My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

Seeing that Su Ming remained silent, Bao Yazhong's smile faded, and he solemnly assured him, "Brother, don't worry! I've been around Snake Mountain for so long, and I rely on loyalty. I'm generous; I take what's rightfully mine, and I would never cheat my brothers out of what isn't. If you're still uneasy, that's perfectly fine. You can arrange for a trusted relative or fellow villager from your hometown or factory to work at the shop."

These candid words made Su Ming feel a little embarrassed.

Bao Yazhong paused for a moment, then continued his analysis: "Think about it, once this shop becomes popular, it'll be incredibly busy. One person handling the cashier and patrolling the area definitely won't be enough. You assign one person, and I'll assign one, so we can supervise each other. That way, you won't have to worry about me making money off the shop alone, right?"

Upon hearing Bao Yazhong's words, Su Ming quickly began to make plans in his mind.

Bao Yazhong's words made some sense; each of them sending one person would indeed serve as a check and balance. The problem was, they couldn't find suitable candidates to oversee the arcade.

Calling his parents from his hometown over? Absolutely not. If they knew he was wasting his time and getting involved in these gambling-like slot machines, they'd be furious and give him a heart attack. They definitely wouldn't support him.

Looking for Tian Jing? Although she's reliable, she has a proper job; why would she come to work in a smoky, chaotic arcade?

Looking for Yang Tian? That's even more absurd. Their relationship is so strained right now, they're trying to avoid each other.

After much thought, he realized that he really didn't have a single "one of his own" in this city.

Su Ming smiled helplessly, shook his head, and said, "Forget it, my situation is special, so I won't send anyone over for the time being. Since we're going into business together, I trust your character. Let your cousin Xiaomei handle the cashier."

Although he said he believed it, Su Ming still kept a watchful eye in his heart. One can never be too careful, especially when facing the pressure of hundreds of thousands of yuan in debt. He couldn't afford to let anything go wrong with this "cash cow" on which he had placed his hopes.

From now on, I'll just have to come to the arcade more often after work to keep an eye on things.

Seeing Su Ming's straightforwardness, Bao Yazhong laughed heartily. He raised his glass, toasted Su Ming, and loudly replied, "Good brother! You're very generous! But don't worry, buddy, rules still need to be set; even close brothers keep clear accounts!"

"Oh, what are the rules?" Su Ming asked curiously.

Bao Yazhong leaned closer and shared the underworld's rules: "When the time comes, I'll have someone add a lock to those most profitable slot machines. There will be two keyholes on the machines. You'll take one key, and I'll take the other. We'll each keep our keys safe. That way, only when both keys are inserted at the same time can the machine's cash drawer be opened. Both of us must be present at the same time; neither of us can take the money inside alone."

He patted his chest and said, "From now on, every night when we close, we'll count the coins in person and reconcile the accounts. Profits will be split daily, no delays. How does that sound?"

Upon hearing the proposal of "double locking" and "daily reconciliation," Su Ming finally felt relieved. This would indeed ensure the safety of the funds to the greatest extent possible, preventing anyone from cheating anyone else.

"Great idea! That's a good plan!" Su Ming picked up his glass, a genuine smile finally appearing on his face, and readily agreed, "Then let's do it Zhong Ge's way. Come on, let's wish our business booming and our wealth flowing in, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Four wine glasses clinked together crisply in the evening food stall, making a hopeful sound. Su Ming could almost see those clattering coins turning into hundred-yuan bills, filling the bottomless abyss of despair in his heart.

After a few rounds of drinks, seven or eight empty beer bottles had already been spilled on the food stall table.

Bao Yazhong's face was flushed from drinking, and his street-smart, gangster-like manner was completely exposed. With a cigarette between his fingers, he brazenly slipped his other hand under Xiao Li's clothes and began to roam freely over her body right in front of Su Ming, occasionally pinching her.

"what!"

Xiaoli let out an exaggerated shriek, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She twisted her body, playfully slapped Bao Yazhong's shoulder, and scolded, "Ugh! Zhong-ge, you're so annoying! What are you doing? Ming-ge is watching here! You may be shameless, but I still have my pride!"

Although she was cursing, two blushes appeared on her face, and she half-heartedly leaned into Bao Yazhong's arms, her eyes showing no sign of real anger.

Bao Yazhong, far from blushing, burst into smug laughter. He withdrew his hand, sniffed it in an extremely lewd manner, then turned to the embarrassed Su Ming beside him and shamelessly advised, "Dude, look at you, what's with the blush? Think positively! Life is short, like a fleeting moment, you must enjoy it while you can!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ming was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself, "This guy is actually quite cultured; he can even paraphrase Zhuangzi's famous saying, 'Time flies like an arrow.'"

Bao Yazhong picked up his glass, clinked it against Su Ming's, and winked, saying, "Today's the first day of our arcade's opening, a fantastic start! To celebrate, I've decided not to go home tonight. We'll find a place nearby and have a good time!"

Su Ming frowned as he listened, thinking to himself that this guy was really driven by lust, and his every other sentence revolved around his lower body.

Bao Yazhong leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said in a boastful tone, "Buddy, you can trust me. I've already rented a place around here, a two-bedroom apartment, and it's fairly clean. It's in an urban village less than fifty meters from our arcade. After we finish eating, I'll take you to see it and familiarize yourself with the place."

Upon hearing this, Su Ming felt a sudden pang of resistance. Seeing this guy's lustful desires rising, clearly intending to take a woman back for some fun, how awkward would it be if he went along? Would he be left eavesdropping?

He quickly waved his hand and said with a dry laugh, "Brother Zhong, since you're in such a good mood, I won't join in the fun. I'll just go straight back to my place later; I have to get up early for work tomorrow."

"Hey! That won't do!" Upon hearing this, Bao Yazhong immediately straightened his face, abandoning his previous playful demeanor, and retorted seriously, "You have to be familiar with this house! Not only do you have to be familiar with it, but this was originally prepared as our base."

He pointed in the direction of the arcade and began to patiently explain, "Think about it, if this place becomes popular, you'll definitely have to come every night to count the coins, reconcile the accounts, and divide the money, right? Reconciling the accounts won't be done until at least midnight or one or two in the morning. What if it's windy and rainy, or you drink too much one day? How will you get home? It's hard to get a taxi here. What if you can't get back? You'll definitely have to find a safe place to stay nearby, right? You can't exactly sleep on the arcade floor with thousands of dollars in cash, can you?"

Bao Yazhong patted Su Ming on the shoulder, his tone becoming very sincere: "This house is rented by me as a dormitory, one room per person. Consider it a place for you to rest and stay temporarily. If you finish reconciling the accounts too late, just go there and collapse into bed, it'll be very convenient!"

After listening, Su Ming silently considered the matter in his mind.

Bao Yazhong's words were indeed to the point. The weather in Donghai City was unpredictable, and with the accounts to be reconciled and money to be distributed every night, carrying a large amount of cash on his way back to his cousin's place at night was indeed not safe. Having a place to stay close to the shop was definitely necessary.

Thinking of this, Su Ming stopped refusing and nodded in agreement: "Alright then, since it's going to be used as a dormitory, I'll go and familiarize myself with the place."