Chapter 139: The Donation

Jiang Zheng glanced at the somewhat regretful crowd gathered around, as well as the young man who had lost money, looking disappointed and frustrated.

Then he turned to Jiang Qianyue and said, "Let's go."

Jiang Qianyue nodded and followed Jiang Zheng as they left.

After walking for a while, Jiang Qianyue suddenly asked, "How were you so good just now? Every time you managed to land above twenty points? If you played for real, wouldn't the stall owner lose a fortune?"

Jiang Zheng smiled and replied, "I already told you—it’s all a trick. That device was tampered with. As long as it’s a trial play, you can win easily, just like I did. It’s not that I’m skilled; it’s just a method used to lure people’s greed."

"Ah? That’s so despicable! They deliberately make you feel it’s easy to win during the trial, but once it’s the real game, you can’t win at all." Jiang Qianyue was not naive; with Jiang Zheng’s gentle hint, she quickly understood everything.

"Although the game is consensual, at its core, it’s a scam," Jiang Zheng said.

"But can they really pull this off? It sounds almost magical," Jiang Qianyue said.

"Don’t underestimate the wisdom of those who came before, even if that wisdom is used for the wrong purposes," Jiang Zheng remarked.

"We should have reported them to the police just now. We shouldn’t have let him off so easily!" Jiang Qianyue said indignantly.

"For people like that, calling the police doesn’t have much real effect. At most, they get detained for a few days, get a few scoldings, and when they’re out, they go right back to what they were doing," Jiang Zheng explained.

"Ah? So there’s no way to stop them?" Jiang Qianyue asked.

Jiang Zheng shrugged. "As much as I hate to admit it, there really isn’t a good solution. The cost of their wrongdoing is just too low compared to the benefits—it's not proportional."

Jiang Qianyue was no fool; she understood what Jiang Zheng meant and became thoughtful, her mood slightly somber.

Suddenly, Jiang Zheng smiled and said, "Don’t think too much. I didn’t just let him go. Here, this is the money he just scammed."

Jiang Zheng opened his hand.

"You took the money back from him?" Jiang Qianyue asked in surprise.

"Don’t say it like that—I didn’t take it by force. He willingly gave it to me," Jiang Zheng said with a smile.

Hearing the words "willingly," Jiang Qianyue couldn’t help but laugh.

She didn’t believe that a con artist would just "willingly" hand over his money. Jiang Zheng must have used some method; the other man was probably only willing in appearance.

Thinking about Jiang Qianyue’s fighting ability, she understood exactly what happened.

"Alright, alright, if you say it was willing, then it was willing. But I have a question—what do you plan to do with the money? Are you going to return it to the victims?" Jiang Qianyue asked.

"Of course not! This money won’t be given back to them. Let’s just say it’s a lesson for them," Jiang Zheng said. Then he paused before continuing, "To be honest, they deserve to be scammed. This game exploits human greed. If they weren’t greedy, they wouldn’t get tricked."

Jiang Qianyue nodded in agreement.

Those who play such games usually try the trial first, thinking they can win before they even put money down.

No one knowingly plays a game they’re certain to lose.

In other words, people play these games driven by the desire to win money or get a small bargain.

If they weren’t greedy, they likely wouldn’t be interested in the game at all.

"So what should we do with this money then?" Jiang Qianyue asked.

She wasn’t particularly short of money, and would feel uneasy using funds obtained this way.

Jiang Zheng said, "Don’t worry, I’ve already thought about it. We’ll donate all this money to help those in need."

This suggestion brightened Jiang Qianyue’s eyes, and without hesitation, she agreed, "Good, I think donating it is the best choice."

The money was ill-gotten, so using it to help those who truly needed assistance was fitting.

They continued walking, and soon came across another stall.

But this one was different from the last; it featured a new game.

Many people know how to play chess, and chess endgames are a special kind of challenge.

Solving endgames is both fascinating and captivating.

On the street, there’s a popular form of chess endgame play.

The stall owner sets up an endgame position for onlookers to observe and think about. Those confident they can solve it pay to play.

If they solve it, they get double their money back; if not, the stall owner keeps the money.

After watching for a while, Jiang Zheng said, "Let’s go. This one’s no fun either."

"What? Another scam?" Jiang Qianyue whispered.

"Pretty much. It’s the same principle as before—it preys on human greed. Many people are mediocre at chess; they think they can solve the endgame after a glance and pay to play, unaware that these endgames are carefully designed. Thinking you can win is just an illusion. Most of these endgames can only be drawn at best, and that requires a very high skill level," Jiang Zheng explained.

"Ah? So the stall owner is basically unbeatable then?" Jiang Qianyue said.

"Would you run a losing business?" Jiang Zheng countered.

Jiang Qianyue was speechless.

Indeed, no one wants to lose money in business; if the stall owner was open for business, it means he’s confident he won’t lose.

"Do you want to give it a try?" Jiang Qianyue asked softly.

"I don’t really know chess well, so it wouldn’t help. I can’t just blatantly cheat, can I?" Jiang Zheng shrugged.

"I know a little chess. How about I try?" Jiang Qianyue offered.

"You think you can do it?" Jiang Zheng asked, somewhat doubtful.

"You never know until you try," Jiang Qianyue smiled.

"Alright then, go ahead. I’ll back you up," Jiang Zheng said.

Jiang Qianyue nodded and focused intently on the endgame.

After a while, she said, "Let’s play."

Jiang Zheng nodded and said, "Let’s give it a shot."

The stall owner perked up at the prospect of business, saying, "Have you two thought it through carefully?"

Jiang Qianyue said, "Of course we have. You wouldn’t back out now, would you?"

"No way! It’s all written down in black and white. How could I go back on my word?" the stall owner assured them.

"Good," Jiang Qianyue nodded.

Then they began the game.

In this endgame, black moves first, but if black makes even one wrong move, red wins.

As the solver, Jiang Qianyue took black.

Jiang Zheng could play chess but not very well—only enough to tussle with elementary school kids, some of whom even beat him easily.

Every move Jiang Qianyue and the stall owner made was intricate; from Jiang Zheng’s perspective, he would have lost long ago had he played.

Pieces were exchanged continuously, and the board gradually emptied.

Suddenly, Jiang Qianyue stopped playing.