In the following days, Lin Hao's house often had classmates visiting, but they were all quite well-behaved.
On June 4th, China Team VS Costa Rica. No one was home today, and everyone was uninterested in this match. Lin Hao finally had some peace and quiet. Lately, many people had been coming over almost every day, preventing Lin Hao from properly watching a single match.
Today's match featuring the China Team was a good opportunity to watch properly. Although he already knew the result, he wouldn't be able to see this for the next 20+ years, so he should cherish it.
After this World Cup, China's football became increasingly worse, to the point where it was unbearable to watch. This current World Cup was already considered the most glorious period.
The match officially began. There were no exciting moments. The China Team indeed did not disappoint, losing 0:2. Lin Hao was completely unfazed by the outcome of the match, but the China Team's loss allowed Lin Hao to win 90,000 us dollars. China's football could be considered to have made a contribution.
The 90,000 us dollars won from the match had already been credited. The speed was truly fast. Not long after the match ended, the money was already in his account. The efficiency was really high.
With an extra 90,000 us dollars, Lin Hao's life no longer had to be so tight. He was in a great mood. For a while recently, Lin Hao had to be very frugal and didn't dare to spend lavishly. Now, his funds were finally a bit more abundant. He would go out for a good meal later to treat himself.
...
"Mr. Lin, congratulations on winning the prize money for the match on the 4th. What service would you like to handle this time?"
Inside the consulting company, Alice warmly welcomed Mr. Lin.
"This time, I want to bet on the South Korea VS Portugal match on June 7th. 1:0, South Korea wins."
Hearing Lin Hao's words, Alice was surprised for a moment. South Korea and Portugal were completely not opponents of the same strength level.
"Mr. Lin, I must remind you that the South Korea Team is completely not an opponent for Portugal."
"It's fine, just help me place the bet. Here is 100,000 us dollars."
"Alright, Mr. Lin. The odds this time are 1:13."
Alice stopped trying to persuade him after hearing Lin Hao's words. She had fulfilled her duty.
After helping Lin Hao handle everything, Alice respectfully escorted him out. Last time he bet 50,000, this time 100,000. Although the amount was insignificant compared to the company's other businesses, just this short while earned a 10% service fee. What could be easier than this?
On June 7th, South Korea VS Portugal. Portugal suffered an upset loss, 1:0 to South Korea. There was huge controversy among football fans worldwide regarding the officiating of this match, with accusations of biased refereeing clearly favoring South Korea.
However, the people of South Korea did not think so, believing their national team's strength was superior to Portugal's. Portuguese and South Korean fans argued back and forth, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Lin Hao didn't care about all that. His 1.3 million us dollars had arrived. He was finally wealthy! Before, he didn't even have money to gamble, but now he could finally show his skills.
Lin Hao took the 1.3 million us dollars and found several other consulting companies. Constantly using the same one would easily attract attention.
He placed bets with the 1.3 million on the South Korea Team's match against Italy on June 17th. The two teams drew, and South Korea won 2:1 in extra time. The odds for this match were 1:20, influenced by the Portugal match.
The other two China Team matches were not worth mentioning. One was a deliberate loss by Lin Hao, and the other he won a few thousand us dollars.
On June 13th, 2002, the final game of the NBA Finals was played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Nets had already lost 3 consecutive games before this.
Lin Hao brought Fiona, and Allen also brought a girl. From the sound, it seemed to be the girl from the phone call last time. Their seats were still in the middle.
That's right, Lin Hao and Fiona got together again. During this period, people often came to Lin Hao's house to watch the games. Fiona came with friends. Lin Hao was rich, handsome, and generous.
Then, very smoothly, the two started a passionate affair again, hitting it off immediately.
Front-row seats for the Finals were simply too expensive. First-row seats were already being scalped for over a hundred thousand dollars each. Lin Hao couldn't afford that now.
Even the middle seats cost nearly ten thousand us dollars. The entire arena was full of Lakers fans, all coming to see the Lakers be crowned champions again and start their second Lakers dynasty.
Compared to last time, Lin Hao was incredibly excited this time. He had bet 200,000 on the Lakers winning 4:0. The odds were 1:85. If he won, it would be 17 million us dollars. His chance to get rich overnight was right before his eyes.
The players from both teams entered the court. The Lakers players were generally in a better mindset. If they won this game, they would be the champions. The Nets players, on the other hand, had solemn expressions. They had already lost 3 games. If they lost again this time, it would be completely over.
The game began, and both sides played intensely. Lin Hao was not panicked at all. All his previous bets had been correct; there was no reason for an accident in this game.
The outcome of the match was not decided until the final moment, 113:107. The moment the game ended, Lin Hao excitedly pulled Fiona next to him and kissed her red lips.
Seeing Lin Hao and Fiona like this, Allen followed suit, pulled the girl next to him, and started kissing. The crowd erupted in cheers, and the Lakers fans went wild.
The crowd chanted MVP. Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal enjoyed the fans' cheers. In the end, the 2002 NBA Finals MVP was Shaquille O'Neal.
This also created a rift in their relationship, and Shaquille O'Neal would transfer teams next year.
Lin Hao didn't care who the MVP was; he only knew that he was about to receive over ten million us dollars.
The entire city of Los Angeles went crazy. Cheers could be heard everywhere. When they walked out of the arena, there were celebrating fans everywhere.
"Lin, shouldn't we also have a party to celebrate? I know a lot of Posh Spices, I guarantee they are all top-notch," Allen suggested, looking at the surrounding celebratory atmosphere.
"Okay."
Lin Hao also wanted to celebrate, not for the Lakers winning the championship, but for himself becoming a multi-millionaire.
Getting Lin Hao's agreement, Allen immediately started making arrangements. The party location was at Lin Hao's villa; it happened to have a garden.
Allen indeed did not lie. The girls he called over were truly top-notch. There were also some other people with them, all classmates or other friends. More people meant more fun, which made it interesting.
In the garden, the barbecue was already set up. Allen was grilling hot dogs, music was playing, and a group of Misses were playing around with each other. It was a pity there was no pool. If there were a pool, a pool party would be great.