After leaving Red Peach Manor, Chuanliu went straight to Red Peach Casino.
She made no attempt to conceal her whereabouts; instead, she swaggered around the first floor. With her hands behind her back, her belly protruding, and her head held high, she nodded or shook her head as she passed a game table, her demeanor like that of a leader on an inspection tour, attracting the attention of many.
"River, stream flow!"
Suddenly, a boy's voice rang out in the casino.
Chuanliu turned around and saw "Red Heart 2" Xiaoyao, whom he hadn't seen for several days, waving excitedly at him. Because of his shout, the boy attracted several stares, and his ears turned red.
Chuanliu smiled at him and walked towards the game table where he was.
Just then, a customer walked over to Xiaoyao's game table to place a bet. He quickly looked away and began operating the game with practiced ease.
Chuanliu sat at the table, not placing any bets, but quietly watching the boy make his moves.
Xiaoyao's skills were much more proficient than when Chuanliu last saw him. For a game table expert of Xiaoyao's caliber, only an expert like Chuanliu could notice her progress.
"Please open the pot."
Xiaoyao made a "please" gesture, waited for the guest to open the dice cup, and then left with a disappointed look.
After he collected the customer's chips back under the table, he smiled at Chuanliu again, "Chuanliu, long time no see!"
"Yes, it's been a long time. You've improved a lot," Chuanliu praised.
Xiao Yao scratched her head shyly, "I still feel I'm not as good as you... By the way, I heard from Brother Shuo that you came a while ago, but I didn't get to see you. It's such a pity."
Chuanliu laughed, "I didn't stay long last time, and besides, something like that happened..."
Xiaoyao didn't have a good impression of Jiulong and his gang, especially since they forced him to go to that kind of place; the thought made her ashamed. So, she said understandingly, "Brother Shuo told me that Jiulong and his gang deserved what they got!"
Chuanliu suddenly leaned closer with a mysterious look and asked in a low voice, "Speaking of which, after that incident, did you feel like anything was strange?"
Seeing the girl's serious expression, Xiaoyao also started to think back seriously.
But he racked his brains and couldn't think of anything strange that had happened, so he said to Chuanliu, "It seems... nothing, right?"
Chuanliu continued, "Is there anyone strange? Or anything strange? Have your colleagues said anything to you?"
Xiao Yao said thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, it seems to be true! I always see some suspicious people loitering around the casino, and by the time I want to ask Brother Shuo to bring some thugs, they've disappeared. Things always mysteriously disappear from the casino, and we can't find the thieves, so in the end, we dealers have to pay out the money. Oh! Also, my colleagues have been asking me some strange questions lately..."
Chuanliu continued, "That's right, it seems you did notice. Since that incident, the number of managers in your City of Hearts has decreased, and Sister Susan can't manage both the casino and the red-light district businesses, so many people have started to have their own ideas."
Xiao Yao's expression was solemn. Having never experienced anything like this before, he felt as if he had discovered a shocking secret.
He stepped forward, about to ask something, but was interrupted by a guest who had suddenly arrived.
He had something on his mind, so he quickly started a game to get rid of the customer, then whispered to Chuanliu, "You mean, there are bad guys at the casino lately?"
Chuanliu shook his head uncertainly, as if trying to deny the boy's guess, "Probably not? With so many high-ranking officials here, would they really make a move right under your noses?"
Upon hearing Chuanliu's words, Xiaoyao became even more certain of her suspicions.
There must be bad people eyeing the assets of the Red Peach Casino!
He wanted to remind Brother Shuo to be careful and try to have more people on hand at the casino!
Just as Xiaoyao was deep in thought, almost defeated by her own foresight and wit, another guest sat down.
Chuanliu tapped the game table with his knuckles, waking the boy, and said with a smile, "You're busy, I'll come back in a couple of days. Don't overthink it!"
Then the girl turned and left, leaving Xiaoyao with a lot of thoughts.
Sometimes, language is magical.
The more you tell someone "don't overthink it," the more likely they are to start overthinking; the more you tell them "it's not true," the more likely they are to feel that something is wrong.
Chuanliu knew that he had achieved his goal.
How could a casino, a place where all sorts of people gather, not have a couple of strange people and a couple of strange things?
The girl lingered in the casino for a while longer, but she didn't exchange chips at any window or participate in any games. She seemed like an observer, or perhaps a researcher.
If Haruka didn't know Kawakami, she probably would have listed her as one of the "strange people she met".
It wasn't until late that Chuanliu emerged from the Red Peach Casino.
As she left the lobby, she turned around and greeted the waiter, her enthusiasm leaving the waiter somewhat taken aback.
After doing all this, Chuanliu finally concealed his whereabouts again.
Meanwhile, at home, "King of Hearts" Cao Heren suddenly received a report from his subordinates that someone had visited his residence.
When Cao He reached the main hall and saw the person before him, he couldn't help but show surprise. Then, a smile appeared on his lips. "I really didn't expect you to come looking for me. It's been so difficult to get you here!"
"Mr. Cao, you're too kind. You're usually so busy, I was just afraid of bothering you," the man said.
Cao He said kindly, "You are the fresh blood of our City of Red Peach. You should communicate more with us old folks."
"Mr. Cao is joking again. You are in your prime. I'm just a newly appointed 'Nine of Hearts,' how can I compare to you?"
The speaker was none other than the hacker, Jihu. He seemed to have figured things out and answered as enthusiastically as possible.
Although such words sound like flattery, some people actually love this kind of compliment the most.
For example, the Cao River.
He laughed heartily and patted the fox affectionately on the back.
Jihu coughed a few times. He wiped the tea from the corner of his mouth and took the opportunity to steer the conversation back to his original purpose, "President Cao, actually I came here this time to report something."
"Oh?" Cao He simply responded politely. He didn't think Ji Hu could bring up any topics that interested him.
Jihu suddenly pursed his lips, looking as if he wanted to say something but dared not.
Cao He then realized that things might be a bit tricky. He comforted him, "Little Fox, since you're my subordinate, it's not wrong for me to call you brother, is it? If you have any difficulties, just tell your brother. If there's any problem, I'll cover for you!"
The man's sincere expression almost convinced him.
Only then did Jihu muster the courage to say, "Yes, it's that 'Square 10,' she came to find me."
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