Chapter 7 Are you sure you want to gamble with me?

The Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly came to a stop in front of the banquet hall.

The doorman jogged over to open the door, and Lin Chengyu stepped out of the car with long strides.

Standing under the hotel's dazzling crystal chandelier, he looked like a living ancient painting, his modernly tailored shirt unable to conceal his innate oriental charm.

He pushed open the heavy brass door frame and stepped into the slowly rotating, transparent space.

At that very moment, the door on the other side was pushed open, and a slender figure stepped in.

The revolving door begins to turn, pulling two people from different worlds into the same enclosed space.

Lin Chengyu caught a glimpse of that figure out of the corner of his eye, and he instinctively turned his head.

The light refracted through the glass just happened to brush past his eyes, causing him to squint slightly at those phoenix eyes.

In a daze, he saw the profile of a woman in a champagne-colored dress.

Yan Shuang felt a faint scent of sandalwood wafting over, a fragrance that abruptly intruded into her familiar world of banquet perfumes, causing her to unconsciously look up.

At this moment, the glass of the revolving door overlaps the neon lights outside with the crystal lights inside, creating a dazzling effect.

Through the blurry vision, I could only see the silhouette of a tall man, with a faint dark pattern embroidered on the collar of his stand-up collar shirt.

Their shoulders almost brushed against each other.

This moment was stretched out infinitely.

Lin Chengyu was finally able to see the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, which appeared and disappeared in the swirling light and shadow.

Then, the revolving door completed its mission.

Lin Chengyu was led into the magnificent banquet hall, while Yan Shuang was pushed out into the darkness of the night.

They both turned around at the same time.

But the glass of the revolving door had already started rotating again, and Lin Chengyu only saw the figure get into a car.

"Sir, would you like to be shown to a seat?" The waiter's respectful inquiry interrupted his thoughts.

Lin Chengyu withdrew his gaze and gave a wry smile, "No need."

The revolving door continued to rotate.

-

Only after sitting in Shangqiu Zhu's black Maybach did Yan Shuang finally breathe a sigh of relief, sinking into the leather seat.

"Where to?" Shangqiu Zhu gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Yan Shuang's eyelashes trembled slightly. Of course, she had nowhere to go. Going back to the Yan family now would be like walking into a trap.

She looked out the window at the rapidly receding neon lights, feeling momentarily lost and unsure of where to go.

Where is my brother-in-law?

Shangqiu Zhu gave an address: "Jindian".

Yan Shuang immediately realized that Jin Dian was the most high-end private club in the city, a gathering place for celebrities and extremely luxurious. It was also the entrance to the most secret underground casino under the Shang Group, which was only open to a very small number of top members.

Her parents had sternly warned her that such a place was not a place for a young lady of the Yan family.

A brief silence fell over the carriage.

Shangqiu Zhu seemed to sense her hesitation, but did not ask any further questions, nor did she offer any advice or invitation.

He glanced at the right-side rearview mirror, preparing to signal and pull over.

The meaning was clear: if she didn't want to go, she could get off here and do as she pleased.

As the car slowed down and headed toward the bright, ordinary intersection, it seemed as if it were about to throw her back into that uninspired world.

Yan Shuang felt a surge of anxiety and almost blurted out, "Wait!"

She reached out and lightly stopped his wrist as he was about to turn the steering wheel, meeting his gaze: "I...I want to go with you."

A moment later, the steering wheel was turned to the right, and the car turned around and drove in the opposite direction from before.

The city's most prosperous and extravagant central district.

Yan Shuang glanced at Shang Qiuzhu. His cold profile remained expressionless, but she knew he had agreed.

She relaxed, rolled down the car window, and the night wind tousled her long hair, which danced wildly in the air.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in the underground parking garage of what appeared to be an ordinary commercial building.

Yan Shuang followed Shang Qiuzhu into the private elevator, and as she watched him press the button for the top floor, her heart raced uncontrollably.

"Mr. Shang." As soon as the elevator doors opened, two security guards in black suits immediately bowed.

Their gazes lingered briefly on Yan Shuang before quickly shifting away, their professionalism revealing no hint of curiosity.

After walking through a corridor covered with a dark-patterned carpet, the view suddenly opened up.

Yan Shuang gasped. The entire top floor had been opened up into a huge circular space, with a casino in the center illuminated by crystal chandeliers. Well-dressed men and women moved around in it, surrounded by semi-enclosed VIP boxes.

This is no underground casino; it's clearly a luxurious palace in the sky.

Yan Shuang subconsciously followed Shang Qiuzhu half a step closer, her gaze quickly sweeping over the understated yet priceless art pieces and furnishings.

This place was nothing like the noisy casino she had imagined; it was more like an extremely private, top-tier club, where every detail exuded undeniable wealth and power.

The waiter clearly recognized Shangqiu Zhu and respectfully led them through a hidden door into a more private room.

Inside the private room, a slightly anxious man immediately stood up, a warm smile plastered on his face: "President Shang! We've been waiting for you!"

Yan Shuang recognized him; he was Zhou Lin from Zhou's Technology.

Shangqiu Zhu extended his hand and briefly shook hands with the other party, "President Zhou."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Lin eagerly pushed a document in front of Shang Qiuzhu, his tone tinged with urgency: "President Shang, this is a revised acquisition plan based on your previous requests. The terms are extremely favorable. Please take a look..."

Shangqiu Zhu opened the document.

He read extremely fast, flipping through the pages almost without pausing.

The only sounds in the private room were the faint rustling of paper and Zhou Lin's slightly heavy breathing.

Yan Shuang noticed that Shang Qiuzhu's gaze lingered on one page for less than two seconds, his fingertip tapped very lightly on a certain clause, and then he continued to turn the page.

Less than five minutes later, he closed the file and casually tossed it back onto the desktop.

Zhou Lin's smile froze slightly: "President Shang, what do you think..."

“President Zhou,” Shang Qiuzhu interrupted directly, “the implicit clause of 1.7% patent cross-licensing, plus the right to use all of your company’s newly developed underlying architecture free of charge for the next five years… Is this generous offer an attempt to treat the Shang family as a permanent ATM, or do you think my people can’t even see through this?”

He spoke calmly, without a trace of anger, yet instantly dissected the most despicable scheming within the carefully packaged agreement.

Zhou Lin's face turned from white to red, and the veins on his forehead bulged slightly.

He chuckled dryly, trying to salvage the situation: "President Shang, what you're saying... is absolutely a misunderstanding! This clause was an oversight by the legal department; I was completely unaware of it! Our sincerity in cooperating is absolutely sufficient. We can discuss the terms again; everything is negotiable..."

Shangqiu Zhu looked at him quietly, her gaze calm yet extremely oppressive, making Zhou Lin's explanations increasingly pale and powerless, until they finally vanished into thin air.

Zhou Lin's breathing became heavy, a mixture of embarrassment at being completely exposed and anxiety at his plans falling through, causing him to lose his earlier pretense.

He abruptly stubbed out his cigar in the crystal ashtray.

“Mr. Shang,” he looked up again, forcing a somewhat distorted smile, “since we can’t reach an agreement in writing, how about we try a different approach? How about we play a game?”

Shangqiu raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Just one game of Texas Hold’em.” Zhou Lin stared intently at Shang Qiuzhu, his voice filled with the frenzied gambler’s desperation. “One game to decide the winner! If I win, the acquisition proceeds according to this plan. If I lose…”

He gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening: "The acquisition price... will be reduced by another 15%! And I guarantee all terms are clean and clear, with absolutely no hidden conditions!"

Upon hearing this, even Yan Shuang, who was trying to keep a low profile, secretly gasped.

Fifteen percent—for an acquisition of this size, that's an astronomical concession. This week, Lin has gone completely mad!

All eyes were on Shangqiu bamboo.

Shang Qiuzhu tapped his fingers lightly twice on the smooth tabletop. His face remained expressionless, making it impossible to tell whether he agreed or refused.

After a moment, he glanced briefly at Zhou Lin's face, which was flushed with excitement and nervousness.

"Mr. Zhou," he finally spoke, "are you sure you want to gamble with my luck?"

As if provoked by these words, Zhou Lin straightened his back abruptly: "Of course! Let's see if President Shang dares to accept the challenge!"

Upon hearing this, Shangqiu Zhu's lips seemed to curve upwards in a very subtle way.

He leaned back into the sofa and gestured to the waiter standing in the corner.

"Prepare the card table."