The shareholder discussion lasted for half an hour, and in the end, both parties signed a contract. They were able to establish a long-term working relationship with one another.
“Sabrina, Ms. Demi, come! Let’s toast to our long-term partnership that begins from this moment forth!”
Leon stood up and raised the wine glass in his hand, and he conspicuously chose to ignore Xiao Luo. Such a scenario undoubtedly put Xiao Luo in an awkward position. It would have been weird for him to stand up and raise his wine glass, and at the same time, it would also have looked strange for him to just sit there without doing anything.
This was a celebration for “Liyue Media” as they had just established a partnership, and Su Li couldn’t decline outright, so she stood up and joined the toast as well. Leon was deliberately trying to put Xiao Luo in a tough spot.
Shen Qingyan stood up as well, and the three of them had a toast.
“Cheers!”
With a satisfied expression on his face, Leon looked at Xiao Luo, sitting there eating the food on the table. He raised his head back and finished the wine in his glass. In his heart, he had already formed an opinion of Xiao Luo—he was nothing more than an uncouth low-class lout!
“It’s about time for us to go.”
Su Li no longer wanted to stay as she could sense that Xiao Luo was not himself today.
“There’s no need to rush back. It’s still early. This resort hotel has an underground casino. Sabrina, let’s go there and play a little. We can see how lucky our partnership is,” Leon suggested.
“No, thank you. I’m not interested,” Su Li replied icily. She glared hard at Xiao Luo, who was still eating, and said, “Xiao Luo, let’s go!”
Xiao Luo tossed aside the remaining bones, took a tissue, and wiped off the grease on his hands and the corners of his mouth. He stood up, looked at Leon, and said, “There’s a casino here?”
Leon was initially taken aback, and then he smiled and replied, “Yes, there is.”
“But based on what I know, casinos are not allowed to operate in Xiahai,” Xiao Lu said, showing an inordinate amount of interest.
“That’s why it’s an underground casino. It doesn’t see the light of day. As far as I know, the boss of this resort hotel has some backing,” Leon said. “The police turn a blind eye to the operation here. It’s been opened for around five or six years now, and nothing has happened to it so far.”
“You want to play?” Su Li asked Xiao Luo quietly.
“I want to play a little,” Xiao Luo said.
“Sabrina, since Mr. Xiao wants to play, as a wife, you should be a little bit more open and let loose the ropes in your hands.”
Leon smiled and said, “Let’s do this. In order to avoid making too much noise, I will go and open a separate private room just for the four of us. A little bit of gambling is good for the spirits.”
“Good idea!”
Xiao Luo gave Leon a thumbs-up and spoke in English. Since Leon had p*ssed him off so much, Xiao Luo decided he would return the favor twice.
“Yeah! Wow, Mr. Xiao’s English is pretty good,” Leon said. He smiled condescendingly and praised Xiao Luo heartily, but inwardly, his heart was cold. He was planning on making Xiao Luo lose everything he had and make him look bad in front of Su Li.
“Li, a battle just for you is about to begin soon,” Shen Qingyan whispered softly into Su Li’s ears.
Su Li was confused as well and didn’t know if she should be happy or angry. This was obviously a trap that Leon had set, so why was Xiao Luo still falling for it? But it was also true that Xiao Luo’s actions were really abnormal today. Was it really because he was jealous?
******
Not long after, they all headed over to the hotel’s casino.
The casino was located on the first floor. It was often said that gambling was human nature, and true enough, many people made their way there to gamble. When Xiao Luo entered the casino, it felt as if he had just returned to the Jiangcheng casino that belonged to the Dragon Gang.
“You need to exchange twenty million dollars’ worth of gambling chips before you’re allowed to open a private room. Sabrina, you guys make yourself comfortable first. I’ll go change the chips,” Leon said. He then walked toward the counter.
Twenty million!
This number was just a small bet to Su Li and Shen Qingyan, but in Leon’s eyes, Xiao Luo’s total assets were most probably only worth that much. It would be perfect if he won them all today.
“Are you serious about playing?” Su Li asked. She was concerned and wanted to confirm again.
“Yes,” Xiao Luo replied.
“Do you have that much money?”
“The card that I have with me right now has exactly that much money,” Xiao Luo said. Then, like Leon, he made his way toward the counter as well.
“Wait a minute,” Su Li said.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s not too late to turn back now. Leon’s family business involves opening casinos in North America. In the art of gambling, there’s no way we’re going to stand a chance against him. Twenty million is not a small amount to you, so don’t risk losing it all because of a rash decision,” Su Li said.
“That’s right, Xiao Luo. It wasn’t easy for you to secure such a huge order all the time. It will be too late for you to cry in regret if you lose it all!” Shen Qingyan pitched in.
Shen Qingyan felt compelled to persuade Xiao Luo to back down. “I know you’re going against him because of Li, but there’s really no need for you to do this,” she said.
Xiao Luo smiled cheerfully and retorted, “It’s all right. I’m just playing a little. Besides, there’s no guarantee that I’m going to lose.”
“How can you be this stubborn!” Su Li said.
Her tone was resentful. She could not understand what Xiao Luo had to prove by gambling against an expert like Leon. There was no difference between doing this and just giving the money away.
Xiao Luo did not say anything and continued to walk toward the counter to exchange the gambling chips.
Shen Qingyan looked at Su Li and sighed. “Forget it. Just let him be. This is a battle between two guys. We’ll just stand by later,” she said.
Su Li furrowed her eyebrows in worry and said, “But if he loses twenty million to Leon, wouldn’t that be…”
“If there’s anything I know about that man, it’s that somehow or rather, he is always able to surprise us,” Shen Qingyan said with a smile.
******
The room was brightly lit, and a relatively expensive-looking gambling table sat in the middle of it. There were wines and various beverages by the side.
This was the private room that the casino provided for their customers. As soon as the door closed, all noise coming from the hall was immediately shut out. It was so quiet it seemed like an isolated world. The casino had also specially provided a dealer for this room.
“Poker. I’m sure Mr. Xiao knows how to play this, right?” Leon asked Xiao Luo deliberately. He was obviously treating Xiao Luo like he was some country bumpkin.
“I think it’s more commonly known as Golden Flower, if I’m not wrong,” Xiao Luo said.
Leon was a little surprised, but he just laughed and said, “Hehehe… Mr. Xiao sure doesn’t hide his true feelings. That’s right. I’m sure that’s how the Chinese people pronounce poker.”
But deep down, what he actually wanted to say was, “You country bumpkin, how dare you even touch my Sabrina! Don’t bite off more than you can chew!”
“Then let’s not talk anymore. Come on,” Xiao Luo said, giving Leon a wry smile.
“Deal the cards!”
Leon gave a signal to the dealer, indicating that he could deal out the cards.
The dealer nodded his head in response and took out a new pack of poker cards. He spread out the cards and duly showed it to the four of them. This was to prove that he hadn’t tampered with any of the cards.
After handing out three cards and another card faced down, the dealer then explained the rules. “The starting bet is a hundred thousand, and each subsequent bet cannot be below five hundred thousand. Mr. Leon, you have the biggest hand, please start first.”
Other than the one card facing down, everyone could see the other three cards on the table.
Leon had an ace of spades, a six of spades, and a six of clubs. Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and Xiao Luo had smaller cards, so of course, Leon was the first to call.
“One million!” Leon threw out gambling chips equivalent to the value of his bet without much hesitation.
Xiao Luo looked at all the cards he had—seven, eight, and nine, a mini straight. As for Su Li and Shen Qingyan, there’s no need to even look at their cards.
For poker, besides looking at the cards, it was also testing how courageous and daring one was. This was where the skill of poker lay.
“I fold!” Shen Qingyan declared, closing her cards.
Su Li was about to bet, but Leon persuaded her otherwise. “Sabrina, I don’t have just a pair of six. I have a pair of six and aces. Your cards are too small, so you better not bet. I’m doing this for you,” he said.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login