Chapter 1 A Little Unfamiliar

It had been a while since Su Yehao returned to the Panlong Villa on Bishop's Hill, and it felt somewhat unfamiliar.

The asphalt road, previously patched up here and there, had been resurfaced, and the roadside green belts had been replanted with shrubs.

The small pond where he had released feng shui dragon fish had been completely drained of its green water, and workers were busy clearing the silt, catching many large fish in the process.

Casino, 1997, relied on the sea for sustenance, and most people weren't interested in these freshwater fish. The large carp from the pond were casually tossed ashore, and wild cats dragged their prey away with difficulty.

When he arrived home, he found his second aunt was doing yoga, a headband on her forehead.

Her old arms and legs moved a bit strangely, lacking the aesthetic grace of Yin Liuli and Nong Qingying when they practiced yoga.

In fact, his second aunt had been quite attractive when she was younger; otherwise, she wouldn't have bewitched the worldly-wise old man Su. Unfortunately, even the best maintenance couldn't defeat the passage of time, and despite her regular exercise, her condition was steadily declining.

He distinctly heard a "creak" from his second aunt's old waist.

For a moment, Su Yehao, his lips twitching, wondered what the girls around him would be like in the future.

After all, he valued old affections.

He couldn't be like Little Li, who had dozens of girlfriends, each no older than twenty-five, with girlfriends eternally eighteen years old. That was probably not in the cards for Su Yehao.

But by then, he should already have sons and daughters, and gradually lose interest in that sort of thing. With family affection to maintain the bond, life wouldn't be too bad.

Besides, it was still early, and anything could happen in the future. It was hard to say whether the relationship could last until they were forty or fifty.

After all, even now, there was a possibility of the pond exploding at any time.

Worrying about the beauty of women fading with age was purely unnecessary anxiety…

The thought flashed through his mind.

Su Yehao spoke up to attract attention, smiling as he said, "Second Aunt, exercising?"

"Oh? Xiao Hao, you're back? I heard your dad say yesterday that you had returned to Hong Kong. I was just thinking of giving you some things people sent, like donkey-hide gelatin and old ginseng. Work is too tiring, you need to replenish."

His second aunt got up, wiped her sweat, and said with a smile, "Don't be too busy usually. You'll understand the importance of health when you get to my age. Two of my mahjong partners died in the last three months, one in a car accident, one from illness. You're the only heir in the family, so you must be careful."

In the past, Su Yehao had dismissed tonics and dried goods.

Now, the situation was different, and he really needed to replenish himself, though it had nothing to do with work fatigue—just malnutrition.

He followed up on the topic, saying, "Exercise is definitely better. I heard that a yoga club opened in the new plaza at home. Second Aunt, you can find a coach to come home and train you."

"At Four Seas Central Plaza? There's only one yoga studio there. It's a joint venture between me and my friend. I provided the venue, she provided the people. Although I'm the major shareholder, I don't manage things much."

After his second aunt finished speaking, she changed the subject, looked at Su Yehao, and said with a smile, "That very beautiful female manager under you, she's a member there, right? I've seen her twice, but I didn't say hello, afraid you'd think I was being nosy."

"..."

Su Yehao immediately understood.

So, his attempts at concealment hadn't escaped the notice of those who were interested. Considering that Casino, 1997, was too small, and his second aunt liked to visit the small building on Senado Square, plus Yin Liuli was so eye-catching, it seemed normal to be noticed.

He didn't bother explaining.

He was already independent and self-reliant, not a high school student controlled by his family. Why worry about this? He took the opportunity to mention, "Oh, Liuli. Second Aunt, you can ask her to play mahjong with you when you have time. She must be bored usually… Remember to play small, her salary isn't high."

These words left his second aunt dumbfounded, and she asked in surprise:

"You're so rich, and you're not willing to give her more pocket money? She doesn't even have money for mahjong?"

"...It's not that I don't give it to her, it's that she doesn't want it, okay? Anyway, don't ask too many questions. Her family conditions are very ordinary, she's a very good girl."

Su Yehao was shameless, mainly because he wanted his second aunt to help Yin Liuli out.

Although she was just his second aunt, they had lived together for so long that she was practically family, and she was very skilled in dealing with people. Su Yehao wasn't worried about her meddling randomly.

With the Su family's current prestige and his second aunt's reputation, she was not much less influential than the wives of the gambling king.

At least in Casino, 1997, people would give her some respect. With her backing Yin Liuli, her life would be smoother.

Besides,

Now he was with Jiang Yu, and Jiang Yu was his second aunt's goddaughter. He thought that if he could get his second aunt on his side, she could help mediate in the future.

With her intelligence, she would probably arrange everything properly without Su Yehao even asking.

It was also a form of insurance. If he encountered problems that were inconvenient for him to deal with personally, he could have his second aunt step forward and "speak fairly," playing a lubricating role among the girls.

Mother Tang had too straightforward a temper and had been in business for a long time, so she was very imposing.

For some things, having his second aunt come forward might be more effective.

He was about to undertake a "major action," and he would take the opportunity to try Jiang Yu's suggestion. Su Yehao was planning ahead to avoid the pond exploding at that time.

If he put the effort he spent on the girls into doing business, he could earn at least another two or three hundred million US dollars this year…

After chatting for a while,

Su's father returned home after finishing his work and, seeing that his son had actually returned, asked the nanny to make a good meal for lunch.

During a medical examination last month, it was discovered that Su's father's blood pressure was a little high. He had been eating vegetarian dishes with his second aunt for the past few days, so he took the opportunity to treat himself.

Su Yehao, drinking tea at the moment, asked, "How much would it cost to build that plot of land on Taipa Island into a residence with good feng shui?"

"The plot of land is relatively small, so you can only build two high-rise buildings, right? I'm not too clear on the specifics, I'd need someone to study it, but the current property prices are too low. Developing it wouldn't make much sense. It's best to keep hoarding it; it's not like you're short of that little bit of profit anyway."

After Su's father finished speaking, he turned and asked, "When are you planning to develop the office building land you have in the mainland? Those are real money pits. The Jin Mao Tower in Lujiazui, Shanghai, is over four hundred meters tall, with a total construction cost of five billion RMB. I heard it's about to open for business soon."

"It's over four hundred meters tall, but I don't plan to build that high. I'll decide when the time comes. I'll invest and start construction when someone urges me. If others aren't in a hurry, why should I be? Putting the money elsewhere now has a higher rate of return than investing in building."

Having just acquired three properties, all of which were converted into hotels, Su Yehao didn't have much obsession with building high-rise buildings recently.

After hearing this, his father didn't offer any rash advice, but reminded him, "It's up to you. But you need to be cautious about your investments in the United States. Don't let it go to your head. In my opinion, it's best to redeem some of it. You're playing too big."

"Yeah, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'll redeem it in batches after a while. The good news isn't over yet. I estimate that I'll start cashing out and withdrawing capital around the middle of next year."

Hearing that he had to wait another half a year, Su's father immediately became restless and took out his phone, saying:

"I'll call Wong Tai Sin to calculate your fortune for next year. People bathe, change clothes, burn incense, and pray to the God of Wealth before entering the casino, hoping for his blessing. Your investment is like gambling with your life, it even makes me nervous..."