Super Zoo-Chapter 746 - 728: 0.2%
In a horse race, the actual time horses run on the track is very short. Sixteen hundred meters is considered a long-distance race, and within just over a minute, the horses, exerting all their strength, finish the race.
However, the galloping and competition of the horses on the track is merely the 'climax' of the race. Horse racing is like certain affairs that require ample foreplay and a clean conclusion in order for the climax to be truly exhilarating and carefree… The race commentator's introduction of the horses, the audience's evaluation of the horses, the betting—all of these are preliminaries to the event. Afterward comes the award ceremony, the public display of the amounts won, the analysis of the race, and a whole host of issues before and after the event. In reality, a horse race takes quite some time.
Su Ming said he would bet on one last race and, win or lose, he would leave. Cui Bijia glanced at her watch and the schedule, noting that only one race remained, so she didn't say much.
Neither she nor Hou Longtao planned to bet on this race, as they had already won quite a bit. Hou Longtao still seemed a bit eager to continue, but Cui Bijia kindly reminded him to quit while ahead and not to use up all his luck in one go. After a brief hesitation, Hou Longtao nodded in agreement and decided not to participate any further.
Su Ming stood by the little grandstand, seriously eyeing the dozen or so horses being paraded in the sandy area. He watched for a full fifteen minutes, waiting until the last few minutes before the betting deadline to make his decision.
Just as Cui Bijia expected, this capricious young tycoon was playing big this time.
He placed a 300,000 bet on the quadrella.
In horse betting, trifectas, quadrellas; trebles, accumulators, are all very similar forms of betting. An N-quinella is picking the top N horses without needing to guess the order, while an N-accumulator requires not just predicting the horses, but also guessing the correct order.
Compared to a single-target wager like a win bet, quinellas and accumulators are significantly more difficult, and of course, the returns are on a different level as well.
After several consecutive losses, even the betting station's operators recognized Su Ming. They couldn't help but comment, "Sir, the odds of winning a quadrella are very low, less than one in five hundred..."
The young operator was well-intentioned, seeing Su Ming continuously losing money and couldn't help but offer a reminder.
Next to him, a plump supervisor frowned and glared at her, scaring the young lady into sticking out her tongue and falling silent. She lowered her head, printed out the ticket, and handed it to Su Ming with both hands: "Sir, please keep this safe."
"Thanks for your kindness. If I win, I'll give you one in five hundred of the bonus," Su Ming said with a smile, casually stuffing the ticket, which could potentially be worth a fortune, into his pocket before turning to leave the betting area.
"Ah, the lives of rich people really are different from those of us little employees," the operator muttered under her breath, shrugging her shoulders. If it were her losing over a million in a day, she would be heartbroken to death.
But then again, she didn't have over a million to lose. She and her boyfriend were like dogs, exhausted by their monthly mortgage payments, and even when taking the bus, they had to calculate which route would save them the most money.
"Win a big prize, my foot, nouveau riche mainlanders!" The on-duty plump supervisor, looking at Su Ming's retreating figure, murmured with a blend of jealousy and resentment, then he straightened up and said to the operator, "A Joe, don't be fooled. These mainlanders love to flaunt their wealth as big spenders, deceiving girls like you who don't know any better. Look at him, he's got the face of a loser, and he's definitely not going to win. Even if he does win, he won't give you anything. He's just trying to chat you up, and who knows, after losing money later, he might come back asking for your phone number."
"Manager, it's not good to speak about customers behind their backs," the operator said softly.
"What, what's wrong with it?!" The forty-something, pot-bellied manager, with a stern face but his gaze lingering on the operator's prominent chest, said, "Uncle is teaching you how to live. I'm worried about you naive girls getting cheated."
Operator A Joe pursed her lips, pulled the neckline of her shirt tighter, and thought to herself how grateful she'd be if the manager himself didn't deceive her.
The on-duty manager had seen many gamblers like Su Ming, who bet everything they had on the biggest quinellas and accumulators. As could be expected, their wealth came and went, leaving them at ease.
A one in five hundred chance, from a probabilistic standpoint, can be considered virtually impossible. It's no different from one in ten thousand or one in a hundred thousand.
Not only did the manager and operator lack confidence, but so did Cui Bijia and Hou Longtao, who were with Su Ming.
In the beginning, some races, Hou Longtao still had some blind faith in Suming's horse betting skills.
Compared to Hou Longtao, Suming was a successful individual who naturally exuded a trustworthy and authoritative aura. Moreover, Suming owned horses, and Hou Longtao had even ridden on one joyously during their time at the zoo. Now, both of Suming's horses were registered for the Longines Cup. In Hou Longtao's view, Suming definitely was an expert.
However, after several races, the 'fact' proved that Suming was a decent entrepreneur and Beast Tamer, but when it came to betting on horses, his luck was disastrously bad.
Seeing Suming place another large bet, Hou Longtao, as a good friend, sighed internally, thinking to himself, "Damn it, I didn't even waste money in a fit of pique when I got dumped, why the hell are you squandering wealth like this?"
Could it be to show off your financial strength in front of Cui Bijia?
Hou Longtao glanced at Cui Bijia. That couldn't be it, could it? Su wasn't that type of person, and although Cui Bijia was pretty, she didn't seem to be his type.
Each with their own thoughts, Cui Bijia also had her musings. Initially, when Suming lost the airport bet, she wanted to advise him to save some money, worried that he might not enjoy the game.
Latter on she gradually realized that this mainland tycoon genuinely didn't care about the loss of a mere million or so; what he sought was the thrill of the game.
In that case, what else could she say? After all, it wasn't her money being lost. A sum over a million might be a lot for her, but for him, it could just be the stake of a mahjong game.
As for Suming himself, he still had that casual, carefree demeanor, sipping iced cola with a 'slurp, slurp, slurp' sound.
He appeared very composed.
The gates opened, and the race began.
Nobody noticed that the moment all twelve horses shot out of the gate, Suming's hand holding the paper cup clenched slightly, creating a small dent in it.
...
The race ended swiftly.
The audience stands were abuzz throughout the event, with shouts and cheers filling the sky. Those who won hoped for another win in the next round, while those who lost banked on the last race for a chance to break even.
The trio of Suming seemed somewhat distracted. Suming's bets were so obscure that it left almost no possibility of winning. With no suspense, they didn't have much interest in watching the racecourse events. Hou Longtao was zoning out with a pack of money, while Cui Bijia was looking down at her phone.
"Let's go, today you've indulged quite a bit, Su," said Hou Longtao, glancing at his watch, then to Cui Bijia, "Miss Cui, recommend a seafood restaurant with character, and nobody argue with me today, I'm treating."
Money is indeed the courage of a man, and that saying couldn't be truer. Having won over two million, with a bulging wallet, Hou Longtao had lost all semblance of the meek little man he was in front of Song Lulu, carrying a tycoon's demeanor in front of the young starlet.
"Okay, I've already reserved a place at a fishing village by Victoria Harbour—it's guaranteed to be good and affordable," Cui Bijia said with a mischievous smile, shaking her phone and then turning to Suming, who was still sitting there in a daze, "Come on, Su Sheng, let's go."
Suming lifted his head slightly and took hold of the crumpled betting slip, giving the other two a perplexed look: "We're leaving now? Aren't we going to collect the winnings?"
Both were taken aback.
