“Tomorrow I still have to go to work, so I won’t go with you. Su Wan is heartbroken right now—you should comfort her more,” Zhao Mengxue said before going back to her room.
Left alone, Zhao Chengren was secretly delighted. He had coveted Su Wan for a long time.
Su Wan was not only beautiful, but also had an outstanding figure. The first time he saw her at home, he had been completely stunned.
It was just a pity that Su Wan was a rich young lady—how could a family like his ever marry someone like her?
Who would have thought that Su Wan would later marry a country bumpkin? That left him feeling extremely stifled. He had clearly met Su Wan before that man surnamed Gu—since she had to marry anyway, why didn’t she marry him?
At least he was a registered resident of Shanghai!
What did that Gu fellow have besides his face?
Now Su Wan had been “used” for several years, her chastity gone—what more could she want? Once he got his hands on her, he would definitely make her regret looking down on him back then!
After Zhao Mengxue left, Su Wan went to see someone, gave that person a sum of money, and then hurried home.
When Zhao Chengren arrived at the Su family’s Western-style villa, greed immediately filled his heart.
If Su Wan married him, this villa would be his. Then he’d be a big boss with servants waiting on him!
Seeing Wu Jie, Zhao Chengren put on an arrogant air. “Where’s Miss Su? I’m Zhao Mengxue’s brother, Zhao Chengren. I’ve come to deliver some things for Miss Su.”
Wu Jie was about to speak when Su Wan appeared at the top of the stairs. Zhao Chengren’s eyes lit up.
It had been a long time since he’d seen Su Wan. He hadn’t expected her to look even more beautiful after marriage. That palm-sized face, those slightly downcast almond eyes, those luscious lips—anyone who saw her would want to cherish her.
Today Zhao Chengren wore his most presentable suit, with polished leather shoes on his feet.
“Miss Su,” Zhao Chengren greeted her politely.
He was very good at putting on airs. Except in front of his family, he usually appeared refined and courteous. Today he even wore black-rimmed glasses, making him look even more scholarly.
If Su Wan hadn’t seen him beaten half to death outside a casino in her previous life, she might really have believed he was a gentleman.
“Brother Zhao, please sit,” Su Wan said with a smile.
This time, Zhao Chengren had gone to Guangdong City and claimed to have brought back many local specialties, which were now spread out on the table.
Su Wan had seen everything before and naturally wasn’t interested, but she pretended to be very intrigued and said she would buy all of them.
Zhao Chengren hadn’t expected Su Wan to like these little trinkets so much. It seemed this young lady wasn’t that hard to please. Could it be that after divorcing she wanted to find her next match?
Zhao Chengren looked around the villa, growing more and more satisfied. And the Su family had more than just this one villa. They had been merchants in the past—there must be a lot of money!
Just then, a cry of surprise came from the study where Su Wan had gone to get the money. Zhao Chengren immediately rushed upstairs—and froze.
Money. All money.
Su Wan had knocked over the cash box, and banknotes were scattered all over the floor.
Zhao Chengren’s hands trembled. He knew the Su family was wealthy, but as an ordinary person, he had no real concept of it. Now he finally understood.
Su Wan glanced at him calmly. Zhao Chengren’s eyes were red, staring at the money all over the floor as if in a daze.
Su Wan was very satisfied with his reaction. Sure enough, how could a gambler not be tempted by so much money?
She was waiting for him to take the bait.
Zhao Chengren reached out to help Su Wan up. At this moment, the way he looked at her was like looking at the God of Wealth. If he really could marry Su Wan, all this money would be his!
He still owed the casino a large sum. With this money, he could not only pay off his gambling debts but even gamble for a very, very long time.
His chest burned with desire. As he watched Su Wan close the cash box, his eyes were uncontrollably glued to it.
Su Wan handed him ten ten-yuan bills. Zhao Chengren hadn’t expected her to be so generous—those things weren’t worth a hundred yuan at all.
He reached out to take it, but then thought that if he accepted the money, Su Wan might get the wrong idea. Suppressing the urge, he said, “There’s no need for so much money. I said it was a gift for you.”
But Su Wan forced the money into his hand. “Brother Zhao, don’t be polite with me. This little bit of money is just a token of thanks for your trouble. Thank you for specially bringing these things over.”
Zhao Chengren hadn’t expected that a hundred yuan was considered “a little bit” to Su Wan. It seemed the money she had was far more than what was in that cash box.
In the end, Zhao Chengren accepted the money. Su Wan found an excuse, saying she had to go out, and Zhao Chengren very considerately took his leave.
Su Wan changed into a set of ordinary clothes she had bought earlier, then went to another place.
It was an underground casino. In these times, anyone who dared to run such a place was risking their life. But no matter how strict the controls were, there were always people willing to take the risk.
In her previous life, Su Wan had discovered this casino by chance. If she hadn’t seen Zhao Chengren dragged out of here like a dead dog after being beaten, she would never have known there was an underground casino here.
The men at the entrance, who looked idle, saw Su Wan and led her inside.
She had come the night before, spending a large sum of money just to meet the manager here—a man called Scar Brother.
The casino was located in the basement of a residential house. From above, no sound could be heard. Scar Brother sat with one leg propped up on a stool, a toothpick in his mouth. When he saw Su Wan, he whistled.
“You’re here, young lady.”
The place reeked of mildew. In her previous life, Su Wan probably wouldn’t have taken a single step inside, but now she didn’t mind at all and sat down naturally.
“Scar Brother, is the person here?” she asked.
Scar Brother was actually a bit impressed by this Miss Su. She looked like a fairy, yet she had the guts to do business with him.
But who wouldn’t want to make money? No one would turn money down.
“He’s here, gambling inside,” he replied with a more serious expression.
Su Wan nodded. “Once it’s done, I’ll settle the remaining payment.”
After saying that, Su Wan stood up and left the room.
In the basement, Zhao Chengren had already paid fifty yuan of the hundred he’d gotten from Su Wan to the casino, then started gambling again. At first, he kept winning, earning back two hundred yuan.
His suit collar was loosened, his shirt hanging open, his glasses pushed up onto his forehead—there was no trace left of the refined gentleman he pretended to be in public.
He took the money handed to him by the house and kissed it hard several times. “Hahaha! I knew my luck was turning—look at this streak!”
After winning, Zhao Chengren had wanted to leave, but the dealer said there was a new way to play and asked if he was interested.
Zhao Chengren hesitated for a moment, stayed to watch, and after seeing it, couldn’t help but want to gamble.
Then he lost everything he had won, plus his original stake. By six in the evening, Zhao Chengren actually owed the casino more than a hundred yuan!
“Ahhh! Again!” Zhao Chengren roared, completely blinded by losses.
Scar Brother patted him on the shoulder. “Brother Zhao, you owe quite a bit now. We’re a small business—we can’t extend that much credit. Clear the debt within three days. Come back next time when you have money.”
“Three days?! Before, I could owe for a whole week!” Zhao Chengren said, looking as if he thought they were trying to trick him.