"Big Brother Dong."

Zhuang Qiang's voice suddenly softened considerably. He lowered his head, his gaze darting away, looking as if he were accepting punishment.

The man known as "Big Brother Dong" stepped in and kicked one of Zhuang Qiang's underlings who was blocking his way without any politeness.

The underling stumbled from the kick, scrambling to his feet but not daring to utter a single complaint. He simply bowed and scraped behind Zhuang Qiang, not daring to make a sound.

Da Dong's men immediately squeezed into the original encirclement, making the already tense standoff even more serious.

Brother Da Dong smoothed his slicked-back hair, his gaze sweeping over Zhuang Qiang like a knife, and said with considerable authority:

"Zhuang Qiang, have you been having a good time while I was away?"

Zhuang Qiang's heart skipped a beat when he heard what Da Dong said.

He forced a smile and pointed at Chuanliu, saying, "Brother Da Dong, hehe, you see, I didn't do anything. I was just teaching this woman a lesson."

Da Dong's gaze followed Zhuang Qiang's finger and finally settled on Chuan Liu, who had a handsome face.

His eyelids twitched, seemingly drawn to the suddenly appearing girl. He smoothed his greasy hair again, swayed his body, and slowly walked up to Chuanliu.

"Hey beautiful, where are you from?"

"Big Brother Dong asked in a flippant tone, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable light," Da Dong asked.

Chuanliu met Da Dong's eyes with neither humility nor arrogance, and calmly replied, "Cube City. Da Dong, are you Zhuang Qiang's superior?"

Da Dong smirked and nodded. His hand slid past Chuan Liu's hair and then down to her cheek.

"I've never seen you before. It's a shame you don't come here."

His voice was full of provocation, as if he already regarded Chuanliu as his prey.

A chill ran down Chuanliu's spine. She quickly took a half-step back, then suddenly laughed. She then said:

"Looks like Brother Da Dong doesn't recognize me?"

Da Dong was taken aback by Chuan Liu's attitude at first, then looked at Zhuang Qiang and gestured for him to introduce him.

Zhuang Qiang immediately said angrily, "This woman is Qian Chuan's lover, Brother Da Dong, they've teamed up to mess with me!"

"Yeah?"

Da Dong looked at Chuan Liu again.

The latter sneered, "It's clearly because he's less skilled. You say we messed with you? How did we mess with you?"

"How would I know! What do you mean! You just need to be taught a lesson!"

Seeing Chuanliu's provocative expression, Zhuang Qiang's anger was reignited, and he was about to rush forward to teach this arrogant girl a lesson.

However, he had barely taken a step when he was kicked to the ground by Brother Da Dong.

"You piece of trash! How many times have I told you to be nicer to me in public!" Brother Dong shouted angrily.

Zhuang Qiang stumbled from the kick, almost falling to the ground; he clutched his stomach, wincing in pain, but dared not utter a sound of complaint. He then obediently ran behind Brother Da Dong and stood quietly, whispering:

"Brother Da Dong, you have to stand up for your brother!"

However, all he got in return was a glare from the latter.

Da Dong completely ignored him; his gaze remained fixed on Chuan Liu the entire time.

Having seen countless women, he was particularly drawn to this type of girl. His eyes were full of interest, and striving to maintain a gentlemanly demeanor, he asked Chuanliu:

"Beautiful lady, would you be willing to leave the money string and come with me from now on? After that, you'll be a citizen of our City of Hearts."

Chuanliu didn't respond to the question, but instead asked, "Haven't you asked me yet?"

"He Dadong, '8 of Hearts,' the regional manager of the red-light district."

Thinking that the beautiful woman was interested in his suggestion, He Dadong quickly introduced himself, trying to show off his status and strength.

After introducing himself, He Dadong confidently reached out his hand to Chuanliu, anticipating her response.

However, Chuanliu simply nodded and then extended a hand as well.

He Dadong thought that Chuanliu had agreed and was overjoyed.

He turned his head and looked defiantly in the direction of Qian Chuan and Wang Shuo, as if he had already won and thought he had really poached Qian Chuan's man.

However, just as their hands were about to touch, Chuanliu's voice suddenly rang out.

"Let me introduce myself, Chuanliu, '10 of Diamonds'."

This sentence was like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the casino.

Suddenly, the entire venue fell silent. Everyone stared at Chuanliu in shock, as if they couldn't believe their ears.

He Da Dong's neck stiffened as he slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Chuan Liu. The smug smile on his face froze instantly, turning into an awkward and stiff expression.

Zhuang Qiang stared wide-eyed, looking utterly incredulous. A surge of intense fear and remorse welled up within him.

Good heavens, what did he just say? He cursed Block City in front of "Block 10," cursed "Block A," and cursed her too...

Zhuang Qiang wanted to slap himself twice; he knew he had really bitten off more than he could chew this time.

He Dadong was at a loss for what to do. His smile froze on his face, and he withdrew his hand after shaking hands.

After a long while, He Dadong finally managed to recover from his shock. He tried to compose himself and break the awkward silence.

He laughed twice, a hint of ingratiation in his voice, "My eyesight is poor; I didn't recognize you. The beautiful lady is the new '10 of Diamonds.'"

Sensing the whispers and strange looks directed at them, He Dadong grew annoyed, raised his head, and shouted:

"What are you looking at! Look again and I'll gouge your eyes out!"

The onlookers quickly averted their gaze and returned to their positions.

By this time, the men who had surrounded them in layers had already dispersed.

Qian Chuan, Wang Shuo, and Xiao Yao walked up to the three of them.

Zhuang Qiang smirked and, in what he thought was a joke, shifted the blame: "Qian Chuan, why didn't you say so sooner? You made me lose face in front of Miss Chuanliu. That's really not nice of you."

Ignoring Zhuang Qiang's stiff attempt to be friendly, Qian Chuan nodded to He Dadong, "Long time no see. I heard you recently went to Plum Blossom City?"

He Dadong snorted, his expression somewhat unnatural. "You're quite well-informed, aren't you? But didn't you know that Plum Blossom City's main city is closed to the public? You made me come all this way for nothing."

Immediately afterwards, He Dadong said enthusiastically, "Since everyone is here today, I'll treat you to a meal at my place to welcome our new friend!"

As he spoke, he reached out to put his arm around Chuanliu's shoulder.

But Qian Chuan beat him to it, pulling the girl close and saying, "No problem, it's on you."