His ears filled with raucous laughter and the sound of his own grinding jaw. Jeering faces all around. "You'd better pay up if you know what's good for you!" A threat disguised as a joke, issued with a vindictive, predatory leer.
"Don't you worry. I'll have it tomorrow," Hao Pang sneered back.
- O -
"Wei! It's time to go!" The thump of a suitcase hitting the floor jolted Wei Pang awake. He sat up to find all his belongings packed in three suitcases, on the floor by his bed.
"What's this?" he asked.
"The big boss lost 10 million dollars gambling on Majiang last night," his father's lackey replied in a bored tone. "He's sold you to pay his debts."
"What?" Wei Pang sighed to himself, annoyance mixed with disbelief. Another unfortunate chapter in the tragedy of my life. Out loud, he asked, "What does that have to do with me? He has much more money than that."
The lackey shrugged. "His wealth is in assets. What, did you think he had all cash sitting in a vault? You're one of his assets. You've been liquidated. Go make yourself presentable now and make a good impression for your new owners."
Wei Pang sighed again, resigned. He wasn't particularly upset. He was no longer a helpless child. He had confidence in his piano skills to feed and clothe himself. This could even be an improvement: Maybe his new owners wouldn't beat him.
He dressed in a formal tuxedo and slicked his hair. He arranged his face in his coldest unbothered expression. The lackey led him to the mansion's gates, where his ex-father was waiting. "Wei, meet your new owners," he said.
They walked through the games to the waiting limo. A black-haired, bespectacled man stepped forward. "Hello, Mr. Pang," he said, shaking his hand. "My name is Shuhei Amamiya, and I'm the general manager of One Direction."