Chapter 105 The Neon Lights Go Out, the Chips Are Reduced to Zero
Yan Shuang struggled to open her heavy eyelids. What came into view was an unfamiliar ceiling, a luxurious crystal chandelier, and disposable toiletries printed with the logo of a top hotel.
This is a hotel suite.
She sat up abruptly, a wave of dizziness washing over her, forcing her to hold her forehead.
Fragments of hangover memories flooded my mind: the smell of disinfectant in the hospital, the salty wind along Victoria Harbour, and... glass after glass of whiskey burning my throat.
After that, there was nothing.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly looked down to check herself. Her clothes were intact, and she felt no unusual discomfort.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief.
etc!
She suddenly remembered that she had flown directly from Singapore to Hong Kong yesterday and had completely forgotten to tell Shang Qiuzhu.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly grabbed her phone from the bedside table. Sure enough, there were several missed calls from him on the screen.
Yan Shuang quickly called him back, wondering if he would be angry.
The call was answered almost instantly, and Shang Qiuzhu's deep, steady voice came from the other end, devoid of any discernible emotion: "Awake?"
"Hmm..." Yan Shuang responded softly, her voice filled with apology, "I'm sorry, something came up at home yesterday, so I had to come to Hong Kong. I was in such a rush that I forgot to tell you..."
"I understand," he said casually, letting the matter drop.
Yan Shuang was stunned, her heart suddenly settling back into place. Then she remembered another important matter: "Ah! There's still that interview..."
The voice trailed off; by now, the interview time had definitely passed.
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone before his voice, devoid of emotion, came through: "Yeah, it's already missed."
Yan Shuang was a little annoyed, but quickly came to terms with it, "But even if I went, I definitely wouldn't be selected."
Shangqiu Zhu did not respond immediately.
Yan Shuang thought the signal was bad, so she tentatively asked, "Hello?"
He heard Shang Qiuzhu's voice again, but instead of responding to her question about the interview, he asked, "What's the schedule for today?"
"Arrangements?" Yan Shuang was taken aback for a moment, then answered honestly, "No..."
The only original arrangement was the interview that I had already missed.
"How about going to Macau? Didn't you and Du Yunchuan want to go to the casino last time but couldn't?" Shang Qiuzhu's tone was calm. "Perfect timing, I'm in Hong Kong too."
Yan Shuang was even more surprised: "You came too? When did you arrive? And...didn't you tell us not to go?"
Wasn't he the one who hated her going to those kinds of places? She still vividly remembered his unpleasant expression last time.
“You can’t go with Du Yunchuan.” He clearly drew a line, “You can go with me.”
Yan Shuang: "..."
"Pack your things, I'll come pick you up."
The black Bentley was parked silently under the eaves of the hotel's side entrance, with Shangqiu Zhu sitting in the back seat.
He rolled the car window down halfway and looked at the hurried pedestrians outside, but his gaze seemed unfocused.
Shang Qiuzhu led Yan Shuang through the dazzling hall of the Wynn Palace. The light from the crystal chandelier poured down, making his profile appear even more cold and hard, but also revealing a trace of elusive emotion in his eyes.
Yan Shuang was led by Shang Qiuzhu to sit down on the sofa in the VIP room, where a convenient betting terminal was in front of her.
Shangqiu Zhu pushed a glass of freshly squeezed juice in front of her, while he ordered a glass of whiskey for himself.
He pointed to the ongoing Premier League match on the screen and said, "Let's analyze it and see."
Yan Shuang pulled up the historical data of the two teams, their recent performance, injury situation, and even carefully looked at the comparison of home and away win rates. She was also muttering about probability models and expected value calculations, looking as serious as if she were preparing an academic report.
Shangqiu Zhu leaned against the sofa armrest next to her. He didn't interfere much, only occasionally offering a word or two when her analysis clearly deviated from the actual logic of the market.
"Consider the potential changes in the water level at the scene." Or
"This midfield maestro has just recovered from injury, and his condition may not be 100% as reflected in the statistics."
Yan Shuang immediately corrected her model.
She was naturally intelligent, and her background in finance and probability allowed her to quickly grasp the ropes.
I tried betting a few times with small stakes, and had both wins and losses.
She thoroughly enjoyed the process of analysis and verification.
"Ah! It's in!"
When the team she had bet on after her analysis actually scored first, she happily grabbed Shangqiu Zhu's arm, her eyes shining.
Shangqiu Zhu looked down at her unguarded joy, raised her hand and gently tapped the tip of her nose: "Hmm, great."
He watched her refocus on the task at hand. At that moment, all she could think about was the model, the probability, and the joy of successful verification. She had no idea of the deeper purpose behind his bringing her here.
Let her leave with the good fortune and happiness she won.
In this most mundane way, he paved the final stretch of the road for her; perhaps this was one of the last things he could do for her.
Shang Qiuzhu subtly gestured to the account manager beside him, and with a few whispered words, the odds and limits on Yan Shuang's terminal changed subtly, ensuring that her final winnings would be substantial enough to cover all her future expenses.
He knew her; if he gave her the black card directly, she definitely wouldn't spend it.
He watched her win, hoping that luck at the gambling table would truly favor her and accompany her on a journey he could no longer reach.
The roulette wheel stopped again on the number Yan Shuang had bet on. Yan Shuang was secretly overjoyed at yet another accurate prediction, completely immersed in this small victory.
She was completely unaware that the man beside her had never left her with his deep, unwavering gaze.
Shangqiu Zhu looked at her flushed profile, the smile blooming over her insignificant victory, the light in her eyes burning him more intensely than the blazing sun outside the window.
He almost succumbed to this brief moment of tenderness, and the delusion arose once again in him to keep her by any means necessary.
But when she won another round and turned to look at him, he saw himself clearly in that clear reflection.
He can't go on like this.
From the very beginning, from the moment he entered her life in the wrong way, the outcome of this game was already destined to be a complete defeat.
He thought that since he was the house, holding supreme power and immense wealth, he could easily manipulate all the chips.
But he overlooked one thing: among the myriad stakes in this world, there is only one thing that he could never win, no matter how much he schemed and used his power.
It was her own choice.
He could no longer pretend not to see the silent shadow beneath her smile.
How could he continue to ignore the hidden grievances and repression deep in the eyes of this girl who always used smiles as armor and brightness as a mask?
He could no longer assume that she was truly inexplicable just because she never cried out in pain.
If her sky is destined to be a vast and boundless universe, and she is destined to go beyond the seemingly expansive city he can offer, which is actually already bounded by established boundaries, then all his reluctance and attempts to keep her are nothing more than a cage built on selfishness and in the name of love.
The game will eventually come to an end.
The course of her life should always be steered by herself.
Shangqiu Zhu slowly leaned back into the chair.
He admitted defeat.
Macau at one o'clock in the morning is still brightly lit.
Shangqiu Zhu put her arm around Yan Shuang's shoulder as they walked out of the casino's VIP passage, her face still showing lingering excitement.
"Tired?" He looked down at her, preparing to take her to the presidential suite on the top floor of the casino to rest.
Yan Shuang shook her head. "I don't want to stay here, Shang Qiuzhu. Shall we go back to Hong Kong?"
She leaned on his shoulder and said, "Tomorrow is the first day of the lunar month. I want to go to Wong Tai Sin Temple early in the morning to pray. I heard that the first incense offered on the first day of the lunar month is the most effective."
Wong Tai Sin. Drawing a fortune stick. Praying for blessings.
He was silent for a moment, a barely perceptible darkness flashing across his eyes, but it ultimately turned into complete indulgence.
"Okay." He answered with only one word, then gestured to the bodyguard half a step behind him, "Arrange a car, we're going back to Hong Kong now."
"Yes, Mr. Shang."
As soon as Yan Shuang sat in the soft and comfortable car seat, her excitement subsided and a wave of weariness washed over her. As soon as the car drove onto the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, her head began to nod, eventually resting gently on Shang Qiuzhu's shoulder.
Shangqiu Zhu slightly adjusted her posture to make her more comfortable.
He turned his head and looked out the window.
The sea on both sides of the Hong Kong-Macau Bridge was pitch black, with only a few scattered fishing lights and the lights of passing ships reflected in the water.
The points of light were pulled along by the flowing seawater and the unhurried speed of the car; the broken bands of light were stretched out in the boundless darkness and then disappeared.
The black sedan silently drove into a secluded driveway in Repulse Bay and eventually stopped in front of a modern, minimalist seaside villa.
Night had fallen.
Yan Shuang got out of the car and walked naturally to the front door. She reached out to open the door, but suddenly stopped.
This is not her residence in Los Angeles; she does not have permission to enter.
She took a half step back and let him open the door.
Shangqiu Zhu stepped forward and, instead of unlocking the door directly with a fingerprint or password, naturally grasped her wrist and guided her fingertips to the sensor area next to the lock.
"Huh?" Yan Shuang was taken aback, instinctively trying to pull her hand back. "What are you doing?"
"Enter your fingerprint."
Shangqiu Zhu guided her index finger to gently press on the sensor area.
A faint blue light appeared, and the system emitted a notification sound.
“No need for all that trouble,” Yan Shuang said, letting him do it. “I probably won’t come again next time. This isn’t Los Angeles…”
She felt there was no need to leave traces even at a temporary place of stay.
Shangqiu Zhu paused for a moment.
The data entry process was completed even faster until the system displayed "Data entry successful".
He let go of her hand.
The door opened.
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