Chapter 7: All-In is a Form of Wisdom
1285 Words
As the World Cup approached， the global fervor for football surged， and even the football desert of America was not immune.
What was once rarely seen now occasionally featured people playing football， especially since the United States had qualified.
Yet， it remained a mere flicker， never igniting into a blaze. Even after twenty years， it had become a haven for retired stars.
However， the term “retirement home“ seems inaccurate， as many players， even nearing the end of their careers， continue to contribute significantly to the MLS.
By 2023， the arrival of the veteran gold miner had further elevated the concept of technical aid to its zenith.
Although public interest in football remained tepid， betting companies had already opened their odds.
This year’s 32 teams included traditional powerhouses like Argentina， France， and Italy. France， the reigning World Cup champion and the 2000 European Championship victor， aimed to defend their title.
There were also relatively weaker teams， such as Saudi Arabia， Tunisia， Senegal， China， and Nigeria.
The odds for the strong teams were naturally lower; for instance， France was favored at 5:1， and Italy at 6:1.
The odds for the underdogs were remarkably high: the United States at 166:1， Tunisia at 300:1， Saudi Arabia at 500:1， and China also at 500:1.
In other words， if you bet on China to win and they actually triumphed， a month later you would see a 500-fold return， turning $1 million into $500 million. How many businesses in the world offer such lucrative returns?
However， this strategy had its drawbacks; the process was protracted， with results emerging only after a month.
If betting companies detected any irregularities， they might employ covert tactics， leaving little recourse for those affected.
Thus， Eric sent Judy and the others to foreign betting hubs， diversifying their stakes to mitigate risks.
On May 31st， the World Cup kicked off with the opening match between France and Senegal.
Eric looked at the blue screen before him; the rudimentary webpage was somewhat jarring. Accustomed to modern web standards， he found the technology of twenty years ago somewhat outdated.
Currently， Eric was using a bulky desktop computer. Although laptops existed， their configurations were inadequate compared to the superior performance of desktops.
“When I have more funds， perhaps I should consider investing in the internet， acquiring a few foolproof stocks for long-term gains，” he mused.
Although the early internet was still evolving， online gambling had already emerged， albeit with numerous issues and significant risks.
Many websites were traps， concealing various forms of malware， and people of that era lacked adequate protective measures， frequently falling victim to scams.
Thus， telephone betting remained a more reliable method.
With the schedule confirmed， Eric was reassured. He opened MSN， still the most popular communication tool globally.
Even in China， in 2002， MSN reigned supreme， with QQ not yet having risen to prominence.
Eric’s fingers flew over the keyboard:“For today’s opening match， place bets with all major companies at the maximum allowable limit for Senegal to win.”
If one is to gamble， it should be a decisive all-in， with high risks yielding substantial rewards.
If successful， it would affirm that the world's trajectory had not changed; if unsuccessful， it would indicate a shift in the future.
Such a gamble could affect not only football but potentially cause losses even in previously blockbuster films.
Given this， Eric saw no reason to hesitate， opting to follow his father's advice and embrace his role as a celebrity offspring.
Warren expressed his alarm with an emoji:“Senegal? Are you out of your mind? That’s an African team; I checked， and this is their first World Cup appearance.”
Billy:“The entire Senegal team’s value doesn’t even match the worth of one French player’s leg. Brother， this is $10 million; don’t be rash!”
Eric:“Trust me， the odds for France are 1:1.2， and for Senegal， 1:19. Remember the saying: bet against the favorites， and the villa will be by the sea!”
Bordeaux:“Is this your money-making strategy?”
Judy:“Hahaha， the Brazilian girls are simply too enthusiastic. I've placed my bets. See you in two hours.”
At dinner time， Eric had little appetite， holding a bottle of beer as he sat on the sofa， awaiting the start of the match.
His father， who was rarely home， came over and firmly squeezed his shoulder.“My boy， what’s the matter? You look quite anxious.”
“Nothing much， the World Cup is about to begin， and I plan to watch.”
“Really? I remember you used to have no interest in football. You always preferred ice hockey and dancing.”
“Dad， college changes people and makes them interested in new things.”
“That’s a fair point. I see you’ve been staying at home a lot lately. Have you found any profitable opportunities?”
Eric gave him a sidelong glance.“Don’t worry， Dad. If something goes awry， I’ll follow your instructions， attend performance classes， learn the basics—essentially， I’ll adhere to the plan.”
Shirley Cooper chuckled heartily.“Don’t fret， Eric. Once you’re in this circle， you’ll come to love it. It’s far more interesting than the financial industry.”
Even if you were to kill Shirley Cooper， he wouldn’t have imagined his son intending to amass wealth through gambling， especially given his background in finance.
Now， Shirley Cooper was simply awaiting the net to be cast， his discontent over the poor reception of “Windtalkers“ somewhat alleviated.
On the screen， as France and Senegal took the field， the match commenced in earnest.
At the same moment， countless spectators focused on the game. The French team， adorned with stars， was met with a thunderous reception upon their entry.
Henry， the Premier League Golden Boot winner， Trezeguet， the Serie A Golden Boot winner， and Sissoko， the Ligue 1 Golden Boot winner， along with the national treasure Zidane， formed a formidable French team highly favored by media and fans， with defeating Senegal seemingly a mere formality.
However， many soon noticed that Zidane and Pires were absent， causing the French midfield to falter without its key engines.
Though still maintaining an advantage and repeatedly attacking Senegal’s goal， their most threatening shots all struck the posts.
Messages on MSN flickered furiously.
Warren:“Oh my God， F***! Those damn French are back. Who’s that bald guy?”
Bordeaux:“Defend quickly， get back! Are these black players all fools? Why aren’t they defending?”
Billy:“What rubbish! Senegal， push forward and crush these French colonizers. Don’t forget your history—kick hard!”
Even Judy began to rant:“F***! That braided player is about to shoot again. My eyes! It’s the post—thank God!”
Bordeaux:“Doesn’t the goalkeeper see? The post is more useful than he is. Can’t he move his legs?”
The four were in an unrestrained frenzy， alternating between gratitude and vitriol， wishing they could be on the field themselves， despite not understanding the rules or recognizing the players.
Only Eric remained silent， as he was more excited than anyone else， speechless in his fervor.
On the screen， following a pass error by Deschamps， Senegal’s key player Diouf seized the ball with a sudden， rapid break and sprinted forward.
The aging French defense could not withstand the assault. Diouf passed to the positioned Diop， who struck forcefully. That small ball， both beloved and frustrating， surged into the net—Senegal scored!
Two hundred million dollars secured!
Does anyone else feel that the more time off you have， the less time there is for writing or reading novels? It seems that working hours offer more opportunities for leisure.
- Writer
