The meal continued until eight in the evening, with Mr. Zhang, the owner, finally picking up the tab. He had won fifty thousand that day.
When Yang Jian and Anan returned to the venue, the second shift of the Emperor Company was just finishing. They had also won eighty thousand yuan.
The general manager of this Emperor Company, surnamed Ding, insisted on giving Yang Jian ten thousand yuan as he was leaving, but Yang Jian refused. He couldn't be like Xi Ge and offend the entire Emperor Company, which would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Most of these Emperor Companies were connected. If he accepted the money, word would spread, and the casino's reputation would be ruined.
The third Emperor Company was from Hongzhou. The owner was very young, only in his early twenties, but he appeared very experienced.
Yang Jian noticed a strange phenomenon. After more than a year of frequenting casinos, he hadn't seen a single Emperor Company from Hancheng itself, though there were plenty of marker companies.
"Xiao Yang, when did you get close to Yu Wei?"
As Yang Jian was contemplating the Emperor Companies, Li Jin approached him.
"Oh, we got acquainted through gambling."
Yang Jian pulled Li Jin to the rest area and explained how he met Yu Wei.
After all, Li Jin and Yu Wei were not on good terms, so this matter had to be clarified to avoid misunderstandings.
"Haha, that kid Yu Wei is quite sensible, knowing when to go with the flow. He used to be very arrogant in front of me, never admitting defeat even when he lost. I didn't expect him to back down after you made your move. This is good; he probably won't argue with me anymore. If he behaves, I might even give him some work to do."
Li Jin was younger than Yu Wei, but his personality was much more stable. He didn't object to Yang Jian's actions.
"Exactly. We're all from the Seventh Brigade. There's no need to fight to the death. Harmony brings wealth, and we can develop together. By the way, Jin Ge, how was your gambling today?"
"I lost over twenty thousand this afternoon, and I still want to play a bit tonight."
"What! You can't get carried away. Then there's no point in running this place."
"It's fine. Today is the opening day, and this is my only round. I'll stop after losing fifty thousand at most."
Li Jin finished speaking and turned to re-enter the casino.
Watching Li Jin's retreating figure, Yang Jian couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. In just over a year, Li Jin had transformed from a small-time hoodlum into a powerful figure, treating a loss of fifty thousand as if it were pocket change.
In contrast, his own gains over the past year were massive debts, and he was now facing immense financial pressure.
Li Jin's luck in gambling hadn't changed. Yang Jian heard him borrowing markers twice from the sidelines, ten thousand each time. By eleven o'clock, he had to withdraw from the game due to his poor state, having lost a total of forty-five thousand.
However, he had borrowed from his own marker company, so no one was pressuring him to repay. This loss would likely be recouped in a few days.
Due to the high spirits of the gamblers, who requested an extension, Afeng communicated with the Emperor Company and extended the gambling session by an hour.
At twelve o'clock, the gambling session concluded on time.
This shift of the Emperor seemed to have won a significant amount, secretly slipping ten thousand yuan to Afeng. Afeng then gave the money to Biao Biao.
After all the gamblers had left, Afeng gathered all the casino staff. He began by summarizing the day's operations and commenting on each person's performance.
Subsequently, Biao Biao distributed wages at a standard rate of three hundred yuan per person. Old Wu and his wife received five hundred in total, a suggestion from Li Jin, who enjoyed the meals prepared by Old Wu's wife.
After the employees had left, the shareholders began to divide the profits.
The total revenue for the casino today was one hundred and eighty-six thousand yuan. The initial preparation and renovation costs were forty thousand yuan.
The expenses for hospitality, including cigarettes, tea, snacks, and dinner, were eight thousand yuan.
Rent was one thousand yuan.
Wages amounted to five thousand seven hundred yuan.
Public relations fees were fifteen thousand yuan.
The remaining balance was one hundred and sixteen thousand three hundred yuan. Sixteen thousand three hundred yuan was set aside as contingency funds for the next day, which included expenses for cigarettes, snacks, dinner, and necessary hospitality. Any surplus would be accounted for in the next day's books.
Therefore, the distribution for today was a round ten thousand yuan.
Li Jin received three tenths, totaling thirty thousand yuan. Biao Biao and Afeng received two tenths each, totaling twenty thousand yuan. Yang Jian received fifty thousand yuan.
"Afeng, you've done well. You have a knack for managing the casino, and Biao Biao, Liang Liang, and Anan have also cooperated excellently. I can rest assured with you all running this place. Yang Jian and I won't be coming here often from now on; it's entirely up to you."
After clarifying the accounts, Li Jin highly praised Afeng and the others. With them operating, there was no need for him to worry.
Afeng was not humble at all. "Jin Ge, you can trust us to handle things. As long as you manage the connections from above, there will be no problems here. We'll crush any god or demon that stands in our way, and anyone who tries to cause trouble will be sent back with nothing."
"Impressive! You're truly a brother to Xiao Yang. It's a shame I don't have brothers like you under me."
Biao Biao chuckled, "Jin Ge, you're being too formal. If you're cooperating with Jian Ge, then we are all your brothers. There's no need to distinguish between us."
"Yes, yes, Biao Biao is right. From today onwards, you are all my brothers. Rest assured, I will take responsibility for anything that happens. I may not have many other skills, but building relationships is what I do best. Without bragging, my connections have reached the city level."
"Jin Ge is amazing. With you covering us from above, this place of ours can operate for a longer time."
"Of course. Work hard, and I guarantee that by the end of the year, all of you will be millionaires. I'm a bit tired today, so I'll be leaving now."
Li Jin said this and got up to leave.
Yang Jian immediately gave the fifty thousand yuan he had just received to Biao Biao. This was their prior agreement: the daily dividends would be incorporated into the marker company managed by Xiao Zeng.
Biao Biao took the money and said, "Jian Ge, the marker company profited thirty-five thousand today. Twenty-five thousand has not been collected yet; it's all borrowed by bosses brought by Manager Fan. They said it will be settled tomorrow."
Yang Jian nodded. "Excellent. With this income on our opening day, I believe our funds will grow like a snowball. We aim to break five million in total income this month."
With an income of one hundred thousand yuan on the first day, and at this pace, achieving five million in a month was not difficult. Everyone was excited.
Afeng said, "Jian Ge, after operating this place for a few months, all your problems will be solved. We also don't want to work for Luo Tong anymore. We'd rather follow you and do legitimate business. Working in casinos isn't a long-term plan either."
"You're right. This place is too complicated, and we should know when to quit while we're ahead. I plan to operate this casino for a maximum of three months."
Yang Jian said this because he didn't fully trust Li Jin. Their cooperation was brief, and their relationship wasn't close. If Li Jin hadn't helped him escape Brother Xiong's pursuit, he wouldn't have partnered with him to open a casino. That collaboration was essentially Li Jin using him as a shield.
Because of this, he couldn't tell Li Jin about the private marker business. On the surface, Li Jin was intentionally helping Yang Jian turn his life around by giving him a fifty percent stake. The real purpose was to use Yang Jian's reputation and strength to gain greater profits in this chaotic environment.
However, if the casino's profits became too large, and Yang Jian's income far exceeded his own, Li Jin would inevitably become envious.