The Favored Heiress
Chapter 390: Shang Shaoyan, can you wear a mask next time?

Chapter 390: Chapter 390: Shang Shaoyan, can you wear a mask next time?

The bodyguard blocked the door with a stern face, glanced at the blushing, timid cheek of the croupier, and murmured with mock scorn, "Brother Chen is not someone just anyone can meet. How long have you been here that such a trivial thing dares to bother him, now scoot."

Tonight, everyone in the casino knew that there was a high-status visitor, and no one was allowed on the second floor.

This innocent-looking croupier seemed to be tired of living.

The scolding from Brother Yong had turned the croupier’s face pale, her fingers twisted tightly in front of her, and her gaze once more flickered towards the man by the gambling table.

She was the star croupier of Puyin, embodying both innocence and allure, and even her voice had been praised for being sweet yet not cloying.

Why wouldn’t that man even glance at her?

Women have an innate keen intuition; the handsome man in the black shirt likely held an even more distinguished status than He Chen, because he had taken the main seat at He Chen’s gambling table.

If he took a shine to her, perhaps he could help her buy out her indenture at Puyin...

Some thoughts probably formed in just an instant.

The croupier still stood loitering at the doorway, gazing toward the direction of the gambling table when He Chen, seated with his back to the door, took a drag of his cigarette with his slender fingers and casually flicked a few chips onto the table, his voice low and husky, "Ah Yong, if she looks again, gouge her eyes out."

At He Chen’s words, the croupier hastily bowed her head, mumbled an apology ’Sorry, Brother Chen,’ and turned to flee like she was running for her life.

Upon hearing the door close, He Chen glanced at the man opposite him, raised his long eyebrows, and, while dealing the cards, pressed his lips together and said, "Next time you come over, could you wear a mask?"

Was he unaware of how much attention his damn face attracted?

"I cannot," the man said, his arm resting over the edge of the gambling table, toying with two chips in his hand, legs crossed, his posture both casual and comfortable. "Instead of making me wear a mask, you’d better control your men."

He Chen snorted coldly, eyeing the increasing pile of chips by the man’s hand and took a deep drag of his smoke, "You’ve got some nerve."

He irritably stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and motioned towards the doorway.

The bodyguard immediately approached, "Brother Chen, what do you need?"

He Chen flicked the ash from his trousers and jerked his chin toward the outside, "Go see what the hell is going on downstairs."

Who dares to cause trouble on Puyin’s territory? Wishing for an early grave?!

...

Downstairs, He Ao forcibly cleared the other customers away from the gambling table.

He pulled up a chair and sat beside Li Qiao, looking at her nonchalant and fearless expression, feeling as if claws were scratching inside of him.

"Beauty, why do you want to see my brother?"

He Ao’s tattooed arm still rested on the back of Li Qiao’s chair; he wasn’t unattractive, especially his narrow eyes that added a hint of wickedness to his look, almost familiar.

In the midst of their conversation, the innocent croupier came back to the table with two bottles of mineral water.

Only her complexion wasn’t the best, and she looked at Li Qiao with more aversion and hostility in her eyes.

If it weren’t for Li Qiao causing trouble at her table, she wouldn’t have been scolded by Brother Chen.

Not many people in the underground casino knew He Ao, but there definitely were some.

Seeing him empty the table and circle a girl’s chair back, many gamblers started to whisper among themselves.

"What’s with that girl? Has He Ao taken a fancy to her?"

"Just now, Old Wang was at that table; I heard the girl is looking for trouble."

"Damn, looking for trouble at Puyin? She think she’s lived too long?"

"Hey, what are you all fussing about? Old Wang said that girl bluntly asked to see He Chen; maybe... she’s here for He Chen."

As everyone shared glances, they couldn’t help but reveal expressions of sudden realization.

Who didn’t know that He Chen was the king of West City’s underground gambling scene? He had status, means, and most importantly, He Chen was extremely handsome. Even with a shady background, he still attracted women who sought him out by reputation.

Someone once commented that the god-faced celebrity Ou Bai would seem a bit inferior in his presence.

Such words quickly became common knowledge in the noisy gambling den.

The bodyguard standing at the top of the stairs saw the girl with He Ao, squinted, took out his phone, snapped a photo, and then headed back to the second floor.

He pushed open the door, approached He Chen, whispered a few words in his ear, and then handed over the phone.

He Chen, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, lifted a corner of the playing card with his long fingers. Hearing the bodyguard’s words, he glanced at the screen, and his gaze froze.

Attractive!

Countless women wanted to be close to him, but the kind of beauty captured in the photo was one in a million.

Interest piqued in He Chen’s eyes, he asked vaguely with the cigarette in his mouth, "She wants to see me?"

The bodyguard nodded, but before he could speak, He Chen scoffed, "Have He Ao bring her to the next room. I will come in a bit."

Meanwhile, He Ao was still sitting at the gambling table trying to engage in conversation with Li Qiao, but his impatience was becoming hard to hide.

After all this time, he hadn’t managed to get anything useful out of her.

He Ao was not the type of man to pity or cherish women; spending years in the gambling den had imbued him with a daunting aura.

He tightened his grip on the back of the chair behind Li Qiao, gritted his teeth, and threatened, "Beauty, if you don’t start telling the truth, believe it or not, I’ll make sure you don’t leave Pu Silver tonight."

Li Qiao half-closed her eyes, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, "Don’t believe."

Damn it!

He Ao felt scorned, cursed angrily, and stood up, ready to lay hands on Li Qiao.

From behind, footsteps approached, and the bodyguard said to He Ao, "Brother Ao, Brother Chen wants her to come up."

"Hmm?" He Ao, tall and stately, paused and looked displeased at the bodyguard, "My brother knows? Who the hell told him?"

The bodyguard kept silent but swept a meaningful glance at the innocent-looking dealer inside the gambling area.

He Ao looked at the dealer with a smile that was not a smile, and the intensity in his gaze made her start to tremble involuntarily.

With the bodyguard’s order, He Ao had no choice but to lead Li Qiao up to the second floor’s private gambling room.

The dealer watched their retreating figures with a mix of defiance and exasperation.

...

In the private lounge, Li Qiao followed He Ao through the door. Throughout, she hadn’t uttered a word, her demeanor calm and unhurried.

She didn’t seem like she was there to cause trouble, rather like she owned the place.

He Ao admitted to himself that he was impressed; he had never encountered such an arrogant girl in all these years.

He was determined to extract some useful information from her mouth today, no matter what.

In the private room next door, only the last ten chips remained on He Chen’s table. His fingers tightly clenched the cigarette, glaring at the man across from him, "Shang Shaoyan, did you come here tonight just to win money from my pocket?"

All two billion chips had been won by him.

Indeed, the distinguished man sitting opposite He Chen was none other than Shang Yu.

He leaned back in his chair, watched He Chen leisurely, his eyebrows slightly raised, and spoke in a slow, low voice, "Otherwise? One should be rewarded for helping others."

He Chen laughed in irritation, exhaled a puff of smoke, and retorted with cold sarcasm, "Are you mocking me? Who is seeking whom here?"

"You, seeking me," the man tapped the table lightly with his finger, his inky eyes mysterious and unfathomable.