And he couldn’t pocket it all himself; the main leaders of the student council each had a share. Chairman Yu Xueqin would take in at least 1,000 yuan every day.
I’ve heard people say that it was Yu Xueqin who came up with the idea in the first place.
But he’s not from the Institute of International Relations, so that’s why Old Wang had to step in.
Old Wang’s family background was pretty average, but he was smooth and well-connected, and gradually he built up his network.
Then every weekend, Old Wang had to arrange an outing for everyone, whether it was to sing or to visit a bathhouse; he’d nearly collected all the membership cards from the Xianxia Road area!
All in all, Old Wang could save about thirty to fifty thousand yuan a month.
It was like everyone pitching in, and he took a cut for his efforts.
If he didn’t spend lavishly on them and just stuffed his pockets instead, those big brothers would have taken him out long ago.
No one’s a fool; who would let him make six or seven hundred thousand yuan a month for nothing?
Ding Ding seemed to look down on Yu Xueqin and said with a sneer, "Even so, every month those good-for-nothings in the student council can still scrape together tens of thousands from the big brothers. Otherwise, why would they protect our institute to the death, like a pack of lapdogs?"
Han Lie nodded thoughtfully.
In his previous life, he’d heard that students from the Institute of International Relations often gambled big in their dorms, playing poker and mahjong.
The student council inspections didn’t care about it at all.
Back then, he hadn’t quite believed Duan Xiaoyi’s boasts, and Chen Ping had even argued with Duan Xiaoyi about them.
But then Duan Xiaoyi told everyone that the lights in the two-person dorms on the second floor were never turned off, supplied with power 24 hours a day. Room 202 housed a mahjong machine, and Room 204 was for poker. At times, a single dorm room could have over a dozen people.
Seven or eight would be playing, with a crowd watching, some even waiting on the players.
The big brothers didn’t gamble with cash; they kept tabs with poker cards.
Sometimes the underlings would bet three to five thousand yuan on the side; those small amounts were settled in cash. Win a couple of rounds, and it was enough for a week of self-indulgence.
Han Lie used to scoff at the idea, unable to imagine it.
Now, it turned out to be true.
But on second thought, it didn’t seem so strange.
With six majors in the Institute of International Relations and more than two hundred students in a grade—excluding girls, seniors, and those studying abroad—there were still about two hundred guys hanging around in Magic Capital all year round.
Whatever they played, as long as they didn’t touch drugs, playing poker among classmates was even considered a relatively healthy hobby.
Everybody knew each other well, and generally, no one would try to scam anyone. It was unlikely anyone would gamble to the point of betting their house or mines.
The limits were controlled. The rake was spent on food and fun, and in the long run, aside from the extremely lucky or unlucky ones, it basically amounted to spending money to join in the fun.
Otherwise, wouldn’t they be splurging on lavish lifestyles anyway?
Of course, with so many people involved, there would be all sorts, but the principle probably wouldn’t change.
This Old Wang and Yu Xueqin are both talents indeed...
Han Lie shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it any further.
Let the rich second-generation kids do whatever they want; what’s it to me?
Then Little Northeastern suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Bro, you’ve got to be careful with that Yu Xueqin. I heard he’s been chasing after Xi Luting from your class, even bragged about it in the student council..."
"What?" Han Lie asked, his expression unchanging despite his displeasure.
"He said, ’Let those who aren’t afraid of death come and try; see if I can’t make you miserable.’ The damn arrogant prick!"
Han Lie let out a dismissive laugh. "The rich second-generation kids from your institute really don’t mind?"
"Those big brothers in our institute who really have clout are all eyeing Pan Ge! Who has the time to bother with Xi Luting?"
Ding Ding disagreed, "Isn’t there also Kong Yize?"
Little Northeastern got carried away, blurting out, "That’s just another wretched loser, acting all high and mighty, when in reality, he has absolutely no connections!"
Then he turned to assure Han Lie, thumping his chest.
"Don’t worry, Big Brother, there aren’t many impressive people who’d fight you for Xi Luting, just some middling trash who want to play around. You won’t even have to lift a finger; I’ll squash them myself!"
Han Lie glanced at him with a half-smile. "Including Yu Xueqin?"
"That would be tough!"
Little Northeastern immediately shrank back.
"Those big brothers in their sophomore and junior years will definitely protect Yu Xueqin... Ignoring camaraderie, if they want to play comfortably, they still need Yu Xueqin to handle the higher-ups. Otherwise, why would they pay to keep those good-for-nothings in the student council?"
Ding Yu nodded in agreement. "Sophomores and juniors are a solid block; the school can’t do anything about them."
"Take gang fights, for example. As long as they don’t cause trouble outside, the school won’t expel anyone. Seems fair, right? But they can summon dozens of people with a single shout, sweeping through floor by floor. How can we compete?
"Later on, when it’s reported, they’ll twist the truth, and we’ll definitely be the ones to suffer!
"Big Brother, take my advice. Playing hardball definitely won’t work!"
Little Northeastern might have been afraid that Han Lie would lose his temper and go on a rampage, so he made a point of warning him.
Good grief! ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝔫𝔢𝔱
Although Han Lie already knew that the environment in the School of Humanities was notoriously harsh, he had not imagined it could be so bad for the average student.
No wonder in his previous life there was something called the "Four Untouchables."
Without a change in expression, Han Lie asked, "Does your institute have some sort of untouchable ranking?"
Ding Ding was puzzled by the question, scratching his head and looking baffled.
"Not that I know of. I’ve never heard of it."
Little Northeastern stroked his chin, thinking carefully. "If we talk about untouchables, every single one of the big brothers from the sophomore and junior years who gather to gamble can’t be provoked. Offend one, and a whole bunch of them will pop up."