Chapter 21

Cao Yang finally got the money after Li Yan’s endless nagging. He sighed—this money was really hard to come by, even harder than just robbing three thousand outright.

As soon as he had the cash, he called Lei Dian to go scout for a shop with him. They checked a few, but the rent was ridiculously high—what he had wasn’t enough to start anything.

Then Lei Dian took him to a factory district where a small convenience shop was being transferred.

The rent had originally been two thousand a month, but now it was only five hundred. The reason was simple: the factory opposite had gone bankrupt, the workshop was still empty, no new company had moved in, and foot traffic was nearly dead.

The shop’s current owner was a local auntie. After a short chat, Cao Yang agreed to take over for one thousand yuan.

For that thousand, all he got was a shabby fridge and two shelves.

Then he contacted the landlord, paid three months’ rent plus a deposit.

And then…
And then there was no money left—not even enough to buy the machines.

He had no choice but to go find Li Yan again.

When Li Yan heard he was back asking for money, she exploded, saying absolutely not, she was broke.

Cao Yang hugged her, kissed her, coaxed her—acting tough and spoiled like some “macho baby.”

“Sister Yan, my dearest Sister Yan, best sister in the whole wide world, please, I beg you, help me just this once, pretty please…”

Li Yan couldn’t stand that trick. She went and withdrew another two thousand for him, warning him that he had drained her dry—if he didn’t make money this time, she’d twist his head off!

With the cash, Cao Yang immediately bought two machines, set them up, and prepared to open.

Normally, slot machines were set at “3–7 odds”—out of ten players, three won, seven lost, and the boss pocketed the share of four losers.

Cao Yang adjusted his to “4–6”—four win, six lose—so he’d only earn from two players. His plan was “low profit, high turnover,” to attract some crowd first.

Opening day: income, 100 yuan—all of it lost by Lei Dian.
Day two: income, 50 yuan—lost by Lei Dian again.
Day three: income, 30 yuan—still Lei Dian losing.

Cao Yang felt bad—it was his own brother, winning or losing both felt awkward.

So he gave the money back and told him to stop playing.
But Lei Dian refused, insisting he was just supporting business.

Day four: income, zero—because Lei Dian didn’t show up.

“Sigh…” Cao Yang realized the spot was far too remote.

He cracked open a soda, sat on a stool, smoking away his boredom.

Suddenly, Lei Dian showed up again—this time with Jiawei, A-Liang, A-Mei, and two other girls.

The six carried groceries and booze, rushing in to drink with him.

Cao Yang quickly pulled out a little table. Seven of them crowded onto tiny stools, drinking and bragging loudly.

When Li Yan got off work and came back, her nose nearly went crooked with anger at the sight.

Cao Yang called her over to eat and drink too.

She gave him nothing but a cold face!
Not just to him—she glared at his whole pack of scoundrel friends.

“Cao Yang, your sis seems to dislike us, huh?”
“Eh, don’t overthink it. She’s just like that—she doesn’t even give me a good face.”

Lei Dian pouted, then leaned in to whisper: “We’ve got a job tonight. You in?”

Cao Yang shook his head. He remembered Li Yan’s warning—if he dared steal again, she’d tell his mom he was a thief.

That was part of it, but truthfully, Cao Yang himself disdained that life.

He refused, Lei Dian didn’t push, and the group went on drinking.

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That night, Li Yan sat on the bed cursing Cao Yang. She had been tricked—fooled by his big talk about making money. She’d given him everything, and not only had he failed to profit, he spent every day eating and drinking with lowlifes.

After the last incident, she never dared return to work at the Nightingale Club. Instead, she found a job selling clothes in a boutique. The pay wasn’t much, but she didn’t mind—she had pinned her hopes on Cao Yang.

Who knew this brat would let her down so badly? She bitterly regretted lending him money.

She wanted to persuade him to sell the shop, liquidate the machines, and recover whatever she could. But with all those people around, she hadn’t the chance to speak.

Now, Cao Yang didn’t even come home at night. The shop had a loft storage space—after cleaning it out, he just lived there.

The next morning, she stormed over, pounding hard on the door.

Cao Yang, who usually stayed up until two or three, was still groggy. He cracked the door open, only to see Li Yan’s furious face.

She unleashed a torrent of scolding—calling him a liar, saying the shop didn’t earn a cent, telling him to sell it right away.

Cao Yang just yawned, too lazy to argue.

Her anger spiked at his indifference. She turned and saw both machines still lit up, and went off again.
“You sleep and don’t even turn them off? You think electricity is free?!”

Cao Yang lit a cigarette, smiling at her calmly.

Before, he would’ve thought she was unbearably annoying—timid outside, only daring to shout at him in private, ignorant, a nuisance.

But now he didn’t feel that way. Li Yan wasn’t bad to him. Nagging aside, there was no malice.

“What are you grinning at, you bastard? Are you even listening?!” His calmness only made her angrier.

Cao Yang grabbed her arm, pulled her into a hug, and soothed: “Don’t be mad, don’t be mad—it’ll get better.”

“You—!” Li Yan was about to retort when a young man in factory overalls walked in.

“Boss, I’ll take—” He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the two of them embracing. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”

Li Yan quickly pushed away, fixed her hair, and stepped aside.

“Handsome, what do you need?” Cao Yang greeted warmly. Strictly speaking, this was his shop’s very first customer.

The young man picked two packs of instant noodles and a soda, handed him ten yuan.

Cao Yang gave him five coins in change, watching him expectantly.

Most people, once they had coins, would casually toss a few into the slots.

This guy was no different. Spotting the machines still on, he fed in two coins and started playing.

Both Cao Yang and Li Yan watched.

Within five minutes, the guy won thirty yuan. He swapped for bills and left.

“Cao Yang! You bastard! Didn’t you say you could control it? How’d you let him win?!” Li Yan’s face turned pitch black.

“Don’t be mad! I let him win on purpose. You can’t fish without bait, right?”

Li Yan didn’t believe a word. She nagged him again and again until, realizing she was going to be late for work, she stomped off in frustration.

After she left, Cao Yang had no mind for sleep. He lit another cigarette, sat at the doorway, lost in thought.

By four in the afternoon, that same young man returned—this time with two buddies.

Each of them bought ten coins and started playing.

Soon after, more people trickled in. They all seemed to know each other—likely from the same factory.