For many years in the casino, Yang Jian had a good understanding of most cheating methods. However, he had never heard of cheating between two "Emperor Companies."
Song Jianmin sighed and recounted the events.
It turned out that on the day Yang Jian and Li Jin's casino at Xunsi River was shut down by the police, Song Jianhao and Xiong Er's casino was also raided. Song Jianhao was arrested and served two years in prison before being released.
After his release, he, along with Jianmin and Sixi, continued to operate an Emperor Company in Hancheng. They frequented various casinos in the city, meeting many people but not earning much money.
Recently, through an introduction, Song Jianhao took on a large operation with a stake of 100,000 Fengtai. However, his own capital was insufficient. Such an operation required at least one million cash to enter, plus a reserve fund.
Song Jianhao couldn't raise the necessary funds but was unwilling to give up the opportunity. He had observed the casino for two days and felt it was a place where money could be easily won.
Therefore, he contacted an Emperor Company in Hanchuan, planning to partner with them to run the operation. This company was also active in the Hancheng casino scene, with many members and taking on both large and small operations. They had crossed paths with Song Jianhao at various venues, and they had become familiar with each other.
The boss of this Emperor Company was named Gangzi. After receiving Song Jianhao's invitation, he visited the casino and agreed that it was a good venue. Initially, Gangzi intended to give Song Jianhao a 10,000 yuan introduction fee and operate independently.
However, Song Jianhao persuaded him, insisting on a partnership. Ultimately, Gangzi agreed, with each company contributing 500,000 yuan to operate the venue.
Song Jianhao actually didn't have 500,000 yuan. But to take the gamble, he had Song Jianmin use their house as collateral to borrow 300,000 yuan from an investment company in Chengguan, with a monthly interest rate of three percent. This finally allowed them to scrape together 500,000 yuan.
After entering the operation, the first few days went smoothly. Although they lost two rounds, they had a net win of over 300,000 yuan.
However, the day before yesterday, the casino management announced that due to increased scrutiny, they would suspend operations for a few days and only have one final day. Song Jianhao knew that opportunities to participate in such large operations with partners were rare. Thus, he decided to cheat, aiming to win one to two million yuan in the final round.
The casino was located on a mountain in the suburbs of Hancheng. Although it was summer, the temperature on the mountain was low, requiring a jacket.
Song Jianhao exploited this condition by attaching a miniature infrared camera to his right forearm, concealed by a long-sleeved jacket.
The cheating method was as follows: when Song Jianhao was shaking the dice as the dealer, after two shakes, he would pause briefly before placing the dice cup and saucer on the table. He would then use a technique to open a small gap between the cup and saucer towards himself.
The moment this gap opened, the camera hidden in his sleeve could detect the dice points and transmit them to a display screen held by Song Jianmin outside the casino. Song Jianmin would then quickly send this information via mobile phone to Sixi, who was gambling in the casino.
Upon receiving the information, Sixi could ensure he won every bet.
This cheating method was known in the industry as "Kai Yan Kou" (Opening the Goose's Mouth). It was rarely used, and only those operating as dealers for Emperor Companies had the opportunity. It typically involved collusion between insiders and outsiders, essentially defrauding the Emperor Company itself.
Some Emperor Companies also used this method to reduce their commission. They would appear to lose money publicly, while secretly allowing their own people to win, thereby reducing the amount of money taken as commission.
Therefore, "Kai Yan Kou" was also prohibited by gambling companies. If discovered, it would lead to trouble for the Emperor Company.
The one who discovered Song Jianhao's "Kai Yan Kou" was the casino's croupier, who sat opposite Song Jianhao. He occasionally saw a faint red light flash from the cuff of Song Jianhao's sleeve. Initially, he thought it was a reflection from a watch, but later realized Song Jianhao's watch was on his left hand.
The croupier didn't understand the "Kai Yan Kou" cheating method and curiously asked Song Jianhao why the button on his sleeve was glowing.
Gangzi, who was sitting nearby, was an experienced veteran and immediately became suspicious. He grabbed Song Jianhao's right hand on the spot, lifted his sleeve, and discovered the hidden camera.
Subsequently, Gangzi had Song Jianhao taken away, issuing a demand for his brothers to raise two million yuan for his ransom, or they would never see Song Jianhao again.
After listening to Song Jianmin's account, Yang Jian didn't know what to say. Song Jianhao, who had been involved in illicit activities his whole life, had finally met his downfall in the most unexpected way.
"Jianmin, I've always told you to work with me. Then you wouldn't be in such a predicament. Look at Biao Biao and Liang Liang. They are both worth millions now. They've gone legitimate and are shareholders in my company. Not only do they have stable salaries, but they also receive hundreds of thousands in dividends annually.
I know you want to help your brother support the team, but you need to have boundaries. Your brother has always been about schemes, not only tricking his brothers but also others, including you, his own sibling. It was only a matter of time before his way of doing things would lead to trouble.
There are many ways you could help him. For example, earning money with me and occasionally supporting him would be much better. Instead, you're choosing to go down this path with him until the end."
Yang Jian felt a sense of disappointment in Song Jianmin, seeing his brother's actions as something to be ignored and indulged without any limits.
Song Jianmin also seemed to regret his choices. "Yang Jian, I know you've always wanted to help me, but it's too late to say anything now. The urgent matter is to get my brother back. They wouldn't dare kill him, but they would definitely cripple him. I've approached many people, but Gangzi won't listen to anyone. I can only ask for your help."
"How can I help? I don't have any connections with the big players in the Hancheng underworld."
"Gangzi doesn't answer to anyone. I'm not asking you to find someone to negotiate."
Song Jianmin was embarrassed to ask for money. The last time Song Jianhao was kidnapped by the Fuping Fugui brothers, Yang Jian had fronted 200,000 yuan, which took a long time to be repaid.
"You want to borrow money from me, right? How much do you have yourselves, and how much do you need to borrow?"
"We actually won 300,000 yuan that day. Including the principal, we can gather 900,000 yuan, leaving a shortfall of 1.1 million. I was planning to borrow from loan sharks, but I haven't repaid the previous 300,000, and the investment company won't lend us any more money. I'm truly out of options and can only ask for your help."
Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Jianmin, if you were in trouble yourself, I would be willing to help you, even with two million. To be honest, I really don't want to get involved in your brother's affairs. Lending him this money will likely mean it's never repaid. My money wasn't earned easily; it was earned with my life."
"I know. I'll repay this money, okay?"
"How will you repay it? You're already resorting to loan sharks. You have to pay 9,000 yuan in interest every month, which is already a struggle. Are you still planning to stay in the casino business?"
Song Jianmin gave a wry smile. "I have no skills, no capital, and no connections. If I don't stay in the casino business, I have no chance to make big money to repay my debts. Just the 9,000 yuan monthly interest alone will crush me."
"If you still want to continue in the casino business, then I won't lend you a single cent. I can't help you with this matter. You should think of other ways."
Yang Jian was very disappointed in Song Jianmin. The casino business was ultimately a dead end, and he had no future if he continued down this path.