Good luck did not keep smiling on Wang Lao'er.
As though he had been cursed, from the moment the sun rose at seven that morning, none of the chips he tossed down brought him anything back.
Gamblers were never satisfied. When they won, they wanted to win more; when they lost, they wanted to win it back.
Only after he had staked all the money he had, run up a huge debt to the other players, and been refused any further loans by the gambling den did Wang Lao'er finally leave the table.
The rule at the table was that debts had to be settled before anyone left.
Only when several men detained him at the gambling den did Wang Lao'er finally panic and hurriedly take out his phone to contact Ding Ding.
But his messages went unanswered for ages. Thinking that the other side surely could not get things done without seeing the money, Wang Lao'er hid from the others and transferred every last bit of money he had.
The gambling den provided meals, but it never bothered feeding anyone who owed money. Wang Lao'er waited on an empty stomach for news from Ding Ding.
It was not until that afternoon that a call finally came through.
"Brother, you were too late. I told you we had to settle it by Wednesday, but you only sent the money last night. That didn't leave me any time to get things moving!"
Those words made Wang Lao'er's scalp prickle. "What do you mean?"
"Huh?" Ding Ding pitched his voice higher. "How come you don't understand? Our boss picked that other Flower Nursery. The contract was all finalized this morning."
The sky falling could not have been any worse.
"No! No, brother, think of something! We're from the same hometown!"
Ding Ding