Power and Wealth
Chapter 1244 – The Casino opens
Night.
After 11 pm.
An announcement was made on the cruise, informing the guests that they had reached international waters and the casino would open its doors in half an hour. This announcement was made twice.
In the cabin.
VIP 7.
Dong Xuebing woke up and looked at the time. He yawned as he got out of bed and got dressed. Zhang Longjuan was up and smoking on the couch. She was chatting with Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaomei, and the two suitcases were beside them. Dong Xuebing saw the twin’s expression and knew their mission should be almost completed. They had gotten the information they wanted on the gambling ship.
“Xiao Dong, you are awake.” Zhang Longjuan smiled at Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing nodded. “I just woke up. How was your nap?”
Zhang Longjuan replied. “Not bad. Haha… let’s go. It’s about time.”
Shen Xiaomei carried a suitcase and said. “We need to find out who is the boss behind this gambling ship.”
“There’s no hurry. We got another night here. We can get clues even if the boss does not appear at the casino later. We can discover the boss’s identity by investigating the person in charge.” Zhang Longjuan.
Shen Xiaomei nodded. “Yes.”
Shen Xiaoyan said. “Ms. Zhang, my Sis told me about your purpose here.” She paused for a second. “Are you confident?”
Zhang Longjuan smiled. “Of course not. I am trying my luck.”
Shen Xiaoyan said. “My sister and I might have other things to do after we enter the casino. We might not be able to stay by your side.”
“Xiao Dong will be with me. Just focus on your work.”
“Okay. Let us know if you need us. We want to help too.”
“Haha… We will be gambling. There’s nothing you can help. Thank you.”
“I am afraid the casino might cheat. You will lose if they tamper with the cards or devices.”
“Don’t worry. They would not tarnish their reputation. Do you know what matter the most to casinos?” Zhang Longjuan smiled. “They don’t care how much they win or lose. What matter most is their reputation. No one is stupid. People will notice if the casino cheat and no one will gamble here. I said before. Casino wins on the probability, and they don’t need to cheat. We need skills and luck to win in casinos.”
Shen Xiaoyan looked at her. “Luck is unpredictable.”
Zhang Longjuan laughed. “I know you all are worried for me. Thank you. But my company cannot wait anymore. I must take a gamble.”
“I wish you good luck.”
“Haha… Thanks.”
It was almost midnight, and they left the cabin.
Zhang Longjuan held Dong Xuebing’s arm once they left the cabin.
Dong Xuebing remembered what happened earlier and started imagining things. He started focusing when the casino staff came to bring them to the casino. Tonight will determine Zhang Longjuan’s company’s fate. She had sold her house to raise money for tonight. If she can win one hundred million USD, she can save her company. But if she lost her five million USD, she would be bankrupted.
Zhang Longjuan was not nervous at all.
Dong Xuebing was nervous and more concerned than Zhang Longjuan. He wished she could clear her debts after they had gotten closer now.
He wished Sis Zhang all the best.
He hopes she can win 200 million USD to settle her company’s financial issues.
They reached the casino.
A few hundred people were waiting there.
The casino’s door is majestic. It is five to six meters tall and gold-plated.
Dong! It is midnight.
The door opened from the inside.
A few dozen croupiers and dealers stood neatly in a row. They seemed well-trained and bowed to receive the guests.
The casino is grand.
Even the Macao casinos are not as grand.
Dong Xuebing narrowed his eyes. Sis Zhang was correct. A casino at this scale will not cheat its guests. It would destroy their reputation. If anyone discovers the casino cheated, they will not return. This gambling ship started operations a few months ago and will not recoup its investment if no one wants to gamble there. He heard Zhang Longjuan is good at gambling, and she should not lose too much even if she did not win. Dong Xuebing relaxed slightly.
The door opened.
All the guests entered.
“Ms. Zhang, you are here.” Mr. Wei walked over and greeted Zhang Longjuan. Ms. Leng followed behind him.
Zhang Longjuan returned their greetings.
Ms. Leng said. “Let’s play in the VIP room.”
Zhang Longjuan laughed. “Later. Let me familiarize myself with this place first.”
Mr. Wei laughed. “Do you still need to familiarize yourself with your skills?”
“Haha… I did not play for a few years.” Zhang Longjuan replied.
Ms. Leng swiped her hair and smiled. “All right. We will start first. See you later.”
“Sure.” Zhang Longjuan smiled. “Good luck.”
Mr. Wei and Ms. Leng seemed to be close. Maybe they come to this gambling ship often together. Their bodyguards went to a counter to change chips.
Zhang Longjuan turned. “We will change some chips too.”
Shen Xiaoyan looked at her. “How much do you want to change?”
Zhang Longjuan laughed. “Everything.”
Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaomei were surprised, but they said nothing. They walked to the counter and joined the queue.
Many people were changing chips, and the line was long. However, Zhang Longjuan’s gold card is higher level than others. A few counters were opened to serve guests with their gold cards. It was Shen Xiaoyan’s turn in a while.
Dong Xuebing does not know about these. It was his first time at such a big casino. He asked. “How are we going to carry five million USD of chips?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s too much, and the suitcases are not big enough.”
Zhang Longjuan laughed. “We are changing 10,000 USD chips and only 500 of them.”
Dong Xuebing was surprised. “10,000 USD chips? There are such chips?”
It is okay if the chips are in RMB currency. But the chips are in USD. 10,000 USD is almost 70,000 RMB.
Zhang Longjuan explained. “I asked around before. The value of the chips here is higher than most casinos, and the odds here are different. Haha… the smallest chip value is 1,000 USD, 5,000 USD, and 10,000 USD. They only got three types of chips. This is why only people with certain assets are allowed to come on board. What’s the point of letting people who can only afford a few chips enter?”
The smallest chip is 1,000 USD.
Dong Xuebing was speechless. There are lots of wealthy people here. Zhang Longjuan was not surprised by the number, but not Dong Xuebing.
Damn!
These people are high rollers.
Only businessmen like Zhang Longjuan can afford to gamble here. Although Dong Xuebing is wealthy, he has no stable high income. He cannot afford to play here.
The twins returned.
The money in the suitcases was gone. There is only a large number of chips inside. Some had 10k, and some had 1k written on them. Most of the chips are 1k chips.
“We changed most of the money to 1,000 USD chips.” Shen Xiaomei said.
Zhang Longjuan nodded. “All right. This should be enough. Haha… This is all I have.”
Dong Xuebing asked. “Are we playing now?”
Zhang Longjuan nodded. “I need some warm-up.”
Shen Xiaoyan replied. “I will be waiting there. Call me if you need anything.”
Zhang Longjuan knows the twins need to do other things, and she whispered. “Be careful. CCTVs monitor every corner of the casino. Don’t expose yourselves.”
Shen Xiaoyan replied. “I understand.”
Zhang Longjuan did not say anything else. She grabbed some chips from the suitcase and gave them to Dong Xuebing. “All right. Go and have fun.”
Dong Xuebing tried to reject it. “No… no… I…”
Zhang Longjuan laughed. “Go and play some games. You are my lover, and it would be suspicious if you were not playing. Just enjoy yourself. Win or lose is fine.”
Dong Xuebing thought and returned the chips after taking a few 1k chips. “These are enough for me.”
“Are you sure? It’s too little.”
“Yes. It’s enough. I don’t gamble too.”
“Okay. Let me know if you need more.”
Dong Xuebing did not plan to get any more chips from her. These are Zhang Longjuan’s final assets. Every chip is critical to her, and he does not want to waste them.