Chapter 196: Losing Money

“You’re saying that while I was just now completely absorbed in Brother Bai Qing, acting like an idiot… you already pushed the mission progress bar to around seventy or eighty percent?”

Lin Yu stared with wide eyes, unable to believe it.

“More or less.”

Luo Shaotian shrugged, his expression calm.

Lin Yu was momentarily speechless.

“So I was basically here just AFK-ing?”

Although the feeling of slacking off while still getting paid really was great, still…

She secretly glanced at Luo Shaotian’s handsome side profile.

This guy…

From the moment he entered until now, whether dealing with that flirtatious Xiao Zhu or discovering that bizarre “Life-Gambling Room,” he’d handled everything with ease.

He was basically a walking “Agent Training Manual.”

And then there was herself.

Aside from yelling in panic in front of that broken machine, she’d been toyed with by that woman, embarrassing herself like some country bumpkin.

“Tch.”

An inexplicable irritation surged up in her chest.

How could she be this useless in front of this guy?

No matter what, she was still a senior!

“I’m a C-rank magical girl, okay?!”

Lin Yu puffed her cheeks slightly, lips pursed, looking like a wronged little pufferfish as she grumbled unhappily,

“Then… what’s the next step? What did those seniors who only know how to talk say?”

Luo Shaotian listened quietly for a moment, then turned his head, his tone steady.

“Their suggestion was very straightforward.”

“Since the condition to trigger entry through that door is being driven into a corner…”

“Then we have to become that kind of person.”

“In other words…”

“We have to lose all this money.”

“Lose it all?!”

Hearing those two words, Lin Yu felt as if someone had狠狠 pinched her heart, making it ache violently.

Damn it…

Just earlier, without even realizing it, she’d already lost a million, and her heart was bleeding.

And now she had to deliberately lose the remaining nine million too…

All of it?!

What, does Dawn Corporation run a money-printing factory?

Do they use banknotes as toilet paper?!

“But that’s… that’s…”

Lin Yu’s eyes were full of reluctance.

“Couldn’t we… couldn’t we keep just a little?”

“Like… we pretend we lost everything, then secretly stash a bit on ourselves…”

“Or how about this? You say you actually still have some private savings, and then we transfer that money to—”

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Luo Shaotian mercilessly cut off her fantasy and shook his head.

“No.”

“Why not?!”

Lin Yu refused to give up.

“First, that manager called Xiao Zhu already knows our card balance through the asset verification system.”

“If money suddenly goes missing on our end, or the accounts don’t add up, it’ll immediately raise suspicion.”

Luo Shaotian sighed, looking at this money-obsessed person with some amusement.

“This is company money. Every transaction is recorded.”

“Do you really think you can embezzle it?”

…

Lin Yu’s face flushed red with anger.

She bit her lip, looking utterly defeated.

She understood the logic.

She knew this was the necessary cost of the mission.

But still…

That was so much money!

Right in front of her eyes—nominally not hers, but still passing through her hands—flowing away like water.

That feeling…

It really hurt.

Like cutting flesh off her own body.

“Fine…”

Seeing Luo Shaotian’s utterly uncompromising expression, Lin Yu knew that things had come to this and this was the only option.

She took a deep breath, a trace of reckless resolve flashing through her eyes.

“Since it’s destined that I can’t keep it…”

“Then let me enjoy myself properly!!!”

And so, over the next few hours, this strange duo began a “money-splashing performance” that drew the attention of the entire Paradise Casino.

Luo Shaotian’s way of losing money was subtle, and highly technical.

He didn’t bet recklessly like a headless chicken.

Instead, he chose games with complex rules and extremely high odds, like Texas Hold’em or Baccarat.

He always made decisions at critical moments that seemed reasonable but were actually fatal mistakes.

For example, bluffing deliberately when holding a good hand, or stubbornly calling when it was obvious the opponent had a strong one.

That feeling of “losing, but losing with grace—like a skilled player who’s just unlucky” was performed by him to perfection.

Not only did he avoid suspicion, the other gamblers at the table even regarded him as a genuine rich fool—a big “cash cow”—winning happily one after another.

As for Lin Yu…

Her way of losing money was far simpler and more brutal.

“All in! All in on everything!”

“I don’t believe it! This round’s definitely small! Bet small!”

“What? Big again?! Is there something wrong with these dice?! Again!”

“Damn it! How is it leopard again?! Are you cheating?!”

Since she didn’t understand the complex rules, Lin Yu simply chose the most brainless options: guessing big or small, and roulette.

And to vent her frustration, she went all-in every single time.

Pushing a whole pile of chips onto the table gave her a bold, exhilarating thrill she’d never felt before.

But what followed was a few seconds later, watching the dealer rake those chips away, stabbing her heart like a knife.

“My money… my money…”

Finally.

When the last chip—representing ten thousand U.S. dollars—was mercilessly swept into the banker’s cash box by the pushing rod…

Lin Yu collapsed into her seat as if her soul had been drained.

She slumped there, eyes hollow, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.

Even though it was all an act.

That sorrow…

Was absolutely genuine.

If…

If that money were really mine…

She murmured to herself.

If I had that money…

I could arrange the best medical care for Mom…

Buy myself all those surgeries…

Do something for my little sister…

Seeing her looking as if she were at a funeral, Luo Shaotian, who had just walked over, felt helpless—but had to admit—

That acting was incredible.

“About right.”

Luo Shaotian glanced at the completely empty tray, took a deep breath, and adjusted his state.

The next second.

He slammed the table hard and roared hoarsely,

“Damn it! How is this possible?!”

“Ten million! A full ten million! How could it be gone so fast?!”

His roar exploded in the noisy casino.

His face was flushed red, veins bulging at his temples—where was there even a trace of that earlier “Hong Kong tycoon” demeanor?

“I don’t believe it! I won’t accept it!”

Like a madman, he grabbed the empty tray in front of him and smashed it viciously onto the floor.

“Clang—!!!”

The metal tray bounced several times, emitting a harsh noise that drew the attention of nearby gamblers.

But no one stepped in to stop him.

Here, dozens of gamblers who’d lost their minds appeared every day.

People were long used to it—some even wore schadenfreude-filled smiles.

“Xiao Zhu! Where’s that damn woman?!”

Luo Shaotian looked around wildly.

“Bring my card! Go swipe it again! I want to turn this around! I want to win back everything I just lost!”

“Oh my… Boss Luo~ what’s wrong with you~”

As if she’d been waiting in the shadows for this very moment.

Just as Luo Shaotian was about to lose control, that familiar figure slithered out of the crowd like a snake.

Xiao Zhu’s smile was still sweet.

Only this time, there was less flattery in it—and more mockery.

She first glanced at Lin Yu slumped in the chair.

Then she slowly turned to look at the man on the verge of collapse.

“Boss Luo, please calm down.”

She reached out with her scarlet-painted fingernails and lightly patted Luo Shaotian’s chest.

“I’d love to help you, but… machines don’t lie.”

“Your card…”

“Really has no money left.”

“What… what? None left?”

Those words were like a knife stabbing straight into Luo Shaotian’s heart.

Like a heavy hammer smashing down on the top of his head.

His body swayed; he staggered back two steps, then with a “thud,” collapsed onto the floor.

“No… impossible…”

He stared blankly at his hands, lips trembling.

“How could I lose that much? I… I just wanted to play a bit…”

“How could it… how could this happen…”

“Ten million dollars… all of it… lost…”

That crushing sense of falling from the clouds into the mud was portrayed by him with chilling realism.

If someone gave him an award right now, it would be fully deserved—Best Actor, no contest.

“Oh dear, Boss Luo, just accept it.”

Xiao Zhu looked down at him from above.

“There’s really nothing left. Not a single cent.”

“That last all-in just now…”

“Was personally pushed out by your woman, you know.”

“……”

Silence.

A few seconds later.

“That was my f*cking money!!!”

Luo Shaotian suddenly sprang up from the floor like a corpse coming back to life.

Like a desperate beast, he grabbed Xiao Zhu by the neck!

“No! I can’t lose! I didn’t lose!”

“I can still turn it around! I can still win it back!”

“Just give me a little principal… just a little!”

“You’re the manager here, right?! You must have a way, right?! Huh?!”

He stared into Xiao Zhu’s eyes, his voice hoarse and insane.

“Lend it to me! Lend it to me! I’ll pay any interest!”

“Even loan sharks are fine!”

“Tell me… tell me what to do!”

“Outrageous!”

Before Xiao Zhu could speak, the two burly men behind her moved instantly.

“Bang!”

A massive force struck.

Luo Shaotian was forced to let go, stumbling backward before crashing heavily to the ground again.

“Cough… cough…”

Xiao Zhu straightened the wrinkled collar where she’d been grabbed, showing no trace of panic.

Instead, a chilling smile bloomed in her heavily made-up eyes.

“Oh my, Boss Luo, no need to be so rough~”

She waved her hand, signaling the bodyguards to step back.

Then she walked gracefully, step by step, until she stood before Luo Shaotian.

“Turn it around?”

She slowly squatted down, bringing her gaze level with his.

Under the dim lights, that seductive face looked both beautiful and terrifying.

“Ah… I do know a way…”

Her voice grew soft and gentle, like a devil whispering into one’s ear.

“A way that doesn’t need any principal…”

“As long as you have enough courage…”

“You can win back everything you lost before…”

“Even more.”

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