Chapter 99: Win or Lose
Lao Jiang was a loyal and responsible man most of the time, but he was evasive when it came to certain things. Since it was inconvenient for him to state his difficulties, Zhang Nianzu didn't ask. However, he still wouldn't consider things like helping the gang leader to fight.
"Let's just talk about the steel fork. The only one we feel sorry for is him. It's not the turn of an old man to come and hold us accountable, right?" Zhang Nianzu said.
Lao Jiang said anxiously, "Why don't you understand? Mr. Tang bought all the future matches of Steel Fork, so he regards Steel Fork as his personal property. Steel Fork was silenced by you, so he must come to you, right?" Lao Jiang pleaded, "It's just the last match left, just deal with it casually, just do me a favor and make some extra money for yourself, what's wrong with that?"
Zhang Nianzu didn't want to say more, but suddenly asked, "Hey, there's still money to be made?"
Old Jiang was stunned. In his eyes, Zhang Nianzu was a freak who would fight for the girl he just met for the first time and would not give up even if he was chased all over the city. He never put his hope on money, but unexpectedly, Zhang Nianzu was actually interested in money today...
"Of course they have money. Otherwise, do you think those underground boxers come to the stage for their ideals?"
Zhang Nianzu asked, "How much can you give?" Of course he was interested in money. Wasn't it money that had been bothering him recently? The clan members' public funds could be put aside for now. The most urgent thing was Wu Doudou's surgery fee. The bone marrow matching was successful. Could it be that Wu Doudou's condition was delayed because of lack of money?
Seeing that there was a play, Lao Jiang pointed at Mr. Tang and said, "The real boss is here, you discuss it with him."
This time, Zhang Nianzu pulled Li Changgui aside again and explained the general situation to him. As the ancestor, he knew nothing about the clan rules, and what he was about to do was obviously against the rules, so it was necessary to ask Li Changgui's opinion first.
Li Changgui understood that Zhang Nianzu wanted to use the money to save his life. He coughed and said, "You are the grandfather, you have the final say." He rolled his eyes and said, "Besides, we owe them a game, so it is only right to make up for the shortfall."
Zhang Nianzu knew that this was Li Changgui trying to save his own way, so he blinked and said, "Thank you."
"Thinking of the ancestors..." Li Changgui hesitated to speak.
"I understand. We won't do this again."
Li Changgui then said no more.
Zhang Nianzu sat in front of Shi Jingtang again and said, "Master Tang, where were we just now?"
Mr. Tang glanced at him and said, "You said it's impossible for you to..."
"Oh, this is over. Let's move on to the next topic - how much would you pay us if we were to go on stage for you?"
When Master Tang heard the other party talking about money, he knew that the initiative was back in his hands. He said in a pretentious tone: "The average boxer earns tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands per season..."
Lei Tingting asked in surprise: "One season?"
Lao Jiang explained: "Usually it's ten fights. A weaker boxer might get knocked down after just one or two fights, and then his season is actually over. Who would be willing to bet on him? So the price difference is huge depending on whether you are famous or not."
Lei Tingting asked again: "What is the price of the steel fork?"
Lao Jiang said, "Didn't Steel Fork just become famous? So it's also the newbie price, but it's just a little dividend."
Zhang Nianzu waved his hand and said, "Don't make it so complicated, we are sure to win."
Mr. Tang glared and asked, "So confident?"
Old Chiang whispered something to Mr. Tang, seemingly guaranteeing Zhang Nianzu's success.
Mr. Tang asked, "How much money do you want?"
Zhang Nianzu said: "Five hundred thousand!"
Mr. Tang yelled, "How can there be such a price? Do you think you are Tyson?"
Zhang Nianzu said, "It's up to you whether it's suitable or not. The fraction you bet on the next game won't be more than this amount, right?"
Mr. Tang said angrily, "You guys drove Gangcha away just to bully me and demand a lot from me, right?"
Zhang Nianzu was stunned. Normally, he would have thought that doing this was a bit unfair, but there was nothing he could do. He said, "How about this, if we lose, we won't take any money. Is that okay with you?"
Mr. Tang was silent for a while, then hesitantly asked, "Who are you going to let play?"
Zhang Nianzu glanced left and right, pointed at Li Ah Si and said, "Him."
Li Ah Si whispered, "Brother Nianzu, why is it me again?"
"Don't bother two masters with one thing. Aren't you Gangcha's master?"
Li Ah Si said: "Well... OK."
Master Tang stared at Li Ah Si for a long time and said, "Do you have any special skills that you can show me?"
Li Ah Si simply said, "No."
"Ahem..." said Master Tang, "A steel fork can break a small tree as thick as the mouth of a cup with one kick!"
Li Ah Si rolled his eyes and said, "People are not trees, why would I kick that thing?"
Zhang Nianzu picked up a wrench from the ground and handed it to Li Asi, saying, "Break a little tiger for Master Tang."
No one knew what he meant, but Li Ah Si took the wrench and twisted it like a naughty boy twisting a wire until it was all crooked. Of course, it was not convincing to say that it was a little tiger...
Tang Ye's eyes widened, he grabbed the wrench and verified it, and found that there was no possibility of fraud, then he exclaimed: "What a strength!"
Zhang Nianzu asked, "Do you think this is worth half a million?"
“Value is value…”
Zhang Nianzu stretched out his hand without saying a word and said, "Take the money."
Mr. Tang looked up at Lao Jiang and said, "Did I invite a boxer or did I enter a black shop? Why do I feel like I'm being blackmailed?"
Lao Jiang chuckled and said, "This is a unique move."
Mr. Tang said: "No one took the money first."
Zhang Nianzu said: "This is our rule. If you feel uneasy, just leave."
“When was this rule established?”
"Just decided."
Mr. Tang was speechless. He took out his checkbook and pen, and said with a burning look, "I need to confirm it again. It's a guaranteed win, right?"
Zhang Nianzu stared at the checkbook and said, "If you lose, we will return it to you in its original state."
Mr. Tang wrote a check for half a million dollars, waved it in his hand and said, "It's a deal, I guarantee you'll win! If you guys try to play tricks--"
Zhang Nianzu snatched the check and said, "I know. Who hasn't heard of Thirteen Spices?"
Lei Tingting laughed softly and said, "You are really flexible."
Zhang Nianzu carefully put away the check, put his hands on his knees and said, "Well, that's it, after the game in five days, we'll be even."
Master Tang savored the taste of it, and almost slipped under the stool: "What do you mean? You just fight for me?"
Zhang Nianzu said, "You still want to subsidize us for a season?"
Mr. Tang was so angry that he trembled and said, "Five hundred thousand per game... you really dare to ask for it!"
Zhang Nianzu said: "If you are not happy, I will return it to you." He said this because he knew in his heart that the old man had been busy for such a long time just for this final crucial match. Now that it was time for the final push, where could he find a suitable boxer?
As expected, Master Tang waved his hand feebly and said, "That's all, but I have an additional request."
"You say."
Master Tang approached Zhang Nianzu and said, "Although you can guarantee to win, you must also guarantee to lose when I need you to lose."
Zhang Nianzu knew it clearly, but he still deliberately asked, "Why?"
Mr. Tang smiled mysteriously and said, "Winning or losing is not decided by me, it's decided by the handicap. Isn't it just for money that I do this kind of thing?"
Zhang Nianzu said: "Five hundred thousand is the guaranteed winning money. If you lose, you will have to pay more!"
Mr. Tang finally jumped up from his seat: "What kind of logic is this? It's hard to win a fight, but is it also hard to lose a fight?"
Li Ah Si said with a sigh, "Of course it's difficult. How could I lose?" He slapped his face and said, "If I lose, I won't have any face, right?"
