30: Hong Kong Island gambling, meeting the Chu family

Dawn broke slightly, and the mist had not yet fully dissipated.

Two black Santanas with small-digit license plates stopped at the entrance of Red Mangrove Village.

Lin Chuan had long been ready to go.

He was still wearing that sharp black suit, but this time he wore a high-quality black trench coat over it, which he had asked Qiang Zi to buy from the city.

Standing there with the hem of his coat swaying in the wind, he looked exactly like Xu Wenqiang from "The Bund."

"Brother, are we really going to Hong Kong Island now?"

The elder brother, Lin Jiang, held a faux leather bag typical of that era, which contained the company documents he had organized overnight.

He hadn't slept much all night, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze was full of excitement.

Hong Kong Island!

That was a divine place one could only see on the blurry screens of video parlors!

"Don't worry, Brother. Once we're there, just watch and learn."

Lin Chuan helped Lin Jiang straighten his slightly crooked tie.

"Remember, you're going there to be the CEO of a registered big company. Keep your back straight!"

"Right! Straight!" Lin Jiang took a deep breath and tried to puff out his chest.

Long Wu still wore those aviator sunglasses, silent as an iron tower.

The car door opened, and Chu Yueli sat in the back seat. Her cold, beautiful face showed some fatigue, as if she hadn't rested well last night.

"Lin Chuan, get in."

With those two simple words, the car sped off like an arrow toward Taiping International Airport.

(Parallel world, direct flights between the two airports!)

...In the departure hall, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

In the VIP lounge, even the airport staff didn't dare to approach casually.

Although the Chu family was the underground king of Harbin, they still showed some restraint in such public places.

However, the circle of bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses still emitted an aura that warned strangers to stay away.

As soon as Lin Chuan's group entered, they felt several hostile gazes piercing them like needles.

"Oh, so this is the expert Second Sister invited?"

The speaker was a man in his thirties, wearing a flashy Versace shirt and a gold chain as thick as a finger around his neck. His face was full of flesh, making him look like someone who was not only wicked but also stupid.

This was Chu Yueli's elder brother, Chu Tianbiao.

He had a heavily made-up starlet in his arms and a cigar in his other hand, sizing up Lin Chuan with a playful look.

On the sofa on the other side sat a woman in a cheongsam with a seductive figure; that was Chu Yueli's younger sister, Chu Jiaojiao.

"Doesn't look like much."

Chu Jiaojiao chuckled, her voice shrill. "This outfit looks the part, but... why do I still smell a hint of earthiness?"

"Second Sister, I heard you picked him up from some poor mountain gully like Red Mangrove Village?"

"Just because a few of your places got raided doesn't mean you should give up on yourself. You dare to bring this kind of character before Father?"

Chu Tianbiao stood up and walked over to Lin Jiang, staring at the tacky faux leather bag in Lin Jiang's hand with his squinted eyes.

"And which deity is this uncle supposed to be?"

"With this temperament, he looks like he repairs bicycles at the entrance of No. 14 Middle School."

"Pfft—" Several followers couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Lin Jiang's face turned red and white. He gripped the bag tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand, but he couldn't say a word.

In this setting and atmosphere, he, an honest laid-off engineer, was suffocated.

"I am a civil engineer!" Lin Jiang managed to squeeze out after a long pause.

"Ha?!!"

Chu Tianbiao let out an exaggerated shout as if he had heard a huge joke.

"A civil engineer? Do you think we're going to Hong Kong to build skyscrapers?"

"Second Sister, oh Second Sister, has your brain gone soft?"

"What kind of people are you bringing? Are we going to a construction site to move bricks?"

"Hahaha! Big Brother, you're right. It seems Second Sister is really desperate, even dragging in brick-movers to make up the numbers."

Chu Jiaojiao laughed so hard she trembled.

Behind them sat several middle-aged men with extraordinary temperaments.

There was an old man playing with two collectible walnuts and a thin man with a sinister face who was resting with his eyes closed.

Those were the true gambling experts they had hired with large sums of money from various provinces and even overseas.

Looking at Lin Chuan's ragtag team, these experts also showed undisguised contempt.

"My business is none of your concern," Chu Yueli replied coldly, her face looking extremely grim.

She also didn't expect Lin Chuan to bring someone as completely irrelevant as Lin Jiang.

But since he brought him, she had to protect him.

"What's all the noise about!"

Just then, a powerful yet majestic voice rang out.

The door at the back of the lounge opened.

A white-haired but burly old man with a resolute face walked out, surrounded by a group of bodyguards.

He leaned on a dragon-headed cane, his eyes sharp and intimidating.

The head of the Chu family, Chu Xiong!

As soon as he appeared, the laughing Chu Tianbiao and Chu Jiaojiao immediately acted like mice seeing a cat, standing straight and not daring to breathe loudly.

"Dad!"

"Dad, you're here!"

The two hurried forward, supporting Chu Xiong on either side and beginning to show off.

"Dad, look, this is the Ghostly Hand Master Zhang I invited from Macau! He once went up against the Gambling King!"

Chu Tianbiao pointed at the old man playing with walnuts, looking proud.

"Dad, mine isn't bad either! This is Mr. Liu, the Thousand-Faced Buddha. There isn't a card he doesn't recognize in the Southeast Asian casinos!"

Chu Jiaojiao refused to be outdone.

Chu Xiong nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the experts, showing some satisfaction.

"Mhm, not bad."

"This trip to Hong Kong Island is a last-stand battle."

"The face our Chu family lost in Harbin must be reclaimed in Hong Kong Island!"

"These gentlemen seem to have real skills."

After speaking, his gaze finally fell on Chu Yueli in the corner, and the three people with her, including Lin Chuan.

In that instant, Chu Xiong's brow furrowed visibly.

It was a look of disappointment, even speechless annoyance.

"Yueli."

Chu Xiong's voice sank.

"Where is the person you found?"

"Dad, this is Mr. Lin, Lin Chuan. He is very accomplished in the art of cheating..." Chu Yueli was about to explain.

"Nonsense!!"

Chu Xiong slammed his cane heavily onto the ground.

Thud!

It made Chu Yueli tremble all over.

"A young lad in his early twenties!"

"Do you think this is a game of playing house?!"

Chu Xiong pointed at Lin Chuan, his eyes as sharp as knives.

"A twenty-year-old expert, do you believe that?"

"What kind of place is Hong Kong Island? It's a dragon's den and a tiger's lair!"

"The people your brother and sister invited are all long-established figures."

"By bringing such a thing along, do you think our Chu family hasn't lost enough face already?!"

"Dad! Mr. Lin is really capable!" Chu Yueli said anxiously, trying to defend him.

"Enough!"

Chu Xiong waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing a fly.

"This trip to Hong Kong Island is of great importance. I cannot let you mess around."

"You won't be going on this operation."

"Go home and reflect on yourself. Don't just bring anyone out!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the joy on Chu Tianbiao and Chu Jiaojiao's faces could hardly be hidden.

Chu Yueli's face turned pale instantly. She bit her lip, her eyes full of resentment.

Just when the atmosphere was awkward to the extreme.

Lin Chuan, who hadn't spoken, suddenly let out a light chuckle.

He reached out and patted Long Wu, who wanted to lose his temper and kill everyone present.

He also comforted his trembling elder brother.

Then, he looked up at the head of the Chu family, who was once a prominent figure but now seemed a bit senile.

"Mr. Chu."

Lin Chuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, carrying a calmness that didn't match his age.

"Since you look down on me, I won't get involved in this mess."

"However."

He straightened his collar, a meaningful curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"My trip to Hong Kong Island this time isn't entirely for Miss Chu's sake."

"I am a serious businessman. I'm going there to register a company and inspect real estate projects."

"So, I still have to take this plane."

"As for the gambling match, as Miss Chu's friend, I can give you a warning: if you lose, you lose. Whatever you do, don't accuse the other party of cheating."

"To catch a cheater, you need the loot. Don't end up having your hands cut off and being fined extra just because you couldn't find anything."

"What did you say!"

"How could we possibly lose!" The cheating experts immediately became unhappy.

But hindered by the terrifying iron-like man beside Lin Chuan, they didn't dare to say much.

"Of course, it's best if you can win."

"Good luck to you all."

"Hmph, ridiculous boy. The more you pretend to be steady, the more it seems like an immature performance in my eyes."

Chu Xiong snorted coldly and stopped looking at Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan didn't argue. He just smiled, leading his brother and Long Wu toward the boarding gate.

The memories of his past life were very clear.

He had seen it in the newspapers; after all, it was a major event for Harbin.

On this trip to Hong Kong Island, these so-called experts Chu Xiong brought along...

...would be slaughtered by that Hong Kong Island cheating expert named Broken Finger Qiang until nothing remained.

They would lose everything, down to their underwear.