"I join your group of twenty-six killers?" Zheng Yubai was stunned.
"Isn't it good? Your last name is Zheng, so you can just take over Z's position." E seemed confident about recruiting Zheng Yubai. "You are good at martial arts, calm and steady, and have the demeanor of a great general. No one is more suitable to be a killer than you."
Zheng Yubai stared at E blankly, not knowing what was wrong with him. To be honest, even if E took out a submachine gun and fired three rounds of bullets at him, the shock would not be as great as hearing these words.
"I'm afraid I'm not suitable to be a killer." Zheng Yubai scratched his head, and after making sure that E was not joking with him, he answered very firmly.
"You have to think carefully. If you reject my suggestion, you will become the enemy of all killers in Asia, and you will live in fear every day." E threatened.
Zheng Yubai's face gradually became solemn. In front of everyone, he was always in a good temper. But Zheng Jingzhe's son, didn't he inherit the hot temper of the Zheng family? In front of certain things, Zheng Yubai would never give in. For example, after being suddenly attacked by K that day, he would desperately kill people. For example, after Tang Qing was kidnapped by Fang Hongjin, he would also rescue her regardless of his life.
E didn't know Zheng Yubai's temper, and what he said hit the sore spot of Zheng Yubai's character. Zheng Yubai said slowly: "It's up to you. I warn you first. Anyone who wants to hurt me or the people around me, I will make him die miserably."
E, who was originally full of arrogance, suddenly felt a chill when he heard Zheng Yubai's words. He couldn't help but take a step back and said, "Are you really going to go against our killer No. 26?"
Zheng Yubai said in a voice colder than the winter night: "If you don't get out of here, I guarantee that in five minutes there will be only 20 of you 26 assassins left."
E turned and left without saying a word. A moment later, his faint voice was heard in the night.
"Zheng Yubai, wait for death."
On the third day after the martial arts conference, Zheng Jingzhe went back to his hometown. According to him, the beginning of spring was coming and he had to go back to take care of the land at home. This trip to Jinghai changed the relationship between father and son a lot. Zheng Jingzhe had to admit that his son had grown up and was as strong as him. Zheng Yubai also felt that his rude father actually had a gentle side in his heart, but he was just embarrassed to express it.
Just after his father passed away, the matter that had troubled Zheng Yubai for three months finally came to light. Baldwin, the secretary general of the International Gambling Federation, called Zheng Yubai and told him that the gambling game would be held on the evening of January 12. The meaning of his words was obviously to tell Zheng Yubai that if he had any unfulfilled wishes, he should hurry up and deal with them in the next few days, so as not to die at Gao Fei's hands and leave many regrets.
This news immediately spread throughout the gambling world, and even the major underworld groups in Asia were also on the move. The underworld is naturally closely related to prostitution, gambling, and drugs. Whether the former gambling god Gao Fei wins or the new gambling god Zheng Yubai wins, they are all targets that all major forces are striving for. However, when someone spread the news that Zheng Yubai seemed to be a member of the Black Star Company, the underworld stopped and waited to watch the fun - they were not crazy enough to compete with the Black Star Group.
"Sorry for the long time, Mr. Yang, please come in." After answering a phone call, Yang Feiyun's secretary Xiao Wang stood up and said to Zheng Yubai with a slightly apologetic tone.
Zheng Yubai had been waiting outside Yang Feiyun's office for thirty minutes and had drunk a whole pot of Pu'er tea. Since the martial arts conference ended, Yang Feiyun's reputation has reached its peak. Not only has the business of Yang's Tai Chi Martial Arts School become more and more prosperous, he has also been appointed as an honorary consultant of the Chinese Wushu Association, and he is very busy with daily affairs.
Sure enough, when Zheng Yubai walked into the office, Yang Feiyun was answering the phone, talking about some business matters with an unknown partner in a businessman's tone.
The call finally ended, and Yang Feiyun apologized: "I'm so sorry, I've been very busy these past few days. As you can see, the effect of this martial arts conference is really great. You know, you are now a celebrity on the Internet, there is a website specially built for you, and you have a fan club..."
"Wait... what on earth did you ask me to do?" Zheng Yubai stopped Yang Feiyun from talking. The young man in front of him no longer had the pride he had in the past. His eyes were filled with a fiery light. He seemed to have completely turned into a businessman who was keen on the game of fame and fortune.
"It's like this. I've received many invitations to shoot commercials with you in the past few days. There's also the internationally renowned director Zhang Mou who wants you to shoot the martial arts film Eighteen Flying Daggers. He's very sincere and even sent you the script. It is said that the original role was to be played by the handsome guy Jin Wu, but the director took a fancy to your kung fu..." Yang Feiyun talked incessantly, and Zheng Yubai didn't even have a chance to interrupt.
After Yang Feiyun had finally finished describing the glorious future, Zheng Yubai scratched his head and said, "Let's put these things aside for now. I actually have something else to discuss with you."
"What's the matter? By the way, you will definitely have more and more business activities in the future. Do you want me to introduce you to an agent who is honest and charges reasonable fees..." Yang Feiyun talked about business every other sentence.
Zheng Yubai waved his hand and said, "No need for now. I came here to ask you to help me deal with Gao Fei. Our bet is on the twelfth."
"So soon?" Yang Feiyun was stunned, and finally stopped chattering. He flipped through the calendar on the table and asked thoughtfully, "What time?"
"It starts at 7pm."
"I have a business negotiation at five o'clock, and it should be over at seven. I will definitely go then." Yang Feiyun said, "You can rest assured that I will fulfill my promise." When he said this, there was a smile between his eyebrows. Needless to say, Zheng Yubai knew that Yang Feiyun must be planning to make him his brother-in-law.
After agreeing on a time and place with Yang Feiyun, Zheng Yubai left. As for the advertisements and movies, he said he would think about it when he got home. In fact, he had no interest in them at all.
After getting the helpers, Zheng Yubai came to Xu Jin's new rented house.
This is a very luxurious community. Xu Jin rented a duplex here. Although the rent is expensive, it has a nice environment and convenient transportation. Most importantly, when he doesn't want to hear the quarrel between Xu Ruoyu and Du Bisheng, he can hide on the second floor.
"Yubai, where have you been? You're going to have a decisive battle with Gao Fei the day after tomorrow. Why haven't you been practicing yet?" Du Bisheng jumped up immediately when he saw Zheng Yubai coming back home.
Xu Ruoyu said disdainfully: "You have already shaken off all your junk, what else is there to practice? In my opinion, practicing my fingering skills well is the key to victory."
"Bah, can your finger technique of touching cards with your eyes closed be able to restrain Gao Fei? Let me tell you, Gao Fei is not an ordinary person. His eyes seem to be able to see through people's hearts. It's weird." Du Bisheng said noisily. The two old guys have been quarreling every day since they moved out of the safe apartment. But even though they quarreled, they still had a companion. They played chess and cards every day, which really proved the old saying that enemies will never meet again.
"Do you think I don't know that Gao Fei's eyes are weird? If not this, do you have any other way?" Xu Ruoyu said unhappily.
Seeing them arguing endlessly, Zheng Yubai hurriedly said, "Stop arguing, stop arguing. I have my own way to deal with Gao Fei."
"What can you do?" the two asked together. It was rare that they were of one mind at this moment.
"This... don't worry about this. Anyway, I will definitely make his eyes lose their effect." Although Xu Ruoyu knew that Gao Fei had superpowers, this was still related to Yang Feiyun and the Superman Association hidden in the crowd, so Zheng Yubai still kept his mouth shut and did not leak it.
After finally getting rid of the two people who were dissatisfied with each other, Zheng Yubai hurried upstairs. Xu Jin and Yu Luo's rooms were upstairs, and the room specially reserved for Zheng Yubai was next to Xu Jin's room.
When he reached Xu Jin's door and was about to knock on it to go in, Zheng Yubai suddenly heard Yu Luo's voice coming from inside.
"Sister, if you like him, just tell him. If you don't, how will he know?"
Yu Luo's loud voice was not at all reserved, and Zheng Yubai could hear it clearly through the door. He was moved and slowly put down his raised hand.
"What can I say? He is going to participate in the gambling game the day after tomorrow, and I don't want to disturb his mind." The speaker was Xu Jin, and from her voice, it seemed that she had just cried.
"Then why are you crying? He won't know you're crying in your room." Yu Luo said angrily, "Since I met this heartless guy, I feel like you're no longer as strong as before."
"What do you know..." Xu Jin said, "If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have signed this bet with Gao Fei. If anything happened to him, I wouldn't want to live anymore."
"Oh, oh, how disgusting! Sister, how come you have become like a little girl in ancient times? If you continue like this, I will look down on you." Yu Luo shouted. Zheng Yubai could imagine that this mischievous little girl must have an exaggerated expression on her face when she said this.
"Just stop messing around, you don't even know how I feel."
"How could I not know? I like Brother Yubai too."
Zheng Yubai was stunned, and the room was silent for a moment, as if everyone was shocked by Yu Luo's words.
Yu Luo's voice came out again, breaking the awkward silence: "It's a pity that my sister fell in love with him first, and brother Yu Bai seems to like my sister very much, so I have to give in."
"Lolo, you... are you telling the truth?" Xu Jin asked in disbelief.
"I know you all treat me as a child. But children can like people too. Maybe not as deeply as my sister, but I like you just as much." Yu Luo spoke in a very quiet tone, which was rare for Zheng Yubai. Instead, he noticed a cuteness in this little girl that he had never had before.
"I never knew..." Xu Jin was stunned by Yu Luo's confession and didn't know what to say. Since she met Yu Luo, who was famous on the Internet five years ago, they have been dependent on each other and are as close as sisters. But even if they are sisters, they can't share a man.
"Sister, why do you have that expression? I didn't say I wanted to snatch Brother Yubai from you. I think I will definitely meet a great man like him in the future. When you have Brother Yubai, don't snatch him from me again."
"Sister won't compete with Luo Luo for it anymore." Xu Jin said with tears in her eyes.
Zheng Yubai, who was outside the door, eavesdropped on their conversation, and felt an inexplicable emotion in his heart. Some people say that beautiful women are the root of trouble. In this materialistic city, a good man is a poison that makes women happy and sad. After all, in this era, it is impossible to have polygamy like in ancient times. Choosing one will make others sad, and there is no room for maneuver.
Zheng Yubai shook his head and put aside these annoying things. He would have a decisive battle with Gao Fei the day after tomorrow. Why was he still thinking about these things? He should consider the relationship issue after he survives, otherwise he would only delay the happiness of the beautiful girl's life.
After quietly stepping back a few steps, Zheng Yubai coughed to remind the two beauties in the room, then he quickened his pace and went over to knock on the door.
There was a commotion in the room, and Yu Luo's voice changed: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, I'm not wearing any clothes."
"This little girl can't even lie. It's obviously Xu Jin's room, why is she not wearing any clothes..." Zheng Yubai thought helplessly.
"I'm fine. I just want to tell you that I'll treat you all to dinner tomorrow. I'm going to gamble my life the day after tomorrow. If I can't come back, I'll give you all some thoughts." Zheng Yubai chose his words carefully and told the truth.
The door banged open. Xu Jin's eyes were red and swollen, and he looked at Zheng Yubai angrily.
"Did I say something wrong?" Zheng Yubai was a little stunned when he saw Xu Jin's expression.
"Zheng Yubai, if you say such nonsense again, I will... I will die in front of you." Xu Jin's tears flowed again, leaving tear marks on her tender little face. Seeing her pitiful appearance, there was no charm of a female thief at all. Zheng Yubai felt distressed and said softly: "Don't worry, I will come back alive."
After hearing this, Xu Jin was not happy at all. Instead, she burst into tears and ran into Zheng Yubai's arms, crying and saying, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have implicated you. I shouldn't have asked you to help me get revenge. I didn't ask you to gamble your life with him."
"Don't worry, I will definitely win." Zheng Yubai stroked Xu Jin's hair, but saw Yu Luo looking at him curiously, with a feeling in her eyes that was different from her usual cheerfulness.
It is the most difficult to enjoy the favor of a beautiful woman, Zheng Yubai sighed in his heart, and he didn't know whether his good luck in love was a good thing or a bad thing.
The next night, Zheng Yubai's friends gathered in the Juxian Pavilion private club. This was a large private room specially arranged by Ding Beibei after she heard about it. It was luxuriously decorated with unique taste. It was indeed a favorite place for upper-class people to spend money.
In fact, Zheng Yubai didn't have many friends. In terms of relatives, only his cousin Tang Qing, who knew his background, came; in terms of colleagues, Cao Ji and four other bigwigs from the Black Star Company came together; among his college classmates, only Ding Beibei had a worried look on her face, not her usual sweet smile; his other friends were Xu Jin, Yu Luo, Susu and Yang Feiyan, and the two old guys Xu Ruoyu and Du Bisheng.
Others like Qiao Weilun and his wife and Bing Ye and Pao Ye had already left Jinghai and could not come back for the time being. Zheng Yubai did not know whether he would be able to meet them again in his lifetime.
"Well... everyone knows what's going to happen tomorrow, right?" Now that everyone was present, Zheng Yubai, as the host, had to say a few polite words. He didn't know what to say, so he scratched his head and blurted out these words.
It was a shocking thing to hear these words. Susu and Ding Beibei immediately burst into tears. Seeing their tearful faces, Zheng Yubai couldn't continue with the rest of the words.
"Hey, don't cry, brother Yubai will definitely not lose." Among the people present, Yang Feiyan was the most confident. However, she trusted not Zheng Yubai's gambling skills, but her brother Yang Feiyun's superpowers.
Zheng Yubai hurriedly said: "Fei Yan is right, I didn't become the God of Gamblers by luck. Tomorrow I will show my true strength and let Gao Fei die with peace of mind."
His boastful words slightly thawed everyone's faces. After all, Zheng Yubai was not going to die, and there was always a 50% chance of coming back alive. Tomorrow's battle was imminent, and crying was not auspicious, so everyone forced a smile and started to eat. With a few beautiful girls around, there was no need to worry about the atmosphere not being lively, and Zheng Yubai's confident face finally made everyone gradually put tomorrow's matters aside.
"Let's drink today, brother. Let's have a drink." Bobcat said casually as he filled a glass of wine for Zheng Yubai.
"Pa", before he could finish his words, Shanmao was slapped on the head. He turned around and saw Caoji angrily saying, "What bullshit are you talking about? What do you mean by live for today? We brothers still have a long way to go. Take back your discouraging words."
Shanmao looked wronged and wanted to explain, but he found that everyone at the table was staring at him unfriendly. He could only secretly curse his bad luck, stick out his tongue, and slap himself: "I am discouraged, I am discouraged."
"Actually, everyone doesn't need to be so nervous." Zheng Yubai couldn't bear to see everyone worrying about him so much. "I am 100% sure of winning, but for some reason, I can't tell you now."
Although the two old guys Xu Ruoyu and Du Bisheng looked down on each other, they also said at this moment: "Please rest assured, Zheng Yubai will be fine with the two of us teaching him everything we know."
Yang Feiyan also echoed the sentiment. Although everyone was still a little worried, their mood had improved a lot.
The song ended and everyone dispersed. Zheng Yubai also had to go back to rest. Tomorrow was a crucial battle, and no one dared to delay his rest any longer, lest they make a big mistake.
"Brother, I will wait for your call at home tomorrow. If I don't get your call at twelve o'clock, I will..." Susu left the sentence unfinished, but the meaning was very obvious.
Zheng Yubai secretly said that it was not good. If he went to fight alone, he would not be afraid. But now looking at Susu's situation, thinking about what Xu Jin said yesterday, and looking at Ding Beibei's confused look, he knew that he had a heavy burden on his shoulders. If he lost the game tomorrow, he might not die alone.
Only Zheng Yubai knew whether he had a good rest that night. But the next morning when Xu Jin finished making breakfast and noticed the dark circles under Zheng Yubai's eyes, he already knew the answer.
The gambling game was held in the secret club of the Palace Hotel. Since Yao Qian's downfall, the hotel has become Ding Rulong's property, so he was also invited to watch the game. The capacity of the secret club is 500 people, but it has never hosted such a large event. This time, it was finally full of people.
Most of the prominent figures in Jinghai were present, including the 15 standing committee members of the International Gambling Federation and the gambling kings of various countries. After everyone exchanged greetings, they immediately discussed who would win and who would lose in this life-and-death gambling game.
"Zheng Yubai?" Ding Rulong was a little surprised when he heard this familiar name. He tentatively asked a wealthy man beside him, "Is this new gambling god called Zheng Yubai? He has the same name as the champion of the martial arts conference?"
"Don't you know?" the man whispered mysteriously, "I heard that these two people are the same person."
"Ah..." Thinking of his daughter's affectionate look towards Zheng Yubai, Ding Rulong couldn't help but panic. Just as he was about to ask his daughter what was going on, Baldwin turned on the microphone, cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, time is almost up, and the game will start soon. Please turn off all communication tools and keep quiet."
Seeing the stern and impartial look of the security guard hired by the International Gambling Federation, Ding Rulong gave up the idea of asking. In his heart, he was already very resistant to the fact that his daughter liked Zheng Yubai. If Zheng Yubai lost this game... Ding Rulong shuddered and didn't dare to think any further.
The watch on Baldwin's wrist is a world-renowned Patek Philippe watch, which is accurate to the minute. When the hour hand finally points to seven o'clock, he says into the microphone: "Let the bet begin."
Behind him, two doors opened at the same time. Zheng Yubai, who had been waiting for a long time, pulled the tight tie on his collar, waved his hand casually, and walked out. And from the other door, his former gambling god Gao Fei, who always had a smile on his face, walked out.
The scattered applause immediately displeased many gambling kings. This was a life-and-death gamble, and the people present were witnesses. It was not an ordinary performance or competition, so there was no need for people to applaud and cheer.
As soon as he appeared on the stage, Zheng Yubai felt the sharp gaze coming from the side. He turned his head slightly and glanced at Gao Fei, and saw that his eyes were full of hatred.
"Zheng Yubai, you're dead." Gao Fei said coldly. Yao Qian's downfall was a big blow to him, and from some clues, it seemed that Zheng Yubai had something to do with Yao Qian's downfall. Anyway, the life-and-death gamble was imminent, and Gao Fei had no time to investigate it clearly, so he tied up all the new and old grudges together and settled everything with Zheng Yubai today.
Zheng Yubai was too lazy to argue with Gao Fei. Things had come to this point. It was too childish to rely on words to attack the opponent. Only one of the two people today could walk out of here alive. This was already a foregone conclusion and could not be changed. At this time, it was better to maintain a good attitude so as to show one's true strength.
With this in mind, Zheng Yubai came to the long table of the game. This game was played in the style of Stud Poker. The two players each had 10,000 chips. These chips did not represent money, but life. When one of them lost all his chips, it meant his death.
Zheng Yubai sat down and glanced around. His heart suddenly turned cold. In the crowd, he saw Du Bisheng and even Ding Rulong, but there was no sign of Yang Feiyun.
Where did he go? Zheng Yubai broke out in a cold sweat without realizing it. (To be continued)