Because the alley was too narrow, Chen Luo had no choice but to get out of the car. Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, the hem of his pants was already covered in dirt.
In his previous life, when the Chen family went bankrupt, he went from being a young master of a prestigious family to a stray dog. He had endured every kind of hardship since then, so now, even in such a filthy environment, he barely batted an eye.
Chen Luo stepped into the Jinsha Casino.
The place was packed with people, and the air was filled with a mix of beer and cigarette smoke.
“This is the biggest casino in Jiangcheng? What kind of fun stuff do you have in here?” As soon as Chen Luo spoke, the whole room went quiet.
Jiang Biao, sitting in a corner, narrowed his eyes and stared at Chen Luo with ill intent.
A lackey hurried over and whispered in his ear, “Boss, he’s Chen Bingsheng’s only son—Chen Luo.”
Jiang Biao immediately broke into a smile, “So it’s Young Master Chen. What’s the matter, can’t handle school anymore and want to try something new? Go ahead, whatever you want to play, I’ll accompany you to the end!”
Chen Luo smiled faintly and sat down at the gambling table surrounded by onlookers. The saying “ten bets, nine losses”—he didn’t truly understand it until Jiang Biao had cheated him out of his last cent.
Back then, the Chen family was already bankrupt, and he couldn’t handle the blow, so he got addicted to gambling.
He kept sinking deeper and deeper into it, and if not for Su Panyue’s inheritance, he might never have turned his life around.
Looking at the colorful chips on the table, thinking about how he had used the money Su Panyue left him to waste away in this casino, Chen Luo felt the urge to slap himself.
“I didn’t bring much money today, let’s just play a couple of simple rounds,” he said, pulling himself back to the moment and deliberately putting on an inexperienced act.
He wanted Jiang Biao to think he was easy to fool.
Sure enough, when Jiang Biao saw Chen Luo’s appearance, his eyes lit up. Rich, young, and inexperienced—what a big fish!
“Alright then, I’ll play with you today!” Jiang Biao laughed boldly and sat across from Chen Luo.
They played the simplest game—high card wins. After a few rounds, Chen Luo had raked in a small fortune.
Jiang Biao clapped and laughed, “Young Master Chen has some real luck! I’m done for today. If I keep playing, I might lose my pants!”
Chen Luo sneered inwardly but still acted regretful, “Don’t quit yet, I’m on a winning streak. Just a few more rounds.”
“No, no, that’s enough for today. It’s getting late, let’s continue tomorrow!” Jiang Biao’s eyes flicked slyly as he leaned close to Chen Luo and said in a greasy tone, “Just a few minutes and you’ve earned thousands—Young Master Chen, even your dad might not earn money as fast as you.”
If his father ever found out he was gambling, he’d break his legs.
“As the saying goes, there are talents in every field. Your dad earns from business, but you—you were born to make money here!”
“You’re making me feel pumped! Just wait, I’ll be back tomorrow. Let’s play a big one.”
“Sure, let’s go big! I’ll be waiting for you right here!”
“Deal!”
…
Walking out of the casino, the smile vanished from Chen Luo’s face in an instant, his eyes turning cold.
Jiang Biao, this time, I’ll let you experience what it feels like to lose everything.
After Chen Luo left, a head peeked out from a residential building across the street.
Xu Yi stood gripping his phone, watching the direction Chen Luo disappeared into, lost in thought.
He hadn’t expected that after dropping out of school, Chen Luo would get addicted to gambling.
And to think he used to worry that Chen Luo might steal Jiang Kewei away. Now it seemed Chen Luo didn’t even deserve to compete.
A dropout, hooked on gambling—how could someone like that compare to him, the top student of Qinghe High School?
Since his home was right across from the Jinsha Casino, Xu Yi had watched countless gamblers come and go. He understood better than anyone how dangerous gambling was.
The traps at the table were deep. Chen Luo wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Even if he had millions, the end result would be the same—total ruin.
When Xu Yi was younger, he used to lean against the skylight, watching all kinds of people come and go. Most of them wore tattered clothes, feet covered in mud, skinny like skeletons. But they’d walk into Jinsha Casino counting cash, full of excitement, only to stumble out defeated after hours of yelling inside.
Again and again, until they lost their homes, their wives, their children—everything.
In just a few years, over a dozen people had jumped from that tallest building nearby.
Would Chen Luo become one of them too? As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Xu Yi’s heart raced. He couldn’t wait to see Chen Luo crash and burn.
He saved the photos he had taken on his phone and decided to observe a few more days to see if Chen Luo would return…
Over the next few days, Xu Yi closely monitored the Jinsha Casino.
Sure enough, Chen Luo came back. Not just once—but multiple times.
However, unlike the first few times when Chen Luo left the casino looking cheerful and proud, in the following days, his expression started looking dull and exhausted.
He was falling deeper and deeper…
Understanding the nature of gambling, Xu Yi didn’t warn Chen Luo. Instead, he set up his phone in a fixed position and continued recording footage of Chen Luo entering and exiting the casino.
Meanwhile, he focused on preparing for the joint exams. He was determined to get first place! After securing the top spot, he would expose Chen Luo’s gambling habit to completely crush him beneath his feet.
One week later, the joint exams officially began.
Xu Yi got up early. When he saw Chen Luo entering the casino again, his mood immediately improved. He happily rode his bike to school.
He and Chen Luo had chosen completely different paths at life’s crossroads. He was destined for a bright future, while Chen Luo would only fall into the abyss.
When the exam results came out, Xia Qing didn’t see Chen Luo’s name on the list and was mildly irritated.
That Chen Luo really had lied to her.
Fortunately, their class had performed well, taking two of the top three spots in the joint exams—Xu Yi came in first, Jiang Kewei second…
After the excitement passed, Xia Qing’s frustration bubbled up again. She called Chen Luo to question him, “Chen Luo, what about your promise to me? Looks like you don’t plan on sitting in my class next semester, huh?”
At that moment, Chen Luo was on his way to the casino. He could only respond with a sheepish smile, “Teacher, I said I’d definitely stand on the podium next semester. Isn’t it a bit early to say I’ve lost when next semester hasn’t even started yet?”
“Heh, what, you think you can skip the exam and still expect to be on the podium? Don’t tell me the principal is your relative—because if you’re thinking of pulling tricks like that, I won’t accept it.”
Xia Qing’s tone grew stern. She wasn’t angry that Chen Luo had failed to deliver—after all, it was nearly impossible. What she wanted was the right attitude, not slick talk and empty promises.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got no relation to the principal. If I can’t rightfully stand on that podium next semester, I’ll stand through the entire semester in your class. How about that?”
Since Chen Luo had said that much, Xia Qing couldn’t press further, “Fine, remember what you said.”