The man's tone was so confident that Ruan Qing'an even wondered if she had done something wrong, giving him the illusion that she was trying to hook up with this wealthy man.

Most importantly...

Her adopted son is rich, very rich, extremely rich.

Although she didn't want to admit it, the old man Lin Qisheng who imprisoned her was also rich, very rich, and extremely rich.

Ruan Qingan paused, then said, "I don't gamble, I'm not interested."

Upon hearing this, the man sneered: "I've already said it, playing hard to get is pointless. Don't be too greedy."

As he spoke, he threw the card directly on the table: "Alright, stop pretending to be high and mighty. What else could a woman who comes here be doing? Is this enough money? Come and gamble."

Ruan Qing'an: ...It feels numb when I pinch it, how can I not explain it clearly?

037: [Go! Ancestors, let's teach him a lesson, let him see how powerful we are! Over-the-shoulder throw, roundhouse kick!]

Ruan Qing'an silently pressed the mute button on the system. She didn't want to cause such a commotion. The Silver Triangle wasn't safe. The original owner's body was too weak; one punch from her could make her cry for a long time.

Her slender fingers tapped the table. She paused, then said, "I haven't cashed in any chips. I can't afford to start this bet. Let's just forget about it."

"hehe……"

Upon hearing this, the man gave a wicked smile.

Ruan Qing'an's leaden-gray eyes narrowed slightly. She simply didn't want to waste her energy, but if this man still didn't seize this opportunity...

Then she would have no choice but to win him until he was bankrupt, and then there would be one more heartbroken person in the world.

Clearly, the man did not seize this opportunity.

No chips? I can give you plenty—

Before the man could finish speaking, a large hand landed on Ruan Qing'an's shoulder, followed by a voice: "How much?"

The man was about to curse, wondering who was the inconsiderate person who had bothered him.

But what he saw was Lin Chen standing right behind Ruan Qing'an. In his opinion, Lin Chen's single earring was worth as much as his entire outfit...

Ruan Qing'an subconsciously turned to look at Lin Chen, and before she could speak, the large hand on her shoulder squeezed her.

"I told you not to run around, are you still going to run, huh?"

"...It's boring."

Ruan Qing'an muttered to himself as Lin Chen pressed him to the spot. The man who saw this also reacted, but before he could speak, Lin Chen spoke first and looked up at the man.

"Didn't you want to gamble?"

"Yes, yes..."

"Then let me ask you, how many chips can you bring to force her to gamble with you? Take them out, let me see."

The young man's smile remained unchanged, just as he had remained impassive until he pulled out a pistol and pressed the muzzle against Huck's temple, a smile that sent chills down one's spine.

For a moment, the man was speechless.

Lin Chen said softly, "How much can you offer? One hundred thousand?"

"One million?"

"Ten million?"

"Or...one hundred million?"

Upon hearing this, the man couldn't help but swallow hard. The young man's tone was so calm, so indifferent that the amounts far exceeding his own wealth were just numbers to him.

Even the onlookers were speechless, and the atmosphere became even more tense—this was indeed a high-stakes game, and the stakes were very high, but none of them would have made such a casual remark about the money, as if…

For him, this amount of money was just something to play around with.

Faced with the man's silence, Lin Chen's smile deepened: "The chips in front of you can't buy the dress she's wearing. I didn't mean anything by it, I just meant—"

"Your assets may not be enough to support her."

At the gambling table, the man silently swallowed. He realized that Lin Chen had come to stand up for him. Although his words were somewhat tactful, the aggression in them was still palpable.

He took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed slightly: "I'm sorry for putting this young lady in such a difficult position."

"...Let's go, Lin Chen."

Ruan Qing'an simply nodded and tugged at Lin Chen's sleeve. Only then did the young man look at her, and the crowd unconsciously parted to make way for them, allowing the two to disappear from everyone's sight.

Only after they were out of sight did the man breathe a sigh of relief and sit back down in his chair: "Tough nut to crack..."

Meanwhile, in the casino's lounge.

Just as Ruan Qing'an was about to slip away, Lin Chen stretched out his long arm and pinched the back of her neck with his slender fingertips, pulling her back like a cat, looking at her with a half-smile.

The petite girl froze, then forced herself to say, "You shameless son shouldn't make advances towards your stepmother. How can you face your father like that!"

"You haven't seen me plotting anything yet."

Lin Chen snorted and looked at her with annoyance: "Now you're acting all arrogant in front of me. Why didn't you say my name earlier? You have power but you don't use it. Are you stupid?"

"You, you, you—"

Ruan Qingan paused before saying, "Didn't you go to discuss business with Hark? What if your reputation doesn't work and you anger them? I'm afraid if I die, you won't even collect my body."

Lin Chen, who had kindly brought the person out, laughed angrily: "So what kind of image do you have of me?"

"Unfilial descendants? Ruthless and cruel?"

"..."

"If it weren't for Lin Qisheng, you would have killed him long ago."

"..."

Lin Chen's temples throbbed with anger, but he said "kindly," "In that case, how about I take you back to get married, stepmother?"

Ruan Qing'an, who had just been counting on her fingers, immediately abandoned her plan and practically clung to Lin Chen, wrapping her legs around his lean waist like a boneless koala, looking utterly pitiful.

Her leaden almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears, and her sorrowful, tearful appearance made her even more pitiful. She said, "No, please don't abandon me. That old man will kill me. Son, you can't be unfilial!"

Lin Chen: ...

He paused, then turned his head away, his earlobe, adorned with a single earring, turning slightly red. He used one hand to push her head away as she leaned closer, saying with disdain, "Stay away from me. Is Lin Qisheng blind? Why would he choose you as his stand-in?"

"What exactly makes you resemble my mom, Xia An'an, in you...?"

Ruan Qing'an replied matter-of-factly, "Of course not, otherwise you wouldn't call me stepmother, you should call me your biological mother."

The stepson, who was a year older than his stepmother, paused.

"...Why don't you go back and get married? I'm not saving you anymore."

"Waaaah—No, son, don't leave your stepmother! How can your stepmother live without you!"

In her haste, the girl clung even tighter to Lin Chen, like an octopus, trying to beg and plead. But the young man, unusually, ignored her, so she bit his arm in frustration.

Lin Chen felt a terrible headache coming on, and was about to speak when—

'Squeak.'

The tightly closed lounge door was suddenly pushed open, and a mercenary, dressed in a suit and concealing a pistol, walked in hurriedly.

"Young Master, what you ordered—"

When he looked up again, the mercenary's voice stopped abruptly. He remained silent for a second, then turned around quietly and said, "Excuse me."