Chapter 324: Harsh Rebuke, Painstaking Effort
Li Yan kept his feelings to himself and didn’t share them with Hai Fu, nor did he recount the specific process that just took place. However, Shishan Yao had more than a million in gambling debts, and even if they didn’t say anything, both Hai Fu and Shishan Yao knew it was because Li Yan helped pay off the debt; otherwise, the casino wouldn’t have let him go.
No one knew how to begin speaking, and this continued until they arrived at the parking lot. Shishan Yao couldn’t hold back any longer. Although the two didn’t bla him, he knew this ti was even more troubleso than before.
"Mr. Li, I’m sorry, I failed to hold firm, I broke my vow... I just... I just wanted to test myself, to see how well I’ve quit gambling. I thought I had completely stopped, but..." As Shishan Yao spoke, he was about to kneel to Li Yan.
Li Yan reached out to stop him from kneeling.
No matter what addiction one tries to quit, after an initial burst of determination, one can persevere for a while, but after seeing so results, anxiety starts to creep in. Wanting to test one’s willpower, to see the results, they approach and try again. Even if they set a limit of moderation, this is actually subconscious deception, a deep-seated reaction of desire. If they don’t control themselves and try again, it will mostly end in failure!
Li Yan stopped him and politely said, "Mr. Shi, you don’t need to do this. Whether you want to test your willpower or find it hard to resist, that’s your business. For now, I’m just helping you for Hai Fu’s sake. If you’re too polite, it’ll make it hard for to speak candidly..."
"You can say whatever you want!" Hai Fu quickly interjected, understanding that Li Yan was prepared when he ca over and might have brought all his savings, with him even having paid the million gambling debt. She felt imnsely grateful but didn’t know what else to say. Hearing him hesitate, how could she not let him speak?
Shishan Yao also hurriedly said, "Sir, whatever advice you have, I will certainly follow this ti!"
"Very well, then prepare to transfer your house to my na. I’ve covered your gambling debts, and even though your house isn’t worth that much, it’s probably still the most valuable asset you have. Also, I’ll give you a few days to find a place to move. You’ll have to rent a new place, and I will also rent it out, but I won’t be renting it to you."
Li Yan’s words imdiately chilled Shishan Yao, and even filled him with a bit of anger. Damn, this is too harsh!
"See what you’re saying, I will find a way to repay you what I owe, but you’re taking the house so quickly, where am I supposed to let my wife and kids live?" Shishan Yao’s tone was still polite, but his deanor was not as respectful.
Hai Fu was also a bit surprised, thinking that with Li Yan’s usual style, he wouldn’t take advantage of others’ misfortune. But she was a bit more rational and knew that the house wouldn’t cover the debt, so there must be a reason for Li Yan’s actions. However, even though her brother deserved it, her sister-in-law and nephew shouldn’t be implicated, as they had already suffered enough.
"How about this... Why don’t I mortgage my house to you? I don’t mind, but my sister-in-law and nephew need a place to stay." Hai Fu softly persuaded.
Hearing Hai Fu’s words, Shishan Yao felt mortified, having burdened his sister many tis and owing her a lot of money, now even putting her house at risk... He raised his head and said loudly, "Enough! Give ten days, I’ll pay you back. Don’t put Hai Fu in a difficult position!"
Li Yan leisurely took out a cigarette and lit it, then sneered, "Ten days? You want to continue gambling? You think as long as you don’t gamble big with experts, you’ll have a repeat of last night, winning a little and then stopping while you’re ahead? Win 100,000 a day, and you can repay in ten days?"
Shishan Yao, despite having his thoughts exposed, didn’t feel much embarrassnt; instead, he felt it was being forced on him!
"First, let ask you, how many tis in your life have situations like last night’s occurred? Compared to when you lose, what’s the ratio? When you have these big wins, have you followed them with big losses? Do they tempt you to gamble bigger, or are you really unbeatable? Where do you get your capital? What if you don’t win 100,000 a night but lose 100,000? What else do you have to lose?"
Li Yan’s barrage of questions left Shishan Yao panic-stricken and sweating, yet also filled him with shock as he recalled how he had sunk into the mire over the years: losing money more often than winning, with occasional big wins followed quickly by even bigger losses. What if ten days from now, he lost more? This ti Hai Fu brought Li Yan to help, but what about next ti?
"What else do you have to lose?" Li Yan repeated with a cold smile, "You think I’m being excessive, don’t you? You think the casino won’t take your house as paynt, right? You think you’re still enjoying VIP treatnt, don’t you? If Hai Fu didn’t bring the money tonight, do you think your treatnt would be the sa tomorrow? I’m afraid even after taking your house, it wouldn’t cover the debt, and they might just invite your wife and kids over for a stay!"
This dealt Shishan Yao a heavy blow, as he had always managed to tily cover his gambling debts, he hadn’t faced the casinos’ unsympathetic side. But calmly thinking about it, they only care about the money, not the person. If he couldn’t pay, it really might turn out that way! At least Li Yan wouldn’t harm his family.
"Just so you know, I’ve already told them I’ll be taking the house and won’t be involved in your affairs anymore, and Hai Fu won’t be able to help you either. They politely said that in any casino within their influence, you’ll be blacklisted, with the consequence being ejection or even a beating, so don’t say I didn’t warn you."
Li Yan’s words utterly crushed Shishan Yao’s hope of gambling his way back! Even though he was a veteran gambler, he wasn’t a big player, and there weren’t many underground casinos he could access; barring a small-scale ga, it really did shut off his routes.
"Fine. I’ll rember you, and you rember, I will pay you back! Keep the house for ; I will eventually take it back myself!" Shishan Yao resolutely declared, then turned and left.
Watching his retreating figure, Li Yan added another remark: "I’ll rember, but you’d better figure out the rent problem first."
...
After Shishan Yao left, Hai Fu remained silent.
They didn’t speak where they were, nor did they discuss things in detail, but both tacitly got into their cars and drove away from the hotel. They finally stopped at a tree-lined road and sat on a stone bench by the roadside.
Such a setting is a great place for lovers to date and court, but clearly, they were in no mood for that.
"Do you think I was a bit too much?" Li Yan broke the silence.
Hai Fu gave a bitter smile, "No, he brought this on himself. It’s just that his family had to suffer along with him. I really thought he’d quit this ti..."
"It’s never that easy to quit. It’s always a struggle. There are really only two ways: either give him enough money to let him gamble day and night until he’s had enough and naturally loses interest, or redirect his attention as I ntioned before. It helps for a while, but others can’t watch forever; he’s got to handle it himself. Just now, I intentionally wounded his male pride..."
"Why?" Hai Fu asked curiously, as she had longed to question him but felt it wasn’t right to ask since Li Yan was just trying to help.
"In the past, even though he lost badly, he hadn’t yet dragged his family down with him, feeling he could shoulder it alone. But now, it’s different; he has lost his ho! Seeing his wife and kids will make him feel ashad, and he’ll have to face the family burden. First, he must earn money for livelihood and pay the rent every month, which becos a new burden. Secondly, he has to earn money to repay and redeem the house to regain his dignity. With these two pressures, I believe he’ll be more determined to quit gambling this ti! Once he gets used to being busy and finds fulfillnt at work again, perhaps he can really quit."
Hai Fu was confused by the situation, but after hearing Li Yan’s words, she understood his painstaking effort, and the fact that he did it all for her!
She couldn’t help but embrace him tightly, choking with emotion, "Thank you..."
"Don’t thank too soon; whether it works or not depends on you!"
"What do I need to do?"
"It’s not about what you need to do; it’s about doing nothing!"
"You an..."
"You must be impartial and unsentintal, help supervise them moving out and transfer the house title. If out of sympathy, you assist them, it’s over. To make him stand on his own, you mustn’t give him any crutches!" Li Yan seriously stated, "They may bla you temporarily, but for the long-term, you must do this."
Hai Fu pondered for a mont and nodded, "I understand. Actually... you must have staked all your savings today, right? Even if you take the house back, it won’t cover the debt unless it’s sold. If I had money, I should help them repay you first... Honestly, was it all your savings, or did you divert soone else’s lent money?"
She never inquired about Li Yan’s background, but based on his performance in the company, she guessed he wouldn’t have much savings even after working for many years. She did hear he was brought in by Mr. Sun, but didn’t know what his family was like.
Li Yan smiled, "You don’t need to worry about that. I don’t have high living standards, as long as I have a car to drive and food to eat, and you help solve so problems... don’t worry about being without money."
Seeing him say so, even though she worried a bit, Hai Fu instinctively trusted him, believing he could handle it.
(Shaking the car seeking Monthly Passes...)
(To be continued, for more updates visit qidian, support the author by reading through official channels!)
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