As soon as the word “bastard” was spoken, Cen Zhisen almost immediately understood, and a smile appeared in his eyes.

Withdrawing his gaze, he shook hands with Kuang Yaoting first. They had dealt with each other several times in video calls before and were somewhat acquainted, although both of them appeared less than enthusiastic.

Kuang Yaoting wanted to introduce Ning Zhiyuan to the big shot, but Cen Zhisen preempted, “Uncle, this is Zhiyuan, my younger brother, as I mentioned to you before.”

The senior figure addressed as “Uncle” was quite gracious. Hearing Cen Zhisen say that Ning Zhiyuan was in venture capital, he nodded, smiled warmly, and praised in heavily accented Mandarin, “Young man, quite capable.”

Ning Zhiyuan was not at all uneasy, graciously thanking the elder.

They all took their seats, and Cen Zhisen naturally sat beside Ning Zhiyuan. Kuang Yaoting discreetly observed them, then shifted his gaze away and chatted with Mr. Shibai about today’s horse races.

Ning Zhiyuan leaned over and asked Cen Zhisen in a low voice, “How did you end up here?”

“Business discussions and project inspections,” Cen Zhisen replied without elaborating.

A new batch of refreshments and tea was brought to the table. Kuang Yaoting asked Ning Zhiyuan whether he wanted to observe the first race or place a bet directly. After thinking for a moment, Ning Zhiyuan said, “Let’s place a bet directly. Since I’m an outsider, it doesn’t make much difference whether I watch or not.”

He placed a simple “win-only” bet, and it was the cheapest, a ten-dollar wager, not even a significant trial but just for fun.

Cen Zhisen tilted his head and asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted to try gambling? Just one bet?”

“One bet is still gambling,” Ning Zhiyuan replied, “the amount doesn’t matter.”

He chose a horse with moderate odds. Kuang Yaoting reminded him that this horse had been popular before, but due to recent injuries, its performance had been subpar and wasn’t highly regarded.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ning Zhiyuan didn’t care much, “I’ll go with it.”

Kuang Yaoting asked, “Sure?”

Ning Zhiyuan said, “Sure. This horse has a golden coat, magnificent and majestic. It appeals to me. Plus, its name is interesting—’Qi Tian Da Sheng.’ Da Sheng is a pun on being a warm-tempered horse. It means all the other horses obey it. It’s the boss. So, I’m betting on it. In case it loses, I’ll consider it a charity.”

Mr. Shibai laughed, seemingly pleased with his remarks, “Youngster, you’re the first one to associate these thoughts with its name. Very good. My favorite character is indeed the Monkey King. Although being a warm-tempered horse is somewhat underutilizing him, it’s quite majestic. This horse has a golden coat like the Monkey King, so it’s named ‘Qi Tian Da Sheng.'”

Ning Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised, subconsciously looking at Cen Zhisen, who nodded, “This Qi Tian Da Sheng is Uncle’s horse. You’ve got a good eye.”

Kuang Yaoting also smiled, “I didn’t finish just now. Although its performance was average before, it’s said to be in good shape today. There’s a real chance.”

Ning Zhiyuan smiled, “Then I’m looking forward to it.”

Mr. Shibai confidently declared, “You’ll see; my sweetheart will definitely win the first race today.”

Ning Zhiyuan replied, “I’ll watch with anticipation.”

He actually had no idea that this horse belonged to Mr. Shibai, and there was no intentional flattery. However, the other party seemed quite happy. The wealthy people in Hong Kong were most passionate about horse racing. Winning a race brought them more joy than any amount of prize money, which might not even cover the cost of maintaining the horse. But money wasn’t the point; they had plenty of it.

“I’ll place a bet too,” Cen Zhisen said, “also on Qi Tian Da Sheng.”

Ning Zhiyuan asked him, “What if it loses?”

“Same, consider it charity,” Cen Zhisen replied.

They exchanged smiles, and Kuang Yaoting, sitting across, raised his eyebrows upon seeing it.

After the gunshot, twelve horses thundered out.

Qi Tian Da Sheng was the second to start, maintaining the second position in the first half of the race. Ning Zhiyuan, holding binoculars, watched with great interest. In the last two hundred meters, the majestic Qi Tian Da Sheng began to exert force, catching up with the long-time leader. At the moment they crossed the finish line, the two horses were almost neck and neck.

In the end, Qi Tian Da Sheng won the race with a nose ahead.

With a triumphant victory, Mr. Shibai was beaming, and Ning Zhiyuan was also delighted, even though he and Cen Zhisen each only won a few hundred dollars.

“Good luck. Will you continue in the next race?” Kuang Yaoting asked.

Ning Zhiyuan was already looking at the next set of horses when Mr. Shibai reminded him, “See those people outside? The 3T pool today is eighty million. They all want to get rich. Don’t you want to try?”

The 3T play typically involved selecting the top three horses in the fourth, fifth, and sixth races, without the need for specific order. If no one wins on the same day, the prize pool accumulates for the next race day.

The rules were simple, and the huge jackpot was enticing, attracting countless participants.

Ning Zhiyuan became interested, “Sure, I’ll buy a ticket and try.”

Cen Zhisen suggested, “Let’s do it together, pool our money for one ticket.”

Ning Zhiyuan nodded, “Sure, your call.”

Ning Zhiyuan still chose the horses. He wasn’t picking randomly, having attended horse-riding lessons at a young age. While there were many factors in horse racing, he only cared about what looked good and left the rest to luck.

In the first two races, he selected three horses, all of them being popular or hot favorites. When deciding on the last race, where the odds for several horses were similar, Kuang Yaoting reminded him, “Pick number six.”

Number six was Kuang Yaoting’s horse, a hot favorite that had consistently placed in the top three in several previous races.

Almost simultaneously, Cen Zhisen also said, “Choose number five.”

Mr. Shibai, with a relaxed attitude, suggested, “Can’t decide? Well, just buy them all.”

Ning Zhiyuan stuck to his intuition, “I’ve already picked numbers eight and eleven, and I don’t want to change.”

“Number five has higher odds,” Cen Zhisen persuaded him. “But it’s only slightly higher than number six. Since fewer people might bet on number five, with almost identical chances of winning, we might get a larger share of the prize.”

“Mr. Cen is quite confident,” Kuang Yaoting teased. “It’s rare to see someone claim they’ll win for sure when buying 3T and then haggle over the prize money.”

Cen Zhisen glanced at him indifferently, without responding.

Mr. Shibai chuckled, “Good, playing the horses is all about confidence.”

Ning Zhiyuan thought about Cen Zhisen’s reasonable suggestion. Perhaps Cen Zhisen knew him well enough to understand his personality—he was a prudent risk-taker. So, he did choose number five.

“Sorry, Mr. Kuang, I’ll support your horse next time when there’s a chance,” Ning Zhiyuan made his final decision.

Kuang Yaoting shrugged, indicating he was fine with it.

They continued to enjoy food, chat, and watch the races from noon until evening.

During this time, Ning Zhiyuan took the opportunity to talk in detail with Mr. Shibai about Zhiyuan. Although they were still a relatively unknown small organization, Mr. Shibai showed keen interest, asking numerous questions as if genuinely considering investment.

Ning Zhiyuan’s luck today was indeed good. He won the fourth and fifth races he casually bet on, and there was a real chance of sharing the eight million jackpot.

Everyone got excited. They all had money, but not everyone had such luck.

Before the start of the sixth race, Mr. Shibai suggested going to the outdoor balcony. Ning Zhiyuan also had the same idea. They walked out of the private room and stood on the balcony, looking towards the racetrack in the distance.

The climax of the day’s races was about to unfold, and there were even more people in the field than before.

Cen Zhisen held a champagne glass, scanned the crowded surroundings, and suddenly laughed.

Ning Zhiyuan asked, “What are you laughing at?”

“What will you do if you really win eight million later?” Cen Zhisen asked him.

“First, you have to win, and then you have to share with other winners. It might be eight million, or it might only be a few tens of thousands or a few hundred thousand. Maybe not even enough for all these people to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate,” Ning Zhiyuan said, then added, “If there really is eight million, I’ll transfer those assets to you.”

Cen Zhisen replied, “Are you still thinking about that?”

Ning Zhiyuan said, “Each to his own.”

As the race began on the field, they stopped talking. The surrounding cheers and encouragement filled the entire racetrack. Everyone present, regardless of their identity or status, had similar excitement written on their faces.

With the sound of the starting gun, those sounds seemed to freeze for a moment, followed by an even louder roar that erupted, creating a complete uproar.

The entire race lasted less than two minutes. Horse number eleven crossed the finish line first, followed closely by horse number eight. Amid the thunderous cheers, horses number five and six almost crossed the line simultaneously.

At that moment, even Ning Zhiyuan, rarely seen nervous for a second, saw the result displayed on the large screen in front of him—horse number five won.

People around them began to applaud and cheer. Cen Zhisen placed a hand on Ning Zhiyuan’s shoulder, and his laughter reached Ning Zhiyuan’s ears, “You really won.”

Ning Zhiyuan found it somewhat unbelievable. With a one in a million chance, did he actually pick the winning horse?

However, because there were no dark horses among the top three in these three races, there were quite a few winning bets in the end—over seventy in total. Each winning ticket earned a little over a million, not much but not little either. It was enough to celebrate with two bottles of good wine.

Since Ning Zhiyuan and Cen Zhisen bought the ticket together, they generously had someone bring up the wine on the spot.

Afterwards, they went down and took photos with the victorious horses. They raised their glasses to celebrate this rare moment of joy.

Kuang Yaoting’s horse did not perform well today, failing to enter the top three. Nevertheless, he was quite happy and graciously congratulated Ning Zhiyuan and Cen Zhisen, especially Ning Zhiyuan.

Mr. Shibai was even happier. He liked people with good luck, and his interest in Ning Zhiyuan grew. He even had his personal secretary leave a contact for Ning Zhiyuan.

As night fell, after bidding farewell to the others, Ning Zhiyuan got into Cen Zhisen’s car, heading back to the hotel together.

Cen Zhisen didn’t come alone; he brought his assistant and a few subordinates. It was indeed for work.

“Mr. Shibai had some dealings with my dad before. I got to know him when I followed my dad here. Don’t be fooled by his friendly appearance; he’s quite cunning. But it’s fine; as long as we can make money together, that’s all that matters. When I arrived this morning, he asked me to go directly to the racetrack to find him. That’s why I came over here.”

Listening to his words, Ning Zhiyuan smiled, “Oh, so you just happened to find me. Why didn’t you tell me last night?”

“You really didn’t know?” Cen Zhisen asked. “Didn’t Mr. Kuang tell you? He knew I was coming, and we arranged to visit the project you signed with him last year tomorrow. I thought he had told you.”

Ning Zhiyuan found it strange, “You didn’t say it yourself; why would others say it?”

“That project was signed by you and him after all. I thought he would at least inform you,” Cen Zhisen explained.

The tone Cen Zhisen used made Ning Zhiyuan inexplicably think of a term—vaguely sipping tea.

Suppressing a smile, Ning Zhiyuan turned his gaze to the window, not bothering to say more.

They stayed at the same hotel. When they entered the hotel’s main entrance, Ning Zhiyuan casually asked, “Is this also a coincidence?”

“No,” Cen Zhisen said calmly. “I saw the logo of this hotel on the towel you used last night in the video. I specifically had someone change it.”

Ning Zhiyuan had no words. Fine.

Cen Zhisen took him to his own room. Just as they entered and closed the door, Cen Zhisen pushed him against the wall and leaned in.

“What’s this smell on you?”

Ning Zhiyuan turned his head, looking at him with a somewhat relaxed voice, “Cigar.”

Cen Zhisen frowned, “It stinks. Don’t smoke it next time.”

The cigar was a gift from Kuang Yaoting, and Ning Zhiyuan rarely indulged in it. He didn’t particularly like it, and the scent lingered even now since he tried it in the morning.

“No leaving others’ smells on you in the future,” Cen Zhisen reminded him.

Ning Zhiyuan smiled mysteriously, “What do you mean by others’ smells?”

Cen Zhisen’s breath drew near.

Ning Zhiyuan turned his head slightly, silently counting down, three, two, one—

The doorbell rang, and he laughed, raising his hand to pat the shoulder of the person in front of him, “The door’s open.”

Cen Zhisen gave him a two-second stern look and forcefully opened the door.

The assistant outside the door was startled, seeing Cen Zhisen leisurely stepping away from Ning Zhiyuan, who was leaning against the wall. There was a moment when he even forgot to manage his expression.

The gazes of the two inside the room lingered for a moment, seemingly indifferent to being seen. Cen Zhisen then turned to his assistant and asked, “Is there something you need?”

Ning Zhiyuan had caught a glimpse of the person just before entering the room. He indeed came at the right time—yet also at the wrong time.

He entered the room first.

The assistant hesitated. He had come to report something work-related but seemed to have come at the wrong time.

Cen Zhisen gestured for the person to enter, saying, “Speak if you have something.”

The assistant reluctantly entered and began talking about their morning visit, inspecting several projects Cen An had in this area. He emphasized last year’s acquisition of Desheng Technology by Ning Zhiyuan in this area, “Mr. Ning replaced all the members of their board at that time. After the new board went through an adjustment period, their performance has risen by nearly three hundred percent in the past year…”

The assistant shared a lot of information about this company. Last year, he accompanied Ning Zhiyuan in negotiating and finalizing the deal for this project. He played a significant role, and he was quite satisfied with the results.

Cen Zhisen turned his head to look at Ning Zhiyuan, who was casually playing with his phone. This person, who had caused him a headache not knowing what to do back then, now sat beside him, and they could share such an intimate moment.

After the assistant left, Ning Zhiyuan raised his head and casually commented, “They did quite well. It proves that I didn’t make a wrong judgment back then.”

“Yep,” Cen Zhisen affirmed, “Your vision has always been excellent.”

Ning Zhiyuan chuckled lightly.

“Cen Zhisen,” he looked at the person in front of him and said, “Last year, I successfully acquired Desheng Technology here, and I also signed a cooperation and development agreement for the Smart Port. The person I recommended is about to enter the board of Cen An. Even Dad praised me for doing a good job. At that time, I celebrated with others with a bottle of wine worth 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars, feeling proud, thinking I could finally stand shoulder to shoulder with you. However, when I returned, what awaited me was the three paternity test reports you presented.”

Cen Zhisen’s lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but Ning Zhiyuan shook his head slightly, “Ge, sometimes you can be quite cruel.”

Cen Zhisen didn’t argue, staring at him for a moment. He then looked towards the terrace outside, where the city lights sparkled.

“Interested in taking a drive to the mountaintop?”

It was the same invitation as someone else proposed last night.

Emotions reached a high point, yet were gently subdued by this sentence.

Ning Zhiyuan looked at him. He had refused last night, and now facing Cen Zhisen’s invitation again, he laughed softly after a moment of silence.

“Let’s go.”