"I…I lost all the money."
Ma Liu's lips trembled. He had to muster all his courage before he dared tell the truth.
"You fucking bastard!"
Jiang Xiaobai was so furious his lungs hurt. He lifted his leg and kicked out, sending Ma Liu rolling several times on the ground.
"A dog can't stop eating shit! Ma Liu, how the hell did you promise me before? How are you going to face Da Gao and Xiao Fei? Those two work themselves half to death every day, scraping together a bit of blood‑and‑sweat money, and you actually took it to gamble!"
Ma Liu sat on the ground, his face full of regret.
"It's all my fault, all on me. I went to deposit the money and ran into two old acquaintances on the way, guys I used to hang with. We chatted a bit and they dragged me off, insisting we play mahjong. I muddle‑headedly followed them over, and who knew I'd end up losing every cent."
