Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

Interrogation room. All kinds of instruments of torture are hung on the wall, including steel whips, maces, bamboo sticks, and various unknown gadgets.A few thugs with fierce faces stood behind with their arms folded. Opposite Ye Han was Wu Shibao, the spy chief. "I didn't break the law, I protest!" Ye Han suddenly shouted. "What are you protesting? We didn't beat you or scold you?" Wu Shibao said with a sinister smile. "Why did you arrest me?" "Arrest you? Of course we will!" Wu Shibao smiled, "We will implement Chairman Wang's decree and confiscate the illegal proceeds from the casino. What about your property? Hand it over!"

"I don't have any property, I'm at a loss!" "A deficit? Then, there must be fixed property in the casino, right?" "No. It's sold out a long time ago, and it's just a way to get rid of my subordinates!" Wu Shibao snorted, "Mr. Ye, don't play tricks. According to the report of the owner of 'Paramount', Liang Pei, you transferred all the property of the casino tonight. Hand it over quickly. Where did it go?" Ye Han was taken aback for a moment, it really was Liang Pei who betrayed him!Facing the spy chief who was even afraid of Dai Li, he hardly felt any fear, and said loudly: "It's well known that Liang Pei and I have a grudge against him. He intends to frame me. Don't you believe it?"

Wu Shibao choked, and slapped the gavel: "Press it down!" Ye Han shook off the two spies who pulled him away: "I will go by myself!" Most of the spies were former gamblers, and they always respected Ye Han, so he went into prison by himself. The prison is built of large blocks of blue bricks, and the underground is a concrete floor. It is very dark and damp, and it took a long time for the eyes to get used to it. At this time, he discovered that there were already several "prisoners" in the prison.These people are all giants in the gambling industry in Shanghai. When they saw Ye Han come in, they surrounded him for advice on gambling skills.

The sanitation in the prison was very poor, filled with the musty smell and the smell of human excrement and urine. Fleas and bedbugs were rampant. How could these wealthy people who are used to pride and pride bear it? Within a few days, several people voluntarily handed over their property. Compared with these people, Ye Han has the least wealth, and he has earned it by his own wisdom and hard work. He will not give up easily, and would rather suffer from flesh and blood. The life in prison is very boring, so the giants try their best to have fun.All kinds of high-level or dirty jokes are everywhere, but more of them are playing their own trade-gambling.Bet on who has a lot of phlegm and spit far away; bet on who urinates the quietest and won't stir up the smell...

At the innermost corner of the wall, there is a toilet for the "prisoner" to excrete, and it will be poured out from the cell after it is full.Regardless of the form of gambling, all losers are fined next to the sleeping bucket.But soon there was a problem again. Some of those who were punished to sleep next to the toilet were dissatisfied and deliberately poured water down when they urinated. Ye Han then invented a gambling method that makes less noise than urinating.This item quickly gained popularity.At the beginning, except for Ye Han, almost no one could "listen to the spring tide in a silent place", so Ye Han taught the "secret recipe" like public "listening to dice" - adjust the angle when it is convenient, try to make the urine column direct The wall of the barrel, let the liquid seep down vertically... The giants were greatly inspired, and the air in the prison was greatly improved in the future.

The giants are happy with Ye-han. One day, Ye Han raised his finger and asked, "Everyone, what is this?" Someone puzzled and said: "Isn't it just the top of the prison?" "No!" Ye Han said resolutely, "It's not 'Prison Ding', it's 'Dice Cup Cover'!" Everyone was confused, Ye Han pointed to the ground again: "This is the bottom of the dice cup, you and I are both 'dice'." Everyone understood and burst out laughing. Ye Han said solemnly: "Life is very similar to being in prison. In order to pass the endless days and long nights, we must find something to enjoy—gambling is the best pastime."

The giants began to look sad one by one. Ye Han went on to say: "Don't be sad, everyone. If you don't have the experience of being in prison, you can't fully understand it. So, prison is the best school. When we walk out of the cell one day, we will find that the sky is like the lid of the dice cup, and the earth It is the bottom of the dice cup, and we ourselves are still 'dice'...Understanding this truth, we will know how to live. Aren't you going to ask me for gambling skills? Then tell everyone now: real gambling has no 'skills', There is only 'luck'. The whole meaning of a gambler's life lies in the gamble of the unknown...Brothers, the time to 'open the shop' is coming, good luck to you!"

Ever since Ye Han said those words, the giants no longer have any interest in having fun, and what they always think about is getting out of prison as soon as possible.This phenomenon is just like the 'snake head technique' or 'obscure eye technique', once broken, it loses its own mystery. On Ye Han's tenth day in prison, the jailer brought him a letter, opened it, and a few lines of familiar characters came into view: "Boss Ye, we only found out about your whereabouts now, and you have suffered a lot. We will find a way to rescue you, Yan Zhili." Ye Han crumpled the paper and breathed a sigh of relief.This store will be opened soon.

One morning, after a sound of keys, the big iron door opened with a bang.Under the dazzling sunlight, the prisoner said loudly: "Who is Mr. Ye Han?" "I am!" Ye Han stood up from the ground, blocking the glare with his hands. "You can go out now, someone will pick you up outside!" the jailer announced. Ye Han turned his head and said to his companion: "I won this shop, goodbye, brothers!" "You won, what about us?" The giants said in unison. "Wait for the next 'shop'." Ye Han said with a grimace, "This shop's 'dealer' has eaten you all."

Ye Han walked out of the cell, feeling the joy of being released welling up in his heart.At the gate, Yan Zhili was waiting there. When he saw Ye Han, he greeted him with open arms... "Old Yan, thank you, if there is a day in the future, I will not forget you!" Ye Han patted Yan Zhili's back. "Don't say that." Yan Zhili let go of Ye Han, "I just did my duty as a friend. Go, Liang Guotian and the others are waiting for you at the Hongkou Hotel. Besides, I have some good news for you." Ye Han followed Yan Zhili back to the Hongkou Hotel by taxi, Liang Guotian, Chen Ziniu, and Tan Tong came up to congratulate him.

"Thanks to Mr. Yan for helping you this time!" Tan Tong told Ye Handao, "He used the beauty trick to get in touch with the concubine of Public Security Bureau Chief Lu Ying, and solved the problem with one sentence." Ye Han patted Yan Zhili's shoulder: "Old Yan, I really have you." Yan Zhili looked proud and said, "Boss Ye, Lu Ying's concubine told me that Wang Jingwei is planning to open gambling in Shanghai in order to solve the financial problem. However, for the sake of unified management, only one can be opened in Shanghai, and Li Shiqun's confidant Wu Shibao Total responsibility." Ye Han frowned and said, "What good news is this? Even if I can join, it's only as a wage earner." Yan Zhili shook his head: "You misunderstood. Wu Shibao is actually only responsible for the collection of gambling taxes, and the newly opened casino allows gamblers to buy shares. Wu Shibao doesn't understand gambling, let alone management." Ye Han nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope again. In 1941, in order to raise funds, the Wang puppet government allowed six casinos, "Hollywood", "Lianqiao", "Qiuyuan", "Rongsheng", "Megafeng" and "Chinese" to form a super casino, named It is called "Six Nations Hotel".Ye Han was promoted by Yan Zhili, and also won a share in the "Six Kingdoms Hotel". Due to the severe war situation and the national crisis, aspiring young people rushed to the front to kill the enemy, and the people in the rear were also in panic all day long. The number of people who gambled dropped sharply, and the business was not as good as before. The "Six Nations Hotel" was in dismal business. The trend of the times, there is no way to recover. In 1942, "Liuguo Hotel" was dissolved, and Ye Han received a principal of 600,000 yuan.In the same year, Du Yuesheng's disciples who stayed in Shanghai regrouped. Liang Guotian felt that it was difficult to support him, so he led Chen Ziniu and Tan Tong back to Guangdong; Yan Zhili also felt that Shanghai was not a place to live for a long time, and persuaded Ye Han to return to Macau.However, Ye Han thinks that he never returned to Macau with 4 million yuan in the past, and now it is even more difficult to go back with this little money left. Yan Zhili persuaded: "'The sea of ​​bitterness has no limit, and the return is the shore', I am afraid that if we go on, we will not even have the trouble of returning. Boss Ye, by then, I will regret it!" Ye Han shook his head: "I can't help myself. I have a thorough understanding of life and gambling. Anyway, it's all a gamble. Don't persuade me. I won't give up if I don't lose all the 600,000." Yan Zhili knew that a red-eyed gambler would not give up until he had lost all his clothes and pants, so he stopped working hard and soon returned to Macau by himself. In 1943, with the support of Lu Ying, the pseudo-public security chief, and Li Shiqun, the head of the "76" special agent, the Shanghai gang opened several casinos in Shanghai's old city, which made the "gambling center" of Shanghai move southward.Ye Han gambled 600,000 yuan and opened a "Chinese" casino in the southern district. The "Hua Wen" casino is small in scale and the investment is not large. Ye Han can't display his talents. In addition, because of the "Pearl Harbor" incident, the United States declared war on Japan, and the whole war has turned around. Du Yuesheng sent disciples back to Shanghai. at stake. In June 1945, the impoverished Japanese invaders, like gamblers who lost their eyes, gathered hundreds of thousands of troops to go south, trying to break through the "Xianggui" line and attack Sichuan, threatening the "accompanying capital" Chongqing... In July, the entire Japanese army was wiped out in Xuefeng Mountain in western Hunan; on August 15, the supreme leader of the Japanese army, Okamura Ningz, formally signed a surrender agreement in Zhijiang, western Hunan, and the Second World War ended.That year, Du Yuesheng made a comeback and returned to Shanghai.Knowing that the situation was over, Ye Han reluctantly left Shanghai. After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the civil war broke out again. In China, a land full of disasters, there were constant wars and smoke.After going back and forth several times, Ye Han first returned to Guangzhou, then went south to Hong Kong, and finally returned to his hometown to open a small casino in Jiangmen. In May 1948, Ye Han opened the casino in his hometown.At this time, he was 42 years old, with gorgeous hair on his head.Although he failed to achieve anything, he was full of ambition, and the pride of dominating the gambling world never disappeared for a moment. In order to express his ambition, he named his small casino "Haoxiong Casino".I am confident that one day he will be able to dominate Haojiang. Due to the impact of the war, people's hearts are uneasy, and Jiangmen is small, the business of "Hao Xiong" Casino is not ideal. Opening for business, closing for business, sunrise and sunset, time goes by like this day by day, facing the boring days, Ye Han sighed.It is a great tragedy in life that great ambitions are not rewarded. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and wet the pillow towel with tears. At such times, Ye Han had no choice but to get up, put on his clothes and boots, stand on his own building, look at the vast starry sky, look at the indistinct distance, or let the past experience reappear in his heart, or guess the boundless future and meditate on the moon... He deeply felt The future is the most unpredictable thing - like the dice in the dice Gu, no one can be sure until the cup is lifted. People often don't know where they are in life and where they are going.Difficulties in life are difficulties in judging.Philosophical and poetic phrases that speak in general terms of pain or happiness in life cannot solve the various practical problems we encounter.Lyrics are often vague.Contemplation is an active action for philosophers, but for ordinary people, blindly contemplating will lose the opportunity to act.The brilliance of the gambler lies in his decisive one-time judgment and his courage to pay for his mistakes in judgment. Looking back, I said that in 1938 Ye Han's "No. 864" casino was seized by the Japanese, and his money was not enough for everyone to return to Macau.Qiu Laoliu proposed that he go back first and ask Fu Laorong for help, and Ye Han agreed. Qiu Laoliu was originally Ye Han's colleague when he was a croupier under Lu Jiu. When Ye Han returned to Haojiang with Fu Laorong, he dragged him to "Taixing Company" again.After Qiu Laoliu returned to Macau, he did truthfully report Ye Han's plight in Shanghai to Fu Laorong, but Fu Laorong decided to die instead of saving him. Thinking of Ye Han's suffering in Shanghai, Qiu Lao Liu's conscience is always condemned.Therefore, he paid special attention to the situation in Shanghai. Soon, Ye Han made a comeback and won 4 million yuan from Liang Pei. Qiu Lao Liu finally had comfort and told Fu Laorong the good news. Fu Laorong said: "Ye Han is a genius, I believe he can overcome the difficulties with his own ability, you see, it will be fulfilled now!" After Ye Han reopened "No. 864" in Shanghai relying on the influence of the "Guangdong Gang", Qiu Lao Liu stopped asking, and began to work as the director of his Sic Bo Department under Fu Lao Rong with peace of mind, living a life of adequate food and clothing and the company of beautiful women. When the time came to the winter of 1941, the paparazzi suddenly came to the Central Hotel to look for him and told Ye Han that his casino was once again seized by the puppet Wang government and he was thrown into prison.From then on, Qiu Lao Liu took on the burden of thinking again, and began to feel pity for Ye Han.He often said in front of Fu Laorong that Ye Hankong has a lot of abilities, but his fate is not good, and disasters always follow him. Then, I learned that Ye Han was released from prison with the help of Yan Zhili and returned to the gambling industry, but his business was bleak and his life was very difficult... In 1942, Qiu Laoliu read an article in "Macao Daily" written by entertainment reporter Zhou Pingcai "Playboy Yan Zhili returns to Haojiang, old lover Yingying Yanyan follows left and right". Qiu Laoliu was startled: Isn't Yan Zhili by Ye Han's side?Why are you back again?Qiu Laoliu asked Zhou Ping for Yan Zhili's phone number, so he asked him out for tea. I haven't seen him for many years, but Yan Zhili doesn't look old at all, his skin is well maintained, his hair is in perfect order, his suit and leather shoes exude the smell of French perfume all over his body.After he came back, he was still busy with stock and gold business, and frequently went to various social places, always surrounded by colorful flowers, which was very lively.Before sitting still, he glanced at his wristwatch and said, "Talk to Lao Qiu as soon as possible, I still have an appointment." Qiu Lao Liu stared at him for a long while before he said, "Don't rush to leave, sit down, and I will ask you slowly." Yan Zhili frowned, showing a helpless look, and sighed: "You gamblers, I really can't do anything with you. Can I ask?" Qiu Lao Liu nodded: "Aren't you with Ye Han? Why did you run back? Leave him alone?" Yan Zhili shook his head: "Ye Han is the real gambler. There's really nothing we can do about him. Shanghai can't stay any longer. He won't admit defeat. He won't turn back until he loses everything with himself!" Qiu Lao Liu poked his head over, swallowed and said, "How is he doing now?" Yan Zhili looked at Qiu Lao Liu, knowing his mood at the moment, in order to make him feel more self-blame, he deliberately exaggerated: "He is miserable, he owes a lot of debt!" Qiu Lao Liu was taken aback, and really felt uncomfortable, and said after a long time: "You should pull him back, I can speak nice words in front of the boss, and ask him to come back." Yan Zhili sneered and said, "Ask him to come back? Why didn't you bring a sum of money to pick him up in Shanghai? It's a pity that you said such things now, are you still a human?" Qiu Lao Liu blushed and lowered his head: "Lao Yan, don't mention it. I have been feeling uncomfortable these years because I feel ashamed of Ye Han. Really, I really hope his situation will improve. If you If you can still see him, you must explain it to me.” Yan Zhili snorted and said, "He doesn't want to listen to your explanation. He hates you so much that he swears he never wants to see you for the rest of his life! But, then again, no matter how much he blames you, you must know that he is right You are very kind!" Qiu Lao Liu held his head in pain, and said in a low voice: "Because of this, I feel that I owe him too much, and my heart is always uneasy. Lao Yan, tell me, how can I make up for my mistakes so that Ye Han no longer hates me? " Yan Zhili said: "You'd better find a way to invite him back to Macau and persuade Fu Laorong to reuse him." Qiu Lao Liu thought for a while, and thought that was the only way to go, so he said, "I will definitely talk to Fu Laorong. As for inviting Ye Han back, I'm afraid it's not okay for me to say, Lao Yan, can you go to Shanghai for me?" invite him!" Yan Zhili shook his head again and again: "I'm afraid I can't, this time I also spent a lot of talking; to untie the bell, the person who tied the bell has to be untied. It may be more appropriate for you to invite him back in the name of Fu Laorong." In the days to come, Qiu Lao Liufan and Fu Laorong were together and talked about Ye Han's many benefits.Time passed, and Fu Laorong's defense against Ye Han became weaker. Sometimes thinking about the past, he also felt that his actions were too much. It's just that the war was raging and the news was separated. In August 1945, Japan surrendered, and then the civil war broke out. Qiu Laoliu found out that Ye Han had left Shanghai, but it was not clear where he went. In 1948, the defeat of the Kuomintang was a foregone conclusion. The Communist Party always hated gambling. Some gamblers from Guangdong came to Macau. Some of them knew Qiu Laoliu in the past.It turned out that Ye Han left Shanghai at the end of 1945, stopped in Guangzhou for several years, and returned to his hometown Jiangmen in May 1948 to open a "Haoxiong Casino".Dismal management, melancholy day and night... Qiu Laoliu felt sorry for him, and begged Fu Laorong again, saying that Ye Han was critically ill, all due to his unsatisfactory career, if he could be invited out of the mountain, one would save a life and be better than building a seven-level pagoda; At this time, reusing Ye Han's business will surely bring about a new turning point. When Ye Han left Macau, the population increased rapidly to 245,000 due to the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War.After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Chinese who fled to Macau from the mainland returned home one after another, and the population fell back to 190,000, so the casino business in Macau began to slump.Facing the new situation, Fu Laorong was at a loss for a while, and none of his subordinates could come up with a good plan. Therefore, he felt nostalgic for Ye Han again.When Qiu Laoliu mentioned it, he agreed to call Ye Han again and appointed Qiu Laoliu to take on this task. Jian Kun, Fu Laorong's nephew, knew about this, and also asked to go to Jiangmen with Qiu Laoliu to invite Ye Han out of the mountain.It turns out that Jian Kun and Ye Han have worked together for many years, usually relying on their relatives with Fu Laorong, and jealousy is always present. After Ye Han left, he felt that Ye Han was an upright person, donating righteousness to wealth, and not relying on talent. Thinking of all these benefits, He deeply regretted that he had done wrong to Ye Han back then, and going to Jiangmen to invite him happened to be a chance to make amends. Qiu Laoliu and Jian Kun took a boat to Zhuhai on another day, and then hitched a ride to Jiangmen. It is said that after recovering from a serious illness, Ye Han felt that his future was bleak. One day, he was in a daze in the office. Suddenly, a clerk reported to him that two guests came to him from Macau. Ye Han stood up and recognized Qiu Laoliu and Jian Kun at the entrance of the casino. His enthusiasm faded like cold water, and he said coldly, "Why are you?" Qiu Laoliu thought a lot about what he wanted to say when he met Ye Han, but now he couldn't say a word, his face blushed and he dared not look him in the eye. In comparison, Jian Kun looked calmer, and said: "Mr. Ye, Lao Qiu has always felt sorry for you these years, and he often blames himself in his heart. The first thing today is to apologize to you." Ye Han's eyebrows were twitching. He kept thinking that if he ever met Qiu Lao Liu, he would have to scold him like a dog. Come in and sit down." After a while, the waiter poured hot fragrant tea, Ye Han took the opportunity to look at Qiu Lao Liu and Jian Kun.But I saw that the two suits were straight, their hair was not messy, their bodies still smelled of perfume, and their skin was smooth and wrinkled. Although they were about the same age, they were at least ten years younger than themselves in the eyes of outsiders. Qiu Lao Liu sneaked a glance at Jian Kun. Jian Kun understood, put down his teacup and said, "This time, besides apologizing to you, Boss Fu ordered you to return to work." Qiu Lao Liu also found a chance to speak: "Now there is a new situation in the casino business, and the whole company is helpless. Boss Fu scolding us is useless, no one can match you, so—" Ye Han sneered and said: "Old Fu only thought of Ye Han when he wanted to use me, please go back and tell him: Ye Han is not a thing, you can use it whenever you think of it." Qiu Lao Liu and Jian Kun looked at each other.After a long time, Qiu Lao Liu still did not give up and said: "Lao Ye misunderstood, although Fu Lao Rong intended to use you, the most important thing is to appreciate your talent. When we were in trouble in Shanghai, the reason why he didn't help was because he believed that you could rely on yourself. His ability can overcome difficulties. If he said otherwise, Ye Han would not be Ye Han." "Thank you for his compliment." Qiu Laoliu said again: "Actually, Boss Fu has been secretly caring about you since you were in trouble. He knows your every move in the future. This time you were seriously ill in your hometown, and he was so anxious that he urged us to come quickly and ask you to come back." Macao." Ye Han had sensed something from the expressions and conversations of the two, and said bluntly: "You two don't waste your time talking, Ye is not a fool, and he can't be coaxed casually. You must feel that you owe me something. To comfort my conscience, I persuaded Fu Laorong to call me back, isn't that true?" The two were hit to the core, and they were at a loss for words. Ye Han smiled and said: "I know you very well. Although you are not a good person, you are not too bad. This incident proves that you still have a conscience. I think you don't have to be like this. I, Ye Han, have traveled all over the world for most of my life. , I have seen all kinds of people and things in wind and rain, if you have any uneasiness, you have come to the door to apologize now—things between us are evened out!" Qiu Lao Liu was moved by Ye Han's words, sobbing: "Lao Ye's magnanimity and kindness made Lao Liu ashamed... As a friend, I invite you to Macau out of sincerity. Jiangmen is a small place, and it will soon When you are about to be liberated, you have to find a home. Fu Laorong is now in his sixties, and his son has no intention of inheriting the gambling business. Don’t you think this is an opportunity? Lao Ye, I have always known you and know that you have great ambitions. It is definitely not something in the pool, so I advise you to cherish this opportunity even more!" Ye Han was taken aback for a moment, Qiu Lao Liu's words finally reached his heart, and he looked straight at Jian Kun. Qiu Lao Liu also understood what he meant, his throat moved and said: "Don't worry about Lao Ye, Jian Kun is also one of his own. These years, Fu Lao Rong has never trusted anyone except himself. Although Jian Kun is his nephew, And always suspicious." Jian Kun also said: "Fu Laorong often said in front of me that he has no relatives in the company but only employees. No matter where he is, he only cares about his personal prestige and never considers my face. Mr. Ye, you should come back, I would like to talk to you Dry!" Seeing that Ye Han didn't make a sound, Mr. Qiu probably was tempted, so he came closer and whispered, "There is another person waiting for you in Macau, and she has a deep love for you!" Ye Han's whole body immediately surged with passion, and his lips trembled as he asked Qiu Lao Liu, "Is...is she alright now?" Qiu Lao Liu nodded: "She's fine, but she's old...but she has a very beautiful daughter." After speaking, he took another peek at Jian Kun, who lowered his head with a blushing face. "Daughter? Whose daughter is she with?" Qiu Laoliu winked at Ye Han slyly, and said deliberately, "If you agree to go to Macau, what else do you not understand?" Ye Han pondered for a moment: "I can't answer you now, let me think about it for a few days." Qiu Lao Liu smiled proudly at Jian Kun and said, "Okay, we'll wait for your reply." Two days later, Qiu Lao Liu and Jian Kun came to look for Ye Han, and Ye Han immediately asked, "Old Fu really sincerely invites me out of the mountain?" Qiu Lao Liu and Jian Kun said in unison: "Is there still a fake?" Ye Han nodded and said: "I know that the situation in Macau is not good, and Taixing Company is facing new problems. If no measures are taken, the casino business will go from bad to worse." Qiu Lao Liu said: "Boss Fu has also seen this problem, so - he knows you must have a solution." "Of course I have a way!" Ye Han interrupted him, "The number of gamblers has dropped sharply. The only way is to improve the casino and introduce new gambling methods. He is 10 years old, although he hasn't made any money, but his fame is recognized by the gambling industry, do you still want me to work for him?" Qiu Laoliu showed embarrassment: "Boss Fu said that he would not treat you badly, but we can't tell if it is not for you to work. Of course, you can ask him." "Life is like a gamble", this "shop" Ye Han has made a plan, using himself as a bargaining chip to challenge Fu Laorong, if Fu Laorong is willing to give up part of the equity, he will win; if Fu Laorong insists on not giving in, he would rather lose this time Chance. "I am already the boss in Shanghai, and it is even more impossible to turn back at this age." Ye Han said, "My request is not too much. I can create considerable profits and will not make Fu Laorong suffer. If he is sincere , It's a good thing for him and me."