Chapter 51

Bell was one of the journalists sent by the BBC to Athens to cover the Olympics. For Bell, being dispatched to Athens to watch the thrilling Olympic events, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Aegean Sea, and receive an allowance for travel expenses was absolutely a great assignment, far better than staying in the dreary London.

After a day's work, Bell returned to his accommodation, made himself a cup of coffee, and then sat in a wicker chair on the balcony, picking up a newspaper to enjoy some leisure time.

"In 'Tourist Wins 4 Million Euros by Betting on Iraq's Victory over Portugal,' there are always a dozen or so lucky people every year!" Bell saw this news item in the corner of the newspaper.

"A Chinese tourist placed a heavy bet on Iraq's 4-2 victory over Portugal, winning over 4 million euros. Oh my God, who would have bet on Iraq's 4-2 victory over Portugal? This must be a marketing advertisement by the betting company!" Bell saw a small photo attached to the article, showing a Chinese man receiving a check from the betting company.

"Hmm, this Chinese man looks familiar. I must have seen him somewhere." Bell looked at the photo carefully. Perhaps the black and white quality of the newspaper affected the photo's clarity, and Bell couldn't remember where he had seen this Chinese man.

Bell picked up his coffee cup, turned back into the room, and opened his laptop, entering the OPAP website to find this news item. The photo on the computer was much clearer, and Bell immediately recognized the man as the Chinese person he had interviewed at the betting station a few days ago. Bell's interview had already been broadcast in the UK two days ago, but due to the Olympics, various Olympic reports were constantly emerging, and his interview had not attracted much attention, quickly being overshadowed by Olympic news.

"It's him! Damn, what incredible luck! 4 million euros, enough to spend several lifetimes in China. Iraq's 4-2 victory over Portugal, no one with a brain would bet on that. Wait a minute, did this Chinese man get some insider information?" A conspiracy theory flashed through Bell's mind.

But Bell immediately dismissed his own thought.

"It's unlikely. Even if there was insider information, it wouldn't be known by a Chinese person. It seems this Chinese man is either a betting expert or just incredibly lucky, or perhaps it's some kind of Eastern magic. Right, I remember he didn't bet on the Iraq vs. Portugal match, but on a Chinese athlete winning the 100-meter dash."

Bell immediately opened the official Athens Olympic website and found the profiles of all male 100-meter athletes.

"Haijian Chen, this is the Chinese athlete. No, it wasn't this name." Bell scrolled down the page, continuing to search.

"Guan Zhang, yes, that's the Chinese man who bet on him!" Bell clicked on the name, and the athlete's basic information and photo appeared on the screen.

"What! This... This is... This is the bettor himself! So he bet on himself winning! Oh my God, that's crazy! What an idiot!" Bell exclaimed.

But then, Bell realized this was an incredibly sensational news story. A participant with no chance of winning a medal spent tens of thousands of euros betting on himself to win the Olympic championship. This was full of drama, like Mongolia suddenly deciding to spend 10 billion to build an aircraft carrier. More importantly, the athlete was Chinese, and given the BBC's frequent negative coverage of China, Bell could fully exploit this to create a sensational story and attract attention.

As for Zhang Guan's bet on Iraq's 4-2 victory over Portugal, Bell had already forgotten about it. Such a long-shot win happens a few times a year in Europe, only proving that the person had incredible luck, but it wasn't impossible. It was like a gold prospector finding gold in an abandoned mine.

"Gold prospector finds gold in an abandoned mine" or "Mongolia spends 10 billion to build an aircraft carrier," which headline is more attention-grabbing? Clearly, the latter. Everyone knows Mongolia has no sea. "Olympic participant wins a long-shot bet" or "Chinese athlete bets heavily on himself winning the Olympic 100-meter dash," which is more sensational? Clearly, the latter, as the world believes Chinese athletes can't win the Olympic 100-meter dash.

At this moment, Bell put aside his leisure time and began to draft a groundbreaking report at his computer.

...

Flaxakis was an accountant whose accounting firm had a long-term relationship with OPAP. Today, OPAP had referred a business to the accounting firm: a tourist had just won 4 million euros from betting and needed to transfer this large sum out of Athens with minimal fees. Today was the day Flaxakis was scheduled to meet this tourist.

To Flaxakis's surprise, the meeting place was not in the center of Athens but in a café in the Olympic Village's open area.

"Truly a lucky person. If I'm not mistaken, this lucky person should be him!" Flaxakis thought as he walked into the café and asked the waiter, "I have an appointment. Could you tell me where table 5 is?"

"Right over there." The waiter pointed in a direction, and Flaxakis turned to see a familiar face.

"Indeed, it's that Eastern man." Flaxakis walked over and said, "Sir, I didn't expect to see you again. My name is Vassilis Flaxakis, an accountant."

"Yes, I didn't expect to see you so soon either." Zhang Guan invited him to sit down.

Flaxakis was the middle-aged man in a khaki suit who had analyzed Portugal's strength to Zhang Guan at the betting station. So when Flaxakis learned that someone had won the bet on Iraq's 4-2 victory over Portugal, he immediately thought of the Eastern man he had seen at the betting station.

Flaxakis ordered a coffee and said, "I never thought I would witness a miracle at the betting station that day! I even tried to stop you from betting on Iraq, but fortunately, you didn't listen to me."

"I've always been optimistic about Iraq. I believed they had a chance to reach the semi-finals." Zhang Guan said.

"Semi-finals? I believe in your judgment. I'll definitely bet on Iraq reaching the semi-finals later." Flaxakis said.

"But the odds on Iraq have dropped significantly now." Zhang Guan smiled.

Since Iraq's victory over Portugal, the betting company had immediately adjusted the odds, and some analysts even suggested that Iraq might win the championship. Betting on Iraq now was no longer as lucrative as it was a few days ago.

Then, the two got down to business.

Zhang Guan spoke first, "Mr. Flaxakis, I want to transfer this prize money back to China. You know I'm Chinese, and I want to spend the money in China. But I don't know how to do it, so I need your help."

"Mr. Zhang, thank you for your trust. We have several ways to transfer your money to China." Flaxakis lowered his voice and continued, "Including some special methods."

Zhang Guan knew that Flaxakis's "special methods" likely involved money laundering through underground banks, so he immediately shook his head, "I need a legal way, even if it means paying more in fees."

"Of course, Mr. Zhang, we have several legal methods." Flaxakis explained, "First, we can use international electronic transfers to send the money to any bank in your country that handles foreign exchange. However, this will incur significant fees. Additionally, due to historical reasons, NATO has strict scrutiny on large transfers to Russia and China. I understand that your country has restrictions on foreign exchange for its citizens, which can sometimes cause trouble, so I don't recommend this method."

Zhang Guan nodded, "You're right. Our country has no limit on receiving foreign transfers, but there are restrictions on foreign exchange, with a limit of $50,000 per person per year."

"Second, we can use a trading company to bring the money to your country through trade. We can find a suitable trading company for you, but this method is more complex. You know the trade settlement cycle is longer, and if the exchange rate fluctuates, you might suffer losses, possibly exceeding the normal transfer fees." Flaxakis took a sip of coffee and, seeing that Zhang Guan had no questions, continued.

"Third, we can transfer the money through the UK. First, we transfer the funds from Greece to the UK, as both countries are in the EU, and there are no issues with international transfers. Then, we use a multinational financial company to transfer the money to Hong Kong. Due to historical reasons, there are very few financial restrictions between the UK and Hong Kong, and many companies in the UK handle this business. Finally, you need to open an account in Hong Kong and transfer the money to your account. Hong Kong is an Asian financial center with very few restrictions on foreign exchange. This method is fast, convenient, safe, and cost-effective, and I strongly recommend it."

"Alright, I'll choose the third method, but I hope you can wait a bit before proceeding." Zhang Guan immediately responded.

"Why?" Flaxakis asked.

"Don't forget, I also bet on Iraq reaching the semi-finals. I might have another large sum of money in a few days." Zhang Guan said with a smile.

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Chapter 2 is delivered. Thank you to the readers Shu Gu Lang, Mei Zhu Jushi, Reader-YES, Xin Wei Xue, gigiliu5277, Tuhao Shuang Bu Liao, Shishang Feng Ge, Da1 Cheng, Wu Ru Shu, wqqwwqwww, Dao Bu Tong, and Artoria Pendragon for your support. I appreciate your recommendations. Thank you.