Chapter 12

Beep beep beep—the reels spun, and finally really stopped on Double Star.
“Win!” the guy who had bet fifty shouted, hammering the payout button.
Clang clang clang… coins spilled out nonstop.

Cao Yang reminded him, “I bet ten too.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The man counted out twenty coins from the pile and handed them over.

Cao Yang happily took them, went to the boss, bought a pack of cigarettes, lit one up, and leaned there watching them play.

He watched until 1 a.m., when the boss closed up.
One machine had five or six people crowding around, some leaving, others joining in. In total, dozens of people played, most losing more than they won.

Watching all night, Cao Yang figured the boss made several hundred just from that evening. If it were all day, probably over a thousand.

Cao Yang thought, Isn’t this better than working?
Rent a small storefront, pretend it’s a convenience shop, put in two slot machines, a thousand a day, thirty thousand a month, three hundred thousand a year. How many years of labor would it take to earn that?

The more he thought, the more promising it sounded. He wanted to try it himself. The only thing missing was a few thousand to start up.

Where to get money?
After thinking it over, the only option was borrowing from Li Yan.

Did she have money? He didn’t know. But from what he knew of her stingy ways, even if she did, she wouldn’t lend.

Still, worth a try. What if she grew a conscience?

Cao Yang headed to the Nightingale Club. It was peak business hours, the parking lot full of Mercedes and BMWs. He found a spot at the entrance to sit, waiting for Li Yan to get off work, while gazing enviously at the guests.

“Robbery!” someone suddenly screamed, catching his attention.

He turned and saw two men on a motorcycle. One yanked at a girl’s purse. She refused to let go, shouting for help.

The man kicked her hard, grabbed the bag, and the bike sped off.

Cao Yang instinctively wanted to chase them, but as soon as he stood up, he stopped.
None of my business! Sister Yan said don’t meddle in strangers’ troubles.

The robbed girl crouched on the ground, hands covering her face, shoulders shaking—crying.

Cao Yang felt a little regret. Maybe he should’ve helped. What if she were some rich family’s daughter?

If he rescued her, she might be moved, fall for him, or at least recommend him an easy, high-paying job. That’s how novels and TV always went.

He sighed. Too late for regrets. The bikers were long gone.

After a while, the girl stood up. That’s when he got a good look—quite pretty.

She walked straight into the Nightingale Club, coming out two hours later.
She went in alone, but came out clinging to a pot-bellied middle-aged man.

The man had his arm around her waist, squeezing her backside from time to time. Then the two got into a BMW and drove away.

“Damn! Turns out she’s just a hooker!”

…

Cao Yang waited another hour. Fewer and fewer cars remained in the lot; most guests had already left. Those who stayed weren’t leaving tonight.

At 4:30 a.m., a group of girls came out. Li Yan was among them, wearing a dress, a small purse slung on her shoulder, smiling and waving goodbye to colleagues.

Looked like she was sociable—first day on the job and already blending in.

“What are you doing here?” She was surprised to see him.
“I was afraid that woman would give you trouble, so I came to check.” Cao Yang scratched his head, lying.
“You’re overthinking. Manager Xu is nice, she won’t hold grudges.” Li Yan said this, but inside she felt warm. Being cared about was nice.

“Let’s go.”

They strolled the streets at 4:30 a.m.

Cao Yang mulled over how to ask for money.
“Sister Yan, today I saw a slot machine downstairs at the shop. The boss made a lot of money off it!”

He knew she loved money, so he used it as bait.

But as soon as he said it, Li Yan pinched his waist. “You played it? Don’t tell me you gambled away the food money I gave you?!”
“No, no!” Cao Yang denied.
The point isn’t whether I played! Why can’t she hear the point?

“Sis, I mean we could rent a small storefront too, put in a couple machines, and money would roll in. One month’s income would equal a year of work!”

“Heh…” Li Yan sneered.
“You want to die? Don’t drag me with you. You think those slot machines belong to the shop owners?”
“Actually, they’re owned by gangs. The shop just rents them space for a couple hundred a month.”
“You put in two machines today, tomorrow they’ll smash them. Maybe even slash you a few times so you learn your lesson!”

Then she added, “In this world, easy money never goes to ordinary people. Be realistic, find a job, stop dreaming.”

“I’m not ordinary,” Cao Yang said seriously. “I fight well. I’m not afraid of them.”

Li Yan punched him. “Didn’t I tell you? Even if you fight well, how many can you take on? They come dozens, hundreds, with knives and guns. What then?”

As she said this, shouts erupted ahead.
A bare-chested man was sprinting, chased by six men with machetes.

One caught up, kicked him down, and the rest swarmed, hacking away. In seconds, the man was covered in blood, unmoving, maybe dead.

The six finished without panic, still cursing and joking as they strolled off.

One blond thug glanced at Cao Yang and Li Yan, noticed her looks, and whistled at her, grinning, sticking his tongue out. He slung his blade over his shoulder and swaggered off.

Terrified, Li Yan hid behind Cao Yang. Only after they were far away did she step out.

“See that? Those guys are with the Sichuan Gang. Around here it’s their turf and the Hunan Gang’s. If you dare set up slots, you’ll end up like that guy on the ground!”

Cao Yang scoffed, “I run faster than him. They’ll never catch me.”
“You idiot! That’s not the point! Must you argue every word? You itching for a beating?”

She pinched him again, but his muscles were too tough. No reaction.

“How do you know they’re Sichuan, not Hunan?” he asked.
“Listen to their curses—‘fuck your mom.’ That’s usually how Sichuanese swear.”
“You calling me names?”
“No, just explaining.”

Cao Yang nodded. “Still, I want to run slots.”

Li Yan rubbed her forehead. She’d spelled out all the dangers, but he was still stubborn.
“Fine, do it. When you get hacked to death, your mom can come claim your body.” She stormed ahead, too lazy to argue further.

Cao Yang hurried after her. “I don’t have money for rent or machines. I was hoping to borrow from you.”
“Oh! So that’s the real reason. I thought you actually came out of concern for me!”
“So… can you lend me some?”
“No! Don’t even think about it! I don’t have money!”