The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 170. Accept the loss of a bet graciously (5 updates)

Chapter 170: 170. Accept the loss of a bet graciously (5 updates)

Gu Yang’s gaze circled around the burly men surrounding them. Although this place was Shi Gang territory, Zhao Yan seemed to be just a high-ranking member. Qinglan, however, was acquainted with the leader of Shi Gang. Realizing this, Gu Yang’s face regained its vigor, "Little sister-in-law, should I do the honors?"

Qinglan was indifferent, shrugging her shoulders and retracting her hand, the outcome would be the same no matter who opened the cup.

Gu Yang closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and crisply lifted the dice cup.

"This can’t be," Zhao Yan exclaimed upon revealing the dice.

Driven by curiosity, as Gu Yang hadn’t dared to look at the outcome yet and was still to see it, he glanced down at the table. Taking a sharp inhale, he looked at Qinglan with full admiration and astonishment in his eyes. This little sister-in-law was truly formidable.

Where the dice should have lain on the table was now a pile of white powder; all three dice had turned to dust without exception.

Gu Yang chuckled. Now the count was directly zero, even less than "1". His eyes tauntingly on Zhao Yan, as if to say, try rolling a negative number; if you manage that, I’d be willing to serve as your horse and kneel down before you.

Zhao Yan’s face turned the color of iron, his gaze towards Qinglan hostile, "You’re cheating."

Qinglan looked up directly at Zhao Yan, still with her usual cool composure, "A bet’s a bet."

"I don’t accept this; you’re surely cheating. How could it be possible to turn dice into powder by just shaking the cup?" He grumbled, disbelief clear in his voice. "This isn’t a TV drama, even people in dramas have inner strength. Don’t tell me you, Eldest Miss Shen, have that sort of magic."

Indeed, Qinglan did not have inner strength, but she did possess wrist strength and skill. Back then, she, Cissily, and Jin Enxi were blacklisted by casinos in Asvegas for being unbeatable players. The casinos would respectfully invite them in to have a cup of tea and then just as respectfully ask them to leave without ever letting them near a gambling table, as soon as they appeared at the entrance.

And at that time, Qinglan was just fifteen.

Zhao Yan might have some skills, but in front of Qinglan, he seemed somewhat lacking.

"Who would have thought that a high-ranking member of the Shi Gang would go back on his word," Qinglan said with a light and breezy tone, though to Zhao Yan, her words stung with mockery.

"You’re cheating, how could anyone turn dice into rubbish?" Zhao Yan stubbornly held onto this point, unable to fathom how Qinglan could have tricked him right before his eyes but certain that she had used some sort of sleight of hand.

"Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t," Gu Yang stated seriously, barely containing his glee at seeing Zhao Yan’s pallid face.

If not for the unsuitable surroundings and the many tough-looking men closely watching them, Gu Yang would have loved to burst into laughter.

"Let’s go again," Zhao Yan said gravely, convinced he had underestimated his opponent previously. This time he refused to believe Qinglan could pull another trick.

"Hey, are you even a man?" Gu Yang burst out. "We agreed the outcome would be decided in one round, and now you want to go back on your word." The elation of victory was fresh, and the thought of a reversal was unbearable.

Ignoring Gu Yang’s protests, Zhao Yan looked towards Qinglan, clearly acknowledging her as the decision maker.

Qinglan swept Zhao Yan with an indifferent glance, "Fine, let’s double the stakes."

Zhao Yan’s face stiffened, doubling the stakes meant 160 million, practically his entire fortune.

"Alright, double it is," Zhao Yan clenched his teeth, he refused to believe that he couldn’t best this woman with his full effort.

"Let’s use five dice," Zhao Yan added his condition. Five dice was his limit, but as for this woman...

Gu Yang’s expression was one of dissatisfaction; this Zhao Yan was thinking of playing tricks again. However, all the people here were his, and little sister-in-law seemed to have no intention of revealing her connection with Shi Gang. He could only close his mouth and stand by Shen Qinglan’s side, silently watching.

"We’ll compete for high numbers, not low this time. Whoever rolls the larger number wins."

Shen Qinglan’s brows knitted slightly, thinking Zhao Yan assumed she was dissatisfied, so he added, "Of course, if you don’t want to play, that’s okay. You can just admit defeat and that will be fine."

Now it was Gu Yang’s turn to turn an ashen face. This shameless person, to actually say such a thing—had he no shame at all?

"There’s no need to admit defeat before we’ve started. I don’t like the number five; let’s change it to six, six dice," Shen Qinglan said casually, her words catching everyone present by surprise.

Gu Yang stared at Shen Qinglan, dumbfounded. He had thought she would haggle, at the very least to stick with the original three dice. Instead, she had gone and willingly increased the number by one.

Zhao Yan was silent for a second, glanced at Shen Qinglan, and although he wasn’t confident he could roll six with all six dice, he thought it wasn’t impossible if he tried hard enough. After a moment’s consideration, he nodded in agreement.

So it was settled, without any opportunity for Gu Yang to interject.

The six dice were brought over, and Shen Qinglan inspected them one by one. There were no issues. Zhao Yan had some redeemable qualities, at least he didn’t play dirty in this regard. She knew the rules of the gambling world. Some dice weren’t uniformly weighted, with barely noticeable differences, undetectable to most. Such dice existed in every gambling den, specifically used for cheating.

Zhao Yan, confident in his untampered dice, wasn’t afraid of Shen Qinglan’s inspection. "Are we good to go?"

Shen Qinglan put the dice down and made a welcoming gesture, still allowing her opponent to go first.

Zhao Yan wasted no time, tossing the dice into the shaker.

His expression was serious. With three extra dice, the difficulty wasn’t just doubled; even for him, it demanded focus.

The shaker spun in his hand, rolling up and down, left and right, so fast that it was impossible to follow. Gu Yang initially tried to listen carefully to the dice, but as time went on, he grew utterly confused and gave up trying.

Shen Qinglan stood there with an air of leisure, her demeanor careless, forming a stark contrast with Zhao Yan’s intensity.

Suddenly, Gu Yang grew curious. Was she always so calm and collected, no matter the situation, as if nothing could touch her heart? But later on, when he truly witnessed the moment Shen Qinglan’s expression changed, Gu Yang realized it wasn’t that nothing mattered to her. It was just that the person in her heart hadn’t encountered any trouble yet.

While Gu Yang let his imagination run wild, Zhao Yan had already set down the shaker and opened it—five sixes and one five. Zhou Yan felt somewhat disappointed, but not overly so. After all, his skills were apparent.

Shen Qinglan, without a word, picked up the shaker and gave it a gentle shake, maintaining her indifferent facade, her movements identical to before.

Zhao Yan pricked up his ears, trying to discern the sound of Shen Qinglan shaking the dice. He had the ability to do so, and it had helped him win against many before.

However, as time went on, his brows furrowed. Incredibly, he couldn’t discern what was happening inside the shaker, even though Shen Qinglan wasn’t shaking it fast.

The shaker was placed down, and three pairs of eyes consistently watched the shaker on the table. Shen Qinglan looked down and gently uncovered it. Six dice, and on each dice, there were six black dots.

"Ha ha, Zhao Yan, you’ve lost. You better accept the loss gracefully this time," Gu Yang laughed heartily, clapping his hands, as his eyes almost shone with hearts looking at Shen Qinglan.

Zhao Yan’s face was etched with disbelief, his eyes glued to the dice on the table as if he could bore a hole through them. But no matter how he looked, there were still six sixes, as if taunting his bravado.

"You’ve lost." Her clear voice stated the fact, yet it made Zhao Yan’s complexion turn even paler. As he lifted his head to meet Shen Qinglan’s gaze, a vicious look glinted in his eyes.

Gu Yang sensed something amiss and quickly stepped in front of Shen Qinglan, watching Zhao Yan warily, "Zhao Yan, what are you planning to do? I’m telling you, don’t mess around. You know who we are. If you dare to lay a finger on us, not even Shi Gang can protect you."

Zhao Yan certainly knew their identities, but that one billion was his entire fortune, earned through risking his life. Giving it away to them for nothing—how could he willingly accept that? He laughed cruelly.

"I wouldn’t lay a hand on you. I just want you to sign something." With that, he waved his hand, and the woman who had just been sitting in his embrace walked over, holding a piece of paper.

The bold characters for "promissory note" came into view, and Gu Yang’s expression couldn’t be described as simply ugly. This Zhao Yan had been constantly lowering the bar, unlike any shameless person he had ever encountered. It was one thing not to admit defeat but to shamelessly turn the tables after losing.

Is Shi Gang not renowned in the underworld? Are these the kind of characters they have?

Shen Qinglan seemed to have expected this. The sight of the promissory note didn’t surprise her. She would have found it strange if things had actually gone smoothly.

"I won’t make it difficult for you. Just sign this, and you can leave immediately, safe and sound."

"And what if I don’t?" Gu Yang clenched his fists, infuriated by this hooligan’s brazenness.

Zhao Yan’s gaze turned sharp, "If not, then I’m afraid we’ll have to keep the two of you here for a little tea time until someone from your family comes to pick you up."

It was obvious that the promissory note was not prepared on the spur of the moment. Zhao Yan probably had this plan from the start. Gambling with them was simply a ruse—if they lost, there would be no trouble on his part. But if they won... ha...

"Are you sure?" Shen Qinglan looked at Zhao Yan, asking indifferently.

Zhao Yan smiled, revealing a row of slightly yellowed teeth, "Do I look like I’m joking with you?"

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Understood, come on."

Come on? The sudden phrase puzzled everyone present. What did she mean?

The answer from Shen Qinglan came swiftly. She extended her foot and kicked Zhao Yan hard, causing him to scream in agony and collapse to the ground, clutching a certain area of his lower body, drenched in cold sweat.

No one had expected Shen Qinglan to make a sudden move, let alone such a ruthless one. Gu Yang, watching Zhao Yan writhing on the ground, felt a chill in his lower half and couldn’t help but clench his legs together, his view of the once tame little sister-in-law completely changing: she was fierce.

Zhao Yan was in too much pain to speak. The surrounding strongmen stood there dumbly, not daring to move without Zhao Yan’s orders.

Face contorted with pain, Zhao Yan trembled and reached out a hand, bellowing, "You idiots, attack now! Beat them within an inch of their lives!"

A few brutes exchanged looks and, clenching their fists, charged at Shen Qinglan and Gu Yang. Shen Qinglan sighed. In the past six years, she had never gotten into a fight. However, since she had met Gu Yang, brawls had become a nearly daily occurrence. No wonder Fu Hengyi had warned her to stay away from Gu Yang—he was a walking trouble magnet.

Thinking this, Shen Qinglan’s moves did not show any mercy. Every strike was aimed at the henchmen’s weak points, ensuring they each cried out in pain.

Gu Yang, on the other hand, was both fighting and wailing. Even though the henchmen were the ones being beaten, his cries were more pitiful than theirs.

Shen Qinglan glanced at him with disdain.

"Ouch!" Suddenly, Gu Yang let out a high-decibel scream, nearly rupturing Shen Qinglan’s eardrums. Her hand trembled, and the punch meant for a thug’s abdomen missed. As the thug’s fist almost reached her face, Shen Qinglan bent over, spun around, and kicked him from behind.

After taking care of the last thug, Shen Qinglan finally turned to check on Gu Yang. He was sitting atop one of the fallen men, punching him repeatedly, mumbling as he struck.

"How dare you hit the Young Master’s face. Don’t you know you shouldn’t aim for the face when you hit someone? My face is too precious—would you be able to compensate if you spoiled it? Ha, I bet you’re just jealous because the Young Master is more handsome than you. Admit it, you targeted my face because I look better than you, didn’t you?" He delivered another hard punch to the thug’s face, "That’s for hitting my face. If you dare to hit it again, I’ll turn you into a pig’s head."

Some big guy, already beaten into a pig’s head: ...

Shen Qinglan silently diverted her gaze and softly called out, "Gu Yang."

Gu Yang immediately snapped back to reality, stood up, and scurried over to Shen Qinglan’s side, "little sister-in-law."

Shen Qinglan glanced at Gu Yang’s face, aside from a small, swollen spot on his right cheek, there were no other injuries. With a sympathetic look at the pig-headed man on the floor, Shen Qinglan turned her attention to Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan hadn’t yet recovered from the indescribable pain before his own men were down, and the room was a total mess. His woman was cowering in a corner, silent.

Looking down from above, Shen Qinglan addressed Zhao Yan, "Can we leave now?"

Against the light, Zhao Yan couldn’t see Shen Qinglan’s expression clearly. His face was ferocious, "This is my territory. Without my permission, do you think you can just walk out of here? I admit you’ve got skills, but there are more than just a few people in this gambling den. If you don’t want to end up missing arms or legs, you’d better sincerely apologize. This is no longer something a mere IOU can settle."

"Hey, Zhao Yan, are you so shameless that the Zhao Family kicked you out of their house?" Gu Yang sauntered over and squatted beside Zhao Yan, "Now you’re our defeated foe, and you still talk so arrogantly. What about your shame?"

Zhao Yan’s forehead was still covered in cold sweat, and he was in waves of pain below. This woman had a vicious grip; he wasn’t even sure if it would still work. If it didn’t... he hardened his expression. If it didn’t work, he would cripple this woman, no matter if she was from the Shen Family or not. After that, he would flee far away. Even the Shen Family couldn’t do anything to him then.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a man with a panicked expression rushed in. Witnessing the scene, his face showed even more alarm. He ran to Zhao Yan’s side and helped him up from the ground, "Big brother, the boss is here."

Zhao Yan’s face changed. Unlike the lackey, his face was full of joy. The boss’s arrival was timely; he was not going to let these two people off easily.

Before he could leave to greet them, someone else entered from the door. Shen Qinglan looked up and couldn’t help but smile; the newcomer was an acquaintance, Anan, who usually accompanied Shi Feng.

Anan had just come to the gambling den for a routine inspection with Shi Feng. As soon as he had arrived at the entrance, he heard from his underling that there was trouble in the gambling den, Zhao Yan and his men had been beaten, so he came up to check, only to find Shen Qinglan.

"Miss Shen, what are you doing here?" Anan asked.

Shen Qinglan wasn’t surprised at all that he knew her identity. She glanced at Zhao Yan, "Someone here has poor gambling skills, lost the bet but wouldn’t admit it, and forced others to sign a so-called IOU. That’s why you see what you see here."

Upon hearing this, Anan understood the situation. Before he could say anything, Shi Feng walked in and was also surprised to see Shen Qinglan.

When Shen Qinglan saw Anan, she had guessed that she might run into Shi Feng, but she did not expect the encounter to be so soon. This was their first meeting since they had last encountered each other in Western City. Last time, Shi Feng hadn’t known her identity; now that he did, what would he do?

When Shi Feng saw Shen Qinglan, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. Assessing the situation in the room and looking at Shen Qinglan, he asked in a deep voice, "Miss Shen, what is going on here?" He addressed her as "Miss Shen."

Shen Qinglan’s eyes flashed subtly, but she didn’t speak. Seeing this, Anan stepped beside Shi Feng and repeated what Shen Qinglan had just said.

Zhao Yan no longer had the look of joy on his face. He didn’t expect Shi Feng to know Shen Qinglan. Enduring the pain, he stood up and explained, "Boss, don’t listen to her nonsense. It’s because they lost at gambling but refused to acknowledge it, that’s why I wanted to detain them."

Who was Shi Feng? He had been in the underworld for so many years; he was not someone who would easily believe just anyone’s words.

He didn’t believe Shen Qinglan or Zhao Yan, but instead turned to look at the several strong men who were still writhing in pain on the ground, "You tell me what exactly happened here. Speak the truth, or you know what I can do."

The strong men instinctively trembled. Shi Feng’s long-held position as the boss of the Shi Gang spoke volumes about his ruthlessness.

One of the less injured strong men, receiving a threatening look from Zhao Yan, was about to speak when Anan suddenly interjected, "The boss said, speak the truth. If there’s any hiding..." He left the sentence hanging, but the strong men understood the unsaid implication perfectly.