Chapter Ninety-Four: Damn, It Was Fake

Everyone was stunned.

With a cigarette that seemed ready to fall from his mouth at any moment, Chu Dong stood with one hand on his hip, a cue stick resting on his shoulder, bearing the source of his luck and wealth. He looked relaxed, his movements easy and unrestrained. The top buttons of his shirt, which had been fastened moments before, had somehow come undone, and he carried himself with a careless elegance. He was no longer the awkward fellow who had seemed like a country bumpkin just arrived in the city; he looked instead like a debauched playboy, a young master of unbridled dissipation.

Wang Dongliang was completely dumbfounded. He had never imagined Chu Dong would humiliate him again in such a manner. He had never imagined that the hastily arranged trap, which had seemed a sure thing, would be thrown into chaos by Chu Dong in just a few minutes.

"Dammit, this brat is pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger. Brother Liang, we can't let him off..."

"Get him..."

After snapping out of it, Tian Bing and the others were the first to renege.

Wang Dongliang also came to his senses. "You fooled me?"

"Me? When did I do that?" Chu Dong looked utterly innocent. "I said long ago that my skills were very good. In fact, in the first game I even advised you to quit. You were the one who refused."

Wang Dongliang was momentarily speechless. It could not be denied; everyone here had heard Chu Dong urge him to stop. It had been Wang Dongliang himself who believed Chu Dong lacked confidence, and, in his own boundless certainty, had insisted on making the wager. Who could have known that after he went up there and only took two shots, the first game would be lost because of his own carelessness, and that when he had hoped to claw back two straight victories, he would be cleanly run off the table in the second game without even getting another turn?

"Brother Wang, look, it's already over. Shouldn't you hand over the things to me?" Chu Dong said lightly, the cue stick still on his shoulder, the cigarette in his mouth bobbing with each word.

"Wait. Something's wrong," Wang Dongliang said, unwilling to yield so easily. "The rules we set were off to begin with. The winner got to break, which wasn't fair to the loser. Besides, I even let you break first..."

"Hold on, I understand what you mean." Chu Dong raised a hand. "You want to welch on it, right? Fine, that's not impossible."

"What do you mean by that?" Wang Dongliang nearly wept with emotion upon hearing this, thinking Chu Dong was truly being generous and that there was still room to bargain over the wager.

"If you can beat me one-on-one, I'll willingly give up this final game. The 8 percent stake in Seafront Group that I just won, I'll pretend I was dazzled by the sun and didn't see it. We'll start over and play three more rounds." Chu Dong's lips curved faintly, in mockery and disdain alike.

"Don't think that because you took down a Thai boxing champion, you're invincible. If you've got the guts, try this old man's fists," Tian Bing shouted from the side, seeing plainly that Wang Dongliang did not dare accept Chu Dong's proposal.

"What's all this noise?" Li Youlan's voice came over.

Tan Xue, Xiao Yu'er, and the others walked over together. Their hair was still somewhat damp, clearly just out of the bath, and their little faces, all flushed pink, looked especially soft and fresh.

"Senior Brother is here too." Tan Xue greeted Wang Dongliang first, not expecting that he would merely darken his face and remain silent.

"It's nothing. Brother Wang and I made a bet. He lost and now wants to go back on it. Just trying to renege, that's all. A small matter. You girls go wait over there; I'll take care of it and come right over." Chu Dong said this as if helping Tan Xue out, while giving Xiao Yu'er a quick wink.

The little girl was sharp as a whip. She caught Li Youlan's eye, and the two of them led Tan Xue to a nearby coffee bar to sit down.

"What exactly is going on? Those two seem to be at odds. Why do they start fighting whenever they meet?" Tan Xue still did not know what had happened. Her senior brother, who had always treated her so well, had actually turned cold-faced toward her.

"Who knows? We all came out together. Why worry about it? Men are restless creatures; if they don't bicker for a day, it's like the world is ending. Nothing serious." Li Youlan sounded like an expert as she advised Tan Xue not to meddle in their affairs.

Xiao Yu'er was the most spirited of them all. Once her sister had settled her, she ran back over and stood beside her "brother-in-law" like a little bodyguard.

"Go back to your sister. The grown-ups are handling something here; don't add to the mess," Chu Dong said, seeing Wang Dongliang's flickering gaze and Tian Bing and the others glaring at him like wolves, and motioned for the little girl to leave.

"I'm not a child anymore. I'm a grown-up," Xiao Yu'er protested, pouting.

"All right, you're a grown-up. But if you don't go over there, I won't care about you and that so-called Brotherhood Alliance anymore," Chu Dong whispered, threatening her.

Xiao Yu'er tilted her head and thought for a moment, then turned and walked away.

"Hurry up and hand it over. What, is the young master of the house going to renege too? Let me tell you, it's just a matter of one sentence. Keep your head bright and your heart open, and that's enough. Didn't you say yourself that a wager means accepting the loss? Why are you falling apart at the crucial moment?" Chu Dong was truly sharp-tongued, mocking Wang Dongliang line after line.

"You—what are you so pleased about? Who can prove that I lost to you? Besides, who can prove that my stake was shares?" Wang Dongliang had made up his mind to default and had already begun to speak irrationally.

"Ha, I really can't trust that rotten mouth of yours. Looks like you won't give up until you hit a dead end." Chu Dong grew a little impatient, pointing the cue stick at Wang Dongliang. "I knew you wouldn't admit defeat so easily. You bastards' words aren't worth a damn, are they?"

"Who are you calling a bastard?" Tian Bing and the others stormed toward Chu Dong.

Though Chu Dong had left Viyata half dead, the few who knew the truth were not all that afraid of him. Even if one man couldn't handle him, a group surely could. They moved into position as if to swarm him.

"I'm calling bastards bastards. If you take it personally, whose fault is that?" Chu Dong was not frightened in the least, as though he were waiting for them to deliver themselves to his doorstep.

"Cripple him!" Wang Dongliang knew things had gone too far to end peacefully. He rushed forward from behind, even quicker than the others, still carrying the cue stick he had used twice.

He went up fast, but retreated even faster, twice as quickly as he had come. At first the others were still wondering what had happened, but when they saw clearly, they all drew a sharp breath.

Somehow, a dark pistol had appeared in Chu Dong's hand, and its black muzzle was pressed squarely against Wang Dongliang's forehead.

"You're very arrogant. While you were enjoying yourself, you used every trick to get me to bet with you. After losing, you turned around and refused to acknowledge it. And now, with the numbers on your side, you still want to gang up on me and force me to yield. You're really something, aren't you?" The cigarette Chu Dong had held in his mouth for ages rose and fell as though it were his finger, tapping at Wang Dongliang. "Come on, let's see how impressive you really are. And you too."

With a casual motion of the gun in his hand, Tian Bing and the others all shrank back. Who knew whether Chu Dong's hand was steady? If it went off by accident, that would be no joke.

"What are you all acting so smug for? Did he owe any of you money?" Chu Dong jabbed the cold muzzle against Wang Dongliang's forehead again and again, leaving first one red mark, then another. "You poor fools. Once I get angry, the consequences get serious, understand? Huh? Did you hear me?"

Wang Dongliang hurriedly nodded, terrified of provoking Chu Dong into splitting his skull open. Tian Bing and the others also stared blankly at the gun in his hand and nodded woodenly.

Who wouldn't fear death? Unless one had no choice, no one would willingly give up the hope of living. Even if they did not die, no one wished to suffer that kind of misery.

"Since you heard me, do you know what to do?" Chu Dong had his back to Tan Xue and the others. From several dozen meters away, they could not make out the conversation. His movements were very discreet, and only Wang Dongliang and Tian Bing and the others behind him could clearly see the gun in his hand.

"Find a notary. Call the notary office," Wang Dongliang snapped back to his senses. He no longer had the time to wipe away the cold sweat on his face and hurriedly instructed the people who had come with him.

Whether Wang Dongliang had great influence or the notary office happened to be nearby, in any case it was not long before two notaries arrived at the club.

Chu Dong had already put the gun away and hidden it in his trouser pocket, though one hand still remained inside. Wang Dongliang and the others felt that if they dared resist, they would certainly be slower than that weapon in his hand, and so they could only obediently complete the transfer of shares under the notaries' questioning.

Just like that, 8 percent of Seafront Group, assets worth no less than three billion, were transferred here, and the new owner was named Chu Dong.

After the notaries left, Chu Dong called over a waiter and ordered a fine bottle of red wine. He personally poured a glass for Wang Dongliang, his face overflowing with cordiality. "I truly must thank Brother Wang for being so generous. I thanked you before, but you felt I was saying it too soon, so let me say it again now. To our friendship—cheers!"

Chu Dong tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp, then turned the glass upside down for Wang Dongliang and the others to see. Seeing that none of them lifted their glasses and all looked as though they did not understand what was going on, he even asked whether there was some difficulty. He thumped his chest and promised that as long as it was within his power, he would certainly lend all the help he could.

Wang Dongliang was furious enough to have his guts turn green. What sort of nonsense was this? In the blink of an eye, the family fortune his father had divided for him had become someone else's property. Chu Dong, reaping the rewards while pretending to be modest, kept thanking him all the while, which only made him even more infuriated. Now that Chu Dong had put the gun away, if he had not done so, Wang Dongliang would have wanted to kill himself on the spot.

"I know Brother Wang is a bit unconvinced about today's loss. That's all right. Though I don't personally like gambling, if something like this comes up again, just come find me. As long as I think it's worth it, we can have another proper bet. But let me be clear: this time the rules were set by you. Next time, it should be my turn, shouldn't it?" Pouring fuel on the fire, Chu Dong found Wang Dongliang and his group so adorable that he even began to rather like them.

Wang Dongliang swept the wineglass beside the sofa to the floor in one violent motion, then glared at Chu Dong for several minutes before flicking his sleeve and turning to leave.

"Walk slowly, Brother Wang. Remember, if there's any good thing, be sure to call me." Chu Dong pulled the gun from his pocket, aimed it near his mouth, and pulled the trigger.

Those who saw this instinctively shut their eyes.

With a sharp click, a tongue of flame burst from the muzzle. The cigarette that had been dangling in his mouth for ages was lit, and two wisps of pale smoke drifted from Chu Dong's nostrils.

Wang Dongliang, who had just happened to turn back and see the scene, stopped in his tracks, his mind going blank. "Damn it. It was fake."