If Huo Ziyan hadn't been there, Li Haochen would have wanted to place several tens of millions on himself; a fivefold return was too tempting.
Suddenly, Li Haochen saw a change in his betting amount, an extra ten thousand yuan. This change brought him a hint of joy. Who said he had no egg? Ten thousand yuan, at least there was someone with a discerning eye who recognized talent.
As he was feeling a bit smug, Huo Ziyan, standing beside him, said with a giggle, "Supporting you a little, hehe!"
"Uh, you bet?"
"Otherwise, who would throw money into the sea, hehe!"
"Don't you check my profile? I'm very good at fishing."
Huo Ziyan just smiled slightly and then continued to walk up, arriving at the VIP hall on the fifth floor. It was spacious, with only five tables, very quiet, and not many people. Basically, there was one guest per table.
Li Haochen took a stroll around. Damn it, the minimum bet was 2,000 yuan, just small plastic chips the size of Yuan Datou coins.
As he passed a baccarat table, Li Haochen glanced at the pile of chips of various denominations in front of the bejeweled noblewoman. 2,000, 5,000, 10,000. He could tell it was no less than a million.
Just as a customer was leaving and a seat became available, Li Haochen walked over. He saw it was a blackjack table, commonly known as 21. He knew how to play this; he used to play it in the dorms when he was studying. It was all about betting on whether it was high or low, similar to Pai Gow.
Just as he was about to go and exchange some chips to play a few rounds, Huo Ziyan's attendant brought over a plate of chips. "Mr. Li, this million is just a small token of our appreciation. If you feel it's not enough, please let me know."
"No need, Miss Huo, I have money, hehe."
"Don't, Mr. Li, if you don't accept it, I won't be able to explain to my grandfather. Don't make things difficult for me."
Li Haochen also understood that they didn't want to be involved in any karmic entanglements. Fine, if it's free, why not? He'd give it back later as a gift.
Huo Ziyan didn't see any greed in Li Haochen's eyes, which made her quite puzzled. A million yuan was not a small sum. For people like them who lived by fishing, it should be a huge amount, right? Was he just pretending?
While she was still puzzled, Li Haochen had already sat down. With a calm demeanor, he placed 2,000 yuan down. His expression didn't look like he was pretending, which made Huo Ziyan even more curious.
"Let's go."
"Uh, you're not playing anymore?"
"If you win money, of course, you have to leave quickly. Otherwise, it would be heartbreaking to have it all taken back, hehe!"
Li Haochen's luck was indeed quite good. He only played a few rounds and won about fifteen thousand. However, he didn't dare to continue. It wasn't about the money, but about the addiction. Winning several rounds in a row already showed a bad sign. He had to nip it in the bud quickly, or else no amount of fortune would be enough to lose.
He cashed out the fifteen thousand he won and pushed the million back. "Miss Huo, thank you for accompanying me all day. I hope you can accept this small token of my appreciation. If you don't, I'll feel uneasy, unable to eat or sleep well, and the competition might not be able to continue."
"Mr. Li, aren't you indirectly giving it back to us? This..."
"Miss Huo, you worry too much. I accepted what you gave me very generously just now. That's not your money anymore, it's mine. I have the right to use it, right? Hehe!"
After some back and forth, Huo Ziyan finally accepted it. Li Haochen then gave the fifteen thousand he won to the attendant who had been serving them diligently.
After Li Haochen returned to his hotel, Huo Ziyan also returned to their hillside manor in Hong Kong.
In the study, after hearing Huo Ziyan's report, Huo Ying also became interested in Li Haochen. "A truly interesting person. I hope he's not acting."
After Huo Ziyan left, Huo Ying took out his phone and dialed a number. "Investigate someone for me..."
At the same time, in a luxurious secret room, Li Dazhi was chatting and laughing with two middle-aged foreign men. "President George, President Stephen, I wish our competition this time great success. Cheers!"
"With your Li family joining, of course, we can make a fortune, hahaha!"
"But won't it be counterproductive to conceal the information on number 127 and increase its odds? I checked his profile, his record is very impressive. He is definitely one of the contestants who can win the championship."
"Who wins the championship is up to us to decide, isn't it?"
"Hahaha!"
After George and Stephen left, Li Dazhi's eyes turned sinister. "Hmph, a mainland boy."
The next morning, after enjoying a rich breakfast at the hotel, Li Haochen went into his spatial dimension from under the covers, bringing out his fishing rod and bait. When it was almost time, he boarded the exclusive bus to the starting point with Liu Qinghe. However, he didn't see Wu Junjie and the other two on the bus; they probably had moved to a different place.
The starting point for this competition was Fisherman's Wharf, very close to the New Port Entertainment City. It was originally just a tourist attraction, but berths were specially set up temporarily for this competition, likely to boost the tourism industry as well.
Upon arriving, the place was already crowded and bustling with activity. If it weren't for the special passage for contestants, it would have been difficult to even squeeze in.
"Director Liu, I'm going out now. You can go back to the hotel first."
"Alright, I wish you a bountiful catch, but safety should be the priority."
"I understand. I'm heading out now."
The bait and fishing rod successfully passed the inspection. Li Haochen said goodbye to Liu Qinghe and then, holding the key to his corresponding fishing boat, headed towards the berths.
As he walked along, all the fishing boats were of the same brand and style, not very large, all a little over 11 meters long. Over 100 of them, what a magnificent sight.
Walking towards his assigned number, his luck seemed good. Fishing boat number 127 was surprisingly new and shiny, which made Li Haochen feel a bit surreal.
Without overthinking it, he boarded and inspected it. Though small, it was fully equipped. He was surprised to find it even had a small ice maker, but no fish finder. This was actually good, as it would rely entirely on his own abilities.
Exactly at 10 o'clock, a loud horn blared from the dock, and the competition officially began.
In an instant, over 100 fishing boats set off simultaneously, creating a spectacular scene.
After sailing for about two hours, a slight tremor of the boat gave Li Haochen a bad feeling.
"Bang bang~"
Suddenly, there were two louder sounds from the engine room. A few seconds later, the power system failed.
"What the hell is going on?"
Li Haochen fiddled with it for a while, but there was no response. He ran down to the engine room to take a look. Well, he wasn't a professional, so he couldn't figure anything out.
Back in the cabin, he fiddled with it again, still no response.
"How could such a malfunction occur in such a large competition?" Li Haochen couldn't help but ponder.
After a moment, Li Haochen's expression turned grim. "It seems someone is playing dirty."
He picked up the emergency phone on the boat, but stopped just as he was about to dial. He checked his phone, and it still had signal. After a moment's thought, he decided to call Huo Ziyan.