Jiang Cheng's face betrayed nothing.
He simply gave Xu Lei a calm glance and said, "Eat. You saw me finish a bowl already—the zhajiangmian here is excellent."
Seeing Jiang Cheng so unruffled after hearing his plan, Xu Lei's heart lurched.
He instantly realized he'd shown too much eagerness and silently scolded himself for losing his composure.
While inwardly kicking himself, he studied Jiang Cheng's micro-expressions.
He wisely shut up, plastered on a smile, and said, "Yes, yes, yes—this sauce smells amazing even before it touches my tongue."
Huang Yuqi kept her head down, slurping noodles.
Surreptitiously she glanced up and saw Xu Lei carefully set a document envelope and briefcase on the plastic chair beside him.
His expensive suit pants brushed the sauce on the stool edge, yet he dared not show the slightest distaste.
He even wore an expectant look as he stirred the zhajiang in his bowl.
Slurp—Huang Yuqi was finishing the last noodle in her bowl.
From deep in the alley came the rapid patter of footsteps.
Li Tanghu burst in, full of fire.
He clutched a few crumpled red bills, sweat beading on his forehead.
At this moment all he could think of was turning his luck around.
He never stopped to consider the scam behind it—one more round and he'd win back everything he'd lost.
Gasping, he slapped ten yuan onto the gambling board.
Red paint still flecked his fingernails from prying open the family piggy bank.
Looking ready to risk it all, he declared, "One more go!"
Seeing Li Tanghu bring money again, a few shills exchanged covert glances, glee flickering in their eyes.
They knew the "fat sheep" had taken the bait once more.
Stick to the script and they'd empty his pockets.
The steel ball pinged off the spring board.
First round: fifty yuan won. Li Tanghu stamped excitedly.
"Wow, I really won!"
He'd meant to quit once he'd won back the fifty he'd lost.
But now that he had, he couldn't bear to stop.
The two shills beside him were counting their winnings.
Even the two kids were planning to buy a game console with the money.
Li Tanghu burned with envy.
Greed took over in an instant.
Figuring he was still ahead,
he shoved the fifty he'd just won back onto the board.
Of course, he lost it as quickly as before.
Yet the memory of that earlier comeback kept him from panicking.
Seeing him pat his pocket, the shills urged him on, saying they had to leave for lunch.
Pressured, Li Tanghu pulled out his last hundred yuan.
"Final ten rounds," he declared.
Once the trap snapped shut, the hundred vanished.
Watching his money disappear, Li Tanghu panicked again.
He squatted, face buried in his knees, knuckles white.
He let out a yell: Aaaargh!
What do I do now?!
"Told you it was a scam, but no—you had to throw in another hundred," Huang Yuqi muttered, stabbing the braised egg in her bowl.
Her gaze wasn't on the food.
It drifted toward Li Tanghu opposite, monitoring his meltdown.
Suddenly Huang Yuqi felt something at the corner of her mouth.
Something had stuck there.
She instinctively licked it—egg yolk.
Just as she was about to wipe it off in embarrassment,
Jiang Cheng's hand rose naturally; his thumb brushed the speck away.
So quick she barely registered it.
But the brief warmth made her ears burn.
Her heart seemed to skip.
Not only was Huang Yuqi startled; Xu Lei noticed too.
Behind his gold-rimmed glasses his eyes sharpened shrewdly.
He sensed a special gentleness in Jiang Cheng's look at Huang Yuqi.
And Huang Yuqi seemed self-conscious before Jiang Cheng.
He guessed their relationship was anything but simple.
That made him think of his niece Zhu Yan.
She'd met Jiang Cheng earlier than Huang Yuqi, yet nothing romantic had developed.
He fretted for Zhu Yan.
Jiang Cheng could flirt without even realizing it.
Calmly he told Li Tanghu, "Some lessons have to be paid for in cold, hard cash before they stick."
When Jiang Cheng spoke, Xu Lei set down his chopsticks.
He glanced at Li Tanghu, hiccupping from sobs.
His eyes swept the alley kids around the stall, a gleam in them.
Here was a chance to get closer to Jiang Cheng.
Handle it right and Jiang Cheng might respect his competence.
Xu Lei leaned forward slightly.
Lowering his voice: "This is outright fraud. Should we call the police and get his money back?"
Jiang Cheng waved him off. "Will the police help? And maybe the money doesn't need to come back—this is priceless real-world education…"
Huang Yuqi chimed in with a grin, "Exactly. A stumble today, wisdom tomorrow. We can't rob the kid of the lesson."
Xu Lei's face blanked for a second.
He swallowed a laugh. "You're right. I was narrow-minded. These kids are underage; the police could only lecture them. Better they lose a bit and learn. If the money's returned, they'll just fall for the next temptation."
Huang Yuqi nodded. "Right. In beijing circle you see plenty of scams; the key is to sharpen your anti-fraud radar."
Having seen Jiang Cheng wipe Huang Yuqi's mouth, Xu Lei addressed her with added respect.
"Teacher Huang is spot-on. You can help once, not forever. They must rely on themselves."
"Lots of this in beijing circle?" Jiang Cheng asked.
Xu Lei perked up.
Here was a perfect chance to shine.
He straightened, adjusting his tie.
In a clear, confident voice he began…
"Yes, these pachinko scams are everywhere in Kyoto, especially at bus and subway stops near elementary schools. When classes let out, that's when these crooks come out to hunt."
"It's not just pachinko cons. Card games targeting retirees cluster at bus stops and park benches. And it's not only kids and seniors—Kyoto's scammers love investors and finance folks too."
At that, Jiang Cheng's thoughts snapped to "something meaningful."
Honestly, he'd planned the usual cliché—drop off crates of supplies at an orphanage or old folks' home.
Now, an anti-fraud campaign felt far more useful.
"Old Xu, I never realized you knew so much about this stuff…"
Xu Lei's face twisted at the remark.
He began, a little embarrassed.
"When I first started out, I worked right here. Fresh to Kyoto, I got taken by some sharp-dressed 'investors'—West District types. They'd open with some hot deal, claim they knew all the right people. To get a seat at the table, I wined and dined them every day."
Jiang Cheng got it instantly.
"So you picked up the tab a dozen times and they were still just blowing smoke, right?"
Xu Lei winced. "Right—months of salary gone. I kept them fed and watered, and every time it was 'wait for news.'"
"Who'd have thought? Sharp guy like you, buying some blowhard ten free dinners…"
Xu Lei didn't take offense; he leaned in, using the joke to tighten their rapport.
"Hey, laugh all you want. I was dazzled—thought one more chance and I'd break into the beijing circle. I was young…"
Jiang Cheng nodded thoughtfully. "Hearing that, I think we really need an anti-scam awareness project."
Xu Lei perked up.
He caught the cue at once and ran with it.
"You want in? Perfect timing—our bank's rolling out a youth-financial-literacy program. Teaching kids to spot cons fits right in."
"You mean those bank videos on compound interest?" Jiang Cheng raised a brow, teasing. "The ones that knock you out in three minutes?"
"No, no." Xu Lei waved his hands and pulled a phone from his suit.
He swiped quickly. "Last year CMB set up a fraud hotline and ran local-scam PSAs—look…"
He tapped open several clips and showed them to Jiang Cheng.
"These are exposés we shot in Shanghai, mostly phone scams, so we've less on street cons, but every region collects different footage," he said, watching Jiang Cheng's reaction.
Jiang Cheng watched.
Crude production, but the plain-spoken exposés were easy to follow.
He saw real potential.
Xu Lei glanced at Li Tanghu bawling nearby, lowered his voice. "If you want these kids educated, I can pull Kyoto footage and cut new spots. We'll tack on our hotline at the end—turn it into a PSA series."
Exactly the kind of "meaningful" Jiang Cheng wanted.
He cut Xu Lei off. "Manager Xu, this project's perfect for Stellar to handle."
Of course, no such project existed at CMB.
Xu Lei had invented it on the spot.
He knew keeping a client as colossal as Jiang Cheng was worth any price.
He'd spare no effort to meet the man's every whim.
Extra cost or legwork didn't matter.
If Jiang Cheng wanted in, Xu Lei would—in the blink of an eye—mobilize CMB's sprawling network,
pull together pros, and spin up a dedicated team.
After all, a client sitting on tens of billions could pick any bank and still get royal treatment.
One of those perks:
As long as Jiang Cheng parked his money there, he could fly free on private jets anywhere in the country.
Today Jiang Cheng's clout was that immense.
A request this tiny was nothing.
Unless he asked for something criminal, the bank would bend over backwards—even if it meant cobbling together a whole new project team overnight.
Xu Lei said at once, "If you want Stellar's name on it, no problem."
"Not about branding—I'll foot the bill. Do as you said. Not just finance scams." Jiang Cheng pointed toward the alley kids. "Street tricks, online cons, part-time job traps—full coverage."
"Got it. I'll set it up right away."
As he spoke, Huang Yuqi stole a glance at his focused profile.
His eyes shone with earnest resolve.
To her, that sense of duty was far more attractive than his good looks.
[Ding! Host's public anti-fraud initiative detected. Meaningful Task progress: 20%] rang in Jiang Cheng's head.
He nodded. "Let's shoot these as live-action shorts. Hire pro gamblers to expose the gimmicks, actors to replay shill lines, and use CMB's channels with the district education bureau and TV station for an Anti-Fraud Awareness Month."