Chapter 1426...Getting to Know...
The more beautiful the ideal, the more harsh the reality.
In the following days, Xiao Jia not only lost the money he had buried under the wall, but also incurred a considerable debt.
But the adults at the gambling table didn't think the other party would be unable to pay back; they all seemed to know about Xiao Jia's "business."
But lies always eventually come to light. The previous group of mountain climbers returned and stayed overnight in the village. One of the men, wearing sunglasses, accidentally discovered the village chief's casino and stood by watching for a while.
The villagers didn't mind the visitor and clamored for him to participate, hoping to squeeze some money out of the lambs.
However, the man smiled dismissively, clearly looking down on the place; he seemed to be merely seeking a sense of familiarity.
As luck would have it, Xiao Jia was there today. The man noticed Xiao Jia and, seeing the cleverness on Xiao Jia's face, immediately understood the business at the village entrance. However, he did not pursue the matter but simply smiled and observed Xiao Jia's nimble hands as he manipulated the paper chips. He even took off his sunglasses, revealing an interested look in his eyes.
This is an old gambler, and very likely a cheater.
Cheng Shi was incredibly perceptive; he saw through the other person's identity at a glance, and not only that, he also guessed how the story would unfold.
Xiao Jia is going to be taken away.
This is not just wishful thinking, because when Old Jia came to adopt him back then, the light in his eyes was exactly the same as that of the man in front of him.
Sure enough, the man tricked Xiao Jia, who longed to be a gambling master, with the promise of "never losing," and took him away from the village where he had no relatives.
That loud-voiced young man wasn't his brother; a biological brother wouldn't take his younger brother to a casino.
The bus returned along the same route, still bumping along the way. The business owners on the bus didn't seem surprised by the man in sunglasses bringing back a child; they seemed to be used to it.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi frowned, realizing that Xiao Jia had fallen into a trap.
This man is not simple.
"What's your name?" the man in sunglasses asked cheerfully.
Sitting in the car, watching the scenery of his hometown rush past, Xiao Jia felt no nostalgia, only excitement, and said, "My surname is Jia, I don't have a given name, they all call me Xiao Jia."
"Surname Jia?"
Xiao Jia turned around and nodded vigorously: "Yes, this is Jiajia Village. Most of the villagers are surnamed Jia. What's wrong?"
The man was very satisfied: "Good surname, good surname indeed, what we need to do is fake."
"!!??"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi froze instantly. He turned his head in disbelief to look at Xiao Jia beside him—no, Xiao Jia…—and was so shocked that his mind went completely blank.
He never imagined that his father, who had asked him to be honest, had been lying to him for over a decade.
He recalled the first time he met Lao Jia, when the other man was extremely flustered:
"Oh, oh, I get it, I get it, my surname is Cheng..."
"My name is Cheng Jia, but they're used to calling me that, so they naturally call me Lao Jia, the 'Jia' in 'Jia Tianxia' (meaning 'the best under heaven')..."
fraud.
They're all scammers!
Why did you lie and say your surname was Cheng when your surname is clearly Jia?
...
Cheng Shi's guess was correct; the man's identity was indeed questionable. He was not just a simple con artist, but the mastermind behind a con artist organization.
This boss's business involves adopting talented children from all over the world and training them into skilled swindlers to make money off casinos.
This is a business that makes money quickly, but of course, it can also lead to death quickly.
Those caught cheating by casinos are not returned intact; missing limbs are common. Furthermore, once blacklisted by the casino and disqualified from entering, these cheaters face not only disability but also abandonment.
Bosses don't employ useless people.
If they fail, the Thousand Hands will lose everything, their assets will be taken away and they will be left to fend for themselves, without even being given medical treatment.
Such a price is high for both the boss and the swindlers, so the children suffered a lot during their "training" before leaving the mountain.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was covered in wounds.
Only then did Cheng Shi realize that the root of Lao Jia's illness came from here.
Since being "adopted," he has been beaten and scolded every single day; but since he adopted himself, he has never beaten or scolded himself.
Except for that one day when I tricked someone into giving me a bottle of Coke using a bottle cap.
Cheng Shi wished he could snap his fingers and wipe out all the henchmen who were beating and scolding Lao Jia, but he knew that once he made a move in the memory, the memory concerning Lao Jia would no longer be complete and pure.
Fortunately, Old Jia was no pushover either, and there were some things he didn't need his son's help with.
Through constant beatings, Xiao Jia's cheating skills grew stronger and stronger, even surpassing the boss to become the organization's top player, and no one could detect his cheating in the gambling games.
This was no longer a simple trick; Cheng Shi could tell that he had reached a high level of mastery in deception, and Xiao Jia was no longer young at this point.
With his gambling skills at his disposal, Lao Jia patiently plotted and, after gaining fame, the first thing he did was bankrupt his boss through gambling.
He imitated the other man and left his boss on the roadside like a stray dog. Although the boss hadn't lost any limbs, he was probably too old to survive the cold, biting rain.
Those who deceive others will always be deceived in return.
This is the lesson you taught me, and now I believe it.
With that, Lao Jia turned and left. He knew that one day he would end up like his boss, but he had grown up in this kind of environment since he was a child, and his life had no other meaning except gambling and cheating.
In this way, Lao Jia's cheating skills brought him wealth far exceeding that of ordinary people, and also attracted the covetousness of countless people.
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