Zuo Dahai recalled the night five years ago, like a nightmare, while speaking to Luo Chao and Tang Tianyi.

Zuo Dahai said in a low voice, "That night five years ago, those loan sharks came to my house again, demanding I repay sixty million in high-interest loans."

"Oh my god!" Just as Zuo Dahai was about to continue, Luo Chao's sudden exclamation interrupted him. "Six million from five years ago, at today's rate, must be worth at least a hundred million Huaxia Coins! Brother Zuo, how did you end up borrowing so much money?!"

"Ah." Listening to Luo Chao, Zuo Dahai didn't respond immediately but instead let out a heavy sigh, as if Luo Chao's question instantly weighed heavily on him, making it difficult to breathe.

Seeing Zuo Dahai's painful expression, Luo Chao realized his question might be inappropriate and quickly said, "I'm sorry, Brother Zuo, I was being nosy. If you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

"No, I want to answer." To their surprise, after the sigh, Zuo Dahai expressed a willingness to answer Luo Chao's question, which shocked both Luo Chao and Tang Tianyi.

"Brother Luo Chao, you shouldn't blame yourself; it's entirely my fault and has nothing to do with you!" Zuo Dahai, fearing Luo Chao would feel guilty, reassured him before answering.

"Okay." Luo Chao, feeling a bit embarrassed, quietly nodded in agreement.

After comforting Luo Chao, Zuo Dahai continued his story, "Brother Luo Chao, your question was actually a good one. You must be curious why I owed so much in high-interest loans five years ago, and you're probably thinking I'm someone whose mind was clouded by gambling."

"No, no, no, I didn't think that; I'm just curious." Luo Chao quickly waved in denial, for he truly didn't have such thoughts.

Even though Luo Chao wasn't afraid of Zuo Dahai and owed him nothing, he felt uncomfortable being perceived that way by Zuo Dahai.

"Hehehe." Seeing Luo Chao's repeated denials, Zuo Dahai could only offer a bitter smile and continued his story, "It doesn't matter anymore; I'm already a ruined man, so you can think what you like. However, I must tell you the truth: I actually only borrowed six million at the time!"

"What, you only borrowed six million, but the loan sharks demanded you repay sixty million?! That's ten times the amount! Are those loan sharks even human? It seems like they're trying to drive you to death!" Hearing that Zuo Dahai only borrowed six million, Luo Chao felt outraged.

"Alas, it was my fault for being too wealthy at the time. My business was booming, and six million was nothing to me. Of course, the loan sharks agreed to lend me money, even when I was nearly penniless!"

"But at that time, I was blinded by the demon of gambling. I would gamble through the entire night, and because I was initially wealthy, I gambled in huge amounts. On lucky nights, I could win several hundred million, but on unlucky ones, losing a billion was normal for me."

"Back when I was at the peak, my net worth was as high as eighty billion Huaxia Coins. Yet, in less than half a year, I nearly lost it all to gambling. Can you imagine how I felt at that time?" Zuo Dahai questioned Luo Chao and Tang Tianyi with a hoarse voice.

"I understand, Brother Zuo, don't dwell on the past; money can't bring back the dead. Focus on the present and strive for the future." Luo Chao offered Zuo Dahai some words of encouragement.

"Hmph, who can you blame but yourself?" Tang Tianyi's tone was entirely opposite to Luo Chao's. "I bet at that time you were desperately hoping for a comeback and turned blind."

"Hahahahaha..." Zuo Dahai suddenly laughed madly after hearing Luo Chao and Tang Tianyi's words. "Brother Luo Chao, although your words are nice, they're nowhere as piercingly true as Miss Tang's. She was right; I was blind from desperation!"

"People are strange and pathetic. When I had money, I didn't treat it as valuable. Forget gambling; back then, I tipped casino servers tens of thousands, and even a single meal cost at least a hundred thousand, yet I found those meals unsatisfactory."

"But when I lost nearly everything through gambling, only then did I miss those wealthy days and their happiness! Let me tell you, whenever those rich people say they're unhappy despite their wealth, they've never truly considered how it feels to have none!"

"So, at that time, despite reaching a dead end, all I could think of was making a comeback through gambling! Even winning just a few million would be much better than having nothing!"

"But to consistently win millions, without preparing a few million in capital, is completely insufficient. So, I started borrowing money, but after I went bankrupt, my fair-weather friends treated me as a complete stranger and refused to lend me a penny, even though they had tens or hundreds of billions in wealth!"

"I suppose their refusal to lend to me had a lot to do with my devastated state from being tormented by gambling; I was neither human nor ghost. When I had money, I was too arrogant, and they seized the opportunity to revenge, not that they needed the few million at all!"

"Anyway, at the time when I was desperate and preparing to end my dramatic life, those loan sharks came to me!"

"Back then, seeing those loan sharks felt like seeing my saviors or my own fathers. But now I realize it was truly the beginning of my nightmare!"

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