Chapter 134: Captivated by Beauty

Lin Ziwen recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end. As Ye Chen listened, his eyes turned bloodshot. He had never imagined that Li Ruo would have taken such a massive risk for his sake. It was truly unfathomable; if Liu Jiangqiu had harbored any malicious intent toward her at the time, Li Ruo might never have returned. At this thought, Ye Chen felt a shudder run through him. Trembling with cold fury, he declared, "I am going to settle the score with Liu Jiangqiu right now!"

"Stop!" Li Ruo stood up from her chair immediately, and Lin Ziwen blocked the doorway, glaring at Ye Chen indignantly. "What do you think you’re doing? Is this some display of male chauvinism or heroic bravado? Let me tell you, Liu Jiangqiu is about to be promoted to Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. With your current standing, you are no match for him!"

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, his face deathly pale. He vowed to ruthlessly strike down anyone who dared to touch his woman. Looking Lin Ziwen in the eye, he said, "If Liu Jiangqiu really dared to do something to Xiao Ruo, then he is a dead man. He must pay for what he did last time. This is my principle, and this is my oath."

Behind him, Li Ruo was deeply moved, her eyes brimming with tears.

"But... he is a rising star in the political arena. How can you possibly fight him?" Lin Ziwen leaned firmly against the door, afraid to let Ye Chen act rashly.

"Hmph, even if he were the King of Heaven himself, I would knock a tooth out of his mouth, let alone a mere Municipal Party Secretary!" Ye Chen pointed a finger toward the heavens, his presence surging with overwhelming power. This gesture completely captivated Li Ruo. The sheer intensity radiating from Ye Chen held a profound, irresistible attraction for any woman. Even Lin Ziwen looked at him in astonishment; this man, despite having no strong background or powerful connections, was willing to risk everything to protect Li Ruo.

"Ye Chen!" Li Ruo finally spoke, two hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Covering her lips, she pleaded, "Don't be so impulsive. You cannot act recklessly against Liu Jiangqiu, or the consequences will be dire. I’m afraid... I’m afraid something might happen to you. If something happens to you, what will I do? You must remember, you still have me behind you!"

Ye Chen trembled. Could these words from Li Ruo be considered an indirect confession? He turned to face her, swallowing hard. "Xiao Ruo..."

"Don't misunderstand!" Li Ruo immediately turned her head away, saying, "I only meant to tell you that if something happened to you, then... then what would happen to Tianya Group? You were the mastermind behind the development of the plot in the North District. Because of that, the company has decided to put you in charge of that project. The board has decided to promote you to interim Vice President, giving you full authority over the site. Once your strategy succeeds, the board will officially make you the Vice President of Tianya Group!"

Ye Chen paused, looking at Li Ruo with a wry smile. "President Li, you think too highly of me. I will do my best with what I can."

"Mm, I’m counting on you," Li Ruo nodded.

"Between us..." Ye Chen looked up at her with a bitter smile.

"Between us..." Li Ruo lowered her head, then suddenly looked up at him. "Have you forgotten the romance before you lost your memory?"

"That was just a joke. Xiao Ruo, I... I am being sincere with you!" Ye Chen looked at her earnestly.

"I..." Li Ruo bowed her head slightly, her palms damp with sweat.

"I understand," Ye Chen said, loosening his clenched fists before turning to walk out. Before leaving, he looked back and added, "Don't worry, I will surely succeed in the task you’ve given me. After all... I am only a slave, am I not?"

Li Ruo was struck dumb, a flash of realization hitting her like a bolt of lightning. She rushed out after him, but by the time she reached the hallway, Ye Chen was already gone. Li Ruo’s tears fell like a broken dam. Behind her, Lin Ziwen watched them both with a helpless sigh. The distance between Li Ruo and Ye Chen was too vast—one was a commoner without status or background, the other the president of a national corporate giant. Lin Ziwen felt that Li Ruo’s plight was tragic; sometimes, one’s fate is not decided by oneself, and yet, she possessed too much freedom. Perhaps, she thought, Ye Chen was more suited for her.

Ye Chen rushed out of the building. It was already two o'clock in the afternoon. He drove his small Alto from the garage and headed straight for the University Town. At the University Town, Feng Zhixiao was conducting final checks. All the gambling machines were in place, the entrance was spotless, and Feng Zhixiao was busy hanging lanterns with his subordinates.

"Brother Chen is here!" Xiao Er, wearing a red scarf and holding an iron rod, was standing guard at the door with an imposing air. Seeing Ye Chen, he dropped the rod and ran toward him without a word. Hearing that Ye Chen had arrived, the others rushed out as well. Big Hei, still wearing his boxing attire with his hands wrapped in gauze, came out carrying a lantern, smiling along with the rest.

In the past half-month, the change in Big Hei had been the most significant. Through his time with Feng Zhixiao and the others, he had felt a sense of warmth. Ever since the battle that made him decide to follow Ye Chen, he had slowly begun to integrate into this big family.

"Brother Chen!" Feng Zhixiao and the others surrounded him, shouting, "Brother Chen, how did you get out?"

"Haha, I was released without charges!" Ye Chen grinned.

"Damn, brothers, let’s go! We’re hitting a restaurant to celebrate Brother Chen’s return!" Feng Zhixiao waved his hand.

"Not yet!" Ye Chen stopped him. "Get the work done. You’re planning to open tomorrow, right?"

"That’s right!" Feng Zhixiao nodded. "We open tomorrow. I’ve asked Jiang Wei to invite his father. If his old man can come for the ribbon-cutting, damn it, that would be glorious! No one would dare mess with us after that!"

"Will he come?" Ye Chen felt a flicker of interest. If Jiang Zhonggen could attend the ceremony, it would be a golden opportunity for the future of the casino. Feng Zhixiao shook his head. "Hard to say. Even Jiang Wei isn't sure if his father will show up, so we can't be certain. Brother Chen, we even invited President Li of the Tianya Group and Captain Zhang from the police bureau in your name... Heh, you aren't mad, are you?"

"Damn it!" Ye Chen flared up instantly. "You little punk, are you asking for a beating? You have the nerve to invite the police to a casino you built?"

"Ah! Why didn't I think of that!" Feng Zhixiao shouted.

The group entered the lobby. The thousands of square meters had been divided into several sections. The most prominent features upon entry were rows of slot machines—notorious money-gobblers. However, the slot machines were primarily for entertainment and involved little capital. The real money was in the VIP rooms. To gamble, one first had to exchange cash for crystal chips at the service desk. The slot machines accepted these chips, and even in the VIP rooms, crystal chips were required.

The highest denomination was ten thousand. For Jianghuai City, that was just enough. Feng Zhixiao shouted at a subordinate at the counter, "Damn it, hurry up and get some chips for Brother Chen to play with!"

"Yes, sir!" The subordinate grabbed a box containing over a thousand crystal coins—each worth one RMB—and brought them over. Ye Chen played a few rounds, losing twenty or thirty yuan, and grinned. "Not bad, feels good. There’s winning and losing. It’s enough to stir people’s desire to play."

Ye Chen toured the casino before entering the VIP rooms. There were ten rooms, each equipped with central air conditioning and decorated in the style of the Lisboa Casino in Macau. There were no clocks or time-tracking devices anywhere. Across from the casino was a hotel, so gamblers could rest easily if they were tired.

The VIP rooms were carpeted in red, with a bull’s head hanging in the center, symbolizing good fortune. Professional gamblers were often superstitious about the layout and feng shui of a casino, so the setup was quite deliberate. After the tour, Ye Chen had a general understanding of the place. He waved his hand and said, "Good, the decoration is excellent. The key is to ensure the machines don't malfunction. Also, how is the staffing?"

"Heh, Brother Chen, you don't need to worry about that!" Feng Zhixiao grinned. "People have been coming because of our reputation. We’ve recruited plenty of hands. Though we can't compare to Brother Tai or Yan Buer yet, we can at least carve out a piece of territory here in Jianghuai City!"

"Good, that’s the right ambition to have!" Ye Chen nodded.

The professional staff for the casino—dealers for dice, roulette, and other games—had also been recruited. Ye Chen waved his hand again. "Excellent. The casino is finally complete, and we open tomorrow. Today, we go out to drink. No one stops until they’re drunk!"

"Yes!" Everyone cheered. After more than a month of hard work, the casino was finally done, and soon, piles of money would be flowing into their pockets. Their excitement and joy were impossible to hide.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Ye Chen led the group out, walking with the stride of a tiger toward the hotel.