash in plain sight… One slip and you could get yourself in serious trouble!"
"Oh! That’s none of your business. I... I like it this way. You can’t tell me what to do. You’ve taken my money, so now you have to help me!" The girl tried to sound calm, but she kept nervously glancing around, her anxiety showing on her face.
"Alright, alright! I’m just trying to help. So, who are you looking for? If they’re anywhere in the Mai Zayan Special Economic Zone, I can find ‘em!" David Yu switched topics, boasting again.
"Well, I’m not sure if he’s still here, but I heard people say they’ve seen him around! They said he lost all his money gambling and was too scared to go home. I’m his family, so I came all the way here to find him!" the pretty girl said cautiously.
David Yu rubbed his shiny bald head, looking a bit down. "See, stuff like that happens here all the time, beautiful. Gambling’s a wild ride—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose! Plenty of folks lose everything and don’t dare go home. Some even borrow from loan sharks and end up in real trouble. So, tell me who you’re looking for, and I’ll help you track him down!"
"Uh—the person’s name is Simon Bai. He… he’s my father—" the pretty girl whispered.
"Wait—Simon Bai, the shoeshine guy! That unlucky dude’s your dad?! No way, seriously—" David Yu laughed, rubbing his bald head as he looked at her, totally surprised.
"Shoeshine guy? You—you know my father?" the pretty girl asked, her voice trembling.
"Yeah, of course I know him! Simon Bai, the shoeshine guy. Back when I was rolling in cash, he used to shine my shoes—did a pretty good job, too. Heh, but that was a while ago! Never thought that unlucky guy would get a lucky break and have a gorgeous daughter come save him! Ha!" David Yu said, full of envy.
"My… my dad’s a shoeshine guy now? Are you sure you’ve got the right person?!" The pretty girl stared at David Yu, clearly upset.
"Heh—pretty sure! Simon Bai from Shandong, used to run hot pot chains back in Sichuan. He was kind of a big deal and had some money, but now he’s just a shoeshine guy! Just like me, down on his luck! Life’s a gamble, nothing strange about that!" David Yu replied bluntly.
"Yeah! That’s right! My dad used to run hot pot chains. Sir, I’ve been searching all the way from Beijing to here. If you know him, then he must be here! Please, take me to find him—I’ll pay you extra!" the pretty girl said, getting excited.
"Oh, no problem! Man, I’m so jealous of Simon Bai, the shoeshine guy. Even after hitting rock bottom, he’s got someone coming all this way to save him! A daughter on a quest to find her dad—damn, that’s touching! How does that even happen?" David Yu agreed, feeling a mix of envy and admiration.
"Is my dad really in that bad shape now?" the pretty girl asked urgently.
"Yeah, he’s in a rough spot! Worse than me, even! But with a beautiful daughter like you to bail him out, he’s about to catch a break!" David Yu laughed.
"Okay, just take me to him. If you can convince him to go home, I’ll give you ten thousand as a reward!" the pretty girl pleaded.
"Ten thousand for finding him?! Uh, could you bump that up a bit? It’s not easy tracking him down these days!" David Yu started scheming, already thinking how to squeeze more cash from this naïve 'fat sheep' and maybe hit the casino again.
"Uh—alright, fine. If you can find my dad, I’ll pay you more!" The pretty girl hesitated, biting her lip.
"Heh heh—now that’s what I call straightforward! I like your style, beautiful! It’s a deal!" David Yu rubbed his fat hands together, looking absolutely thrilled.
Just then, a rough male voice called out: "Hey, pretty lady! I'll take you to find Simon Bai, and I won't charge you a dime! Plus, I guarantee I’ll find him way faster than this bald guy!"
The pretty girl turned toward the voice and saw Leon Longhair and Shawn Young walking over. It was Leon who’d spoken. David Yu’s face instantly soured, his eyes bulging with rage—he looked like he wanted to tear Leon to pieces!