The shareholder discussion lasted for half an hour, and in the end, both parties signed a contract. They were able to establish a long-term working relationship with one another.
"Sabrina, Ms. Demi, come! Let's toast to our long-term partnership that begins from this moment forth!"
Leon stood up and raised the wine glass in his hand, and he conspicuously chose to ignore Xiao Luo. Such a scenario undoubtedly put Xiao Luo in an awkward position. It would have been weird for him to stand up and raise his wine glass, and at the same time, it would also have looked strange for him to just sit there without doing anything.
This was a celebration for "Liyue Media" as they had just established a partnership, and Su Li couldn't decline outright, so she stood up and joined the toast as well. Leon was deliberately trying to put Xiao Luo in a tough spot.
Shen Qingyan stood up as well, and the three of them had a toast.
"Cheers!"
With a satisfied expression on his face, Leon looked at Xiao Luo, sitting there eating the food on the table. He raised his head back and finished the wine in his glass. In his heart, he had already formed an opinion of Xiao Luo—he was nothing more than an uncouth low-class lout!
"It's about time for us to go."
Su Li no longer wanted to stay as she could sense that Xiao Luo was not himself today.
"There's no need to rush back. It's still early. This resort hotel has an underground casino. Sabrina, let's go there and play a little. We can see how lucky our partnership is," Leon suggested.
"No, thank you. I'm not interested," Su Li replied icily. She glared hard at Xiao Luo, who was still eating, and said, "Xiao Luo, let's go!"
Xiao Luo tossed aside the remaining bones, took a tissue, and wiped off the grease on his hands and the corners of his mouth. He stood up, looked at Leon, and said, "There's a casino here?"
Leon was initially taken aback, and then he smiled and replied, "Yes, there is."
"But based on what I know, casinos are not allowed to operate in Xiahai," Xiao Lu said, showing an inordinate amount of interest.
"That's why it's an underground casino. It doesn't see the light of day. As far as I know, the boss of this resort hotel has some backing," Leon said. "The police turn a blind eye to the operation here. It's been opened for around five or six years now, and nothing has happened to it so far."
"You want to play?" Su Li asked Xiao Luo quietly.
"I want to play a little," Xiao Luo said.
"Sabrina, since Mr. Xiao wants to play, as a wife, you should be a little bit more open and let loose the ropes in your hands."
Leon smiled and said, "Let's do this. In order to avoid making too much noise, I will go and open a separate private room just for the four of us. A little bit of gambling is good for the spirits."
"Good idea!"
Xiao Luo gave Leon a thumbs-up and spoke in English. Since Leon had p*ssed him off so much, Xiao Luo decided he would return the favor twice.
"Yeah! Wow, Mr. Xiao's English is pretty good," Leon said. He smiled condescendingly and praised Xiao Luo heartily, but inwardly, his heart was cold. He was planning on making Xiao Luo lose everything he had and make him look bad in front of Su Li.
"Li, a battle just for you is about to begin soon," Shen Qingyan whispered softly into Su Li's ears.
Su Li was confused as well and didn't know if she should be happy or angry. This was obviously a trap that Leon had set, so why was Xiao Luo still falling for it? But it was also true that Xiao Luo's actions were really abnormal today. Was it really because he was jealous?
******
Not long after, they all headed over to the hotel's casino.
The casino was located on the first floor. It was often said that gambling was human nature, and true enough, many people made their way there to gamble. When Xiao Luo entered the casino, it felt as if he had just returned to the Jiangcheng casino that belonged to the Dragon Gang.
"You need to exchange twenty million dollars' worth of gambling chips before you're allowed to open a private room. Sabrina, you guys make yourself comfortable first. I'll go change the chips," Leon said. He then walked toward the counter.
Twenty million!
This number was just a small bet to Su Li and Shen Qingyan, but in Leon's eyes, Xiao Luo's total assets were most probably only worth that much. It would be perfect if he won them all today.
"Are you serious about playing?" Su Li asked. She was concerned and wanted to confirm again.
"Yes," Xiao Luo replied.
"Do you have that much money?"
"The card that I have with me right now has exactly that much money," Xiao Luo said. Then, like Leon, he made his way toward the counter as well.
"Wait a minute," Su Li said.
"What's the matter?"
"It's not too late to turn back now. Leon's family business involves opening casinos in North America. In the art of gambling, there's no way we're going to stand a chance against him. Twenty million is not a small amount to you, so don't risk losing it all because of a rash decision," Su Li said.
"That's right, Xiao Luo. It wasn't easy for you to secure such a huge order all the time. It will be too late for you to cry in regret if you lose it all!" Shen Qingyan pitched in.
Shen Qingyan felt compelled to persuade Xiao Luo to back down. "I know you're going against him because of Li, but there's really no need for you to do this," she said.
Xiao Luo smiled cheerfully and retorted, "It's all right. I'm just playing a little. Besides, there's no guarantee that I'm going to lose."
"How can you be this stubborn!" Su Li said.
Her tone was resentful. She could not understand what Xiao Luo had to prove by gambling against an expert like Leon. There was no difference between doing this and just giving the money away.
Xiao Luo did not say anything and continued to walk toward the counter to exchange the gambling chips.
Shen Qingyan looked at Su Li and sighed. "Forget it. Just let him be. This is a battle between two guys. We'll just stand by later," she said.
Su Li furrowed her eyebrows in worry and said, "But if he loses twenty million to Leon, wouldn't that be..."
"If there's anything I know about that man, it's that somehow or rather, he is always able to surprise us," Shen Qingyan said with a smile.
******
The room was brightly lit, and a relatively expensive-looking gambling table sat in the middle of it. There were wines and various beverages by the side.
This was the private room that the casino provided for their customers. As soon as the door closed, all noise coming from the hall was immediately shut out. It was so quiet it seemed like an isolated world. The casino had also specially provided a dealer for this room.
"Poker. I'm sure Mr. Xiao knows how to play this, right?" Leon asked Xiao Luo deliberately. He was obviously treating Xiao Luo like he was some country bumpkin.
"I think it's more commonly known as Golden Flower, if I'm not wrong," Xiao Luo said.
Leon was a little surprised, but he just laughed and said, "Hehehe... Mr. Xiao sure doesn't hide his true feelings. That's right. I'm sure that's how the Chinese people pronounce poker."
But deep down, what he actually wanted to say was, "You country bumpkin, how dare you even touch my Sabrina! Don't bite off more than you can chew!"
"Then let's not talk anymore. Come on," Xiao Luo said, giving Leon a wry smile.
"Deal the cards!"
Leon gave a signal to the dealer, indicating that he could deal out the cards.
The dealer nodded his head in response and took out a new pack of poker cards. He spread out the cards and duly showed it to the four of them. This was to prove that he hadn't tampered with any of the cards.
After handing out three cards and another card faced down, the dealer then explained the rules. "The starting bet is a hundred thousand, and each subsequent bet cannot be below five hundred thousand. Mr. Leon, you have the biggest hand, please start first."
Other than the one card facing down, everyone could see the other three cards on the table.
Leon had an ace of spades, a six of spades, and a six of clubs. Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and Xiao Luo had smaller cards, so of course, Leon was the first to call.
"One million!" Leon threw out gambling chips equivalent to the value of his bet without much hesitation.
Xiao Luo looked at all the cards he had—seven, eight, and nine, a mini straight. As for Su Li and Shen Qingyan, there's no need to even look at their cards.
For poker, besides looking at the cards, it was also testing how courageous and daring one was. This was where the skill of poker lay.
"I fold!" Shen Qingyan declared, closing her cards.
Su Li was about to bet, but Leon persuaded her otherwise. "Sabrina, I don't have just a pair of six. I have a pair of six and aces. Your cards are too small, so you better not bet. I'm doing this for you," he said.
.....
"If I lose, then so be it. It's no big deal," Su Li replied.
She had her own opinion about her chances, so there was no way she would listen to what Leon had to say. She placed her bet of a million-dollars.
"Sabrina, are you trying to gang up on me along with your husband?"
Leon snickered before looking towards Xiao Luo and said, "Mr. Xiao, it's your turn."
"Raise, five million!"
Xiao Luo pushed several stacks of gambling chips out to the middle. From one to five million—he had instantly raised the bet five-fold.
Although five million was hardly a dent to the other people sitting at the table, losing would definitely not feel good at all regardless of the sum.
Leon, Su Li, and Shen Qingyan were all stunned. They immediately glanced at Xiao Luo's opened cards and wondered to themselves, does this guy have a straight? Otherwise, why in the world would he be so confident with raising the bet?
"Hmm, Mr. Xiao seems to be really bold. It appears that you have a straight," Leon said. He was deliberately attempting to read the man and analyze any signs he could detect from his body language.
"Don't look at me, Leon. You won't be able to gain anything from it. Call or no call, just make your decision," Xiao Luo said.
"Call. Of course, I will call."
Leon forced a smile and pushed five million dollars' worth of gambling chips out. He looked confident and put on a face that looked like he had already won. "Hahaha, I bet you're trying to fool me," he said.
It was time for Su Li to make her call, and she looked at Xiao Luo. She just couldn't imagine where Xiao Luo got his confidence from. How did he have the guts to throw in five million without batting an eyelid?
"Li, this battle will be between both of them. We're better off just looking on from the side." Shen Qingyan bent over and whispered into Su Li's ear.
Xiao Luo turned his head around and smiled at Su Li. "Listen to what she said and fold your cards," he said.
Su Li gave him a meaningful look and said, "You better not be rash and do things without thinking, don't let your..."
Xiao Luo flashed her a smile. "We've already been through this. Win or lose, no one knows; this is gambling. It's all about luck," he said.
Su Li could tell that Xiao Luo's mind was made up and realized that he was planning to go all out against Leon, "Alright then, I will fold."
She decided to take Shen Qingyan's cue and just be a bystander watching from the side.
"Now, that's being obedient," Xiao Luo said.
Obedient?
Su Li's face turned red, and she felt a little embarrassed. She thought, was this jerk trying to own me by treating me like Su Xiaobei?
She was initially a little angry, but then, it felt quite touching at the same time.
"Mr. Xiao, it's your turn. Are you going to call or not?" Leon was very agitated when he saw them flirting with one another in front of him. If they were now in the States, he swore he'd already have hired several wiseguys to teach this brat a good lesson. This country bumpkin evidently did not know where he stood.
"All in!"
Xiao Luo leaned forward as he pushed all the stacks of gambling chips in front of him to the middle of the table. He smiled, looking very confident, and emanated an aura like a royal used to getting what he wanted. His confident smile never waned from the time they started the game.
"Gulp!"
The dealer's eyes widened in shock, and he had a hard time swallowing his saliva. Oh, my god, what are these people playing? It was simply too bold for a player to be throwing twenty million out just like that, and to think that he did so without any hesitation at all, he thought.
But he didn't forget to do his job and promptly dealt out the last card to both players.
Leon had an Eight, and Xiao Luo got an Eight as well.
"Are you going to call or not?"
Leon started to hesitate a little. He tried his best to read the game by looking at Xiao Luo's expression, but all he saw was the same unreadable smile on his face. Leon couldn't figure anything out at all. He had a two-pair hand of Aces and Sixes, and his fifth card was an Eight, while Xiao Luo's opened cards showed a pair of Eights, a Seven and Nine. Leon knew that Xiao Luo couldn't have a straight in his hand, and to win, Xiao Luo needed to have an Eight in his face down card—only a "three of a kind" would beat Leon's two pairs.
"Mr. Xiao, your face down card can't possibly be an Eight. Three Eights have already been opened. The odds of you having the last Eight is very slim," Leon said.
"If you really want to find out, then throw all your money in," Xiao Luo replied. Then he turned to the staff in the private room and asking for a cup of water to drink.
Su Li and Shen Qingyan stared at him without blinking their eyes. They were breaking out in a cold sweat on account of him. This was a bet where one could instantly lose twenty million. No matter how rich they were, losing twenty million so suddenly was never a good feeling.
Leon took another look at his face down card. It was indeed an Ace, but he just couldn't figure out what Xiao Luo's face down card was. Leon also considered that if he called and it really turned out to be an Eight, he would lose in front of Su Li—and losing twenty million in just the first round would be very embarrassing. He chose to fold.
"Mr. Xiao, you win this round."
"Thank you."
Xiao Luo put his hands around the large pile of gambling chips and pulled them in toward him.
Sitting beside him, Su Li was very curious and couldn't help flipping over his face down card. She screamed in shock, "How is it a Ten of clubs?"
Leon almost vomited blood as soon as he saw the card! He was a veteran gambler, and yet he had allowed himself to be fooled by a guy like Xiao Luo.
Shen Qingyan smiled a little and said, "Xiao Luo, you're quite the poker player. You even managed to fool Mr. Leon with just a pair of Eights although he had a double pair with Aces."
"I didn't manage to get a good look at it. I really thought that the face down card was an Eight," Xiao Luo said, playing dumb and waving his hands innocently.
"Yeah, right, you didn't get a good look, indeed!" Leon sneered.
He almost shouted at Xiao Luo and felt that his pride was at stake here. He had lost six million, just like that. Looking at Xiao Luo now, his perception of the man had changed, and he no longer despised him. He would never have imagined that his guy had the kind of guts to play the bluff with so much at stake.
"Su..."
Xiao Luo was initially going to call her Ms. Su, but since he had a romantic rival right in front of him, he decided to address Su Li differently. "Wife, CEO Shen, you guys can rest from here on. I'll finish this poker game with Mr. Leon," he said.
Wi... wife?
Su Li was utterly shocked. Her face turned red like a bashful bride, and she felt her heart thump rapidly in her chest.
"Sure. We're not really interested in gambling anyway. In that case, we'll just watch the both of you gambling," Shen Qingyan responded. She understood what was going on between the two men, and it was best to stay out of the fray.
Su Li didn't say anything, and it seemed like she had just accepted it. Still ringing in her ears, the term "wife" kept repeating itself over and over again against the rhythm of her thumping heart.
"Mr. Xiao, are you sure you want to play poker with me?"
Leon said with a playful smile. He had once won a billion USD in just one night, and his opponent was one of the most renowned gamblers in the whole of North America. He would be playing against a nameless guy that he would never have even heard of, but for Sabrina. It would feel like using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.
There was a glint in Xiao Luo's eyes. "You don't have the guts?" he taunted.
"Why would I not have the guts? Deal the cards!"
The dealer duly dealt out five cards to each of them; four were facing up, while the last card was facing down and hidden.
It was interesting. By some coincidence, they both had cards that were remarkably similar to the previous round. Leon's four cards were two pairs of Sevens and Aces, while Xiao Luo had a pair of Eights, a Six and a Seven.
Leon took a look at his face down card and saw that it was an Eight. If Xiao Luo's hand was going to be bigger than his, then his face down card would have to be an Eight as well, to make a "three of a kind." But of course, there were only four Eights in a deck. One was in his hand, and two in his opponent's. This meant that the chances of the last Eight being in his opponent's hand were low.
"Bet—five million!" Leon bellowed, pushing out several stacks of his gambling chips.
"Call!"
Xiao Luo followed with five million dollars' worth of gambling chips as well, and then added, "And, I raise another nine million."
CRASH!
The air was thick with nervous emotions as Xiao Luo raised the bet, and several stacks of gambling chips fell over like skyscrapers.
Leon's face looked dull and gloomy. He only exchanged twenty million, and he had already lost six million earlier on. He only had a total of fourteen million left now, and with Xiao Luo's raise, the bet was now fourteen million. He was obviously being forced by Xiao Luo to throw in everything he had.
Leon stared at Xiao Luo with a casual smile on his face and said, "Mr. Xiao, you should only use the same trick once. I'd be a fool to fall for it again. Do you really think I'm going to fall into the same trap twice?" He then pushed out all the gambling chips he had into the pool.