Walter Baker originally thought Edward Baker would be bored out of his mind in the hospital; the two of them really did need to find something to do, instead of just sitting around.

 “Sigh!”

 Walter Baker was terrible at lying. Even in such a simple game, his eyes darted around, and Edward Baker didn’t need any intuition to know he was lying.

 After playing several rounds, Edward Baker couldn’t tell if it was because he was always good at reading people, or if he had suddenly developed some kind of terrifying intuition. Should he try his luck at the casino after getting discharged?

 In 2004, there weren’t many Chinese in Degramo who struggled to fit into local society, but near the Kennett Building, there was a Chinese casino where Edward Baker and John Foster would occasionally go to pass the time.

 Edward Baker thought that if he really did have some terrifying intuition, that place would be his paradise, where he could swim like a fish in water and realize his ultimate dream of being surrounded by club beauties. But when he thought of Degramo’s rampant crime, it was like being plunged into the icy Arctic Ocean:

 Keep your head clear—if you don’t keep a low profile in Degramo, you won’t live long!

 “What are you two playing? Why did I walk in and see you grinning sneakily, but the next second your face fell?”

 Emily Carter walked into the hospital room, set a fruit basket on the small cabinet at the head of the bed, and asked curiously.

 “How did your checkup go this morning? No problems, right?”

 “The reports from this morning were all fine,” Edward Baker said.

 “By the way, President Sullivan just rushed back to Degramo city this morning. He said the group is starting to pay more attention to African business, so he’s pulling John Foster to prepare some materials. Since he knows your situation isn’t too serious, he didn’t come to see you and appointed me as his full representative. Is everything okay with you?” Emily Carter said.

 David Sullivan usually treated him like he was invisible, and Edward Baker didn’t care whether David Sullivan visited or not. He handed a stack of playing cards to Emily Carter and said:

 “Rain Qing-jie, I have a special ability, do you believe it? Pick any card and name its suit—you can tell the truth or lie to me, but can I tell if you’re lying?”

 “Who are you trying to fool?” Emily Carter shot Edward Baker a look, plopped down on the edge of the bed, took the card, and fixed her dark, sparkling eyes on Edward Baker. “I say this card is a diamond, do you believe me?”

 It was the rainy season in Kanem and the entire southern part of Africa, so the weather was relatively cool. Emily Carter wore a pair of washed blue jeans; on top, a light blue T-shirt with lace ruffles at the waist and underarms, making her skin look even fairer.

 Although Emily Carter always complained that her waist wasn’t slim enough, as she sat sideways on the bed, her legs looked full and long, and the fullness of her chest and hips made her waistline appear perfectly shaped.

 A newlywed woman of twenty-four or twenty-five, at the peak of her beauty—a waist that’s too thin actually isn’t as attractive.

 That’s what Edward Baker’s dad used to say.

 That old rascal was still getting into trouble for women in his forties, even going to jail for murder, and he’d certainly had his share of affairs with respectable women.

 At this moment, Edward Baker felt his dad’s taste was right, and he secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said:

 “You’re not lying.”

 “Haha, I was lying! I’m holding the six of hearts—your special ability doesn’t work.” Emily Carter jumped up in the hospital room like a little girl, her full chest quivering with a wave-like motion.

 “Surging waves”—what a fitting description.

 “They say beautiful women are the best liars. Looks like I’m still no match for Rain Qing-jie.”

 Emily Carter glanced at Edward Baker with pride. “When did your mouth get so sweet?”

 Seeing that Emily Carter wasn’t interested in playing such a childish game anymore, Edward Baker smiled, put the cards away, and set them on the small cabinet by the bed, but inside he couldn’t help feeling shocked.

 Just now, from Emily Carter’s expression, he couldn’t tell at all that she was lying, but his strong intuition told him she had deliberately named the wrong suit. Edward Baker hesitated—should he find a chance to try his luck at the casino?

 I’m not greedy—if I win a thousand dollars a day, the club beauties will be waving at me!

Chapter Five: Degramo

 The medical aid team in Africa was very enthusiastic toward their fellow countrymen. Even though Edward Baker was just there to pass the time, they still enthusiastically helped him complete every possible test.

 “A timely rain after a long drought, a wedding night in the bridal chamber”—that about sums up the medical team’s passion for treating compatriots in a foreign land.

 The last two reports came out at dusk, and nothing abnormal was found; all the test values were within normal ranges. The medical team even felt it was a pity they couldn’t keep Edward Baker in the hospital for a couple more days.

 Edward Baker was discharged right away and had Walter Baker drive him and Emily Carter back to the company dormitory.

 In the early days, Dongsheng Group’s West Africa branch focused on developing agents in Degramo, promoting the company’s construction materials and other products throughout Kanem and the entire West African region.

 As the old capital of Kanem, Degramo had European merchant ships setting up trading posts there as early as the mid-sixteenth century.

 By the mid-seventeenth century, it had become the center of the West African slave trade.

 During the peak century of the slave trade dominated by white Europeans and Americans, more than two million local Africans were brutally sold from Degramo to the Americas.