My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 69: Setting a Trap

Zhang Lei figured he had nothing better to do, so he might as well follow them and see what kind of trouble they were up to.

When Jia Dongxu heard that Zhang Lei was willing to go along, he was overjoyed and quickly led the way.

Soon, the three of them made several turns and ended up in a secluded alley.

Jia Dongxu walked to a closed door and knocked three times (long knocks, two knocks, and five knocks).

The person inside poked their head out, saw it was Jia Dongxu, and then opened the door a crack.

Jia Dongxu turned around and grinned at Zhang Lei: "Come on, let me show you."

Looking at the scene before him, Zhang Lei hesitated for a moment, but still decisively followed him inside.

The room was bustling with noise and filled with smoke, filled with cheers of winners and sighs of losers.

Zhang Lei glanced around and immediately understood. It was a casino; he had thought it was something new and exciting.

At that moment, Zhang Lei instantly understood Jia Dongxu and Yan Jiecheng's intentions.

This tired trope, which has been played out countless times in later movies, involves first letting you taste the sweetness of winning money, then letting you lose everything, and finally forcing you to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates. How could he not know this?

Without making a sound, Zhang Lei directly enveloped the two of them with his perception and collection skill, and with a thought, he collected all the money on Yan Jiecheng and Jia Dongxu into his personal space.

Zhang Lei sneered inwardly. You want to set a trap for me? Then I'll set a trap for you first.

Looking at the money he had just received, Zhang Lei couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Those two are really poor bastards, they only have 13.5 yuan between them."

The 13 yuan belonged to Jia Dongxu, and the remaining 5 mao (0.5 yuan) belonged to Yan Jiecheng.

Then Zhang Lei pretended to be a complete novice, looking utterly bewildered, and said, "Jia Dongxu, Yan Jiecheng, this... isn't this a casino?"

Seeing Zhang Lei's nervous look, Jia Dongxu immediately smiled and encouraged him, "That's right, it's a casino! Look how happy everyone is. Play a couple of rounds, and I guarantee you'll be just as happy as them."

At this moment, Zhang Lei reached into his pocket and said, feigning annoyance, "You guys didn't even tell me what we were doing. Now, even if I want to play, I don't have any money on me."

Jia Dongxu was about to offer to lend Zhang Lei money when he reached into his pocket, only to find it empty. He frowned, rummaging around, muttering, "Hey? Where's my money?"

Seeing Jia Dongxu's flustered state, Zhang Lei spoke up at the opportune moment: "Jia Dongxu, let's go first. What's the point of playing around here if we don't have any money?"

Having finally managed to lure Zhang Lei here, Jia Dongxu was unwilling to let him go so easily. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Oh, it's alright, it's alright. I know the manager here. We'll borrow some money from him later."

At this point, Zhang Lei, pretending to be a novice, said, "Borrowing money? That's not a good idea, is it?"

Jia Dongxu quickly said, "Zhang Lei, what's wrong with this? You can just pay the money back after you win, right?"

Zhang Lei feigned skepticism and asked, "You two want to borrow it too?"

Jia Dongxu and Yan Jiecheng exchanged a glance, then said in unison, "We'll borrow it, we'll borrow it too."

Hearing this, Zhang Lei pretended to be relieved and said, "Oh, really? Okay, as long as you lend me money, I'll be at ease."

The three quickly arrived at the casino manager's room. At this moment, Jia Dongxu stepped forward and said, "Manager Li, the three of us would like to borrow some money from you to play a couple of rounds."

Manager Li glanced at the two men behind Jia Dongxu and said with a smile, "Not bad, bringing two friends here to play. So, how much do you want to borrow?"

Eager to prove himself, Jia Dongxu blurted out, "Manager Li, I'd like to borrow 100!"

Yan Jiecheng was startled by the number and quickly tugged at his arm, whispering, "Dongxu, can you pay back such a large sum?"

Zhang Lei, feigning concern, chimed in, "Yeah, Jia, isn't this borrowing a bit too much?"

Jia Dongxu shook off Yan Jiecheng's hand, glanced at the two of them, and said nonchalantly, "We're here to have fun. The stakes at the gambling tables are all doubled! If you bet and win, your stake immediately doubles. The more you borrow, the more you win!"

Then Zhang Lei looked at Yan Jiecheng and asked, "Yan Jiecheng, how much do you want to borrow?"

At this moment, Jia Dongxu quickly gave Yan Jiecheng a reassuring look.

Yan Jiecheng was still somewhat hesitant. He stammered and said in a trembling voice, "I...I'll borrow 50."

When he said those words, it was as if he had made an enormous decision.

After Yan Jiecheng finished speaking, Jia Dongxu immediately looked at Zhang Lei and winked, saying, "Zhang Lei, it's your turn. With your abilities, you must be able to borrow more money than us, right?"

Zhang Lei grinned and said casually, "Of course, I'll borrow 200."

Upon hearing the number "200," Jia Dongxu's eyes instantly lit up like light bulbs, and he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Manager Li, who was standing to the side, nodded in satisfaction and quickly took out 200 yuan and handed it to Zhang Lei.

Zhang Lei took the money, looked at Manager Li, and asked earnestly, "Manager Li, does the interest on this money start today or tomorrow? If I win today and return the money to you, will I not have to pay interest?"

Manager Li smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry, we do business with integrity. We never expect to borrow money and pay it back on the same day while charging interest."

Hearing Manager Li say that, Zhang Lei nodded in relief: "Okay, then I'm relieved."

Hearing Zhang Lei's question, Jia Dongxu felt confused and quickly urged, "Hey, Zhang Lei, don't worry about that. Let's find a good spot first, and I'll teach you how to gamble."

Hearing Jia Dongxu say this, Zhang Lei nodded and replied with a smile, "Okay, then I'll follow you and conquer all."

Soon the three arrived at a gambling table, and Manager Li, who was not far away, gave the dealer a wink.

Upon seeing the three newcomers, the dealer immediately understood how to set up the trap.

At this moment, Jia Dongxu and Yan Jie were so excited that their faces turned red, and they stared intently at the money on the gambling table, their eyes almost gleaming.

They were betting on "big" or "small" at their table. Jia Dongxu rubbed his hands together and said, "Come on, let's put 10 yuan in first to test the waters. This time, we're betting on 'big'!"

Zhang Lei didn't say anything, but then took out 10 yuan and placed it in the large area.

Seeing Zhang Lei's cautious demeanor, Jia Dongxu immediately urged, "Zhang Lei, you've brought so much money, you should bet more! The more you bet, the more you earn!"

Zhang Lei smiled and replied, "Oh, is that so? Then I'll add more." As he spoke, he took out another 20 yuan and added it on.

The dealer opened the bowl and shouted, "4, 5, 6, big at fifteen!"

The three of them were overjoyed and danced with glee. Zhang Lei's 30 yuan had doubled, and with his initial investment, he now had a total of 60 yuan.

Looking at the chips in Zhang Lei's hand, Jia Dongxu felt a little jealous and said smugly, "See? I told you so, didn't I?"

Zhang Lei smiled and nodded: "Dongxu is amazing. It seems I can really dominate the battlefield with you today."

Meanwhile, Yan Jiecheng was filled with regret, lamenting why he hadn't bet more money.