Before long, the fat man returned and slumped back into his chair.
"Brother Hei's word is: either you borrow from here, or you get Little Lin to come down here personally to settle this."
The young man had expected Brother Hei to follow him in; seeing the fat man return alone, he felt a flicker of disappointment. "I just meant one more buy-in. On credit."
"Not that kind of credit. The 'sign-a-contract' kind of loan," the fat man said, picking up a stack of contracts from the desk and flipping one open to show the young man. "You can borrow ten thousand, fifty thousand, or a hundred thousand. Whatever you want. Just pay it back within six months or a year."
The young man looked at the contract; the name "Nanjin Shunchang Group" was printed on it. "Isn't that the famous loan company? Brother Hei owns it?"
"Haha, Brother Hei doesn't touch that line of work. He just knows people inside. An internal operation. You just fill in the amount and your name. No collateral. We'll handle the rest." The fat man took a few heavy breaths and cleared his throat.
"Then I'll borrow one thousand."
"You've got to be kidding me." The fat man slammed the contract shut and slapped his heavy palm onto the pile of documents.
"What about ten thousand then? If I pay it back in a month, how much is the total?"
"There are no one-month repayments. Six months minimum. You borrow ten thousand, you end up paying back around twelve thousand? The interest is... about two thousand," the fat man lit another cigarette impatiently. "Don't you work at an advertising agency? You work for a big firm, surely you've got that kind of capacity? Winning two or three thousand here is just a matter of a few hands."
How does he know I work at an advertising agency? The young man suddenly froze.
Just then, a player pushed the door open and shouted to the fat man: "Two more buy-ins. Swipe the card."
The man then shot a glance at the young man, his eyes carrying a trace of sympathy and pity. Everyone knew that halfway through a session, anyone sitting in the Cage and not coming out was either too broke to pay their debts or taking a breather before heading back to the felt. The young man sat up a bit straighter; he had to at least look like the latter.
The fat man skillfully recorded the entry, swiped the card, handed the chips to the player, and watched him walk out.
The young man waited for the player to leave, ensuring no one else could overhear his next words before he spoke:
"Ten thousand then. Six-month repayment."
The fat man pulled open a drawer, took out a fresh contract, and picked up a pen: "Name?"
"Yang Yi. Yang is the surname, Yi as in the number one."
"Company name?"
"Nanjin Tianchen Advertising Company."
"Fill in your address, ID number, and phone number yourself." The fat man impatiently spun the contract around and pushed it toward Yang Yi. "Leave the parents' names and numbers blank. No need to fill those in."
"Then who fills them in?" Yang Yi was stunned. If he really didn't have to write down his family's information, it would be for the best. After all, involving family in this kind of mess was never honorable.
"This is for the 'phone verification' stage. We'll fill in other people's numbers. When the loan company calls 'home,' we'll pick up the phone for your family." The fat man finished speaking and waved one of the burner phones from the desk in front of Yang Yi.
"Relax. This way your family won't find out, and our internal operation makes the payout even faster."
Yang Yi finished the contract and turned it back to the fat man. All he wanted now was to get his chips and get back to the table. It was almost morning; if he didn't rejoin the game soon, people would start breaking for the day.
"Later, we'll text you the names and workplaces of your 'parents.' When the call comes, stick to the script in the message. Don't slip up. Answer what they ask. Talk less, listen more," the fat man instructed.
"Oh, right. There's a 30% service fee. Once the funds hit your account, you need to transfer three thousand to Brother Hei." The fat man put away the contract and began counting out a stack of chips. "Another thousand for the buy-in, right?"
"Transfer three thousand to Brother Hei?" Yang Yi said, taken aback. "That means I borrow ten thousand, get seven thousand in hand, and still have to pay back over twelve thousand in the end?"
"The three thousand is a service fee. A processing fee. Without collateral or real family info, there's no way to grease the wheels for the operation. Isn't two or three thousand just a matter of a few hands?" The fat man's expression began to sour. "So, do you want back in for another hand or not?"
No matter how foolish or desperate Yang Yi was to get back to the table, he understood the math of a losing bargain.
"I can't take this loan. I won't borrow it."
"Then find a way to settle your books right now. I'm going to go get Brother Hei." The fat man threw out the ultimatum and stood up to leave.
Let him come then. It's not like he can eat me. I'll play it by ear, Yang Yi thought, watching the fat man struggle to his feet once more and waddle toward the door.
Knock, knock. Two taps sounded from the other side of the door.
Those two knocks stunned both Yang Yi and the fat man. It was common knowledge that such "etiquette" didn't exist in a poker game. Who in their right mind knocks politely before entering the Cage?
"Come in!" The fat man's own manners were suddenly forced to a higher standard...