Reply to Keats - Chap 14

With Tan Youming around, the arrangements for going to sea were quickly finalized.

With his personality as a socialite in Haishi City who likes to call up friends, he called quite a few people, all of whom would be useful in the future.

Tan Youming had long felt that Zhao Shengge’s way of doing business was not feasible, and even he, Zhao Shengge, could not do it either. Haishi was a place where people valued human relationships and formed cliques and factions.

When Zhuo Zhixuan informed Chen Wan, Chen Wan specifically asked him whose setup this was.

“……”

Zhuo Zhixuan looked at him with his dark eyes without saying a word.

In ordinary gatherings, Chen Wan almost strictly followed a principle: he would go to the gatherings hosted by Tan Youming or Shen Zongnan, but he would not go to the gatherings hosted by Zhao Shengge.

In Chen Wan’s eyes, Tan Youming was half a friend, and it was good luck for her to meet Zhao Shengge at a friend’s party.

But Zhao Shengge is not a friend. The other party did not invite him explicitly or by name, but it is not the same thing for him to go there shamelessly to save the reputation of Tan Youming and Zhuo Zhixuan.

Zhuo Zhixuan lied to him without blushing, “It was Tan Youming who wanted to go out to sea, so he borrowed the boat from Zhao Shengge, and it was Tan Youming who called the people.”

Only then did Chen Wan agree.

He hadn’t shown up for a while, and Tan Youming had called a lot of people this time. Zhuo Zhixuan met him at the sink in the bathroom and made some arrangements for Chen Wan in advance.

He said to Tan Youming, “You know about the police station. It’s not that he doesn’t want to come during this period, he just is too busy. There are a lot of new faces this time, don’t they all know Wan?” He implied that he hoped Tan Youming could help him to make some connections. At the very least, he couldn’t let Chen Wan be looked down upon and bullied.

Zhuo Zhixuan knew those people well. They were either rich or noble. Regardless of whether they were good or bad, there were always some who were difficult to get along with.

Zhuo Zhixuan is not as good as Tan Youming. Although they are both playboys, Zhuo Zhixuan is a real good-for-nothing, otherwise Chen Wan would not have to work so hard and feel frustrated. But Tan Youming is the one who truly holds the power. He just looks out of place, but he has the identity of the eldest son of the Tan family, and he has a good relationship with Zhao and Shen. Who in Hai City dares to mess with this devil?

Tan Youming has an evil temper. He is easy to talk to his own people, but can be very cruel to those he doesn’t like. Zhuo Zhixuan got along well with him when he was a child, and he is still doing well with him now. However, they were born in such a family, and many things will become less pure after they grow up, understand the truth, and know the benefits. Zhuo Zhixuan still thinks that he and Chen Wan are better.

It is rare to have a close friend or confidant.

Tan Youming said of course, Chen Wan was also his friend.

Zhuo Zhixuan felt relieved after hearing his words. His eyebrows relaxed and he started to coax people with a nonsensical tone: “Ah Wan has been so busy lately that he has no time to sleep. But when I told him that it was you who invited everyone to go out to sea, he immediately agreed and even asked if he needed help.”

Tan Youming felt very touched after hearing this and thought that Chen Wan was a considerate person. These people were quick to agree to go out and play with him, but no one answered his question when asked if they needed help. Even Shen Zongnan was very busy recently and had no time to deal with him.

The two of them were chatting happily, and a gentle voice came from behind: “Excuse me, can you let me pass for a moment?”

Zhuo Zhixuan looked back: “…”

He was sure that the inner room was empty, otherwise he would not have been able to say all this to Tan Youming. However, he was so engrossed in the conversation that everyone noticed it.

Fortunately, it wasn’t someone else.

Zhao Shengge squeezed out shampoo, washed his hands, wiped his hands with paper, and when he looked up, he glanced at Zhuo Zhixuan in the mirror.

Zhuo Zhixuan felt an inexplicable chill on the back of his neck.

Tan Youming was unaware and asked Zhao Shengge, “Where are you from?” He was the only one in Hai City who dared to call Young Master Shen that.

Zhao Shengge still looked at Zhuo Zhixuan with a calm gaze, and pushed away Tan Youming’s hand that wanted to touch him: “I don’t know.”

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The voyage lasted two days and one night, and the captain chose a route with beautiful scenery.

We set sail from Baibeisha Port and passed through the Coral Sea. It was midsummer and the sea water was clear and blue. In the evening, the sunset splashed into the sea. Pink dolphins followed the boat in the deep sea.

Zhuo Zhixuan was worrying too much. Chen Wan didn’t need Tan Youming to take care of her at all. It was like she was born with a talent. After everyone got to know each other, they soon subconsciously asked Chen Wan what other types of wines were in the wine cellar and when the outdoor swimming pool would open… By the time you came to your senses, the scene couldn’t move without him, as if the ship belonged to Chen Wan.

There are countless people who are good at dancing with the sleeves in this circle. If you have more, people will think you are flattering; if you have less, you will not be sober enough.

Chen Wan is neither humble nor arrogant, making people feel close to him without looking down on him.

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Once they entered the high seas, everyone started playing cards. Although the gambling industry in Hai City was also very developed, it was still subject to strict rules and the odds of betting were also restricted, which was not satisfying for these young men who loved to spend money lavishly.

Here, you make your own rules and have fun however you want. Otherwise, there is no need to go out to sea.

In the first few rounds, Chen Wan served as the dealer.

He had been running around a lot recently and had been in poor health, so he had lost some weight. Today he wore a very low-key cotton and linen shirt and black suit pants. The sea breeze blew up his white shirt, making his waistline look very thin, especially when he was bending over to deal cards.

While waiting for his cards, someone asked Zhao Shengge about the Baihetang case that had caused a lot of controversy some time ago. Chen Wan acted as if he knew nothing about it and dealt his cards seriously. Everyone was talking at once, but he didn’t say a word.

But soon, thanks to Tan Youming, everyone knew that Chen Wan had been called for questioning. He replied to everyone with a smile, without mentioning Zhao Shengge at all. The exquisiteness of his words and the tightness of his words were astonishing.

In this round, Zhao Shengge called for the position of banker, and Chen Wan did not give him any slack and handled the matter impartially.

Sitting on the left of Zhao Shengge is Qin Zhaoting, whose father is a stock market tycoon, known as the stock god of Haishi. He is very good at counting cards and has cheated many times in secret – this is legal.

The purpose of going out to play is to throw away the rules, play however you want, and do whatever it takes to win.

The dealer named Chen was very fair and washed off his winnings without anyone noticing – this was also allowed. Players could play however they wanted and the dealers could judge however they wanted. They had much more power than those tool-like dealers in the casino.

This just increases the fun and unpredictability of the game – players have to deal with not only other players, but also the dealer who they don’t know whether he is a werewolf or a lucky star. In fact, the bigger the stakes, the more important the dealer becomes.

Some dealers are likable and are regarded as the God of Wealth, while others are hated and are regarded as evil spirits.

They can shuffle and deal the cards in an unconventional way, and you never know whether they are dealing poison or gold.

There is a saying in the gambling paradise of Boreham Sound: “The dealer is God, the dealer is the master.”

Those who win the favor of the dealers can get half of the world if not the whole world. They can make you win a lot of money, or make you lose all your money.

After a few rounds, everyone designated Chen Wan to be the dealer.

He was not like other dealers who played tricks on people as they pleased, but tried his best to maintain a relatively fair gaming environment on this three-inch gambling table.

Therefore, everyone had the illusion that he was biased towards them.

Even for such purely entertaining things as shuffling and dealing cards, Chen Wan was very serious. The gambling table was set up on the open deck. The sunset had already burned to the sea surface and fell on him, so gorgeous that it was impossible to take your eyes off it.

The flower cards are folded between his fingers, and his expression is gentle and humble, as if the Lord is blessing everyone, controlling the magic cards in his hand, dominating the wins and losses, wealth and the fate of each player.

Zhao Shengge looked at the cards dealt to him by the other party.

Two Kings of Spades and a Jack of Clubs.

That’s really interesting.

Qin Zhaoting, who was standing next to him, had no idea what cards he had been dealt. He looked up at the dealer and smiled for no apparent reason.

For a moment, everyone at the table had a subtle expression.

Zhao Shengge leaned back in his chair with a dull expression.