Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!

(ps: A mistake was discovered. Germany scored during extra time. The bet before the match should have been on a 0:0 score because goals scored in extra time don't count. The previous text has already been modified.)

...

For a moment, countless gazes in the bar converged on Cheng Zhu.

After all, those customers who remained were surely football enthusiasts, and among them, a high percentage placed bets.

Whispers spread rapidly amongst the crowd.

"He looks pretty young, probably still a student, huh?"

"Damn, daring to bet twelve grand on a 0:0, these young folks are impressive!"

"Tough guy indeed, I wouldn't even dare to bet twelve grand on a win, and he dared to bet on the exact score!"

"I recall the odds were around 7. something times. He's made a fortune!"

"Can someone really be that lucky!?"

Those who also won money were fine, but those who lost tonight after hearing Shen Minglang's words were so envious they almost went mad.

The customer who had previously stirred the crowd to ask Shen Minglang for a discount on the drinks, quite familiar with him, couldn't resist asking, "How many scores did your cousin bet on? I want to pick his brain and study his strategy for betting on scores."

Shen Minglang boasted arrogantly, "Of course he fucking only bet on 0:0! Hit the jackpot on a single score, bad-ass, right?"

This revelation shocked the surrounding patrons even further.

For a moment, they couldn't tell if this young student was just a naive newbie, or genuinely extraordinarily lucky.

He didn't even hedge his bets with several possible scores, and chose the most unlikely regular match draw of 0:0, but he actually won!

Nothing left to say, winning money is badass!

Moreover, you have to realize that though Shen Minglang also won money, he had bet a whopping fifty grand.

However, the money he earned today was still less than what Cheng Zhu made!

In the entire bar, many had wagered not just on wins or losses, but also on handicaps, corners, over/unders, card counts, and so on.

Some of these bets had higher odds than simply betting on wins or losses, while others offered lower payouts than betting directly on the winning team.

One could say that just in terms of profits, Cheng Zhu was definitely among the few who won big today.

Shen Minglang couldn't help saying, "If I'd known, I'd have followed you and bet on 0:0 too."

After finishing his words, he glanced at Jiang Wanzhou saying, "Lucky you, tagging along with your cousin, you bet two grand."

However, as soon as Shen Minglang finished speaking, he noticed Jiang Wanzhou's expression was a bit complex.

"What's wrong, you won money but still not happy?" He couldn't be bothered with his cousin right now; there were folks offering toasts, and he happily clinked glasses with them.

As soon as Shen Minglang left, Jiang Wanzhou stared intensely at Cheng Zhu.

Cheng Zhu spoke up directly, "I know what you want to ask. It wasn't just me who bet twelve grand; several people asked me to join in. Out of that, I only chipped in eight hundred."

He seriously began to spew nonsense and added that he didn't win much with an initial stake of eight hundred. He also cheekily demanded, "You, rich man, bet two grand, so President Jiang is footing the bill for all the expenses tonight!"

Cheng Zhu wasn't really stingy or keen on taking advantage, it was purely about solidifying his credibility.

Jiang Wanzhou was indeed easy to fool, but being good brothers, Cheng Zhu felt he had to be earnest in his deception, not careless, as a sign of respect.

Otherwise, it would seem a bit disrespectful.

After receiving a wave of "respect" from Cheng Zhu, Jiang Wanzhou's mood indeed improved a bit, and he even generously offered, "I'll give you half of my winnings!"

"Tsk, the arrogant CEO wants to crush me with his money, huh." Cheng Zhu said disdainfully, adding, "You haven't even finished the drinks you welshed on just now, hurry up! We're leaving soon!"

"My eyes are rulers! No, are you raising fish?"

While they were enjoying themselves, Li Rui was over on the other side experiencing a minor adolescent meltdown.

Cheng Zhu winning big money felt worse than death to him!

It wasn't just the twelve grand he lost; he could manage a forced smile to pretend he didn't care about a measly amount of ten thousand, and use this chance to show off his financial power in front of Li Xinyue.

In front of the girl he liked, he had managed to show off successfully, rounding up, this wasn't a loss.

But her ex-boyfriend fucking made seventy-eight thousand after deducting his capital!

And me? What about me?

I'm here, losing five hundred with her...

Though I'd warmly offer to cover that five hundred for her.

But I can't bridge this gap in my heart.

"And now Cheng Zhu is richer than me. His wallet's fatter than mine."

Li Rui felt he no longer had the edge even in the one area he was most confident about.

If Cheng Zhu knew about his pettiness, he might respond indifferently, "What level do you think you are, always treating me like some imaginary enemy."

He never intended to show off in front of Li Xinyue.

To be exact, he was now rather headache-inducing when thinking of Li Xinyue.

"I just realized she's wearing the couple shoes I bought for her."

"My capital shrank because of her! At odds of 7.5 times, damn it."

"Are those shoes she's wearing over a thousand? More like she's walking in ten grand worth of shoes!"

At that moment, a group of customers had left the bar, but there remained some who were still talking about football.

Some lamented their monetary losses, some felt sorry for Messi missing out on the championship.

But Cheng Zhu was clear that in the World Cup 22 years on, Messi would be able to lift the trophy he's long dreamed of.

He downed his cocktail in one go, looking at the empty glass, thinking, "Now that I have ninety thousand, what should I do next?"

The next moment, a preliminary plan formed in his mind.

He decided to first rely on one of his old trades to earn his second fortune in this life.

"There's a track in e-commerce with a future brighter by the year."

"Not to mention it's only 2014 now, even by 2023, selling that stuff would still be a pretty good choice."

"That's it," Cheng Zhu decided as he looked at the empty glass.

"Ninety thousand, that's plenty."

...

...

In Jiuyin, Chen Rongrong said sadly, "Sigh, Yueyue, we each lost five hundred."

That simple sentence made Li Rui, who was in internal turmoil, instantly lift his head.

He turned to Li Xinyue with a strained smile, "Xinyue, Chen Rongrong, my brother just texted me. When he was placing bets, there was a glitch, so your two bets didn't go through. I'll transfer the money to you soon."

"Ah! Really?" Chen Rongrong's mood turned from sadness to joy instantaneously.

Still, she picked up her phone, posting a WeChat moment after hiding a particular group chat, which also excluded Li Xinyue and Li Rui from seeing the post. The content read:

"Wu wu wu, lost five hundred on the World Cup finals, need consolation."

Li Xinyue just nodded, her gaze still occasionally drifting towards Cheng Zhu.

She didn't care about losing five hundred; what truly shocked her was Cheng Zhu winning a huge amount of money.

All this Li Rui saw, and it cut him like a knife.

Meanwhile, Cheng Zhu paid no attention to their side from the beginning to end.

"Yueyue, shall we get going?" Chen Rongrong suggested while flirting on her phone.

"I'd like to sit for a while longer," said Li Xinyue.

Li Rui had no objections; he was more than happy to keep her company.

Just then, Cheng Zhu and Jiang Wanzhou got up.

They greeted Shen Minglang to let him know they were leaving first.

The bartender Ye Zi also waved goodbye to them and took the initiative to grab her mobile phone, wanting to add Cheng Zhu on WeChat.

Cheng Zhu, considering her ample assets, didn't refuse.

When Li Xinyue saw Cheng Zhu and Jiang Wanzhou walking towards the door, she immediately stood up and said, "Let's go, we should leave too."

Engrossed in her chat, Chen Rongrong looked up confused, whereas Li Rui, sensing a clue, felt another stab in his heart.

For some reason, Li Rui's mind flashed back to Cheng Zhu's words to him, "A caring man is just behind a dog."

The three of them stood up, and Li Rui went to pay the bill.

He stubbornly wanted to finish playing the role he'd planned. When the server asked him if he had the bar's membership card, he replied with feigned calm and sophistication, "Yes, use the card."

After paying and turning around, he found that Li Xinyue and Chen Rongrong hadn't waited behind him at all, but had already gone out to the front of the bar.

In the scorching summer heat, they didn't linger even for a moment longer in the air conditioning.

Li Rui walked out looking dejected, to find Li Xinyue still looking around for something.

Chen Rongrong then suddenly exclaimed, "Ah, Yueyue, why are you crying?"

...

...

Elsewhere, in a Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

The bar manager was driving, acting as their designated driver, this was something Shen Minglang had arranged.

Jiang Wanzhou, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to Cheng Zhu and suggested, "How about we go somewhere on vacation in a few days?"

"Forget about a vacation, but I'm planning to visit a place to scout the market," Cheng Zhu replied.

"Tsk, market research? You sure use pretentious terms," remarked Jiang Wanzhou.

"Don't worry, I won't take you. It wouldn't be convenient," Cheng Zhu responded.

"Why not? What's so inconvenient about it? Could it be... you fucking want to get back together with Li Xinyue?" Jiang Wanzhou glared at him like he was staring down a jerk.

"Enough, enough, let's leave closed chapters behind," said Cheng Zhu.

— Life's a stage, once you're done, don't come back.

"Then why can't you take me?" pressed Jiang Wanzhou.

"Your vibe is too gloomy; that place isn't suitable for you," Cheng Zhu said, raising an eyebrow, utterly serious.