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Simon Bai was wracked with guilt. Thinking of how his gambling addiction had led him to abandon his wife and daughter, he pounded his chest and squatted on the street, sobbing uncontrollably.
Rainie Bai's tears streamed down her face as she choked out to her father, "Dad, come back to China with me! We can start over—"
But Simon Bai stubbornly shook his head, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Rainie—Dad really can't go back! Look at the mess I've made of myself—how could I face anyone back home?"
Shawn Young let out a long sigh, gently pulling the sobbing Rainie Bai into his arms. He wiped away her tears and softly comforted her, "Alright, Rainie, you've found your father. If he doesn't want to return, let him be! You've been through so much—I won't let you suffer anymore!"
Rainie Bai nodded silently and whispered to Shawn, "I've already completed half of my mission in Myanmar. If my dad won't come with me, then once I finish the other half, I'll go back to China!"
Shawn asked, "What's the other half of your mission?"
Rainie Bai clenched her teeth and said fiercely, "Gambling! I'm going to win back every cent my dad lost—with interest!"
"Oh! Great! I'll help you! Which casino are you thinking of?" Shawn nodded, asking her.
Rainie Bai glanced up at the glittering New Orient Grand Hotel ahead, raised her eyebrows, and pulled Shawn along. "Come on! Let's gamble at the New Orient!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Simon Bai shot up from the ground like he'd been shocked, blocking her way. He pleaded anxiously, "Rainie, don't—don't go gambling! You should just go home. You know the odds—nine out of ten lose! I don't want you to lose all your money too!"
Rainie Bai gave him a cold look and asked, "Oh really? If you knew the odds were so bad, why did you gamble in the first place?"
"I—" Simon Bai was stunned, unable to answer for a long moment.
"Hmph! No answer, huh? Shawn, let's just ignore him. Come on, let's go gamble!" Rainie Bai shot her father an angry glare and dragged Shawn Young straight toward the New Orient Grand Hotel.
"Wait—are you really going to gamble? Let me come too! I—I do have some experience, you know!" Simon Bai's face flushed as he gritted his teeth.
Rainie Bai glanced at Shawn Young, then suddenly took off her waist pouch and stuffed it into Shawn's hand. "Here's fifty thousand! Shawn, you gamble for me! Win or lose, it's all up to you!"
Simon Bai froze, his expression complicated as he looked at Shawn Young. He said to Rainie Bai, torn, "Rainie—this is fifty thousand! You're just giving it to this kid to gamble for you? What if he loses it all? What will you do then?"
"It's my money! I can do what I want! Even if Shawn loses it all, I won't blame him! I'm his woman now—what's money compared to that?" Rainie Bai said carelessly.
Simon Bai was left speechless, staring at Shawn Young in frustration. Seeing Shawn's half-smile, he grew even more agitated and blurted out to Rainie Bai, "Rainie—you want this kid to gamble for you, but he doesn't have any experience! You'd be better off letting me do it! Maybe I could actually win something!"
Rainie Bai glared, about to retort, but Shawn stopped her. He then sneered at Simon Bai, "Mr. Bai, if you want to gamble for Rainie, I won't object. But you have to agree to one condition. If you do, I'll give you the fifty thousand as your stake! Deal?"
"Alright! Say it—" Simon Bai agreed immediately; he couldn't bear to see his precious daughter's fifty thousand end up in Shawn's hands.
"I only have one condition—this will be the last time you ever gamble. Win or lose, you have to go back to China with Rainie and never touch gambling again. Live a proper life! Can you do that?" Shawn Young asked, his eyes sharp.
Simon Bai was stunned. He hadn't expected Shawn to make such a 'kind' offer. Deep down, he was always afraid of going back home. He was a proud man, and after falling so far, how could he face his late wife and everyone back in Jiangdong?
Seeing his hesitation, Shawn said loudly, "Don't worry! When you and Rainie go back, don't stay in your old city. Rainie can finish university, and you can start a new business in Nanming City!"
"I—I can really start a business again?" Simon Bai asked softly.
"Nothing in the world is too hard if you put your mind to it! And if you have the capital and our help, with your skills and experience, Mr. Bai, making a comeback is only a matter of time!" Shawn encouraged him.
"Capital? Even if I don't gamble and use this fifty thousand to start a business, it's not much. To rebuild, it'll take a long time! And building up connections and reputation takes time too—" Simon Bai knew all too well the hardships of starting over.
"Heh—who said you'd only have fifty thousand? How much do you need? I'll help you get it!" Shawn Young grinned.
"You mean—" Simon Bai was confused by Shawn's words.
"Tell me—how much capital do you need to start over?" Shawn Young asked, still smiling.
"I figure I’d need about a million. Then I’d feel confident I could make a comeback in a reasonable time!" Simon Bai said.
"Oh, a million! That’s easy. We’ll go win a million at the New Orient! That should be enough for you to play around with!" Shawn Young laughed.
"A million! You—you mean by gambling?" Simon Bai finally understood what Shawn meant.
"Exactly! We’re going gambling! Relax! We’re going to win a million!" Shawn Young grinned.
"And what makes you think you can win a million?!" Simon Bai was totally unconvinced.
"Haha—I never said I’d win. You’re the one who’s going to win," Shawn Young said with a smile.
"Me? Win!? Kid, you’re giving me way too much credit! I’m not that good!" Simon Bai shook his head.
But Shawn Young grabbed Simon Bai’s hand with one hand and Rainie Bai’s with the other, leading them straight into the New Orient Grand Hotel. As they walked, he said, "We’re gambling today, so don’t worry! The fifty thousand is your stake—however you play, you’ll win! But remember, once you’ve made a million, we leave. No more gambling, got it?"
Simon Bai didn’t really understand what Shawn was up to, but he let himself be dragged along, all the way into the New Orient Grand Hotel.