Chapter 78: Brother-in-law, Do You Like My Sister?

The drinking session was far from lively.

The owner from Rizhao hadn’t even shown up.

The bosses from Yantai and Weihai stayed for barely five minutes; after downing three glasses, they excused themselves and left.

Only the portly Mr. Liu from Qingdao and the bespectacled, refined Mr. Li from Jinan remained.

Master Qing accompanied them personally; Yun was not present.

Cao Xiaomin and Cao Xiaobin were absent as well.

Cao Xiaomin, seizing this opportunity, was earnestly giving her younger brother a lesson.

Yet, she wasn’t sure, considering He Tian had just won so much at gambling, whether she could muster enough reasons to truly persuade Cao Xiaobin.

Regardless, she had to try.

She couldn’t let Cao Xiaobin go on gambling like this. It had to stop.

“Mr. He, here’s your card… Five billion, eight hundred and twenty-seven million,” Master Qing said with a cheerful smile as he handed He Tian a bank card.

“Thank you.” He Tian accepted the card offhandedly, raised his glass, and said, “Come, let’s have a drink.”

“To us—cheers!”

He Tian was talkative and engaging; his handsome appearance and witty conversation quickly won over Master Qing, Mr. Liu, and Mr. Li.

However, every time Master Qing tried to probe into He Tian’s background, He Tian sidestepped his questions with effortless finesse.

By the time the banquet ended, the four of them were calling each other brothers, but to Master Qing’s frustration, he still knew nothing more about He Tian than he did before.

Watching He Tian leave with Cao Xiaomin and Cao Xiaobin, Master Qing remained deep in thought.

Mr. Li from Jinan also departed—he needed to return to Jinan. He hadn’t lost much this time, had witnessed quite a spectacle, and had strengthened his ties with Master Qing. All in all, a fruitful evening for him.

Now, with only Master Qing and the portly Mr. Liu left—

The smile vanished instantly from Mr. Liu’s fleshy face.

“I’m going to deal with him,” Mr. Liu said in a low, dark voice.

“Old Liu, don’t do anything foolish.” Master Qing frowned slightly at him.

Master Qing knew that Liu controlled nearly half of Qingdao’s underground scene…

But Master Qing would never allow harm to come to anyone who walked out of his casino.

The casino’s reputation was at stake.

No matter how cleanly it was handled—it was still unacceptable.

To him, the money He Tian had taken away was nothing compared to the value of the casino’s good name.

Besides, Master Qing had an odd, nagging sense that He Tian was not a man to be trifled with.

“You’re just going to let him swagger out of here?” Mr. Liu was deeply unwilling.

“First, he didn’t win a cent from the house. Second, he paid the commission owed to the casino. Third, he elevated the game in a way I can use to promote the venue. So, I don’t support you going after him. Of course… if you insist, that’s your business. Do as you like.” Master Qing waved dismissively, glanced at Mr. Liu, and turned to leave.

Mr. Liu stood dazed for a moment.

He couldn’t understand why Master Qing was so adamant. Why not deal with the problem quietly—who would ever know?

But he caught the subtext: if he really acted, his relationship with Master Qing would be finished.

In weighing the consequences, Mr. Liu knew where his priorities lay.

“Let’s go. Damn it all,” he grumbled, cursing as he left.

—

He Tian drove; the car was a gift from Master Qing.

An Audi A6.

Compared to the over sixty million paid in casino commission, gifting a car was nothing.

Cao Xiaomin’s home wasn’t in downtown Qingdao, but in Pingdu, a county-level city to the north, under Qingdao’s jurisdiction.

Following Cao Xiaomin’s directions, He Tian drove straight toward Pingdu.

“I’ve booked a flight to Tianhai at two this afternoon,” Cao Xiaomin told He Tian.

“Oh, then we still have some time to spend at your place,” He Tian replied with a smile.

“Xiaobin… you can’t gamble anymore, do you understand?” Cao Xiaomin turned to her brother.

“Big Sis, I understand! I’ll never gamble again!” Cao Xiaobin nodded resolutely, clearly convinced by his sister.

But it wasn’t persuasion that had changed him.

He had been utterly shaken by the ferocity of the gambling scene he’d witnessed.

So shaken, in fact, that he now felt nothing but fear toward gambling.

Even He Tian hadn’t anticipated such a reaction.

“Hehe, looks like you’ve truly seen the error of your ways. Cao Xiaobin, you’re a man! Did you see how I played? Only when you have capital, do you have confidence. That’s gambling, that’s playing! The way you did it before…” He Tian shook his head gently. “I’ll leave you fifty million. Use it to start a business, do whatever you want—just promise me, never gamble again.”

“He Long!” Cao Xiaomin looked at He Tian in surprise. “You don’t need to give him more money. I have enough to set my brother up.”

“Cao, don’t be so formal with me. Fifty million has already been paid back—what’s another fifty? Even if I hadn’t won today, it’s a small sum to me. As long as Xiaobin turns his life around, that’s worth more than any money,” He Tian replied with a smile.

“Brother-in-law, don’t worry, I swear I’ll never gamble again. I’ll find an honest way to make a living,” Cao Xiaobin said, gazing at He Tian with admiration.

Yes, Cao Xiaobin admired He Tian.

The display of poise He Tian had shown at the casino was something Cao Xiaobin would never forget.

“What did you just call me?” He Tian blinked, grinning.

“Brother-in-law, of course!” Cao Xiaobin replied, as if it were obvious.

“What nonsense!” Cao Xiaomin pinched her brother’s arm.

“Why not? Sis, I’m telling you, you’d better hurry up—where else are you going to find a brother-in-law like this?” Cao Xiaobin howled in pain.

He Tian burst into hearty laughter, while Cao Xiaomin pinched her brother even harder.

Once they arrived in Pingdu, Cao Xiaomin went shopping, buying gifts for everyone—her married brother, his child, and their parents.

Meanwhile, He Tian visited a bank, taking Cao Xiaobin with him to transfer fifty million directly into his account.

“Xiaobin, as long as you don’t gamble again and work honestly, if you ever need money, just ask, all because you called me brother-in-law. You’re not stupid—I believe you’ll make something of yourself. Before, you were just blinded by gambling,” He Tian said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Brother-in-law, don’t worry—I guarantee I won’t gamble again. It’s just, I don’t really have the confidence to do anything else,” Cao Xiaobin admitted quietly.

He Tian laughed. “What’s there to fear? As long as your mindset is right, there’s nothing you can’t do. Trust yourself.”

“Brother-in-law, do you really like my sister?” Cao Xiaobin asked in a low voice.

“Why do you ask?” He Tian grinned.

“If you do, you should go after her. I can tell my sister likes you,” Cao Xiaobin replied softly.

He Tian laughed. “You don’t need to worry about that. If I didn’t like your sister, would I have followed you to Qingdao and rescued you myself?”

“Good!” Cao Xiaobin nodded enthusiastically.

Only with He Tian as his brother-in-law could he truly feel at ease.

Well, no one could say what Cao Xiaobin was really thinking, but at this moment, he was set on He Tian being his brother-in-law. Who could argue with him?

“Brother-in-law, can I ask you something? Were you really sure you’d win? Did you already know the cards?” Cao Xiaobin asked quietly.

“Still interested in gambling?” He Tian shot him a look.

“No, I’m just curious about those two games,” Cao Xiaobin replied hastily.

“All right, I believe you. Let me tell you—the first game, I really didn’t know my hand. But it was my first time playing; nobody knew me. So I just bluffed my way to victory. It was all about the bluff, nothing else,” He Tian said with a smile.

“And the second game? You knew your cards in advance?” Cao Xiaobin asked, eyes wide.

“If I hadn’t, do you think I’d have thrown so much money on the table?” He Tian answered with a grin.

“How did you do it, brother-in-law?” Cao Xiaobin pressed eagerly.

“One hundred and fifty meters away, on that tree, there are two ants,” He Tian replied with a twinkle in his eye, gazing at a distant tree.

“Really?” Cao Xiaobin was starting to understand just how He Tian had pulled it off.

Then, he dashed off toward the tree.

“What’s Xiaobin running off for?” Cao Xiaomin asked He Tian, arms full of packages.

“Who knows?” He Tian shrugged, smiling.

“He Long, thank you,” Cao Xiaomin said, closing the trunk and looking at He Tian with sincere gratitude.

“How will you thank me? Xiaobin already calls me brother-in-law,” He Tian teased.

“Oh, stop it,” Cao Xiaomin’s cheeks flushed; she quickly slipped into the car.

He Tian smiled faintly.

Cao Xiaomin—he had basically won her over.

He glanced in the direction of the distant tree.

He saw Cao Xiaobin standing dumbfounded in front of it.

After a long moment, he ran back.

“Well?” He Tian asked, smiling.

“Brother-in-law, that…that’s magic!” Cao Xiaobin’s admiration for He Tian now reached a whole new level.

“So, let this be a warning—if you ever gamble again, I’ll make sure you suffer, and your sister won’t even know,” He Tian said sternly, then shook his head and added, “Get in the car.”

Sweet rewards and harsh warnings—both were necessary to truly win Cao Xiaobin’s respect.

Cao Xiaobin hesitated, then got in the car. Now, when he looked at He Tian, there was not only admiration in his eyes, but also a healthy dose of awe.