Chapter 1 "I'll bet everything I know about you, all your secrets, and the evidence to prove them..." Feng Bujue paused for half a second, "...your current identity."

Jiang Daode's expression shifted slightly. After a moment of consideration, he asked, "'My identity'...what specifically do you mean by that?"

"Just what it sounds like~" Feng Bujue licked his lips, replying in an ambiguous tone, "To put it bluntly...it's the 'Jiang Daode's life' that you won in the first place."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Daode's face visibly twitched. "I don't understand...what's the point of this kind of bet for you? Even if you win my current identity, you're not thinking of becoming 'Jiang Daode' yourself, are you?"

"Of course that's impossible. Why would I want to 'replace' you?" Feng Bujue chuckled and continued, "In terms of age and looks...you're the one who'd want to replace me. I don't care for your women or your social status either. As for money..." He paused. "If I wanted money, wouldn't it be easier to just bet money with you?"

"So..." Jiang Daode asked in a low voice, "what exactly is your purpose in proposing such a wager?"

"For fun." Feng Bujue answered very simply, he replied with a playful smile, "Don't you think...watching someone dance madly on the edge of despair...is extremely interesting?"

"Absurd..." Jiang Daode would probably never be able to fathom Jue-Ge's thoughts. "If I refuse the bet, what can you do?"

"I can make you spend the rest of your life in prison under your original, true identity." Feng Bujue's tone was quite languid as he said this, but the content revealed a blatant murderous intent. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Mr. Kujo next to you...whether I really have this kind of ability."

Jiang Daode immediately turned to look at the arbiter Kujo, eagerly awaiting his reply.

"Yes, Mr. Feng...is fully capable of doing what he says." Kujo still maintained a calm demeanor as he said to Jiang Daode, "When he contacted us today, he already proved this to us."

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Daode felt as if his heart had stopped for a moment. The immense pressure contorted the muscles on his face, and some traces of plastic surgery gradually became apparent on that face.

"To put it simply...if you choose not to bet, the result might be even worse than losing the bet..." Feng Bujue continued, "But if you dare to take a gamble...you have a 50% chance of winning."

Jue-Ge's two sentences had basically done the math for Jiang Daode, and the latter seemed to have no other choice.

"I...still don't understand..." Jiang Daode's aura had already faded, and his voice carried a sense of powerlessness and frustration. "I have no grievances or hatred with you...why..."

"Eh~" Feng Bujue interrupted him. "You can't blame me for this. If your Shi Dao hadn't threatened me and my editor first, today's events wouldn't have happened..."

Jiang Daode gritted his teeth and retorted, "The people from the legal department will put pressure on you...that's because you slandered us in public..."

"I advise you to look up the dictionary and see what the word 'slander' really means before you use it. Also, there are three things I need to emphasize..." Jue-Ge didn't let him finish, holding up three fingers and counting them off one by one, "First, what I said about your Shi Dao...is all true; second, I don't like being threatened; third...I don't want the people around me to be threatened by others because of me." He paused for half a second. "In summary...I just said a few truths in public, which led to my friends and I being intimidated and harassed by you." He shook his head. "Hmm...such things are really unpleasant...even for the purpose of straightening out social conduct, I must make you pay some price."

"Hehe..." Ouyang Jian, who hadn't spoken for a long time, was now sitting on the sofa to the side. After hearing Jue-Ge's words, he added, "Mr. Jiang, this is really bad luck for you...Actually, we originally just wanted to simply play a counter-extortion, to make your company bleed a little and learn a lesson. But we didn't expect that...during the investigation, our great writer Feng accidentally discovered your secrets...so he had the urge to play."

"Is there...no other room for negotiation..." Jiang Daode asked tentatively again.

"How could there possibly be any room for negotiation?" Feng Bujue laughed. "You and I both know very well...that even if I cancel the bet now and promise not to reveal your identity...you'll still be restless." He looked directly into Jiang Daode's eyes. "Only through a bet hosted by Gambling Emperor Zhai, letting me 'lose' all the information I know to you, can you truly feel at ease."

"You..." Jiang Daode thought for two seconds. "...you're right." He gave his answer, "When you spoke of my secrets, there was no room left." As he said this, he regained his composure, apparently having made up his mind. "To ensure that you two can never reveal my identity, even if it means hiring a killer...I'll risk it."

As Jiang Daode spoke, he took another cigar from the cigar box on the table. This one should be the real thing, because he quickly clipped it and put it in his mouth to smoke.

"Okay...I'll accept this bet." Jiang Daode continued, "If you win, I'll lose the identity of 'Jiang Daode,' and if I win, you have to destroy all the secrets you know about my identity." He looked up at Kujo. "Mr. Kujo, Gambling Emperor Zhai will guarantee that he fulfills his promise, right?"

"Gambling Emperor Zhai..." Kujo replied calmly, "...will guarantee that both parties fulfill their promises." He looked at the screen on the inside of the briefcase. "If Mr. Feng loses, we will ensure that he can no longer use your identity secrets to threaten you; conversely, if Mr. Jiang, you lose..." He then looked at Jiang Daode, who was sitting at the desk, "We will also be responsible...for turning you back into 'Mr. Feng.'"

When he heard the words "Mr. Feng," Jiang Daode's Adam's apple moved noticeably up and down, revealing his nervousness.

"Alright, enough with the nonsense...Next, let me talk about what we're going to bet on this time." Feng Bujue said again.

"Wait!" Jiang Daode immediately interrupted. "Why should you decide the content of the bet? You're the one proposing the bet, and you're also the one setting the content...that's not fair, is it?"

Faced with this question, Feng Bujue replied unhurriedly, "Whether it's fair or not...you don't get to decide. Let's ask Mr. Kujo what he thinks?"

"Hmph..." Kujo snorted coldly, looked at Jiang Daode, and said, "Mr. Jiang, from my perspective as an arbiter, this is precisely fair."

"You...what did you say?" This time, Jiang Daode began to glare at Kujo.

Kujo didn't care about this. He explained slowly, "As Feng Bujue said earlier, he has absolute control over whether or not to proceed with the bet. After all...he doesn't have to bet at all, but Mr. Jiang, you...have no choice but to bet." He paused for a second. "Suppose...this bet fails to be established due to failed negotiations, then...Mr. Jiang, you will immediately fall into an absolutely passive position. Even if you want to hire a killer, I'm afraid it will be too late. Because according to Gambling Emperor Zhai's estimates, Mr. Feng can completely restrict your personal freedom within half an hour, and you won't even be able to make a phone call."

When Jiang Daode heard these words, he was both angry and shocked. He asked tremblingly, "Mr. Kujo...I thought you were on my side..."

"I'm not on anyone's side." Kujo interrupted before he could finish, "Arbiters are neutral, and our principle is 'absolute fairness.' Of course, I also know very well that, apart from the founder, I'm afraid no one can perfectly achieve these four words. But...since I am Gambling Emperor Zhai's arbiter, it means that I am very close to this principle." He put his hands behind his back and turned around. "Mr. Jiang, if you think that I am being unfair by stating facts that are unfavorable to you, then I can only express my regret. You can refuse this bet...I'll leave now."

"No! Please wait! Mr. Kujo." Jiang Daode panicked when he heard this. "That's not what I meant..."

Many people are like this...They take everything for granted and consider problems from their own perspective, thus generating a blind sense of self-confidence and illusion. But often when the time comes...they realize that they actually have nothing special about them, and can't even find a way out.

"Hmm..." Kujo heard that the other party's attitude had changed, so he turned back and continued, "Then...let's hear what Mr. Feng has to say about the content of the bet."

"Ah...it's very simple..." Feng Bujue responded at this time from the other end of the video, "Let's bet...whether I can appear in Shi Dao's office building within five minutes and beat up this so-called Mr. 'Jiang Daode'...how about that?"

After he said this, Jiang Daode couldn't help but take a few steps back and frowned, staring at Jue-Ge in the video: "Hmph...absurd, can you fly over here? Or crawl out of the screen?"

"So...you're accepting it?" Feng Bujue asked.

"Hold on!" Jiang Daode's eyes were uncertain. "Tell me first...where are you right now?"

"I can't do that." Feng Bujue replied, "My location is the key to this bet. It's like my hole card...there's no reason to reveal it before the game starts, is there?"

At this moment, Jiang Daode's brain was working quickly. He was, after all, a figure who had been in the business world for many years. It was impossible for him not to have some wisdom and courage. After thinking for nearly a minute, he continued: "Okay...let's bet on this..." He paused. "But...before you start acting, you must give me ten minutes to prepare."

"Five minutes." Feng Bujue decisively cut the price. "No more."

"Okay! Five minutes...five minutes it is!" Jiang Daode replied.

"Then..." Kujo said at this time from the side, "From this second on, I declare...the bet has officially begun." He took out a pocket watch from his Tang suit pocket. "Mr. Jiang, the timer has started. You have five minutes to prepare. Five minutes later, Mr. Feng can start acting. Before that, I will be responsible for monitoring his every move in the video."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Daode had already picked up the phone on the chairman's desk, quickly pressed a button, and said in a very fast voice after connecting, "Captain Wu? It's me, yes...listen carefully, I'm giving you three minutes to gather all the on-duty personnel to the top floor, half of the people guarding the door of the chairman's office, not allowing anyone to enter, and the other half will be responsible for patrolling all the rooms, entrances and exits, and even the bathrooms and ventilation ducts on this floor...as long as you see unfamiliar faces, or people without company passes, arrest them first!"

The person on the other end of the phone seemed stunned, and only replied after a few seconds, and then Jiang Daode roared, "Who's joking with you? Do you still want to work or not? If you don't want to work, you can take off your uniform and leave immediately! Put the vice-captain on the phone!"

After he said this, the other side obviously realized the seriousness of the matter, so they quickly responded a few times and hung up the phone.

"Hehehe..." Ouyang Jian laughed, "Mr. Jiang, I have to remind you that this kid has a lot of tricks...maybe your reaction is already within his calculations..."

"Hey hey...you guy, I'm listening..." Feng Bujue immediately complained from the other end of the video, "Whose side are you on?"

"As a lawyer, I have already done what you asked me to do. I am now just a spectator watching the show." Ouyang Jian smiled, "I'm giving Mr. Jiang some advice out of interest...you can't control that, can you?"

"Hmph...then good luck." Feng Bujue shrugged and smiled, as if he didn't care much.

"Mr. Jiang..." Ouyang Jian said, turning his gaze to Jiang Daode, who responded with a suspicious look, "...hehe, don't look at me like that, I don't plan to act here to cooperate with him to mislead you...to be honest, I don't know where Feng Bujue is now. But I can tell you...at two o'clock this afternoon, he personally came to my office with this briefcase and explained the task of delivering the box. After that, I don't know where he went."

"Hmph...do you think I'll believe your words?" Jiang Daode snorted coldly.

"I just want to say a few words of my own opinion..." Ouyang Jian leaned back on the sofa, "If Mr. Jiang doesn't believe it, just pretend you didn't hear it." He licked his lips and continued, "First of all, based on my understanding of Feng Bujue...with his intelligence, he must have anticipated that you would 'prepare' for this. If I were him, I would naturally take advantage of this..."

As Ouyang Jian spoke, everyone could hear the chaotic sound of running in the corridor, presumably the security guards had arrived.

"For example, I could sneak into your building earlier today..." Ouyang Jian added, "Prepare a laptop or tablet that can be used for video, and then find a storage room or toilet in some corner to hide in, and wait until the evening." He stroked his chin and murmured thoughtfully, "When the bet officially starts, that is, the moment I can take action...I'll turn off the camera, take out the security uniform that I prepared in advance or stole from the locker room, and put it on, taking advantage of the chaos to blend into the security defense line you've set up..."

When Jiang Daode heard this, he interrupted in a cold tone: "Is that all you have to say?"

"Oh?" Ouyang Jian's ability to observe words and expressions was very strong. At this moment, what he saw on Jiang Daode's face was actually a coldness of being sure of victory. "Mr. Jiang, aren't you going to take any precautions?"

"No need." Jiang Daode said, "The possibility you mentioned...I had already thought of it before I notified the security guards."

"Ho~ you're pretty good." Feng Bujue laughed and continued from the video.

"I know very well...that you must be able to deduce that 'I will call security guards to defend.' But I still have to call the security guards, because if I don't, you'll have more ways to get close to here." As Jiang Daode spoke, he also raised three fingers, "And with the security guards I've called, you should still have three ways to get close to me...First, it's the one that Attorney Ouyang just mentioned; second, Attorney Ouyang's words are actually to put pressure on me, making me come up with an idea, which is—to leave this room immediately after the video is interrupted and make a golden cicada escape. If I really did that, you would have a chance to take advantage of it; third, although it's unlikely...at this moment, you may be on a plane in flight, ready to parachute from high altitude to the outside of my building's glass, and then quickly break in with a set of special agent-level equipment."

"Hahahaha..." Feng Bujue laughed loudly, "Awesome, really awesome!" He couldn't help but clap for the other party, "No wonder you were able to win a rich and handsome man's 'entire life' back then, I seem to have underestimated you a bit." His laughter gradually stopped. "Then...can I ask, even if you can avoid the second method...what will you do if I use the first or third method to approach you?"

"It doesn't matter which method you use." Jiang Daode said, already standing up and looking at Kujo, "Mr. Kujo, how much time is left before Feng Bujue can act?"

"Fifteen seconds." Kujo replied.

"Okay." Jiang Daode responded while walking to the wall. "I'm sorry...Feng Bujue. From the beginning...you missed one thing." As he said this, he reached into a vase by the wall and pressed a button.

Two seconds later, a fifty-centimeter-square area opened on the wall in front of him, revealing an operating screen.

"Now that things have come to this, it doesn't hurt to tell you." Jiang Daode continued, "There's such a hidden compartment in my office...the door is equipped with a fingerprint and DNA dual recognition system, and only I can open it." He took a puff of his cigar and leisurely turned his head to look at Jue-Ge in the video. "As long as I enter this room, it won't matter even if you come with an armed helicopter."

Before he finished speaking, he had already extended five fingers and opened the door of the room by scanning.

"You've lost, Feng Bujue." Jiang Daode left this sentence with panache and turned to enter the hidden compartment.

However...

"Oh...you've arrived, the timing is just right." When he entered the room, there was actually someone sitting there waiting for him.