Memory inheritor

Chapter 116 Keeping the Appointment

Was the person who organized the party a fraud?

The attendees in the private room were all taken aback. Some turned pale, some looked bewildered and at a loss, while others sized up their fellow participants, seemingly hoping to gain some insights from their words and actions.

Wei Hongsi was also surprised by this, but he didn't say anything and took the opportunity to observe the reactions of the group.

Li Xu did not explain further, only saying, "Everyone, please register. You can leave after you're done."

There were five police officers, including auxiliary police officers, who came. Two officers in charge of registration sat down at either end of the large wooden table, and the participants in the sharing session divided themselves into two groups and took turns registering their identity information, work unit, and contact information.

In addition, the police asked simple questions such as how many parties he had attended and when he first attended one, and recorded them all.

When it was Wei Hongsi's turn, the auxiliary police officer in charge of taking notes glanced at him, but didn't ask any other questions, when he said it was his first time attending a gathering.

After registering, the attendees did not leave immediately but stood quietly watching, wanting to learn more about the event.

The registration for ten people was completed quickly.

Li Xu said, "Alright, you can go now. We'll contact you if anything happens." Then he left with his men.

The attendees looked at each other and then left the private room one by one.

Once outside, Wei Hongsi and Yuan Zhenhui asked, "Is there a fee to attend this gathering?"

Yuan Zhenhui nodded: "Three hundred each time."

Are there any other fees?

"no."

Wei Hongsi felt that something was amiss.

Compared to the drinks and food provided in the private party room, 300 yuan per person is indeed a bit expensive, but it doesn't amount to fraud. It's normal for the organizer to charge an extra fee; after all, no one organizes things for free, they can't just do it out of love.

Could it be that they're selling the attendees' information?

Thinking of this, he asked, "Since you started attending this sharing session, have you received any sales calls or scam text messages?"

Yuan Zhenhui thought for a moment and said, "I've always had spam text messages and harassing phone calls, but I never pay any attention to them."

Wei Hongsi nodded. That's true. It wouldn't be easy to swindle money from these people, because they simply don't know how to communicate with scammers.

He took out his phone and said, "I'll transfer the money for the party to you."

"No, no!" Yuan Zhenhui waved his hands repeatedly. "Newcomers don't have to pay for their first time, so I think the police might have made a mistake?"

Wei Hongsi thought this possibility was unlikely. The street police station wasn't well-staffed, especially on a Saturday. Five officers being deployed at once—they wouldn't come for such a small matter without some solid evidence. Could it be some kind of coordinated investigation?

He suppressed his doubts and asked Yuan Zhenhui, "Where are you going later?"

"Go to the company and work overtime to finish the job," Yuan Zhenhui said with a wry smile, unable to help but let out another sigh.

Wei Hongsi could understand his feelings. He had spent half a day preparing and even drank an extra cup of coffee, only to have the party end without him having a chance to show off. It was really a bit like bullying an honest person.

They had already paid for the party and the private room at the party venue, so they could have continued the sharing session after the police left. However, without a host, it would be difficult for them to organize it on their own.

Wei Hongsi is capable of the role, but he's meeting everyone for the first time, creating a strong sense of distance. The police just said the organizer is a fraud, so his eagerness to organize makes him seem even more like a fraudster, doesn't it? Besides, he has other commitments later and can't stick with it.

"Now that you're out here, don't just think about work all the time. Go see a movie instead," Wei Hongsi suggested.

"I was planning to work overtime after the sharing session anyway," Yuan Zhenhui shook his head. "The sooner I finish, the sooner I can get out." He then looked at Wei Hongsi.

Wei Hongsi nodded: "Yes, that's true."

Yuan Zhenhui looked visibly relieved: "Then I'll go to the company."

Wei Hongsi watched Yuan Zhenhui walk towards the subway entrance, then hailed a ride-hailing car to go to his second event of the day.

Feng Weixu sent him the location of the gathering in the morning; it was a hot pot restaurant near the old campus.

Our fellow students come from various regions of the country and have studied abroad for many years. Their tastes have become more mainstream, but they still have some personal preferences. Only hot pot can bring everyone to a consensus and make everyone happy.

Wei Hongsi arrived at the hot pot restaurant just after 3 p.m., and before he even reached the door of the private room, he heard Zhao Hongquan's voice: "That roasted pork knuckle is indeed better than the one I had in Yuecheng, but I can't stand eating this stuff every day!"

He pushed open the door and went in, where he saw Zhao Hongquan, Jiang Haiyang, and Feng Weixu sitting on the sofa chatting.

Zhao Hongquan nodded to Wei Hongsi in greeting, and then continued, "But the beer there is really good, it's a pity I can't hold my liquor, I can only drink three liters."

Zhao Hongquan was quite robust, with typical features of a northern man, but he had rather delicate features, especially when he wore glasses, which made him appear even more refined. He was noticeably darker than before, probably from continuous travel, which made him look somewhat rugged.

Jiang Haiyang said, "You call that not good? I can only drink two liters at most. Only Wu Jie can drink a little more than you."

Feng Weixu said, "I can drink a liter."

Wei Hongsi said, "I can drink a liter of water."

The others laughed. Jiang Haiyang said, "Then you'll drink a liter of water tonight."

"No problem." Wei Hongsi nodded. Eating anything else and drinking a liter of water would definitely be unpleasant, but eating hot pot would be fine.

"Let's play cards for a while, the four of us," Feng Weixu suggested.

No one objected, so they moved to the card table. They were playing Guandan, a popular card game in the Jiangnan region, played with two decks of cards. Everyone sat down and formed pairs; Zhao Hongquan and Feng Weixu were on one team, while Wei Hongsi and Jiang Haiyang were on the other.

They rarely play cards with outsiders; they only play when a few people get together and have nothing else to do.

Wei Hongsi went first, playing a small pair. The other three players each played a pair, and then Wei Hongsi took over with a pair of small jokers. Zhao Hongquan, the next player, then played a bomb. 14 cards were played in this round.

Then Zhao Hongquan played a small straight, Jiang Haiyang immediately sealed the top, and Feng Weixu then played a bomb. This round had another 14 cards.

Seeing Feng Weixu place a small bet, Jiang Haiyang laughed: "Ha, they doubled it!"

After playing six or seven more cards, Zhao Hongquan and Feng Weixu folded and conceded defeat.

With four players playing like this, the outcome can generally be determined after 25 to 30 cards have been played. After 35 cards or more, the cards in each player's hand can be roughly calculated.

For them, card counting is basic skill; everyone knows it inside and out, so psychological games are completely useless. Playing cards is actually about logical deduction and calculating the probability distribution of the remaining cards.