Chapter 89: Heaven Lends a Hand
In the afternoon, Lai Hou rushed back, carrying a few plaques as promised.
On them, bold characters read: “Kind Reminder: We do not serve arcade engineers, designers, or anyone familiar with game programming!”
The moment the group saw the plaques, they burst into laughter.
“Brother Wen, isn’t this just closing the barn after the horse has bolted?” one man joked.
Chen Xue Wen chuckled, “Live and learn, right?”
“Well, it’s fine that we didn’t have this before, but from now on, with this reminder in place, no more engineers or designers should be playing here!”
“Everyone, help spread the word,” he added.
The group nodded in agreement.
Lai Hou took a glance inside at the slot machines, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
“Damn! Where did all these people come from?!”
Before today, Chen Xue Wen’s arcade had only a handful of customers. But now, more than twenty people were packed inside—far more than ever before.
Instead of answering, Chen Xue Wen simply smiled and pulled open a drawer.
Lai Hou took a peek inside, and his eyes widened in shock. “Holy sh*t, where did all this money come from?!”
Inside the drawer sat a thick stack of bright red cash.
Chen Xue Wen grinned. “This is today’s afternoon revenue!”
“This… this much?!” Lai Hou stammered. “Must be over ten grand already!”
Chen Xue Wen nodded, eyes twinkling. “Seventeen thousand!”
Lai Hou nearly choked. Back when the two arcades were combined, they would be lucky to make two or three thousand yuan in a whole day. And now? It was only four o’clock, and in just two hours, Chen Xue Wen had already pulled in seventeen thousand?
He glanced at the bustling slot machines and lowered his voice, “Wait… are these Snake’s customers?”
Chen Xue Wen nodded.
A shiver of excitement ran through Lai Hou. He knew—this was their golden opportunity.
“F*ck yeah! We’re getting rich!” he exclaimed.
Chen Xue Wen clapped him on the shoulder and smirked. “This is just the beginning.”
“Snake’s Electronic Dynasty makes nearly a hundred grand a day.”
Lai Hou’s jaw dropped. Was Chen Xue Wen really planning to take all of Snake’s customers?!
Without another word, Chen Xue Wen took out a bundle of cash. “Monkey, go buy a few packs of cigarettes. Open them up and leave them inside for anyone to smoke.”
“Also, every ten minutes, make a round and hand out cigarettes.”
“From now on, you’re the manager here. Keep the customer relationships solid.”
Lai Hou was overjoyed—Chen Xue Wen was putting him in charge of the place!
He ran out enthusiastically and returned with several packs of good cigarettes. Not the high-end Hua Zi, but at 20 to 30 yuan per pack, they were still premium.
He walked into the slot machine hall, handing out cigarettes with a wide grin. “Have fun, everyone! Win big!”
“We’ve got tea and drinks over there, and even fruit platters. Need anything? Just holler!”
The players thanked him, delighted. This service was even better than Snake’s arcade.
At Electronic Dynasty, they only offered free cigarettes and bottled water. But here? They had energy drinks, iced teas, and even fruit platters. Now that was hospitality!
Several seasoned slot machine players immediately whipped out their phones and called their friends over.
By five or six o’clock, the slot machine hall was packed—over thirty to forty people playing.
And the revenue? It skyrocketed to thirty-eight thousand yuan.
Lai Hou could barely contain his excitement. Sitting beside Chen Xue Wen, he grinned ear to ear. “Brother Wen, at this rate, we’re gonna be rolling in it!”
Chen Xue Wen merely smiled. To him, this was only the beginning.
Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted from the inner room.
Lai Hou shot up in surprise. “What the hell?”
“Holy sh*t, it’s a jackpot! Big win!”
“Nine Consecutive Lucky Lamps! He hit the full combo!”
“Damn, Brother Ling has been chasing that jackpot all afternoon! No wonder he got it!”
“How much did he win?!”
“With that bet? Must be tens of thousands!”
The whole room buzzed with excitement.
Lai Hou’s face twisted in horror. They had only made thirty-eight grand so far, and someone had just hit a jackpot worth tens of thousands?!
But Chen Xue Wen’s eyes gleamed with opportunity.
Leaning in, he whispered a few words into Lai Hou’s ear.
Lai Hou froze. “Huh?!”
“Brother Wen, you… you gotta be joking!”
Chen Xue Wen shot him a sharp look. “Do I look like I’m joking?”
“I was actually worried no one would hit a big jackpot today.”
“But now that someone has, Heaven has truly blessed us. This is the perfect marketing opportunity.”
“Handle it right, and tomorrow’s revenue will be even higher!”
Lai Hou was dumbfounded. But he trusted Chen Xue Wen completely.
Without hesitation, he marched into the slot machine hall.
A massive crowd surrounded one of the machines—the one that had just hit the jackpot.
Seated before the machine, grinning from ear to ear, was Brother Ling.
Lai Hou glanced at the screen and did a quick calculation. The payout? Over seventy thousand yuan.
He winced but still forced a smile as he walked over.
The crowd parted immediately—he was the manager, after all. Whether or not the payout would be honored depended on him.
“Damn, brother! That’s some serious luck!” Lai Hou greeted warmly.
Brother Ling laughed, “Chased it all afternoon!”
Then he hesitated and lowered his voice. “Uh… can I cash out?”
All eyes turned to Lai Hou.
Winning big wasn’t the issue—getting paid was.
Snake’s arcade had a history of refusing payouts. Once, a player won several grand, and Snake accused him of “taking the money and running.” The guy had no choice but to keep playing… and lost it all.
Brother Ling, having won seventy grand, was understandably worried.
Lai Hou burst into laughter. “What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“We run an honest business here. The customer decides what happens.”
“You want to cash out? No problem. Let me calculate it real quick.”
Lai Hou leaned in and quickly tallied up the amount. “Altogether, it’s seventy-three thousand seven hundred…”
“Damn, not even rounding up the small change? Tell you what, let’s make it a lucky number—seventy-three thousand eight hundred. How about that?”
Brother Ling was stunned. Counting money that fast? And even rounding up in his favor?
He immediately nodded. “Thank you, Brother Hou! Much appreciated!”
Lai Hou laughed heartily. “No need to be polite!”
A younger member came over, handing over several stacks of cash to Lai Hou. Lai Hou counted them once more before passing them to Brother Ling.
“Here, brother, count it yourself to make sure it’s all there.”
Brother Ling took the cash and carefully counted every bill. A bright smile broke across his face. “It’s all here!”
“Thank you, Brother Hou! Thanks so much!”
The others were just as thrilled. This was nothing like dealing with Snake—here, payouts were fast and clean!
Lai Hou chuckled again and pulled out the keys to his motorcycle. “Brother, it’s getting dark. You should stash that money away first.”
“Call someone you trust and go deposit it. Just bring my bike back when you’re done.”
Brother Ling was even more excited now. He had been worried about carrying so much cash around, but this solved everything.
He quickly called over two of his close friends. The three of them rode off on Lai Hou’s motorcycle, heading straight for the nearest bank. Using an ATM, they deposited the money safely.
Once the money was secured, Brother Ling finally exhaled in relief. It was only when the cash was in his account that it truly felt like it belonged to him.
He kept three thousand in cash before returning to Brothers Game Arcade.
Inside, a crowd was still watching, waiting for the outcome. When they saw Brother Ling return with a beaming face, they knew—he had actually walked away with the money. This strengthened everyone’s trust in Chen Xue Wen.
Brother Ling walked in, grinning ear to ear. “Brothers, tonight, I’m treating everyone!”
Then, he turned to Chen Xue Wen and Lai Hou, smiling sheepishly. “Brother Wen, Brother Hou, would you two honor me by joining us for dinner?”
Chen Xue Wen burst out laughing. “Dinner? No problem!”
“But letting you pay? That’s not right.”
“You’re all guests here. This meal is on me!”
Brother Ling panicked. “Brother Wen, that won’t do! I just won big!”
Chen Xue Wen patted his shoulder with a smile. “Relax, brother. Just come back and play more often.”
“If you really feel bad about it, here’s the deal—you cover the drinks and smokes, and I’ll handle the food. Deal?”
Brother Ling grinned. “Deal!”
He enthusiastically gathered the crew and led them out for a feast.
By the end of the meal, Brother Ling had only spent around a thousand on drinks and cigarettes. Chen Xue Wen, being considerate, had chosen affordable options—ten-yuan Hongqi Canal cigarettes and a thirty-yuan bottle of basic white liquor.
Despite not costing much, this meal made Chen Xue Wen’s name even more respected.
Brother Ling, a few drinks in, thumped his chest. “Brother Wen, don’t worry! From now on, I’ll only play at your arcade!”
“All my brothers and friends—I’ll bring them here too! We won’t go anywhere else!”
“I trust only you!”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation