Chapter 31

Chapter 14: The First Move of the Young Gambling Master

After the incident at the gym, the relationship between the three of them became much closer. Ning Xiaoning was no longer as cold as when they first met; sometimes she would even play and tease Xu Yao in front of Wen Liang. Her fragrant scent and graceful demeanor, her delicate bones and fair skin, truly made her a beauty, elegant and unparalleled. These days masked the dullness and monotony of training, and the friendship among the young boys quickly deepened. A glance, a turn of the head, always brought a warmth that flowed across the court.

In this era of white shirts fluttering, girls in their mid-teens exuded a unique fragrance, their eyes clear and bright, their figures graceful and supple. They moved with a natural gentleness, like the water lilies described in poetry, shy and delicate in the cool breeze. Boys of the same age paid no heed to the sweat on their bodies or the mud on their feet, laughing heartily and shouting loudly during sports. A momentary pause was not due to fatigue or frustration, but rather to catch a glimpse of a girl's profile or hear her voice, as clear as a wind chime, which instantly invigorated them.

This was the most brilliant season, yet also the most melancholic era. Countless people yearned for someone in their hearts, someone in a white shirt, with long hair, walking out of a dream in the moonlight, leaning against a strong, dragon-like white horse, gently playing a flute. The water in the lake, the flying geese, and the fireflies dancing gracefully were all enchanted by the flute's melody. The shallow grass swayed in the wind under the hooves, and the bright moon cast the silhouette of the beloved under the sky. This was the unique romance of youth, as well as its unique sorrow.

Those who had once been young did not cherish it, but they would later yearn for these past days. This was the youth of the 1990s, an era that had no past and no future, existing only in that time and disappearing in that time.

If given another chance, this nostalgia would surpass wealth and fame, surpass wine and women. Looking at the two lively girls beside him, Wen Liang realized that this life not only filled the void of his youth but also made it more colorful.

The days of fighting together always passed quickly. After one day of training, Wen Liang wiped his sweat and asked, "Coach, what are our chances of winning?" Yesterday, Ning Xiaoning had somehow found out the lineup of the opposing team, the Mu Shan Shan team. This made their chances of winning much higher.

Ning Xiaoning counted on her fingers, looking very cute: "Mu Shan Shan is tall and strong, so he will definitely play inside, responsible for the basket, rebounds, and main attacks. Shi Chengcai is small but agile, very fast, and will be the main player for breakthroughs, sprints, and strong attacks. But the one we need to pay special attention to is Guan You. This person has been on the provincial youth team and was recruited to Qingyi No. 1 High School for his basketball skills. I heard he is especially good at organizing and planning, and his defense is impenetrable. His nickname is 'Iron Wall!'"

Wen Liang frowned slightly: "Coach, it's not good to demoralize us just before the battle. If it really doesn't work, we can surrender; after all, I have a thick skin..."

"Pah!" Xu Yao spat at him, her eyes wide, "What's the use of a good nickname? I now grant you the nickname 'Diamond Drill,' to drill through the Iron Wall!"

Wen Liang said lewdly, "Silly, if you really had a diamond drill, you wouldn't use it to drill walls; there are better things to drill..."

The two girls looked puzzled, and Wen Liang was embarrassed, secretly despising himself. Facing such innocent girls of this era, even his old face felt a bit hot.

"It's okay, we have our advantages too," Ning Xiaoning clapped her hands, "First, we are three girls, so the other side will definitely underestimate us..."

"Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean by three girls?"

The uncle was ignored, and Ning Xiaoning continued, "Second, I can face Guan You. I may not be able to break through, but at least I can hold him back. Yao Yao is agile, has a good physique, and is tall, so she can definitely handle Shi Chengcai. Finally, there's Mu Shan Shan. Although his skills are a bit rough, he is tall and strong. We are girls, so we can't face him head-on. So the key to victory is..."

The two girls looked at Wen Liang, and the uncle, who was called a girl, puffed up his cheeks and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, "Little Shan Shan is mine, everything is okay!"

On March 25, 1995, the State Council issued a decision to amend the "Regulations on the Working Hours of Employees," and starting from May 1, the country officially implemented a two-day weekend system. The first week of the new semester was the first time Qingyi No. 1 High School had a two-day holiday, so Friday afternoon became a carnival for the entire school. After enduring two classes, they could finally retreat after the last self-study session. Just finishing reading Jin Yong's new work, "Nine Yin Nine Yang," Ren Yi nudged Wen Liang and said with a lecherous look, "Brother Erlang, please."

Wen Liang also bowed and said, "Brother Jianping, please."

At that time, the TV series "Gan Jiusieme" was very popular. Ren Yi was madly infatuated with Yang Lu's portrayal of Jiusieme. Using the tactics of crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang himself, he forced Wen Liang to call him Yin Jianping (one wonders if Zhang Zijian would shed tears). Then, using the shameless reason that playing a role alone was not effective, he assigned Wen Liang the role of a minor bandit, Hua Erlang, and without informing the actors, made Ji Su play Gan Jiusieme.

"Gan Jiusieme" was one of the most beautiful memories of that era. Although the plot and scenes seem insignificant now, at that time, it touched the hearts of countless young boys and girls. It was about chivalry, love, life and death, right and wrong. Faced with family and loved ones, how would you choose? Faced with justice and personal desires, how would you decide? A simple series, yet it moved many people.

"I have some intelligence to share. I heard that Mu Shan Shan placed a big bet with Liu Zhihe, and Old Liu's face turned green..."

"How much?" Wen Liang became interested, "One hundred or two hundred?"

"Two hundred?" Ren Yi showed no restraint in his disdain, "Use your imagination, Comrade Hua Erlang, five thousand yuan!"

Wen Liang was truly shocked. This was 1995. He held up his right hand and compared it twice, "Five thousand yuan?"

No matter how surprised Wen Liang was, the truth always made people cry. When he confirmed that this was not a delusion caused by reading pirated books, he subconsciously grabbed his pants.

He was in pain!

What kind of pain must a group of people have, what kind of dirty deeds must they do, to create such a painful situation! After a moment of reflection, Wen Liang asked, "What are the odds now?"

"Since everyone has a common understanding of your respective strengths, the betting is not very active. A few days ago, Liu Zhihe increased the odds for Mu Shan Shan from 1.1 to 1.5. If Mu Shan Shan wins, he will have to pay out 2,500 yuan!"

Wen Liang understood that everyone thought Mu Shan Shan would win. With bets of five or ten yuan, a 1.1 odds would not make much profit. Although there were some who wanted to bet on Wen Liang as an underdog, the overall betting volume was not significant. Liu Zhihe, as the bookie, would take a cut from the bets, but with a small scale, he could only make a noise. By increasing the odds, he hoped to attract more bets. Wen Liang was speechless; if Mu Shan Shan really won, would the money he made be enough to cover the losses?

Yin Jianping and Hua Erlang, two third-rate actors, sighed for a long time, expressing strong sympathy for Liu Zhihe's first big move at Qingyi No. 1 High School. This master of the junior high school gambling scene for three years might go bankrupt in this five-thousand-yuan bet of the century...

Wen Liang suddenly realized something and said, "I forgot to ask you, who did you bet on with fifty yuan?"

Despite his thick skin, Ren Yi looked embarrassed and said, "It's a personal privacy issue, let's not talk about it..."

"Ok, ok, I know the answer. Brother Jianping, can you be any more realistic..."

The very realistic Ren Yi was forced by Wen Liang to introduce him to the gambling master Liu Zhihe after school. Liu Zhihe was not tall, and the most noticeable thing about him was his wobbly fat. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed to the size of a mosquito's tiny penis—really tiny!

Even though Wen Liang knew that the distance between an idol and vomiting was just a turn, he still heard the sound of his dreams shattering. Ren Yi pointed at Wen Liang to introduce him, but Liu Zhihe smiled and said, "I know, I know, Wen Liang, nice to meet you."

From a person's speech, you can tell a lot. First, Liu Zhihe's speech was very street, almost like a thug. Second, although he looked kind, his fat did not move when he laughed, clearly a fake laugh from his throat. Finally, he was still a kid.

Perhaps because his father was in the police, he had seen many different people and wanted to mimic the sophistication of adults. But this sophistication on a high school student looked very funny to Wen Liang. Wen Liang did not want to deal with him much and immediately stated his purpose: "I heard that very few people bet on me, which is embarrassing. I'll bet on myself today. A thousand yuan is the limit, right? I'll bet a thousand, to show those bastards."

Liu Zhihe's eyes narrowed, and he sized Wen Liang up. Wen Liang knew his family background could not be hidden from Liu Zhihe, who was probably doubting if he had the money. He waved his hand and said, "Money is not a problem, don't worry." Liu Zhihe thought for a moment, then pulled out a notebook from his desk and threw it over. This was a good thing; no matter who won, with this thousand yuan as a base, his financial pressure would be less. Wen Liang opened it and saw that it was filled with two pages, with more than sixty people, and the bets on Mu Shan Shan were three times more than on Wen Liang. More impressively, there were no names, just codes from 1 to 67. Wen Liang received a small piece of paper torn from a math homework book, with 68 written on it.

Damn, he thought it was just a small game. If not for hearing about Mu Shan Shan's strong stance and the five-thousand-yuan bet, he would not have bothered to investigate. But now he was impressed. No wonder he was a veteran who had opened betting in junior high school; he had anti-detection experience and used a secret ledger.

Wen Liang roughly estimated that, excluding his and Mu Shan Shan's bets, the total was less than 500 yuan. Yes, that was reasonable, after all, it was just a game among kids, and a large amount was impossible. But with Mu Shan Shan's bet, it was enough to be considered illegal gambling.

"Ha ha," Wen Liang laughed, giving a thumbs up, "I'll bring the money tomorrow. To be able to handle such a big bet, you are really impressive, very impressive!"

Liu Zhihe was not afraid of Wen Liang defaulting, put away the notebook, and smiled, "The other bets are small, so even if the school finds out, it's not a big deal. As for you and Mu Shan Shan, will you tell anyone?"

"I won't, but Mu Shan Shan has already said they bet five thousand yuan..."

"He will definitely brag to show off, but if really asked, he won't admit it. The logic, Wen, you should understand, right?"

"Of course, of course," Wen Liang laughed.

The encounter with Liu Zhihe was purely accidental. If not for Ren Yi's information, Wen Liang would have forgotten about the betting. Five thousand yuan was not much for Mu Shan Shan, but since it was known even by Ren Yi, there was only one reason: to create momentum. Mu Shan Shan wanted to humiliate Wen Liang as much as possible, using every opportunity. If Wen Liang heard about the big bet and did not react, he would be seen as inferior, losing the upper hand in morale.

Wen Liang, having lived two lives, should not have cared about such things, but since he was already in a conflict with Mu Shan Shan, he had to meet force with force. Even if it was just a show of spirit, he would not back down. Only by building up the momentum before the game could he enjoy the victory even more.

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End of Chapter 14