Chapter 38: He's just a fake fan

After placing the bets, not long after, the match also started, and everyone's attention shifted to the LCD TV.

Chen Yang already knew the final result, so his interest in the match wasn't as high as others'. He was about to ask Liu Shijie about the details and rules of his bet when he heard a faint footsteps approaching from afar.

He turned his head and saw a group of attractive female servers in black uniforms slowly entering the doorway. Each of them was tall and slender, with beautiful faces, and their steps were light and graceful.

Each held a delicate tray steadily in hand, the trays filled with various items. There was Flying Sky Maotai and German dark beer, as well as fruit platters carefully carved into various shapes, exuding tempting aromas; also there were braised dishes, cold salads, peanuts, and other snacks.

The group of beautiful servers moved in perfect unison, well-trained. They walked from left to right to each booth, gently placing their trays on the tables. Afterwards, each stood beside their booth and politely asked in a soft voice whether the guests needed any further service.

"Chen Yang, would you like white liquor or beer?"

"Beer!"

"Then let's all have beer!"

As soon as Liu Shijie finished speaking, the attractive female servers immediately opened the three bottles of German dark beer on the tray.

Chen Yang joked with the server, "Pretty lady, you're moving so fast—are you worried we won't spend?"

The server smiled slightly at Chen Yang and said, "Handsome guy, the service here is free. Drink as much as you like; if you run out, I'll get more."

Chen Yang gave an embarrassed laugh. He had thought the wealthier the place, the higher the consumption, but he hadn't expected that Worry-free Residence would actually break the routine.

Liu Shijie immediately noticed Chen Yang's embarrassment and, smiling, explained, "All the services here are for members only. Annual membership fees range from a minimum of five million to a maximum of twenty million. Non-members cannot consume here without a member's referral."

At this time, the per capita income in Dongjiangsheng was only over seven hundred yuan a month—five million yuan could feed a family for many years!

Of course, Chen Yang also knew that these wealthy people didn't take out memberships just to enjoy special services; it was mostly about exchanging business interests.

"Brother Jie, what membership tier are you?"

"Gold Member, the ten-million tier."

"Sure enough, they're rich!"

Chen Yang took a sip of beer, trying to calm his emotions. He had thought winning twenty million had already opened the door to a new world, but he hadn't expected today to open yet another, even higher-level door.

If he could make more connections here, defeating the Zhang family wouldn't be that much harder, would it?

Chen Yang shifted his gaze toward Zhang Jun's booth; the latter, together with Tang Kun and Zhang Peng, was now fully focused on watching the match.

On the field, a highly threatening attack by the German team was just neutralized by the Brazilian team. Zhang Jun angrily pounded the table and began cursing.

"Damn, it didn't even go in!"

"This Klose is totally useless!"

"Damn, Ronaldo had a one-on-one!"

"Fortunately, it didn't go in..."

"Damn, that was close!"

"Damn, even after extra time they still haven't blown the whistle!"

Throughout the first half, Zhang Jun's mouth never stopped, his emotions fluctuating with the game's rhythm. His behavior annoyed not only those supporting Brazil but also those backing Germany, and when the half ended, everyone suggested kicking him out.

Seeing that he had provoked public outrage, Zhang Peng quickly stepped up to speak nicely. Zhang Jun also earnestly apologized, promising to stay silent in the second half. Only then did the anger subside.

Chen Yang suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for Zhang Jun. He obviously liked Brazil but had to support Germany, and Germany's performance was even worse than he had hoped.

Chen Yang understood Zhang Jun. Don't look at him now making solemn promises to everyone; when Brazil scores in the second half, he'll definitely be the first to explode again.

"Manager Liu, this little brother you brought is really a master! You said it would be a half-time draw, and it really is." General Manager Wang excitedly walked over to Liu Shijie and gave Chen Yang a thumbs-up.

Everyone's attention turned to Liu Shijie and Chen Yang. Some of them had also seen Liu Shijie's betting slip and thought it too risky. After General Manager Wang's reminder, they all began to regret it.

"Brother, why are you optimistic about a half-time draw?" a youth with a center-parted hair among the Brazilian supporters curiously asked Chen Yang.

Seeing everyone's gaze on him, Chen Yang quickly made up an excuse. He said, "This is the final, the two sides are fairly evenly matched, so they'll definitely play cautiously, making a stalemate likely. Experienced teams usually wait until the second half to exert their strength. That's why I favor a half-time draw."

Everyone who heard it thought Chen Yang's reasoning made sense.

Of course, there were also those who disagreed.

Tang Kun was the first to jump out and expose Chen Yang. "Don't listen to his nonsense! He doesn't even understand the offside rule—he's just a fake fan."

"Exactly, we're his roommates, and his football knowledge is what we taught him." Zhang Jun also stood up to back Tang Kun.

Liu Shijie let out a cold snort and questioned Tang Kun, "You say Chen Yang is a fake fan, so why did he predict the half-time draw correctly? Why didn't you guys get it right?"

"It's definitely just a guess!" Tang Kun blurted out without thinking.

"Heh, then you go ahead and make a guess for me to see." After saying that, Liu Shijie called over a server and had Tang Kun place a bet in front of everyone.

"I... I don't have any money!" Tang Kun lowered his head embarrassedly. The minimum bet amount is one million; even if he sold his family's farm, it might still not be enough.

"No money, then shut up!" Liu Shijie stopped paying attention to Tang Kun, then glanced at Zhang Jun with a slightly mocking tone and asked, "You couldn't possibly be out of money either, could you?"

Zhang Jun certainly had money. But looking at this half so far, although the Brazilian team had a slight edge, it wasn't enough to overwhelm the German team.

The German team is also a slow-starter; as long as they figure out Brazil's rhythm, a comeback isn't impossible.

Just as Zhang Jun hesitated, Zhang Peng gave him a decision: "The German team always wins by striking back; they'll definitely beat Brazil in the second half. I'm buying ten million on a German victory."

The supporters of the German team immediately applauded Zhang Peng's move.

Liu Shijie ignored Zhang Peng and continued asking Zhang Jun, "Do you also favor a German victory?"

At this point, Zhang Jun could only nod in agreement. He suddenly regretted bringing Zhang Peng here to watch the game—what a pigheaded teammate. How could the Zhang family entrust Xingcheng's business to such a foolish pig to manage?

After receiving the answer, Liu Shijie no longer paid attention to Zhang Jun; he turned his head and asked Chen Yang, "What do you think?"

Chen Yang actually didn't want to voice his opinion. He worried that if everyone listened to him and bet on Brazil to win, they'd effectively "buy" Brazil to death.

In the 1998 World Cup, Brazil was the biggest favorite to win, but their star striker Ronaldo mysteriously fell ill before the final and then lost to France. Many suspected the match was fixed, but no evidence was ever found, so they could only guess that the bookmakers had manipulated the result.

Chen Yang is merely a Reborn Person; he cannot stop the bookmakers from temporarily manipulating the match. If a butterfly effect occurs, not only will Brazil lose the championship again, but many people present would also suffer huge losses—a responsibility he cannot bear.

"I'm a Brazil fan, and I still think Brazil will win." Chen Yang hesitated a moment, then gave an ambiguous answer.

Liu Shijie was dissatisfied with that answer, and others who had high expectations of Chen Yang were also disappointed.

In this situation, the happiest ones were Zhang Jun and Tang Kun.

"I said he was just guessing, and you still didn't believe me. Now you believe it, right? He's just a fake fan!"

Chen Yang ignored him. Others already disliked Zhang Jun and were too lazy to respond.

Zhang Jun found it boring, so he could only sit back in his own booth and start drinking his dull alcohol.

At that moment, the beautiful waitress said to Liu Shijie, "Manager Liu, your previous bets have already been settled. The odds are 1 to 2, and the settled amount is 42 million. Would you like to place bets for the second half?"

Liu Shijie didn't answer right away, but instead asked Chen Yang, "Are you still buying?"

Chen Yang thought for a moment, then asked the beautiful waitress, "Can we bet on the score?"

The beautiful waitress said "Yes," then went to the bar, fetched a laptop, and opened the real-time score odds for Chen Yang to see.

Chen Yang saw that the odds for a Brazil 2:0 win were 6 times, and he felt excited again. He lowered his voice and told Liu Shijie, "Buy 10 million on Brazil to win, and 10 million on a Brazil 2:0 win."

Liu Shijie stared for a moment, then suddenly couldn't understand Chen Yang. "You don't even have confidence in Brazil winning, yet you dare to bet on the exact score?"

"The score is definitely a guess," Chen Yang chuckled. "As long as Brazil wins, I still stand to profit."

"So you're still optimistic about Brazil winning?" Liu Shijie's spirits rose again.

"About eighty percent!" Chen Yang dared not say it too confidently.

Liu Shijie nodded in satisfaction; not only eighty percent, he would also follow sixty percent.

"Brother, I'm the same as Chen Yang, betting one million on Brazil to win and one million on a Brazil 2:0 score." Liu Qingqing trusted Chen Yang completely and went all-in without hesitation.

Seeing that Chen Yang and Liu Qingqing had made their decisions, Liu Shijie asked the waitress for another betting card. This time he bought 31 million on Brazil to win, and 11 million on a Brazil 2:0 win over Germany.

While Liu Shijie was filling out the slip, Chen Yang specifically reminded the waitress to keep their betting slips confidential.

However, he didn't expect that these future business magnates of Xingcheng were all "old sixes." As soon as Liu Shijie finished filling out the slip, General Manager Wang snatched the betting card away. Then a crowd followed suit, placing bets, even those who had supported Germany switched sides.

Zhang Jun, who was drinking his dull alcohol, instantly felt even more depressed.

Chen Yang felt the same anguish. If the match outcome were to change because of everyone's bets, he would also lose ten million!