Forces of Temptation

Chapter 58: Sand, sand, sand (23)

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Counting chips.

Note the odds.

Licensing.

Roll the dice.

Jiang Fang completed every job to perfection.

Jiang Fang's quick thinking, adaptability and perfectionism are enough to handle everything, except for a little trembling when he first came to the table and dealt the cards.

In the hundreds of late nights just entering the casino, he freed up one hand and practiced one-handed cutting cards, turning cards, changing cards, dropping cards, and thumb fans.

The other hand is cooking, washing the dishes, and cleaning up broken wine bottles.

At the same time, he listened to his mother's drunken dreams, and listened to her pouring out her love and longing for her father a thousand times over.

Occasionally, a sentence or two of his mother's sleep talk was addressed to him.

She sang lullabies indistinctly, coaxing her imaginary youngest son.

And Jiang Fang is no longer a child.

Jiang Fang always smiles without saying a word.

This gentleman's elegant appearance was cultivated by his father.

The oriental beauty gene combines Ukrainian ancestry and forms a style of its own. It is a scene worth stopping in the casino.

However, people who come to casinos pay attention to their fortunes, and most of them hold a deformed concept of incompleteness.

For example, the only time Jiang Fang was beaten was not because of a miscalculation, but because of the tattoo on his neck.

The gambler who dealt the cards suffered a crushing defeat, so he slapped Jiang Fang on the face.

The reason is very simple: the tattoo on his neck looks unsightly, thus bringing bad luck to the guests.

However, this is a small probability event.

After Jiang Fang bought a pair of choker and put it on, the situation improved a lot.

Once Jiang Fang was dealt a good card, some blushing gamblers would cheer and stuff a handful of chips into the pocket of his overalls.

Jiang Fang has seen tens of thousands of games and thousands of slot machines.

Every day, up to 10 million chips flow through his fingertips like water.

The dice that rolls nimbly at his fingertips easily decide a person's life.

Jiang Fang watched the world with cold eyes in the most materialistic underground world.

The disheveled pole dancer took off her lace panties on the high platform, tied her hair with panties, and swayed to the gambler with the best fortune today, kissing his wine-smelling lips in exchange for a fortune Expensive tip.

The proud gambler who had won tens of thousands of dollars just now lost a million in an instant, roaring and crying while beating the machine that had devoured his life's efforts.

An old and fainting old gambler, holding a title deed, tried to sell his only real estate to other gamblers in exchange for a last chance to turn over.

The kind-hearted loan shark smiled and looked at the young man kneeling on the ground like a dog, shook his head and sighed, then waved to the person behind him, dragging the gambler who was slaughtering a pig, "give me more time", into the enclosure. small room.

The gamblers looked curiously at the room that was said to be the execution room, pricked up their ears, trying to taste and chew on the suffering of others.

Jiang Fang buried his head in sorting out the cards, his face expressionless.

As a staff member, he went on duty to clean the execution room that was specially used for thousands and debtors.

He swiped the severed fingers in the corner.

He also wiped away the remaining blood on the table.

Jiang Fang could feel that his heart was hardening unknowingly.

The next second, the corner of his mouth smirked, and he pulled a beautiful hand of cards, attracting the attention of the runners.

He was greeted with applause.

The cheers drowned out the hoarse screams in the execution room.

Under the frantically spinning neon lights of the casino, the bright pink in the corner of Jiang Fang's eyes shone brightly.

Like sultry eyes, like small tears.

Jiang Fang's fixed income is $30 an hour.

Tips are countless.

Soon, he was making enough money to pay for the exorbitant costs of alcohol and drug rehab centers.

The day my mother was forcibly sent to the alcohol rehab center, she said a lot of pleading and unpleasant words.

Jiang Fang didn't take it seriously.

He just sat alone for a long time on the steps under the apartment after his mother got in the car.

After sitting until his legs felt a little numb, he got up and went back to the empty apartment, packed up and stacked clothes.

After six o'clock in the afternoon, the street lights came on on time, and the windows came in, illuminating the bright, dark, and everything in the house.

Along with the humming of the street lamps was the playing of the down-and-out violinist in the attic.

My father loved books during his lifetime, and novels, magazines, illustration collections, comics, and scientific newspapers occupied an entire wall.

Jiang Fang lay down on his back on the cleaned bed, letting the sharp reflections of the windows and bookcases fall on his cheeks and silver hair.

He was like a bunch of frozen dead fire, in the apartment with the strong smell of alcohol, with the accompaniment of decadence and melancholy, he breathed slowly and took a quiet nap.

Casinos mostly work at night.

After taking care of his mother without distraction, Jiang Fang has a spare time for himself.

Jiang Fang's student status has long been cancelled.

And after returning to school, he will not be allowed to work.

Jiang Fang began to explore and find his own way of balance in his life and work.

At night, he works for the casino.

During the day, he wears the "inspector's certificate" made by himself and an elegant suit made for him by the casino. He randomly chooses a school that looks good, enters any classroom dignifiedly, and sits down in a corner of the classroom.

At that time, the Kiev State strictly inspected education, and there were often school inspectors who came to various schools from time to time to inspect the teaching situation.

Jiang Fang is tall and slender, with a calm and elegant temperament.

Even though his face is still a little green, after carefully taking care of his hairstyle and clothes, and wearing a pair of cold square glasses, Jiang Fang's image as a civil servant is still serious.

He even met a physics teacher who had come to the casino to gamble and owe a lot of debt in one of his high school classes.

Not only did the teacher not recognize Jiang Fanglai, but he also took off his hat and bowed to the young inspector.

Jiang Fang bowed slightly and returned the salute.

He thought it was funny.

But that didn't stop him from taking notes under his forged "patrol records".

In addition, Jiang Fang will also sign in for some college students who are not good at school, listen to lectures, take notes, and write papers for them.

When it wasn't his turn to work at the casino, he went to the theater as a ranger.

Jiang Fang often enjoys "Salome" with his arms crossed, while contemplating a thesis assignment for a music major.

At the age of 16, dealer Jiang Fang had his own name in the underground casino because of his excellent skills.

Joker.

Like his double-sided portraits over the years.

At the age of 17, he received a business.

There is an international student studying in Ukraine, and his family is very rich.

Rich enough to barely finish his high school with a grade of C in his high school, he still relies on donations from his parents and a fake athlete certificate to get into a very good local university.

To celebrate his acceptance, he got carried away abroad.

When he realized something was wrong, there was only half a day left before his university registration deadline.

No way, he urgently contacted his friends and found Jiang Fang, who had the best reputation among the local substitute agencies.

Fu Erdai asked him to take his spare key, get his registration materials, check in for him, and help him take classes for a few days by the way.

About half a month later, he kissed the hot beauty goodbye, patted his butt contentedly, and returned to Kiev from sunny Hawaii.

But only after he came back did he realize that he had become the leader of the study group, the member of the accordion club, and the enhancer of the school's ice hockey team without knowing it.

He was shocked, and hurriedly found Jiang Fangxing to ask his guilt.

In the cafe, Jiang Fang picked up the cup without hesitation, looked at the young man who was two years older than him, and asked, "Is this bad?"

"What you want is a degree and a splendid resume, and four years of studying abroad. As for what you have learned, it doesn't matter."

Jiang Fang said: "I am the opposite. I want to go to school, and what I want is this experience."

He rested his chin lightly on the backs of his crossed hands: "We each get what we need. This will be a good deal for you and me."

The rich second generation swallowed.

This is undoubtedly a huge temptation.

He went back and thought about it for two or three days, and then discussed it with his friends.

After making up his mind, he called Jiang Fang.

Jiang Fang over there had already expected it.

He sat in the library, the corners of his mouth curled up beautifully.

"Then, Mr. Carbine, I wish us a happy long-term cooperation."

Jiang Fang gained a stable major customer at the cost of temporarily losing the right to use his name.

But it doesn't matter.

In the past four years, Jiang Fang has done his due diligence, lingering in schools, ice hockey teams, accordion clubs and underground casinos, disguised perfectly.

His mysterious and gentle temperament, the beautiful accordion he plays, his occasional magic tricks, and his profound knowledge and ability to appreciate all kinds of wines in the world make him so charming at any time and anywhere. shoot.

Especially when he is an adult, the men and women who are willing to flirt with him go one after the other, like a crucian carp crossing the river.

In the ice hockey team, there was a cheerleader who confessed to him in public.

There was no shortage of men and women whistling obscenely at him in the casino.

It stands to reason that Jiang Fang should not feel lonely.

He can indulge.

But he didn't like anyone, and he didn't approach anyone.

The point is, he never feels alienated and cold.

Anyone around him will feel joy and comfort from the heart, and even if Jiang Fang rejects them, they feel that they can still be good friends with him for the rest of their lives.

It would take a long, long time for these people to realize that they and Jiang Fang were not even friends.

Jiang Fang has an extensive social circle and knows the situation of every friend.

He was able to tell the truth about everyone's situation.

But correspondingly, no one knows what kind of person he is.

… No one knows how he felt when he got home and looked at his mother who was drunk in the frozen vomit at the door.

Maybe even Ms. Jiang herself doesn't know.

long --gt;gt;

Long-term alcohol dependence has destroyed her sanity and brain.

In the past few years, she has repeatedly appeared in major alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers.

out, and in again.

It's nothing more than quit drinking.

Even if Jiang Fang personally sent her to the Alcoholics Anonymous Society and supervises her, she would still be able to escape halfway through the toilet and get drunk in an unknown tavern.

Over time, Jiang Fang stopped restraining her.

He opened the heavy security door with a brass key, silently picked her up, carried her to the bed, wiped her head and face with a hot towel, kissed her forehead again, and said softly good night to her .

Then, he called the alcohol center again.

After he had spoken to the staff and hung up the phone, he heard his mother muttering in Ukrainian.

"I, am I... am I sorry for you?"

Jiang Fang stroked her prematurely dry and white hair and the deep lines at the corners of her eyes.

He didn't answer directly, but said softly, as he did when he was a child, "My angel. Go to sleep."

But the introspection and remorse of alcoholics are often short-lived.

Jiang Fang would no longer believe anything easily.

He coaxed his mother like any "friend" so she could at least be drunk tonight.

Fortunately, he still has ice hockey.

Ice hockey is a gentlemanly and violent sport.

You can choose to be a rose poet wielding a bat and dancing on the ice, or you can choose to be a flower of blood blooming on the ice.

Jiang Fang vented all the depression he had accumulated under elegance and gentleness on this ice hockey field, which was his father's favorite.

— "Joker is a born fighter."

A Russian veteran who works as a security guard in the underground casino where Jiang Fang works.

This is how he commented on Jiang Fang.

Jiang Fang has a light body and soft muscles, combining the brute strength of an Eastern European and the flexibility of an Asian.

On the ice, the protective gear is heavy and wide, and it is not easy to exert strength. In hockey games, fights are often only about you coming and going, punching each other, and smashing each other as cumbersomely and rudely as black bears.

Jiang Fang is different.

His graceful and graceful figure looks more like the main force in ball control, but when someone provokes him, he can easily tear off his gloves, drop the club, and punch him.

He once smashed half of the opponent's face shield with such a punch.

Of course, in the bumps, it is inevitable to be injured.

If Jiang Fang's fingers were injured and swollen to the point where he couldn't bend or stretch, he would ask the casino for a day off.

The next day, he would cover the wound with a one-off rose tattoo, and play a hand of flying cards in front of guests to the point of screaming and whistling.

In his junior year, Jiang Fang's brave performance in a game was favored by the Kiev State Cavalry Ice Hockey Team.

Jiang Fang signed a one-year contract with them.

The reason is that the pay is good.

Jiang Fang actually didn't know why he wanted to make money for a long time.

He just thought his mother might need it.

So, he wants more.

Ice hockey teams from other schools and communities in Kiev have long heard of the "Mr. Carbin" reputation.

They all know that this is a crazy, aggressive beauty enhancer.

No one dared to provoke him easily.

Because he fought as if his life was not his own.

The cavalry's road to the championship is not that difficult.

On the day of the end of the competition, Jiang Fang received a large sum of money as promised.

However, in the afternoon, when he came home with his golf bag, Jiang Fang saw the staff of the alcohol treatment center who had dealt with him many times at the door of the apartment.

When he saw himself, he took off his hat, his nose was red, and he wiped the tip of his nose awkwardly.

… Jiang Fang stopped.

A shadow that he had imagined for a long time, but had not yet arrived, slowly enveloped him.

As he expected.

Mother died.

Because of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage in my sleep.

Fortunately there was no pain.

That year, Jiang Fang was 22 years old.

Although no one in the community knows Jiang Fang's real occupation, they all know that Jiang Fang has been working for his mother.

However, in the eyes of others, this young man who was gentle and filial, who had devoted himself to supporting his mother for several years, did not shed a single tear at the funeral.

Jiang Fang used all the warmth he experienced in his childhood to heal and compensate for his scarred youth.

Now, his last bit of light has burned out.

... Jiang Fang thought, he is free.

After that, Jiang Fang completed his graduation thesis for Mr. Cabin and handed in almost all A's.

After that, Jiang Fang sold their house, quit his job in the casino, and embarked on his long solo journey.

Jiang Fang's footsteps are all over the corners of Ukraine.

He practiced longboard alone on an abandoned highway with an extinct volcano behind him that could no longer erupt.

Wearing black sports gloves, he tapped the rough ground with his fingertips as he leaned over.

The temperature of the high-speed friction made him feel a brief stimulation.

But the excitement was only fleeting.

A few months later, Jiang Fang took the test for a truck driver's license.

Because he heard that there is a section of a company's shipping route, and the scenery there is so good that it will not get tired of watching it for ten years.

But within a few months, he also resigned.

Ukraine has had enough.

So Jiang Fang applied for a passport and left the place where he grew up.

He was profligate and unrestrained in eating, playing, and living.

If he ran out of money, he would step into the local casino, no matter how big or small, and take a few random bets.

Sometimes, Jiang Fang would be targeted because he won too much.

In less than a quarter of an hour, someone would invite him to wait in the VIP room of the casino.

The little casino manager would politely hand him a sum of money.

The implication is, make a friend and accept it when you see it.

This is the unspoken rule of the industry.

Once the casino encounters someone who has the ability, it will not easily tear its face. The common method is to give a little money and then see off the guest peacefully.

This is what Jiang Fang wanted to earn.

Jiang Fang flicked the banknotes in his palm and stepped out of the noisy casino with the manager's hypocritical smile.

Standing under the huge and wide dark blue sky, he felt lonely.

But he also felt that loneliness was not what it was all about.

Jiang Fang seems to have a lot of possessions and a lot of dreams.

But only he knows that he is just a game of life.

Jiang Fang gently said to Nan Zhou, "My name is Jiang Fang. 'Fang' means 'a boat that is not tied', and it means seclusion."

"All these years, I have been secluded in the crowd."

Nan Zhou opened his mouth and wanted to say something: "I..."

Jiang Fang smiled at him beautifully, and with a soft shush, he lightly blocked what Nan Zhou wanted to say.

"Everyone has their own story..."

Jiang Fang put his hand on Nan Zhou's shoulder.

With a force that Nanzhou couldn't detect, his fingers roamed around the tooth marks on the back of his neck.

"When to say it, it's up to you."

"For example, I think the moonlight is very good today, so I want to tell you about myself."

"Whenever you think the time is up, you can also tell me about you."

"Whenever... I'd love to hear it."

Nan Zhou blinked, looking at Jiang Fang's face dipped in the darkness, his eyes were novel and serious, as if it was the first time in his life that he had known him.

Jiang Fang asked, "What are you looking at?"

Nan Zhou: "Bedtime stories are good. I want to sleep."

Jiang Fang smiled and said, "I'm honored to help our teacher Nan—"

The next moment, his body suddenly froze.

Because Nan Zhou hugged him without warning, and hugged his shoulders without any shame.

After realizing that his height and body shape were not able to wrap Jiang Fang well, Nan Zhou put his head on his shoulder, a hand naturally passed under his arm, and wrapped his arms around his waist.

Jiang Fang's blood lost its ability to circulate.

Jiang Fang couldn't use all those who could keep him from laughing and laughing with ease and eloquence.

With a sullen voice, he asked in a low voice, "What are you... doing?"

Nan Zhou said calmly, "Sleep."

As he said that, he raised his head, and there were two silver bright cold stars in his cold eyes: "When I was young, if I felt lonely, I would think that it would be great if I could be held like this."

Nan Zhou solicited his opinion fairly and openly: "Do you want to be held by me like this?"

Jiang Fang: "..."

He closed his eyes and felt the skin on his waist scorched by Nan Zhou's arms, causing the muscles on his waist to pulsate slightly.

Nan Zhou: "You can push me away if you are not happy."

Jiang Fang: "..."

Nan Zhou put his pillow on his shoulder: "Then, good night."

Jiang Fang's "good night" didn't whisper in his ear until Nan Zhou fell asleep.

Jiang Fang's fingertips brushed Nan Zhou's hair lightly.

He stroked it down and down, neither light nor heavy.

He kept his voice extremely soft, like a whisper, for fear of awakening Nan Zhou.

In that case, Jiang Fang might lose the courage to speak his mind.

"I hate the feeling of being in love with someone, it usually means I'm out of control of myself."

"I was terrified."

"I'm afraid I'll be like my mother."

"There's nothing more dangerous about loving someone madly and terribly."

"I've seen that madness with my own eyes, so I thought I wouldn't do it again."

Jiang Fang paused.

"But I seem to be wrong. The power of heredity is great."

"So... Teacher Nan, I'm probably crazy to like you." :,