Recognition

The more beautiful the ideal, the more harsh the reality.

In the following days, Little Jia not only lost all the money he had hidden under the wall, but also incurred a considerable debt.

But the adults at the gambling table didn't think the other party would be unable to pay back; they all seemed to know about Little Jia's "business."

But lies always eventually come to light. The previous group of mountain climbers returned and stayed overnight in the village. One of the men, wearing sunglasses, accidentally discovered the village chief's casino and stood by watching for a while.

The villagers didn't mind the visitor and clamored for him to participate, hoping to squeeze some money out of the lambs.

However, the man smiled dismissively, clearly looking down on the place; he seemed to be merely seeking a sense of familiarity.

As luck would have it, Little Jia was there today. The man noticed Little Jia and, seeing the cleverness on Little Jia's face, immediately understood the business at the village entrance. However, he did not pursue the matter but simply smiled and observed Little Jia's nimble hands as he manipulated the paper Chip. He even took off his sunglasses, his eyes showing interest.

This is a seasoned gambler, and very likely a cheater.

Cheng Shi was incredibly perceptive; he saw through the other person's identity at a glance, and not only that, he also guessed how the story would unfold.

Little Jia is being taken away.

This wasn't just wishful thinking, because when Old Jia came to adopt him back then, the light in his eyes was exactly the same as that of the man before him.

Sure enough, the man tricked Little Jia, who longed to be a gambling champion, with the promise that "you never lose," and took him away from the village where he had no relatives.

That loud-voiced young man wasn't his brother; a biological brother wouldn't take his younger brother to a casino.

The bus returned along the same route, the journey still bumpy. The business owners on board didn't seem surprised by the man in sunglasses bringing back a child; they seemed to be used to it.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi frowned, realizing that Little Jia had fallen into a trap.

This man is not simple.

"What's your name?" the man in sunglasses asked cheerfully.

Sitting in the car, watching the scenery of his hometown rush past, Little Jia felt no nostalgia, only excitement, and said, "My surname is Jia, I don't have a given name, they all call me Little Jia."

"Your surname is Jia?"

Little Jia turned around and nodded vigorously. "Yes, this is Jia Family Village. Most of the villagers are surnamed Jia. Why?"

The man was very satisfied. "Good surname, good surname indeed, this is exactly what we need to do—fake."

"!!??"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi froze instantly. He turned his head in disbelief to look at Little Jia beside him—no, Little Jia ...—and was so shocked that his mind went completely blank.

He never imagined that his father, who had asked him to be honest, had been deceiving him for over a decade.

He recalled the first time he met Old Jia, when the other man was extremely awkward:

"Oh, oh, I get it, I get it, my surname is Cheng..."

"My name is Cheng Jia, but they're used to calling me that, so they naturally call me Old Jia, the 'Jia' in 'Jia Tianxia' (meaning 'the best under heaven')..."

Fraud.

They're all scammers!

Why did you lie and say your surname was Cheng when yours is clearly Jia?

Cheng Shi's guess was correct; the man's identity was indeed questionable. He was not just a simple con artist, but the mastermind behind a con artist organization.

This boss's business involved adopting talented children from various places and training them into skilled gamblers to make money off casinos.

This is a business that makes money quickly, but of course, it can also lead to death quickly.

Those caught cheating by casinos are not returned intact; missing limbs are common. Furthermore, once blacklisted by the casino and disqualified from entering, these cheaters face not only disability but also abandonment.

Bosses don't employ useless people.

If they fail, the Senju will lose everything, their assets will be taken away and they will be left to fend for themselves, without even receiving medical treatment for their injuries.

Such a price is high for both the boss and the swindlers, so the children suffered a lot during their "training" before leaving the mountain.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was covered in wounds.

Only then did Cheng Shi realize that the root of Old Jia's illness came from this place.

Since being "adopted," he has been beaten and scolded every single day; but since he adopted himself, he has never beaten or scolded himself.

Except for that one day when I tricked someone into giving me a bottle of Coke using a bottle cap.

Cheng Shi wished he could snap his fingers and wipe out all the henchmen who were beating and scolding Old Jia, but he knew that once he made a move in the Memory, the Memory concerning Old Jia would no longer be complete and pure.

Fortunately, Old Jia was no pushover either; there were some things he didn't need his son's help with.

Through constant beatings, Little Jia's cheating skills grew stronger and stronger, even surpassing the boss to become the organization's top player, with no one able to detect his cheating in gambling games.

This was no longer a simple trick; Cheng Shi could tell that he had reached a high level of mastery in deception, and Little Jia was no longer young at this point.

With his gambling skills at his disposal, Old Jia patiently plotted and, after gaining fame, the first thing he did was bankrupt his own boss through gambling.

He imitated the other man, leaving his boss on the roadside like a stray dog. Although the boss wasn't broken, he was probably too old to withstand the biting cold rain.

Those who deceive others will always be deceived in return.

This is the lesson you taught me, and now I believe it.

With that, Old Jia turned and left. He knew that one day he would end up like his boss, but he had grown up in this kind of environment since he was a child, and his life had no other meaning except gambling and cheating.

In this way, Old Jia's cheating skills brought him wealth far exceeding that of ordinary people, and also attracted the covetousness of countless people.

Everyone who knew him wanted a piece of his wealth, but no one expected that the first person to get a share was a greeter standing in front of the casino.

An injury he sustained in his childhood caused Old Jia pain day and night. Once, when he was leaving after winning money, he staggered due to the severe pain. A new hostess at the door ran a few steps in high heels to support him, twisting her ankle in the process and becoming quite unsteady.

For a moment, it was unclear who was supporting whom, but the two managed to stay upright by holding each other.

Having seen too much of life, Old Jia no longer trusted anyone and looked at the other person with suspicion. However, the hostess didn't care; she was simply being kind.

Seeing that no one was hurt, she limped back to the door and continued her work without saying a word, enduring the pain and maintaining a professional smile.

Old Jia stared at the person for a while, then silently left.

The next day, the greeter received an anonymous thank-you note; the zeros on the check were ones she had never seen before in her life.

She was overjoyed, yet also extremely apprehensive. She knew who had given it to her, but she never saw him again after that day.

She used the huge sum of money to settle her troublesome family affairs, quit her job, and began searching the whole city for her "benefactor." In another rainstorm, she found Old Jia was in pain and lying in an alley.

The woman wasn't very strong, but that day she carried Old Jia on her back for several kilometers in the rain. The Doctor at the hospital said that Old Jia had survived; if it had been any longer, he would have died.

The woman was relieved, but Old Jia wasn't grateful; he still felt the woman was only after his money.

However, a few days later, the major casinos learned that Old Jia, who frequently won money, had a shrewd and capable assistant behind him.

The assistant's surname is Sun, and no one knows his real name except Cheng Shi.

Because at this time, Aunt Sun was almost the same as when I first met her, the only difference being that she wasn't as wealthy.

However, Cheng Shi, who had witnessed Old Jia, already knew where her money came from.

The rich second generation is actually myself...

Cheng Shi had considered this possibility; he had always felt that Old Jia's past was not simple, but he never expected it to be so fascinating, and he certainly never imagined that the bed full of cash in Aunt Sun's house was all won from the casino.

Is money borrowed for college still considered a loan?

It turns out that Old Jia had already repaid Aunt Sun's kindness long ago.

Up to this point, his Memory was still relatively normal, but what happened next made Cheng Shi, who was immersed in reminiscence, slowly realize that something was wrong.

Because he kept following in Old Jia's footsteps, he actually saw some familiar faces in his Memory, or rather, some familiar faces from the past.

Why are they here?

Was it a coincidence, or... Destiny?

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year!

Wishing all my friends a happy new year!

Who understands the true value of perfect attendance for 365 days a year!

Happy 2026!