39 - Milking the Whale

Whales were poker players' favorite type of players. These were wealthy players who had a lot of disposable income and very little talent for the game.

Tang Hutian was a whale, but he was also the youngest son of a Magic City businessman. He didn't lack anything except for excitement.

While out partying with his friends, he caught a footage of a poker tournament. There was a sense of excitement that was different from anything he had experienced before.

After watching the game, he immediately hired a professional to teach him the game. He played with his friends in gambling dens and had been enjoying a winning streak ever since. For the national holiday, he decided to take his girlfriend to Macao and test his skills against the regular players.

He was disappointed to find that there weren't many high-roller tables for Texas Hold'em. Luckily, his guide found the table and escorted him to the seat.

"You guys must be the regs here," he casually chatted as his guide prepared the chips for him.

"What is he trying to say?" asked Lao Cao in Cantonese.

"He's calling us regulars," Bullnose responded.

"Waiter, gin and tonic," Tang Hutian called out.

Li Yun looked enviously at his chip stack.

Tang Hutian had a very aggressive playing style, playing with any hold cards that had some potential. He could bully players using his money, often raising and calling all in to pressure his opponent.

After a few rounds, he was already down several thousand.

"Damn OCM," Tang Hutian grumbled.

"What is he saying?" asked Lao Cao. "Why does it feel like he's insulting me?"

"I'm not sure either, but I think it's old coffee man," Bullnose replied.

"What does that even mean?" Lao Cao had never heard of the term.

"Old retired man who only plays safe," said Li Yun.

"Safe!" Lao Cao spitted to the side. "Good thing he's feeding me some good milk, or else I'll let him know how dangerous this old man can be. Did his guide call him Mr. Tang?"

"Yeah, Tang, as in the Magic City Tang?" asked Bullnose.

The guide had no idea Bullnose was directing the question at him.

"Hey, is your young master from the Magic City Tang?" Bullnose repeated.

"Ah yes," the guide responded.

"Gee, that's a huge whale."

The Tang was a big name in Magic City, but Li Yun didn't know much about them. For one, he never thought he would encounter them. He only knew that the family clan, as a whole, could be considered one of the wealthiest families. They were not in the top 10 in the country individually, but combined all their net values, it was enough to be in the top 5.

Ning Xuxu had once mentioned that they were in the real estate business in major cities, but Magic City was where most of the family resided.

"Better to avoid conflicts with them," Bullnose stated.

"Why would I have conflicts with them over a game of poker?" asked Lao Cao. "That's just stupid."

As the rounds continued, Li Yun could see that Tang Hutian was getting increasingly irritated. He wasn't used to losing so many rounds. He started verbally abusing his girlfriend when she took away his drink.

"You *** ***, it's not your place to tell me what to do!" He started yelling.

"Hey, tell that twat to chill down!" Lao Cao called out to the guide.

The guide looked increasingly uncomfortable, but decided all he had to do was translate the request.

"What! This place is already loud like hell, there's no law against yelling," Tang Hutian at Lao Cao.

"Damn kid, if he can't handle the liquor, he shouldn't be drinking,' said Bullnose.

As they played more rounds, more and more money was being played by Tang Hutian.

The one problem that many wealthy people face was boredom, so they turned to sex, drugs, and exuberant lifestyles. In Tang Hutian's case, it was gambling. Gambling released dopamine in the same way that drug addicts experienced a high.

Wealthy people were usual villains in TV shows for a reason. You simply don't reach the top without getting your hands dirty in some ways. It was in the same vain that no one was perfect. In this way, the adage was amplified for people who had so much wealth, as it gave them the means and opportunity to harm others.

That was not to say that every wealthy person was a bad person, but that they have more means to commit crimes. However, for the second and third generation who didn't need to bloody their hands, it produced a different set of mindset, arrogance, and lack of accountability.

"He's drunk, is he going to pretend he didn't lose and try to get back his money tomorrow?" asked one of the regulars.

"There are cameras around, I want to see him try. We'll milk him now that he's drunk."

Tang Hutian's girlfriend and the guide were pleading with him desperately to leave the table, but he continued playing. He wanted to win one big showdown.

It just happened that Li Yun's turn was really good. He would be stupid to turn down such easy money. Li Yun called, and showed his hand.

Tang Hutian's face flushed. It was his first attempt at a bluff, but he didn't think his opponent would call so quickly. How was he able to figure out that he was bluffing? Up until that point, he had been betting perfectly to make anyone assume he had high cards.

"Hutian, it's already late, we should head to dinner," the girlfriend asked again.

"Quiet you ***, I haven't even started yet!" Tang Hutian impatiently barked at his girlfriend.

The gamblers shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They were used to seeing the situation and they could see a part of themselves when they fought with their wives about their gambling habit.

"Look you s******, if you speak to the ladylike that again, I'm going to beat the s**** out of you," Lao Cao warned.

"Mind your own business, old man!" Tang Hutian glared back at Lao Cao, but his body was unsteady.

Li Yun was next to Lao Cao, so he had to hold his arms down. If there was one thing he had learned from bar fights in college, it was never to deal with couple spats. It might seem like the right thing to do, but the outcome wasn't always pleasant.

"Who asked you to interfere? Because of you, my boyfriend isn't talking to me," the college girl had complained. "Couldn't you mind your own business?"

They could have thanked him for getting rid of a horrible boyfriend, but their next boyfriends weren't any better. It was sometimes better to accept that people weren't perfect.

Like the gamblers sitting around the table. How many times had they screamed or cursed at their girlfriends and wives after a losing round? They all knew better than anyone else, but it pissed them off that they had to see a reflection of themselves in the rich brat. Except for Lao Cao, who liked to piss off everyone.

Tang Hutian blew away 1 million yuan. At that point, his face was red, and his suit and tie were loosened.

"Young master, if you play anymore, your brother will hear about it," the bodyguard warned.

Tang Hutian gritted his teeth, and left the table with his girlfriend escorting him out.

With the whale gone, the table lost all interest in playing. They made a lot of him, so no need to piss off a whale.

Li Yun decided to head back. He saw Fatty Fang and Mulian sitting together in their lounge, finally a normal couple. They were sitting next to each other reading on their phones.

"What are you doing?" Li Yun asked the pair.

Fatty Fang jumped, "Wah! Don't frighten me. We're just reading webnovel."

"You're in Macao and you're both reading webnovels?" asked Li Yun.

"You know we don't like gambling that much," Fatty Fang replied. "Oh, I'm reading this one about a guy with a system. He has a starting package."

"What! That's so unfair. I never received one, what the heck." Li Yun then looked at Mu Lian. "What was he really reading?"

"The Boss and Me."

"Lian!" Fatty Fang felt betrayed.

Li Yun nodded. No wonder out of the group of friends, Fatty Fang had the healthiest relationship. He spent more time reading romance novels.

On the last day, Li Yun's luck went down the drain, losing 20k. Good thing he still managed to make it out of Macao with 180k.