***
In an instant, all eyes in the bar turned to Cheng Zhu.
After all, the customers who had stayed until now were undoubtedly football fans, and among them, the percentage of bettors was quite high.
Many began to murmur.
"He looks very young, could he be a student?"
"Damn it, daring to bet 12,000 on a 0:0, these young people are really reckless!"
"What an audacious person! I wouldn't even dare to bet 12,000 on a straight win, and he bet 12,000 on the exact score!"
"I think the odds were more than seven to one, he's made a fortune!"
"How is it possible to have so much luck?"
Those who had also won money were fine, but those who lost money tonight were practically driven crazy with envy upon hearing Shen Minglang.
The customer who had previously joked about asking for discounts on drinks from Shen Minglang, and who was quite close to him, couldn't help but ask:
"How many scores did your cousin bet on? I want to learn his strategy for betting on the exact score."
Shen Minglang, proudly, replied:
"Of course, he only bet on 0:0! He only bet on one score and got it right, isn't that incredible?"
This left the other customers in the bar even more astonished.
For a moment, they didn't know if this student was simply a fearless novice or if he truly had incredible luck.
He didn't bet on several scores to spread the risk, he bet on a 0:0 draw in regulation time, and still won!
There's not much more to say, winning is already impressive.
Besides, it should be noted that although Shen Minglang also won money, he bet 50,000 in total.
However, the money he won today was not as much as Cheng Zhu's.
In the bar, many didn't just bet on the outcome, but also on things like the handicap, corners, the number of cards, etc.
Among them, some bets had higher odds than the match result, and others lower than betting directly on which team would win.
In terms of winnings, Cheng Zhu was, without a doubt, one of the biggest winners among all the customers today.
Shen Minglang couldn't help but say:
"If I had known, I would have bet on 0:0 too." After saying this, he looked at Jiang Wanzhou and added:
"You got lucky, eh? You followed your cousin and bet 2,000."
However, as soon as Shen Minglang finished speaking, he noticed that Jiang Wanzhou's expression was somewhat complicated.
"Are you crazy? Aren't you happy you won money?" Ignoring his cousin, someone offered him a toast, and he, happily, clinked his glass and left.
When Shen Minglang left, Jiang Wanzhou was left staring intently at Cheng Zhu.
Cheng Zhu spoke directly:
"I know what you want to ask. I wasn't the only one who bet 12,000; several people asked me to place bets for them, I only put in 800."
With a feigned seriousness, he began to improvise, and before finishing, he didn't forget to joke:
"With my 800 as capital, I didn't win much, but you, who bet 2,000, will have to pay for all the expenses tonight, Jiang."
In reality, Cheng Zhu wasn't stingy or taking advantage, he just wanted to make the story more believable.
Although Jiang Wanzhou was easy to fool, he was a good friend, and he felt he should lie with sincerity, not carelessly, as a sign of respect.
Receiving this 'respect' from Cheng Zhu, Jiang Wanzhou felt better and began to speak generously:
"We can split the winnings in half!"
"Bah, trying to impress with money?" Cheng Zhu showed disdain and added:
"You haven't even finished your drink, let's hurry! We're leaving soon!"
"My eyes are like a ruler. Are you saving that drink to raise fish in it?"
On this side, everything was happiness, but on the other side, Li Rui was having a bit of a teenage crisis.
Cheng Zhu had won a lot of money, and he was suffering!
Losing 12,000 was already bad enough, but at least he could pretend that amount didn't matter in front of Li Xinyue, showing off his financial capacity.
In front of the girl he likes, showing off a little isn't a bad thing.
But her ex-boyfriend, after subtracting the capital, won 78,000 in one night!
And me? And me?
I lost 500 along with her.
Although he would cover those 500.
But that emotional difference couldn't be compensated for.
"Besides, now Cheng Zhu has more money than me, his wallet is thicker than mine."
Li Rui realized he could no longer feel secure even in the area where he used to have the most confidence.
If Cheng Zhu knew his thoughts, he would probably say, pointedly:
"What do you think you are, making me your imaginary rival all the time?"
He had never planned to impress Li Xinyue.
In fact, just thinking about Li Xinyue now gave him a headache.
"I just realized she's wearing those couple's shoes I bought."
"And my capital was reduced because of her! The odds were 7.5 times!"
"Are those shoes over 1,000? Those shoes are like walking around with 10,000!"
At that moment, although some people had already left the bar, other customers were still discussing the match.
Some lamented the money, others lamented Messi's defeat in the championship.
But Cheng Zhu knew well that Messi would manage to lift the long-awaited trophy in the 2022 World Cup.
He finished his cocktail in one gulp, looking at the empty glass, thinking:
"Now I have 90,000, what should I do next?" In a moment, he already had a preliminary plan in his mind.
He decided to use one of his old skills to earn his second fortune in this life.
"There's a sector in e-commerce with a promising future, improving year after year."
"It doesn't matter that it's only 2014 now, even in 2023, selling that product will be a good option."
"That will be it." Cheng Zhu looked at the empty glass and made a decision.
"90,000 is enough."
***
Elsewhere in the bar, Chen Rongrong said sadly:
"Aw, Yueyue, we lost 500 each."
A simple sentence that made Li Rui, already suffering internally, raise his head immediately.
He looked at Li Xinyue, forced a smile, and said:
"Xinyue, Chen Rongrong, my brother just messaged me saying that when he placed the bet, his card didn't work for their bets, so yours weren't placed. I'll pay you back later."
"Really?" Chen Rongrong was immediately delighted.
Nevertheless, she took out her phone and posted on her Moments, blocking a specific group, but also blocking Li Xinyue and Li Rui, with a message that said:
"Ugh, I lost 500 on the World Cup final, I need comfort"
Li Xinyue just nodded, but her gaze kept drifting back towards Cheng Zhu.
She didn't care about losing or winning 500, she was still surprised by the large amount Cheng Zhu had won.
Li Rui observed all of this, feeling as if his heart was being stabbed.
However, Cheng Zhu never looked in his direction.
"Yueyue, should we go?" Chen Rongrong suggested while chatting on her phone.
"I want to stay a little longer," Li Xinyue replied.
Li Rui had no objections, he was happy to accompany her. But then, Cheng Zhu and Jiang Wanzhou stood up. They said goodbye to Shen Minglang and said they were leaving.
The bartender, Yezi, also waved goodbye to them and, spontaneously, wanted to add Cheng Zhu on WeChat.
Cheng Zhu, considering her beauty, did not refuse.
When Li Xinyue saw that Cheng Zhu and Jiang Wanzhou were heading for the door, she quickly stood up and said:
"Let's go, we're leaving too."
Chen Rongrong, distracted, looked up without understanding, while Li Rui, noticing something, felt as if a dagger was stabbing his heart again.
For some reason, Cheng Zhu's words echoed in his mind:
"Nice guys finish last."
Li Rui, trying to maintain his image, went to pay.
Still stubborn, he wanted to carry out his original plan, and when the waiter asked if he had a membership card for the bar, he replied with apparent calm and experience:
"Yes, put it on the card."
When he finished paying and turned around, he realized that Li Xinyue and Chen Rongrong were not behind him, but had already left the bar.
It was the height of summer and they didn't even stay to enjoy the air conditioning a little longer.
Li Rui left dejectedly and saw Li Xinyue looking around.
Chen Rongrong suddenly exclaimed:
"Aw, Yueyue! Why are you crying?"
***
Elsewhere, in a Mercedes G-Class.
The bar's manager was helping to drive, acting as a chauffeur, following Shen Minglang's directions.
Jiang Wanzhou, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to Cheng Zhu and said:
"Should we go on vacation somewhere in a few days?"
"Not a vacation, but I plan to go to a place to research the market," Cheng Zhu replied.
"Research the market, how pretentious!" Jiang Wanzhou commented.
"Relax, I'm not taking you, it's not convenient," Cheng Zhu said.
"Why? What's inconvenient? Are you going to reconcile with Li Xinyue?" Jiang Wanzhou looked at him with disapproval.
"Let it go, it's a closed chapter, let's not mention it anymore," Cheng Zhu said.
—The great stage of life, once you leave, you don't come back.
"Why isn't it convenient to take me?" Jiang Wanzhou asked.
"You have too much negative energy, that place is not suitable for you." Cheng Zhu raised an eyebrow, saying it with utmost seriousness.