Gu Ruijie's heart was pounding, and cold sweat soaked his back.
He knew this was his last chance.
"Open...open the cards!"
His voice was trembling uncontrollably.
The dealer revealed the hole cards without any expression.
Gu Ruijie's pupils suddenly contracted.
He lost.
They suffered a crushing defeat and lost everything.
"No...impossible...this is impossible!"
He lunged at the card table like a madman, but was held down by two burly men.
Black Panther stood up, walked up to him, and looked down at him with eyes like he was looking at a lamb to the slaughter.
"Young Master Gu, a bet is a bet."
He patted Gu Ruijie's face, the force neither too light nor too heavy, but carrying the utmost humiliation.
"I'm giving you three days to raise the money. Otherwise, in three days, I'll take my brothers to the Gu family compound, and things won't be as simple as just losing a hand or a leg."
Gu Ruijie's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, his face drained of color, leaving only endless despair.
Just then—
"Bang!"
The door to the VIP room was kicked open.
Gu Tianyou and Gu Chen barged in, exuding a menacing aura.
The hustle and bustle of the casino seemed to have been paused, and everyone fell silent in shock at the sudden turn of events.
When Gu Ruijie saw who it was, he was so frightened that he scrambled backward, stammering, "Dad... Second Brother... You... Why are you here?"
He assumed that Black Panther had notified his family.
However, Gu Chen didn't even glance at Black Panther. He walked straight up to Gu Ruijie, bent down, and his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses were devoid of any warmth.
"I'm asking you, did you steal the things in the house?"
One sentence, like a thunderclap, exploded in Gu Ruijie's mind.
Stealing?
What are you stealing?
He looked completely bewildered and instinctively shook his head: "No! I didn't steal! I didn't steal anything!"
"Still dare to talk back!"
Gu Tianyou roared, like a lion that had been completely enraged, and charged forward, kicking Gu Ruijie repeatedly in the face.
"You unfilial son! You beast! I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death today, you traitor!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Each kick landed squarely, the dull thuds sending chills down your spine.
Gu Ruijie was beaten like a rag doll, rolling on the ground screaming, but soon fell silent, leaving only weak groans.
Gu Chen stood aside, watching coldly, his eyes unwavering, as if the person who had been beaten half to death was a complete stranger to him.
Gu Wanwan took two steps back in disgust, afraid that the filthy blood would splatter on her.
"Hey, hey, hey! Boss Gu, have mercy! Have mercy!"
Black Panther, who was standing nearby, finally realized what was happening and rushed forward to break up the fight.
He wasn't acting out of kindness; he was afraid that Gu Tianyou would actually beat someone to death.
If a person dies, who will collect all his gambling debts?
"Please calm down and let's talk this out. If you really kill him, things will get really out of hand!"
Black Panther smiled obsequiously, and several of his men quickly stepped forward and pulled the enraged Gu Tianyou away.
Gu Ruijie was curled up on the ground, covered in blood, barely breathing, and looked horribly wretched.
He Yue'er screamed and rushed over, shielding the bloodied and mangled Gu Ruijie in her arms, crying her heart out.
"Stop hitting him! None of you are allowed to hit my son again! You're trying to kill him!"
Like a mad lioness, she used her frail body to desperately protect her cubs, her eyes bloodshot as she glared at Gu Tianyou and Gu Chen.
"Enough!"
He Yue'er's voice was shrill and piercing. At this moment, her maternal instincts, driven to the brink of despair, erupted with astonishing power: "Are you all crazy?! What makes you so sure that Ruijie stole it?!"
Gu Tianyou, panting heavily, pointed at Gu Ruijie on the ground and cursed, "Who else could it be but him? This beast is drowning in gambling debts. If he didn't steal it, who else would have the motive?!"
"motivation?"
He Yue'er suddenly sneered. She wiped away her tears, but her eyes became unusually clear, and her logic was so clear that everyone was stunned.
"Fine! Even if he has a motive! But use your brains and think about it!"
She pointed around the casino, her voice rising with excitement.
"If he really stole the gold bars and antiques from his home, any one of those items would be enough to pay off his gambling debts! Why is he still gambling here? Why does he still owe money to Boss Black Panther?"
"If he really took that much money, wouldn't he have run away long ago? Would he be stupid enough to stay here and wait for you to arrest him?!"
This series of questions struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.
Gu Tianyou was stunned.
Gu Chen's brows furrowed tightly.
Yes...that makes sense.
People who owe money either run away or try to pay it back.
Why would someone with a huge sum of money that could pay off all their debts go back to the casino and keep throwing it into a bottomless pit?
"Mom, don't let him fool you!"
Seeing that the situation was not going well, Gu Wanwan immediately spoke up: "He's just a gambler! How can we possibly guess what a gambler is thinking?"
"Maybe he's thinking of using the stolen money to recoup his losses and win even more?!"
Gu Chen's eyes instantly turned cold again.
"Wanwan is right."
He pushed up his glasses, his voice icy: "He remains the prime suspect. A gambler's madness cannot be deduced by common sense."
He walked up to Gu Ruijie, who was curled up in He Yue'er's arms, squatted down, and spoke in a voice as soft as a devil's whisper.
"Third brother, I'm asking you one last time."
"Did you take the things from the house?"
"Hand over the money and things, and for Mom's sake, Dad might spare your life."
"If you still dare to be stubborn..."
A cruel smile curled at the corner of Gu Chen's lips.
"Then you'll have to go to hell."
Gu Ruijie was trembling all over from the pain, and his consciousness was becoming blurred. He shook his head desperately, and tears, snot, and blood smeared all over his face.
"No...it wasn't me...it really wasn't me..."
His voice was so faint, like a mosquito's hum, yet it carried a genuine sense of despair and grievance.
"I...I just wanted to...borrow some money...I didn't mean to steal it..."
"I swear... if I stole it... may I be struck by lightning... and die a horrible death..."
Seeing her son in such a miserable state and hearing the poisonous oath he made, He Yue'er felt as if her heart was being slowly torn apart by knives.
She held her son tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
“It wasn’t him… I know my son. Although he’s a scoundrel, he would never dare to do such a rebellious thing… It must be… it must be someone else! We’ve wronged him!”
The atmosphere in the casino's VIP room once again fell into an eerie stalemate.
Gu Ruijie is the prime suspect, but He Yue'er's questioning is reasonable, making him seem like he's been wronged.
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