Chapter 114: The Pivotal Battle

This story is entirely fictional.

"Forget it. Everyone these days is going to Tsinghua or Peking University, or at least somewhere like Shanghai Jiao Tong or Fudan. Studying abroad in the U.S. is nothing to brag about," Xiao Yi said listlessly.

"Fair enough. We'll invite some prominent social figures to celebrate for you instead. Come on, let's start eating. Your mother made that winter melon and pork rib soup you like; it’s good for cooling the internal heat," Xiao Jin said, serving the soup to Xiao Yi.

Just then, Lin Yanfeng’s call came through to Xiao Jin’s mobile phone.

Xiao Jin, who had intended to spend the meal with Xiao Yi, didn't want to attend to the call, but the phone kept ringing over and over.

"Aren't you going to pick it up? What if it's something urgent? You don't want to miss anything," Xiao Yi asked.

Xiao Jin answered the phone. Lin Yanfeng’s voice came through: "Hey, buddy, you need to get to the club for the Dahe match immediately. There’s a huge opportunity waiting for you today. You have to come; I’m waiting for you."

Xiao Jin glanced at Xiao Yi. "Dad has something urgent to take care of. I’ll step out for a bit and be back later."

"Go ahead. I can eat by myself," Xiao Yi replied.

"Go, go. Looking at your distracted face, it’s better if you don't even come back tonight. Out of sight, out of mind," Jin Yan said sharply.

"I’m leaving, then. I’ll be back later." Xiao Jin finished speaking, put on his coat, and headed out, driving from the underground garage straight to the Zhizhen Club.

After Xiao Jin left, the mother and daughter prepared to eat.

Jin Yan served the rice and placed it in front of Xiao Yi, adding a piece of sweet and sour hairtail to her plate. However, when Xiao Yi took a small sip of her favorite winter melon soup, she felt a wave of nausea and nearly vomited onto the table.

Jin Yan was perplexed, wondering what was wrong with her daughter. Xiao Yi covered her mouth, terrified of vomiting at the dinner table. She rushed to the bathroom and retched over the toilet.

Jin Yan sat dazed at the table. "Could my daughter actually be pregnant?" She had a sinking feeling that something had gone wrong.

After vomiting, Xiao Yi pulled a pregnancy test she had bought from a pharmacy out of her pocket. Seeing the result, her mind fell into complete chaos. As she went to throw the test into the trash, Jin Yan entered the bathroom. Picking up the test and seeing the evidence of the pregnancy, she called Xiao Jin, demanding he return home immediately.

In the bathroom, the mother and daughter argued incessantly. After a while, Jin Yan grew furious. Unable to contain her anger, she grabbed Xiao Yi by the hair and slammed her head against the wall. Xiao Yi struggled desperately, trying to break free, but Jin Yan had lost all control, screaming hysterically in the bathroom.

***

Wang Yifa and Zhang Chi arrived at the sports center stands, which were packed to capacity. Looking at the sea of fans creating waves in the stadium, the two were incredibly excited.

What excited them wasn't the quality of the Dahe match, but the fact that they were placing bets on-site for the first time. The roaring of the trumpets and the cheering crowds were no longer their focus; the priority was whether this match could bring them the expected return on their investment.

Though their hearts were pounding, the thought of the upcoming game made Wang Yifa hesitant to leave, even though he really had to go to the bathroom. "I feel like I need to pee, but I’d better hold it for a while," he said, not wanting to miss any updates on the betting site.

"You mentioning it makes me want to go too," Zhang Chi said.

"You really are a follower. Go on, hurry up! The match is about to start. I can still hold it. Once you're done, come back and take my place so I can go," Wang Yifa urged. Zhang Chi stood up and bolted toward the restroom.

***

At Duhao Finance, Lu Jiahui was discussing P2P business with his assistant.

"In theory, P2P is different from a lending platform," the assistant said. "It should be a pure matchmaking intermediary that doesn't handle funds or guarantee risks, earning only intermediary commissions. But domestic P2P operators can’t resist the temptation; they’ve crossed the line and started managing capital themselves. Since their funding comes from online investors, the barrier to entry is lower than cash or consumer loans, so it has spread rapidly. If they operated compliantly, they would need to secure resources on both ends: attracting investors with tempting returns while finding low-risk, high-quality borrowers. This model is heavy, inefficient, and limits scale, so we must raise our risk awareness."

"Are you suggesting we abandon this business?" Lu Jiahui asked.

"I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that since some P2P firms are collapsing overnight, we need to strengthen our defenses," the assistant replied.

"How? Give me a feasible plan," Lu Jiahui demanded.

"OK, I'll get it to you as soon as possible." The assistant left.

***

At the MC Entertainment Center, matches from around the world were displayed on a giant circular wall of screens. Dahe was just one of the less prominent domestic league teams. Despite being in the top tier, Dahe spent every year on the verge of relegation. Last year, they had only narrowly survived by hiring the former national team coach, Nian Youyi.

The superstar Sun Bei had recorded an MV for the team's anthem, "We Are Rising." Dahe fans at the sports center were singing along, while the cheerleading squad punctuated the songs with thunderous drumbeats. The atmosphere was deafening.

On the MC screens, other matches seemed quiet, but the Dahe game was electric. It was rumored that Sun Bei himself was at the stadium to perform. Before kickoff, a foundation-laying ceremony was held, attended by Mayor Bian, who oversaw the city's sports and culture.

After the ceremony, the match between Dahe and the Haima team was set to begin. Haima desperately needed points to avoid relegation. For Dahe, their new manager Hao Benshan had suffered a humiliating defeat in his first match and lost another key game in the second. He had issued a mandate to win this one.

The club was in shambles. Core players like Nian Liang seemed indifferent to the club's success, caring only about their own profit. They didn't care about glory or results; they only wanted to exploit the team to fund the lives they desired. The easiest way to do that was to manipulate the betting odds. Winning required skill and luck, but losing to a weaker team was easy. Everyone in the team knew this, but an outsider who didn't understand football would never suspect such a secret.

The players knew that a leader who didn't understand football wouldn't last long, just like the person who once managed Chinese football and became a laughingstock. But as time passed, people seemed to have forgotten those humiliations, and Hao Benshan remained oblivious.

"He’s just spending money to buy a few cheers. Once the cheers die down, his departure is inevitable," the team whispered.

The club’s general manager had received information from MC the day before: the betting volume was overwhelmingly skewed toward Dahe, with a gap of 300 million RMB—reaching a warning level. The club was in a dilemma: if they won, they would face the consequences of going against MC, effectively severing their relationship with their "lifeline."

Wang Yifa was ecstatic, having obtained top-secret intel the night before. He had overheard Nian Youyi talking to his mistress, Fan Gu, about how he would be fired after the match to appease the fans and Hao Benshan.

"After the game tomorrow, I’ll likely be forced out as head coach," Nian Youyi had said, exhausted after their intimate encounter.

"Why? I thought you were supposed to guide Fan Wei. How can you be fired so quickly?" Fan Gu asked with regret.

"Don't ask. You’re better off not knowing. The club doesn't let me call the shots anymore. I have to do as I'm told, or I’m out."

(To be continued)