Silent Testimony - Chapter 40

Five days ago, Yan Jie’s sister, Yan Min, came to the TV station to expose the illegal casino operating in Wanyang Town, which had caused the Yan family to owe millions and was close to ruin.

“I originally didn’t want to deal with this, letting that kid Yan Jie fend for himself, but he actually put me down as the guarantor for his high-interest loans. A few big men blocking your door for money—who can handle that?”

Cheng Yingqiu, who was receiving her, looked concerned. Yan Min, sitting opposite, smiled bitterly and wiped away the tears: “You might think I’m a bit selfish as a sister.”

“No, you did the right thing. If it were me, I’d run even faster.”

“Sigh, in our rural families, most people favor sons over daughters. The idea instilled in you from childhood is to support your younger brother. I got married at 20. My husband was paralyzed in a car accident, but luckily his family had money, and I was diligent. I ran the fruit store by myself, and things got better and better. But Yan Jie would borrow money every now and then… I started keeping a ledger in January this year, and by August 6th, I had lent him a total of 53,600 yuan. So, on August 10th, as soon as he stepped into the fruit store, I found someone to chase him away. After a few times, he didn’t dare come back.”

“What happened then?”

“My parents called many times to complain and begged me to help him. I simply canceled my old number, sold the house, and moved the fruit store to another location.” Yan Min expressed her deep frustration: “On September 10th, after asking around, they found the address of my fruit store and came over, creating a huge scene, saying Yan Jie had borrowed from loan sharks and demanding I find a solution.”

Yan Min’s voice was clearly choked with tears: “What solution could I have? Call the police? The police station filed a case on September 12th, but there was no news by the end of the month.”

Cheng Yingqiu sighed deeply: “Did Yan Jie tell the police the location of the casino?”

“No, he wanted to win his money back, so he gave the police no useful information.”

“You must convince Yan Jie to tell us where the casino is, otherwise we can’t do anything either.”

“He was beaten into the hospital by the loan sharks two days ago. I hope that makes him learn his lesson.” Yan Min sniffed hard: “Whether this issue is resolved or not, I want to find a place to hide, probably move to Shujiang, and never see them again.”

Cheng Yingqiu received a private message from a colleague: [Yingqiu, some town police stations are inactive and turn a blind eye. We need to go undercover.]

She typed a reply: [Got it.] Then she looked up and seriously instructed, “You must tell Yan Jie exactly what I’m about to say.”

The guy in front of her, Yan Jie, had countless old scars and a fresh wound on his left cheek. Cheng Yingqiu frowned slightly, asking back, “You are Yan Jie?”

Yan Jie led her to a corner and whispered, “She asked you to expose the casino, saying my high-interest loan debt can be written off?”

“Gambling debt is illegal debt, but we need proof that your debt is from gambling, so take me to the place where you usually gamble.”

“They’ve been managing strictly recently and haven’t operated for two days.”

Cheng Yingqiu glared at him: “Why did you call me out tonight?”

“I wasn’t finished. Why so impatient?” Yan Jie explained he was now an insider. “The gambling starts at 11 PM tonight and lasts for one hour. Single bets range from 10,000 to 50,000 yuan. How much money did you bring?”

“100,000 yuan.” Cheng Yingqiu covered her nose and reminded him, “I don’t like the smell of smoke.”

“100,000 yuan is usually only enough for 10 minutes of play,” Yan Jie said. “But they usually bait the hook the first time to catch a big fish; you’ll win money.”

“Got it.”

Yan Jie slipped her a piece of paper: “This is the casino address. I’ll take you to the car later. The curtains will be closed the whole time, and you won’t be able to see the surrounding roads.”

Cheng Yingqiu smoothly handed the note to her colleague and whispered instructions: “If you don’t hear from me by 12:20 AM, call Captain Qiu. I’ve already sent her the number on WeChat.”

“Okay, be careful.”

“No problem.”

Yan Jie, uncharacteristically meticulous, asked her, “They have scanning equipment. Are you carrying a pinhole camera?”

“Don’t worry, it’s a TV station-exclusive pinhole camera. Regular equipment can’t detect it.”

“Alright, follow me.” Yan Jie pointed to the van: “It’s over there.”

Cheng Yingqiu took a deep breath and quickly followed him.

The night was dark, and the van driver stood outside, chatting with the man in glasses, “Brother Feng.”

Yan Jie introduced her: “Brother Ma, Brother Feng, this is Sister Chen.”

Cheng Yingqiu, using the alias Chen Ying, nodded. After a brief exchange, they got into the car. The man in glasses tried to elicit information: “I heard from Xiao Jie that Sister Chen is in the catering business? That’s good money.”

“Not bad,” Cheng Yingqiu replied, maintaining a cold and calm demeanor.

“Nice to meet you. You can call me Xiao Feng.”

Cheng Yingqiu gave a forced smile: “Mhm, this is my first time playing cards. I used to watch Hong Kong movies and thought the gambling was particularly interesting.”

“Exactly, we play a gambling game.”

The van drove north to a gas station. Following the man’s instructions, they reported the license plate and her personal characteristics to someone on the phone. Five minutes later, Cheng Yingqiu was instructed to get into a sedan.

Cheng Yingqiu couldn’t help but complain, “What a hassle.”

The man in glasses smiled apologetically: “Ah, it’s a sensitive time.”

Cheng Yingqiu snorted lightly and got out.

The person who met them was called “Second Sister-in-Law,” a middle-aged woman who scrutinized Cheng Yingqiu for half a minute before signaling her to get in the car. The sedan continued north, stopping after about 7 minutes.

Cheng Yingqiu followed the Second Sister-in-Law into a typical, unmarked factory compound.

“Sister, our customers are all important people, so no photos or videos. You need to check your bag outside, and then we’ll scan you before entry.”

“I know, Xiao Jie mentioned it.” Cheng Yingqiu handed her the bag and received a No. 6 tag.

They were let through by a black-clad man after a simple scan. Cheng Yingqiu was led into a smoky, bustling room, and then into a room called the “Chip Room.”

“Third Uncle, a new customer for chip exchange.”

“How much to exchange?”

“100,000 yuan.”

“100,000?” Third Uncle’s smile instantly vanished. “By card?”

“Yes.” Cheng Yingqiu handed him a bank card.

After entering the password, Third Uncle gave her ten red chips engraved with “10,000 yuan.”

Cheng Yingqiu walked into the smoky, bustling gambling room. She placed her 10,000 chip on the Banker.

After about 20 rounds over the next hour, she won a total of 30,000 yuan. Third Uncle from the Chip Room and the black-clad man at the door began to chase people out: “Everyone, that’s enough for today. Go home and rest.”

Cheng Yingqiu remained silent, exchanged her chips for cash, collected her bag, and was the fifth person to get into a car. The Second Sister-in-Law smiled: “Sister, you won money, right?”

“Mhm, 30,000.” As the sedan drove out of the factory compound, she finally felt a huge weight lift off her mind.

“Should I ask Xiao Jie to invite you next time?”

Cheng Yingqiu: “Good. I’ll bring more money next time.”

In the casino Chip Room, Third Uncle tallied the night’s earnings—a total of 1.09 million yuan. His phone suddenly rang. He answered, and the person on the other end immediately questioned him: “Third Uncle, you started a game tonight?”

“Yes, the boys need to eat too.”

“Didn’t I say to rest for half a month? How could you be so impatient when I’m gone?”

Third Uncle casually said, “Oh, they were all regulars. No problem.”

“Are they really all regulars?”

Third Uncle suddenly became alert: “Wait, there was a girl who bet 100,000 yuan. Should I call her back and ask her a couple of questions?”