Song Jianhao's luck didn't change despite borrowing chips. Within half an hour, his 800,000 cash was gone.
"Old Song, let's switch seats. Let's have the Emperor Company deal for the next round."
To ensure the casino's operations weren't affected, Brother Xi directly asked Song Jianhao to give up his dealer position.
Song Jianhao dejectedly left the casino and was called aside by Brother Xi.
"Old Song, are you coming to deal tomorrow?"
Brother Xi still believed Song Jianhao had some capability.
Song Jianhao was embarrassed. "Brother Xi, I might not be able to come tomorrow. I need to raise some funds. You can arrange a session for me again in a few days."
"Alright. Can you repay the 800,000 you borrowed today tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll send it over by noon tomorrow."
Brother Xi thought for a moment and said, "How about this? You go to Manager Mao and sign an IOU. Repay the money within three days, and I'll speak to him. You won't have to pay any interest for these three days."
"Thank you, Brother Xi. I won't let you be in a difficult position."
Brother Xi's gesture was truly considerate. Song Jianhao was deeply grateful. By the rules, the interest on 800,000 for three days would have been over a hundred thousand, which he couldn't afford.
He went to the office to complete the paperwork and then left the casino with his company personnel.
In the parking lot, seeing the Toyota Prado, which hadn't even been used for a month, Song Jianhao felt like crying. He wouldn't be able to get the car back. He would have to bear 40% of the 800,000 he borrowed, which was 320,000 yuan.
Furthermore, the money Yang Jian lost would also be deducted from him. He currently had no way to redeem the car.
"Brother Hao, you guys take Xiao Yang's car. We'll take a taxi back."
They had arrived in the Toyota Prado, but now they had to take a taxi. Sixi felt bad for Song Jianhao and voluntarily led Six Gou, Song Ge, and the others out of the parking lot.
Yang Jian, along with Song Jianhao, Old Wu, Director Zhong, and Biao Biao, headed back to Jiangbei.
Upon returning to the rented accommodation, the shareholders began to settle their accounts.
Today, they lost a total of 1.3 million yuan. Yang Jian held a 15% stake, so he was responsible for 195,000 yuan. For the 350,000 lost on the first day, Yang Jian was responsible for 52,500 yuan, totaling 247,500 yuan.
Song Jianhao owed Yang Jian 220,000 yuan, and Yang Jian still had to give Song Jianhao 27,500 yuan.
After receiving 42,000 yuan on the first day and returning 27,500 yuan to Song Jianhao, Yang Jian would still take back 14,500 yuan from this outing. His loss over three days was just over 200,000 yuan.
Biao Biao was quite shrewd. Fortunately, he had cut his losses in time, so the three of them didn't lose much.
Old Wu had been sighing since leaving the casino and arriving at the rented accommodation. He held a 10% stake and lost 130,000 yuan. Not only did he lose all the money he had won previously, but he also lost the money he brought from home.
The most unfortunate were Director Zhong and Old Biao. They had both brought money from home to invest, and in just three days, they lost years of savings.
Once the accounts were settled, everyone silently returned to their rooms to rest.
"Brother Jian, what's the plan now?"
Lying on the bed, Biao Biao started chatting with Yang Jian.
"I plan to go back tomorrow and try to sell the templates. If you have nothing to do, you can come to my place. Help out at the factory for now. If that doesn't work out, you can go work at Wu Wangchun's establishment for a while."
"Okay, I'll go wherever you go. Whether it's doing legitimate business or hanging out at the casino, I'll follow you. I never want to come here again."
Old Wu was also in the same room. Biao Biao didn't dare to speak ill of Song Jianhao, but he made his stance clear.
"Xiao Yang, if you continue to hang out at casinos in the future, you must call me. I'm getting old and can't do anything else. I can only drift along in the casino. I feel at ease following you."
Old Wu also joined their conversation.
Yang Jian asked curiously, "Old Wu, are you also planning to go back tomorrow?"
"Why wouldn't I? We're out of money. Isn't the Emperor Company going to disband?"
"No, Brother Hao will definitely find a way. You guys can take on smaller operations and slowly build up capital to start again. I'm leaving because I have a factory at home and don't want to hang around here anymore."
"Alas, now that you're leaving, I have no interest in staying here. I told you during the New Year, if you came, I'd come. Now that you're leaving, I definitely won't stay. I'll hitch a ride with you back tomorrow."
"Alright, let's go together."
At this point, there was no need for a reason to leave. Yang Jian knew that this was a complete termination of cooperation with Song Jianhao, and there wouldn't be much interaction in the future, at most just friendly exchanges.
The next morning, Yang Jian briefly said goodbye to Song Jianhao. Without even eating breakfast, he left the rented accommodation with Biao Biao and Old Wu, driving back to Chengguan.
After dropping Old Wu home, Yang Jian called Liang Liang and San Pang to "Taste of Time." The four of them found a booth, ordered a pot of tea, and some dried fruits and pastries, planning to discuss their future plans.
"Brother Jian, you lost so much. Do you have any money? I still have 30,000 yuan on me."
Liang Liang had learned about the casino situation from Biao Biao the previous night and knew Yang Jian had lost over 200,000 yuan.
Yang Jian shook his head. "No need. I just lost the money Brother Hao owed me. I still have pocket money. Biao Biao and I have decided not to cooperate with Brother Hao anymore. Biao Biao will temporarily work at my factory. What about you two?"
"I'll focus on getting my driver's license first. Can I also go to your factory then?"
"Yes. Once my templates are qualified, all of you will help me with sales, and we'll build the template factory into something big and strong."
Yang Jian treated Biao Biao and Liang Liang like his own brothers. He was always willing to support them, and building a business or operating in the casino required a team. They were the most trustworthy partners.
"Brother Jian, I have something very important to tell you, but I don't have concrete evidence, so I didn't tell you over the phone." San Pang looked around and lowered his voice.
"What is it? Why are you being so secretive?"
"I've been spending a lot of time with my master recently. Besides learning to drive, I've been running errands for him. I suspect he might be selling meth pills."
Yang Jian was greatly surprised. "Brother Mao is dealing drugs? Are you sure?"
"Not entirely sure, but every time he asks me to deliver something, it's very strange."
"What kind of deliveries do you make for him?"
"He occasionally asks me to deliver cigarettes and alcohol to a few regular customers because his family has a business front that sells tobacco and alcohol."
"What's strange about delivering cigarettes and alcohol?"
"It's strange, of course. Normally, people who smoke and drink would buy cigarettes and alcohol from a tobacco and liquor store. Who would have them delivered to their homes? Each time it's just two packs of cigarettes or two bottles of alcohol, not a lot. What's even stranger isn't that, but if one person has this habit, it's one thing, but if five or six people have the same request, it makes one suspicious."
Biao Biao laughed. "You've watched too many detective novels, suspecting even your master."
"It's not suspicion, but certainty that he's doing something very clandestine. Because every time after I deliver, the recipient gives me a large envelope or a small package with a seal to bring back. I can feel money inside the envelope, and quite a lot, tens of thousands each time."
"That is indeed a bit strange. Two bottles of cigarettes and alcohol couldn't be worth that much money."
"Exactly. I'm wondering what kind of business needs to be so secretive and involves so much money. The most likely possibility is selling meth pills."
San Pang's analysis was not unreasonable. The three of them nodded in agreement.