Chapter 120: The Civil God of Wealth

A scruffy, red-eyed middle-aged man with a beard sneered, “You think just because you’re willing to undress, others are willing to watch?”

Xiao Cheng rolled his eyes, silently admiring Ding the Cripple’s imagination.

“I’m just making a video, recording a testimony. Uncle, where are your thoughts going?”

The crippled man looked a bit embarrassed and quickly changed the subject, “That’s not a problem, but the money…”

“Remember the last time we played mahjong? The thin old man with glasses?”

“Huh?”

“Do you remember how I helped him win?”

Even now, Ding the Cripple couldn’t figure it out. When they played mahjong, they sat opposite each other, with no signs or signals, not even a single point given away. How did that old man manage to win so much so smoothly and discreetly?

“How about I just pay you back like that? Eighty thousand yuan, no less!”

Ding the Cripple frowned. No need to write an IOU made him feel more at ease, but… at 20 yuan a game, even if he was lucky all day, he could only make a thousand or so. How long would it take to gather eight thousand?

Xiao Cheng laughed, “Where did you borrow those two thousand from? Where did you lose the money? You’re running around hiding, your daughter almost got into serious trouble. Don’t you want to get that money back from him?”

Ding the Cripple’s eyes widened, his face lighting up, “You mean…”

………………

If you want to win money, first you have to understand how you lost it!

Gambling is illegal in the country, yet there are always those who flock to these shadowy dealings. Every year, police crack down on countless gambling cases. Looking abroad—Venetian, Wynn, Sands—none of these famous casinos are anything less than dazzlingly luxurious. But nine times out of ten, gambling is a scam. Many who enter casinos never ask themselves this: if there were no cheating, how would such a glittering, intoxicating world sustain itself? The Sands casino in Macau recouped its investment in just seven months despite the high gambling taxes, showing just how profitable this industry is.

Fair gambling rules alone cannot create such enormous profits.

This is very different from gathering a few old folks for mahjong. A casino is a grand deception, where gamblers, enticed by profit, swallow the bait like fools and end up losing everything.

Losing at mahjong might be due to luck, losing at chess might be due to skill, but losing in a casino has only one cause: because you gambled, and gambling means losing!

Yet Xiao Cheng said they could win money in a casino?

Ding the Cripple’s eyes bulged in surprise, “You mean we can go to Old Wai’s place and win back those eighty thousand?”

Xiao Cheng smiled, “Not me, you’re going!”

“Huh?”

As he spoke, Xiao Cheng pulled out a thousand yuan and handed it to Ding the Cripple. “Tomorrow night, use this thousand to win back eighty thousand—no less!”

Ding the Cripple reached out to take the money, but his expression was troubled. “Xiao Cheng, you’re not testing me, right? I said I’m done gambling, I’m saving money for Nana. Don’t you trust me?”

Xiao Cheng shook his head with a smile. “This isn’t gambling, it’s collecting a debt! Do as I say, and you’ll win for sure!”

“Really?”

“Tomorrow at seven sharp, you enter Old Wai’s place. Exchange that entire thousand for chips. Don’t bet right away; look around first. Then head to the newest baccarat table. At exactly 7:15, start fresh—not counting the ongoing game—place 200 chips on the bank! If you win, you’ll have twelve hundred. On the second round, bet 300 on the player and win. Third round, again on the player, 500 chips! Payout is one to one, so after three rounds, your thousand becomes two thousand! Fourth round, bet all thousand on the bank. If luck’s with you, it’s time to bet big. Fifth round, two thousand; sixth round, three thousand. Six rounds total: bank, player, player, bank, player, player—six straight wins, and you’ll have eight thousand. Seventh round, bet everything on the pair! The payout on the pair is eleven to one!”

Ding the Cripple stared as if hearing gibberish. “So this way I turn a thousand into eighty-eight thousand?”

Xiao Cheng nodded. “Exactly. The extra eight thousand is your hard-earned bonus!”

“Xiao Cheng, I’m not saying I don’t trust you, but this sounds way too far-fetched. Did the God of Wealth send you a WeChat red envelope? Can you really predict every card?”

“Don’t forget, that thousand is mine too. I wouldn’t joke with my own money. Anyway, if you lose, it’s not your money; if you win, we’re square. I’ll still pay you back the eighty thousand. What’s there to fear?”

“That may be, but it still sounds unreliable! If you said you’d go with me, I’d believe we could win some on poker or dice together. But you don’t even show your face…”

“Ha!” Xiao Cheng laughed heartily. “My surname’s Wen. You can call me Wen the God of Wealth!”

……

Xiao Cheng had already been to Old Wai’s casino. Without going, he would never have uncovered the secret behind the dealer’s guaranteed win.

Though underground, Old Wai’s casino had pat-downs at the door and surveillance cameras above the heads of all inside. The security was nearly as strict as Macau’s official casinos. Xiao Cheng and Wang Yang toured the place extensively. There were many games, but all seemed to rely on luck, leaving little room for intelligence to influence outcomes.

Still, some details caught Xiao Cheng’s attention.

In a small casino, there’s no reason to bother with so many chip denominations. Thousands in chips make sense, but even chips as low as ten yuan were prepared, and no cash was allowed at the tables. The only excuse was easier management, like using meal cards in the cafeteria.

Second, chips had to be placed neatly within the betting areas. Even a slight overlap on the lines meant the dealer would ask for a re-placement—supposedly to avoid disputes, but Xiao Cheng wasn’t convinced.

Third, every deck of cards was used only three to five times before being shredded by a special card destroyer, supposedly to prevent players from marking cards. In a small town like Dongfeng, decks are limited in style, and the casino’s cards were unlike any available on the market.

This was like solving a puzzle: knowing the casino must control the game’s outcome, all these rules were designed to guarantee it. These little details stood out glaringly.

In a fair game, all equipment, staff, and venue would be open for inspection by both sides. But the casino’s strict rules forbade looking under the massive gambling tables or opening the dealing machines. To Xiao Cheng, this was like a child being deceived by a crafty adult—too naive to be true.

That heavily sealed table must be hollow inside! That mysterious dealing machine must hold some high-tech secret! And the specially made anti-counterfeit chips… putting it all together, the answer was right before their eyes.

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Nine out of ten gamblers are deceived. This includes all kinds of sports betting and lotteries. So rather than spending money on lottery tickets, tip Lao Dao instead—that’s better than being scammed. I say this book raises your IQ. Maybe you planned to try your luck, but after reading, you won’t be fooled—that means you’ve gotten smarter!

Today, I received notice from the editor that this story requires major revisions: remove conflict between students and teachers, eliminate themes of poor teacher management and school violence, and address negative social values. Otherwise, it won’t get recommended, and the current strong promotion will be withdrawn. So, a substantial rewrite is needed, which takes time and energy, meaning updates will be once daily for now. After 12:05 tonight, and 17:05 tomorrow afternoon, there will be no further updates.