Chapter 8: Chapter 7 Showdown

    Outside Jiuyin Bar, a Mercedes-Benz was struggling to perform a parallel parking maneuver.

    The Benz''s S-Class model was already long-bodied, and Li Rui, who had only recently acquired his driver''s license, had tried several times without success to park it.

    Sitting in the back were Li Xinyue and her best friend Chen Rongrong, which made Li Rui''s face turn bright red with tension.

    The more nervous he became, the harder it was for him to park the car.

    Unfortunately, this was the only marked parking spot available, and he dared not park anywhere else. After all, he had managed to take his dad''s car out for the night, and getting a ticket from the police would undoubtedly lead to a scolding.

    Li Rui finally managed to awkwardly park the big Mercedes and immediately got out to open the car door for Li Xinyue, in a bid to display his gentlemanly demeanor and warm-hearted charm.

    He was in a particularly good mood today because Li Xinyue had broken up with Cheng Zhu, and they had even unfriended each other this time.

    "There''s no going back now, their relationship is definitely beyond repair!"

    So, he immediately sought out Chen Rongrong and asked her to invite Li Xinyue to the bar for a drink that evening.

    Chen Rongrong had sneaked off to nightclubs back in her high school days and had even dated a club promoter.

    How else to explain her radiant aura of fertility?

    Li Xinyue, on the other hand, had never been to a bar.

    For some students at this stage, a nightclub was a forbidden place, yet there was also a curious attraction.

    Li Rui specifically chose a quiet bar, not one of those dance clubs, because he knew that would surely result in a refusal from Li Xinyue.

    On their way there, he was posturing the whole time.

    "This bar called ''Jiuyin,'' I''m pretty familiar with the owner."

    In reality, it was his cousin who knew Shen Minglang, and the bar had just opened when his cousin helped to advertise it on social media. Li Rui didn''t personally know Shen Minglang at all.

    When he went to pay later, he was going to use his cousin''s membership card as if it were his own, thinking that it would make him look cooler.

    Before they left, he had already discussed with his cousin about transferring the money afterwards.

    Quite a childish act, but some guys just go through such phases. And, believe it or not, some dudes, not just at eighteen but even at twenty-eight, still like to front with all kinds of inexplicably lame pretenses.

    On the way to the bar, Li Xinyue and Chen Rongrong sat at the back, chatting about Cheng Zhu.

    Li Xinyue retold their conversation, which was frustrating and amusing to Chen Rongrong.

    When Yueyue told him, "We''re truly finished this time," he actually responded with a casual "Okay."

    What kind of rare genius comes up with that!

    A simple "Okay" or "Sure" wouldn''t have been as bizarre as that.

    "How can he be like that!" Chen Rongrong couldn''t help but blurt out her criticism.

    Li Rui chimed in at the right moment, "When I heard him say he was behind warm guys and dogs, I knew something was off about his attitude. A man should always treat a woman unconditionally well; a woman is there to be unconditionally adored."

    This kid was still sticking to his ''warm guy'' persona.

    Li Rui felt that at this moment, he must appear in stark contrast to Cheng Zhu in Li Xinyue''s eyes.

    "Exactly!" Chen Rongrong voiced her agreement.

    She and Li Xinyue were similar: both tended to be high-maintenance during their romances. Birds of a feather, so to speak, which is why she resonated strongly with Li Rui''s views, deeming Cheng Zhu to be in the wrong.

    Little did she know, in Cheng Zhu''s eyes, acting out as a true princess was considered ''princess sickness.'' But what were they displaying? It looked more like ''Wild Chicken Emotional Instability Syndrome.''

    Li Xinyue shook her head, clearly distracted.

    Li Rui, however, seized the moment and boasted, "In a few hours, it will be the World Cup final between Argentina and Germany. I''m planning to place a small bet of 2,000."

    He began subtly flaunting his financial power, slightly raising his voice.

    "You''re betting two thousand? That''s a lot!" Chen Rongrong exclaimed in surprise.

    "It''s okay, just a bit of fun," Li Rui said, making his voice echo a tad more.

    The bar''s background music was soft, but the volume of the World Cup replay was louder, making Li Rui''s words faintly audible to those sitting with Cheng Zhu.

    "Tch, betting two thousand, little rich kid, eh?" It was unclear whether Shen Minglang was genuinely impressed or being sarcastic.

    At that moment, Jiang Wanzhou left for the restroom.

    Cheng Zhu had been waiting for this opportunity.

    So he said, "Cousin, Jiang Wanzhou mentioned I could ask you for help with placing bets, said you have good odds."

    "Yeah, if you trust me, of course, it''s just a simple favor," he replied with a smile.

    He had already placed his bets, rooting for Germany to win the championship, with a stake of 50,000.

    The odds were good, at 2.3.

    Meaning, if Germany really did win, he would earn a handsome 65,000.

    Shen Minglang asked, "Cousin, which side do you think will win?"

    "Germany," Cheng Zhu responded without hesitation.

    "Hmm? Good choice! I''ve also bet on Germany. Just a small wager of 50,000," Shen Minglang patted his shoulder.

    Cheng Zhu laughed, "Weren''t you just claiming to be a diehard Messi fan? Why not bet on Argentina?"

    "Right, so for the sake of my idol, I did bet 500 on Argentina winning," Shen Minglang nodded.

    As if he''s a granny sneaking into the cookie jar—got me laughing.

    Cheng Zhu gave him a thumbs up, "Touching."

    "How much are you betting on Germany to win, cousin? I''m offering odds of 2.3," Shen Minglang said to Cheng Zhu.

    Unexpectedly, Cheng Zhu shook his head, "Cousin, I''m not betting on the championship; I''m betting on the score."

    "Woah! Ambitious! You''re going straight for the correct score bet, what scores are you looking at?" Shen Minglang asked.

    Getting the winner right was one thing, but predicting the exact score much more improbable.

    Of course, that meant much higher odds!

    Cheng Zhu inquired, "What are your odds for a 0-0 draw?"

    Shen Minglang checked his phone, "Let me see, the odds are... 7.5."

    "Then bet on that for me; I think it''s going to be 0-0 during regular time and then go to overtime. Cousin, what''s the easiest way for me to transfer the money to you?" Cheng Zhu asked.

    "Damn, you''ve got guts, betting on 0-0. Any way is fine for transferring, I''m okay with anything," Shen Minglang replied. "How much are you betting?"

    "Twelve thousand," Cheng Zhu said without hesitation.

    "Twelve thousand, sure... wait, how much did you say?" Shen Minglang looked up, his face showing surprise.