A 39-year-old nightclub owner gambled overnight with his employees at a dormitory, only to collapse while foaming at the mouth the day after.
He died in a hospital after several hours of failed resuscitation.
The victim is Mr Cai Jianzhong, who was the owner of Violet Vault (Club ViVa) at St James Power Station.
Mr Cai's sister, Ms Cai Jiongjuan, 35, told Lianhe Wanbao that her brother had followed his workers back to their dormitory on early Sunday morning (Jan 28) to gamble, after closing the club.
When Mr Cai's wife called him the following afternoon to ask him when he would return, he told her that he was already driving home.
However, he did not return home even after an hour.
Mr Cai's wife called him several times, but he did not pick up the calls.
Ms Cai Jiongjuan said that after that her sister-in-law received a call from the nightclub manager at about 3pm, saying that her brother had been complaining about chest pains before he started foaming at the mouth.
According to the manager, Mr Cai collapsed and was then rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Said Ms Cai Jiongjuan:
"My sister-in-law immediately informed my parents and we all rushed to the hospital. My brother was in the intensive care unit (ICU).
"At that point, everyone was quite relieved. We thought that his condition had stabilised, and the worst was over.
"We did not expect him to just pass away like that at about 6pm."
Ms Cai Jiongjuan revealed that her brother has always been in the pink of health, and would do full-body checkups every two years.
Other than that, he also exercised frequently and controlled his diet well.
His passing came as a shock to everyone.
She added:
"I think this probably has something to do with his irregular sleeping patterns. His business revolves around the nightclub so he has to work through the night every day."
Ms Cai Jiongjuan said that her brother started the club from scratch.
Prior to opening the club, he earned a sum of money from working in the automobile line, before opening up a dessert shop.
It was only 10 years ago that he started the club.
Said the heartbroken sister:
"Last time, my brother used to tell us that he wanted to be successful, so he gave himself so much stress all these years. He really worked hard."
Violet Vault also uploaded a post on their Facebook page on Monday (Jan 30) at about 5am, saying that the club would be closed on Wednesday (Jan 31) for a private event, with business set to resume on Thursday (Jan 31).
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