Chapter 104: Go Big!

The bald man and the others returned to their rooms one after another.

Shen Guodong also led Zhou Meiniang upstairs.

But just as they reached the corner, Wang Chengzhi was already waiting there.

With only Shen Guodong left, he no longer had any scruples. His brazen gaze swept over Zhou Meiniang’s exquisitely alluring figure, his hunger for her naked and undisguised.

“You really are beautiful,” Wang Chengzhi said, nearly drooling. “I’m telling you, Meiniang, with a body like yours, any man who got you would be willing to die for it.”

Zhou Meiniang’s face darkened. Though she was indeed sexy, and the first impression she gave people was that of a woman loose and promiscuous, the truth was that she was actually quite conservative.

She was deeply offended by such words.

Especially with her man standing right there, for Wang Chengzhi to speak like that was asking for a misunderstanding. How could she be happy about it?

“Wang Chengzhi, watch your mouth. I used to give you face and didn’t want to damage either of our reputations, so I never said anything. But now I’ve already divorced Wang Weihua, and I have nothing left to hold back for.

“If you keep this up, believe it or not, I’ll go straight to Wang Family Village and expose everything you’ve done. You’re shameless enough to serve as village director, so why should I care about saving face?” Zhou Meiniang was not someone to be bullied.

After all, a barefoot person fears nothing from someone wearing shoes.

She already had the stigma of divorce hanging over her head.

No matter what she did, gossip would follow.

And if Wang Chengzhi was not afraid of losing face either, then they might as well tear each other apart.

Before his rise, Wang Chengzhi had been notorious as a foul-mouthed rogue and a shameless bully. How could he possibly be intimidated by Zhou Meiniang’s words? He bared his teeth in a grin.

“If you’re not afraid of shame, then go ahead and try. I’d like to see whether your parents can still live with their heads held high afterward. You can afford to lose face, but they can’t. And tell me, who do you think people will believe: you or me?”

“That’s enough?” Zhou Meiniang was furious.

At that moment, Shen Guodong spoke in time.

His eyes narrowed as he fixed Wang Chengzhi with a hostile stare.

“Kid, don’t say I didn’t warn you. My woman is not someone you have the right to insult. If you do, then you’d better be prepared to pay the price.”

“Your woman?”

Wang Chengzhi had expected this, but hearing those words come from Shen Guodong still made his stomach churn with jealousy, as though he had swallowed a mouthful of rotten filth.

Long ago, he had set his sights on Zhou Meiniang. Yet despite his status, he had never managed to have her, and now Shen Guodong had actually beaten him to it.

There had even been rumors in the village that Zhou Meiniang had left Wang Weihua for another man. Now it seemed... that man was this very fellow.

Wang Chengzhi studied him for a moment and sneered.

“I’d like to see just how you plan to make me pay the price. And don’t say I didn’t warn you: this time the order will definitely go to the Third Factory. Your First and Second Factories are bound to be swallowed up. If you still want to keep a stable job, then you’d better curry favor with me.

“Then maybe I can take care of you in the future. Otherwise, you won’t even have a rice bowl left to hold.

“As for you, Meiniang... you’re already divorced. Why bother caring about reputation? Following this guy, how could you possibly compare with following me? Heh, I think you’re a smart woman. Once I land the order from Shencheng Steel Works, I’ll be promoted to deputy factory director. By then, whatever you want, you’ll have. Wind, rain, anything at your command... Don’t you understand that?”

“Hahaha, and who told you this order is definitely going to the Third Factory? Did Factory Director Lu of Shencheng Steel Works tell you that himself?” Shen Guodong laughed coldly.

This guy was really absurdly confident.

Nothing in the world is absolute.

And yet he had such tremendous confidence?

That was truly laughable.

“You don’t believe me?” Wang Chengzhi said icily.

“Of course I don’t believe you,” Shen Guodong said with complete certainty.

Wang Chengzhi was a gambler, a man who loved gambling, and his luck had always been pretty good. At that moment he stared at Shen Guodong, eyes narrowing as well.

Then he sneered repeatedly.

“Kid, why don’t we make a bet? I’ve remembered you now. Your name is Shen Guodong, right? I ran into you a few times at the casino over there before. Lost money and couldn’t pay it back, and you got beat up pretty badly.”

Shen Guodong smiled. “That was all in the past. Tell me what you want to bet on.”

“Your woman.”

Wang Chengzhi had coveted Zhou Meiniang for more than a day or two.

If he was given the chance, he would never let any opportunity to get her slip away.

“First, I don’t bet on women. I will not casually treat a person like an object to be traded, even if I were absolutely certain of winning,” Shen Guodong said calmly.

Even though he had complete confidence in this matter, there were still uncertainties involved. And as long as even the slightest uncertainty remained, he would not do such a thing.

That much was certain.

Zhou Meiniang was a person, not a possession.

Since she had chosen him, he had to give her the respect she deserved.

It was only a small gesture, but Zhou Meiniang was still deeply moved. After following Shen Guodong, she finally felt like a human being, and only then did living seem meaningful.

Unlike before... when she had drifted through life in a daze, finding no meaning in anything at all.

She felt tears welling in her eyes.

They trembled in the corners, ready to spill at any moment.

“If you’re so sure of yourself, then why won’t you dare to bet?” Wang Chengzhi said, feeling both angry and embarrassed. He had not expected Shen Guodong to refuse the bait. This fellow was unusually cautious.

He had tried to provoke him.

But Shen Guodong was no longer the same man he once was.

How could he fail to see through Wang Chengzhi’s intentions?

“Why don’t we do this: let’s bet money instead. We’ll invite a witness and hand the money over to him. What do you say?” Shen Guodong offered.

“Money? How much do you have? What a joke. I could drown you in money in minutes,” Wang Chengzhi said with confidence.

For this deal, the factory had given him thirty thousand yuan. If anything went wrong, that money would be used for gifts and bribes. Given the strength of their factory, with so much money in hand, success was certain.

Now that the outcome was all but decided, that thirty thousand would not even be needed, and it could just as well be used to make money.

“Any amount?” Shen Guodong asked.

Wang Chengzhi whipped out his savings book and slapped it forward.

“Open your dog eyes and look. Three whole ten-thousand-yuan notes. How much are you betting that I can’t match? Don’t try acting tough in front of me. What kind of thing are you?”

Thirty thousand?

So much?

Shen Guodong had not expected him to have that much money. This fellow really looked like he had come to play the generous patron.

“Then let’s make it thirty thousand,” Shen Guodong said at once. “It’s only this much money. You wouldn’t think it’s too much and be too afraid to bet, would you?”