Chapter 96: Casino
“Let bygones be bygones. You and Tang Ren are fine now,” Xiao Luo said as he sipped his tea. He could see that Tang Ren treated his sister well. Not every guy could put up with his sister’s princess attitude.
“To tell you the truth, Tang Ren is definitely much better than big-faced me. After all, he’s a doctor. Even if he’s not treated well at the moment, once his qualifications improve, he can easily earn tens of thousands every month. Even his chances for promotion are considerably better,” Zhang Dashan said, reluctantly admitting the truth that was right before him. It was undeniable that Tang Ren was a better fit as Xiao Ruyi’s partner.
The dim light in Xiao Ruyi’s eyes dissipated. Smacking her lips, she said, “Big-faced Zhang, I’m surprised by what you just said.”
“What’s there to be surprised about? Everything I said is the truth. I wasn’t exaggerating.” Big-faced Zhang took the tongs, clipped a squid, and grilled it on the iron plate. “Oh, by the way, are there any single girls left at your hospital? At least introduce one of them to me. After all, I am your brother’s brother. You have a part to play in my future lifelong happiness as well.”
“Don’t worry, if I see anyone that suits you, then I will definitely introduce you,” Xiao Ruyi said, smiling with a squint.
At that moment, Tang Ren and Sun Yu returned from grabbing the prawns.
Sun Yu had snatched two whole big plates of prawns, while Tang Ren had gone up with an empty plate and returned with an empty plate.
“Wifey, those people are way too fierce. I didn’t manage to snatch anything.”
Tang Ren looked like a defeated rooster with his head down. After a while, he held his head up, stood up tall, and with determination, said, “The next time they bring out the prawns, I will be sure to snatch up at least five to six plates’ worth.”
“That should be enough!”
Sun Yu was in a good mood as she looked happily at the two plates of prawns she had harvested.
Xiao Ruyi did not blame Tan Ren. Instead, she signaled for him to sit down, laughed, and said, “Yu Yu is so amazing. Even those big men couldn’t faze you.”
“In the past, I was unable to snatch any either, but I’m experienced now,” Sun Yu said, smiling heartily. You could see that she was thrilled, and her satisfaction was derived from having snatched the prawns.
“Come, everybody, let’s all enjoy Yu Yu’s victory prawns,” Zhang Dashan said, laughing loudly. He helped himself and placed all the prawns on the grilling iron and began to cook them.
“You guys eat heartily. If there isn’t enough, I will go and snatch more later,” Sun Yu said happily, biting her lip. She was smiling through her eyes, and they turned into crescents.
“If we let the girls do everything, then what’s the point of having us men around? If there aren’t enough prawns again later, then make Xiao Luo go,” Zhang Dashan said.
Sun Yu looked toward Xiao Luo only to realize that he was looking back at her. She looked away quickly and blushed.
It seemed like something was going on!
Xiao Ruyi was very happy. She was confident in her brother, Xiao Luo. As long as Xiao Luo decided to pursue a girl, he would definitely be able to win her heart. She was already wondering if it was time to call home and inform her Mom and Dad that she had introduced a beautiful girl to her brother.
As for Xiao Luo, his impression of Sun Yu was still so-so. At the very least, he was able to understand her better now.
**
After leaving the BBQ restaurant, Zhang Dashan, Xiao Ruyi, and Tang Ren went straight home after making up excuses. This gave Xiao Luo and Sun Yu a chance to be alone together.
Clutching her handbag, Sun Yu broke the silence and said, “It was a delightful meal. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“You’re welcome!”
Just then, Xiao Luo realized that this was the perfect moment to correct the misunderstanding that had occurred previously.
“Oh, right,” he said. “That wasn’t actually my car. It was my friend Zhang Dashan’s car.”
He was not used to lying, and it made him feel guilty.
Sun Yu smiled flirtatiously and said, “Actually, I knew from the start that it was not your car.”
“You knew from the start?”
“Yeah, I saw a crystal ball in the car carved with the name ‘Zhang Dashan.’ I doubt you would have done that if it was your car.”
Xiao Luo laughed and replied, “You’re pretty detail-oriented.”
“I guess. Maybe it’s an occupational hazard from being a nurse. I was very careless in the past and often forgot my keys. I was always getting locked out of my house. Such embarrassing incidents have occurred more than once,” Sun Yu said, chuckling. Her laughter was as beautiful as a silver bell.
“Is that so?”
Xiao Luo was surprised. He couldn’t imagine what it would look like for a girl to be locked out of her house.
“Yeah, I don’t know how to explain this. Basically, it was just extremely embarrassing. I would squat by the stairs for the whole night then go to work the next day with eyes. Thankfully, I didn’t make any mistakes,” Sun Yu said. She talked about her embarrassing past light-heartedly.
“Do you enjoy your job as a nurse?”
“Well, how should I put this? It doesn’t matter whether or not I like it. I don’t actually know what I like to do, so I thought, heck, why not just be a good nurse? What about you? I heard from Sister Ruyi that you are an engineer at the Huahai Manufacturing Corporation?”
“That was true, yes. But I’ve since resigned, and I’m currently unemployed.”
“Did you quit to pursue something you actually want to do?”
“I guess that’s about the sum of it. Except that I don’t actually know what I want to do, either.”
…
They talked while heading toward the place where Sun Yu was staying.
Jiangcheng was a coastal city. It was the only city legally allowed by the state to open casinos. The gambling industry profited well, and each district had various large casinos. Of course, these casinos were backed by influential organizations or individuals.
Guangming District was no different. Just as Xiao Luo and Sun Yu were happily chatting away, a fight broke out in front of the casino, not too far away.
A soulless middle-aged man with a chin full of stubble was curled up on the ground and being beaten by six to seven men.
Sun Yu’s expression changed. Disregarding everything, she ran toward the fight. In an attempt to stop it, she shouted, “Stop! Stop now! Why are you beating up my uncle?”
“That’s your uncle?”
A man dressed in a suit waved his hand to stop, staring coldly at Sun Yu.
Sun Yu lifted the battered middle-aged man, nodded, and replied, “Yes.”
“Well, that’s just dandy. Your uncle owes the casino two million in gambling debts. Since you’re his niece, then you can repay this amount on his behalf,” replied the man in the suit.
Sun Yu turned her head and looked at her uncle with a trembling gaze. She could not believe that her uncle would rack up such a huge debt.
Sun Jian’nan sighed regretfully and confirmed that the man in the suit was speaking the truth.
He pleaded, “Manager Geng, can you be generous and give me a few days more? Just a few days and I promise that I will definitely return the money to you.”
“I’ve already given you a seven-day grace period. If you still don’t pay, then I have no choice but to throw you into the sea as food for the fishes,” Manager Geng sneered. “But perhaps I can offer you a way out. If your niece is in good spirits, then she can pay the debt for you.”
“No! Do whatever you want to me, but don’t hurt her at any cost,” Sun Jian’nan replied, shaking his head vigorously. He endured the pain in his body and shielded Sun Yu.
“Oh wow, that’s pretty brave of you. Well, let’s continue to beat him up and see how long he lasts,” Manager Geng said, waving his finger. His expression became fierce.
Several men saw the signal and continued to beat up the middle-aged man.
“Stop it! Stop hurting him. Stop it right now!” Sun Yu shouted. She was panicked and whirling with tears.
At that moment, Xiao Luo walked over and calmly said, “None of you have the right to beat this man up. Whether or not he owes you money—even if you consider this ‘debt collection’—you should not be resorting to such extremes to solve a simple problem. It can be considered illegal.”
Manager Geng was stunned for a moment. Then he sneered and said, “Where did this rash youth come from? Before you meddle in anything, boy, at least know where you’re getting in the middle of.”
“I really want to know where this is. Oh, by the way, just a reminder, I recorded a video of you beating him up. If you don’t stop, then I will have to call the police,” Xiao Luo said, taking out his phone and smiling.
Call the police?
How refreshing!
Just the thought of it made Manager Geng laugh. This was the first time in more than a decade that someone had dared to challenge the casino.
“Boy, I was praising you when I called you a rash youth earlier. Now you’re simply courting death. I’ll give you three seconds to delete the video. Otherwise, don’t blame us for what will happen next!”
It had been a very long time since there had been such a thing as a kind casino boss. Manager Geng couldn’t figure out where this fellow had found the courage to record a video. He’d even dared to boast of teaching others a lesson.
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