When Tian Yuanyuan was suddenly embraced, her first instinct was to push him away. But then she remembered how Xia Liang had protected her and reluctantly stayed by her side, so she worried it would be too embarrassing to push him away now.

This was her first time in such close contact with a man, and although she appeared calm on the surface, ripples stirred in her heart.

"Who are you?"

The man in the red shirt sized up Xia Liang, then his gaze shifted to the severed bear head at his feet. This doesn't make sense. Teddy bears are plush and filled with cotton. How could he possibly twist its head off with one hand? There's no way to get any leverage.

"I'm her companion."

"Companion?"

The man in the red shirt was puzzled. He knew it was trendy to hire companions for everything from gaming to traveling, but surely that didn't include acting as a bodyguard, right? Are services really this comprehensive now?

"A fair lady is a gentleman's delight. Even as her companion, you have no right to stop other men from pursuing her, do you?"

The man in the red shirt glanced again at the beheaded toy bear.

"Besides, what you did was a bit underhanded."

"Who knows if you're a gentleman or just some beast," Xia Liang answered with a chuckle, his hand tightening around Tian Yuanyuan's arm. She stiffened, her face blushing a deep red from the intimate contact, feeling both shy and flustered.

"Let's go. We can find somewhere else to have fun."

"I don't mind."

Accompanying her is accompanying her. If I'm lucky, we'll end up in a presidential suite. That would be ideal.

"Miss, since you want to have fun, why change locations? There's plenty of entertainment here. The only question is whether you two are willing... and whether you dare," the man in the red shirt said, unwilling to let them go. A major celebrity is out in disguise, so she definitely wants to keep a low profile. Very few people must know she's here. Heh heh, if I slip something into her drink, I won't have to worry about the consequences. Would she really dare to make a scene?

"Forget it, let's just pay and leave." Tian Yuanyuan didn't want any more trouble; she just wanted to enjoy her birthday.

The man in the red shirt laughed. "This friend of yours is a companion, isn't he? Don't tell me he's afraid to have a little fun?"

Damn, Xia Liang sighed inwardly. Now that he's put it like that, backing down would just be cowardly. It's just a game. Who's afraid of whom?

"Name your game," Xia Liang said.

The man's smile widened as he stood and gave a slight bow. "You two, the main floor is too noisy. Please, come to my private room. I can't make too many promises, but I guarantee you'll have a wonderful time."

In a luxurious private room, a large card table occupied the center. Clearly, the game was gambling.

Tian Yuanyuan, who had just been eager to leave, saw the card table and her eyes lit up.

"Wow! I've seen tables like this in the movies, with all the 'Gods of Gamblers' and 'Saints of Gambling.' They always look so cool." Tian Yuanyuan whispered to Xia Liang, her voice filled with excitement.

Xia Liang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Seriously, sis, you change your tune fast."

"I've never tried it before! Hey, can you gamble? If you can't, then I'll give it a shot."

"You know how?"

"Of course not."

"Then why should you go first?"

"Well, since neither of us knows how, and I'm the one who hired you, there's nothing wrong with me wanting to play first, right?"

"That makes sense."

Tian Yuanyuan sat in the player's seat with Xia Liang beside her. Across from them, the man in the red shirt sat with a confident smile.

"What would you two like to play?"

Before Xia Liang could answer, Tian Yuanyuan excitedly cut in. "Anything!"

This silly girl! We're on his turf, how can you let the house choose the game? So naive.

The man's smile grew even wider. He decided on Blackjack, and a stunning Bunny Girl Croupier began to deal the cards.

"Fifteen points. Hehe, not a low score," Tian Yuanyuan said, excitedly patting Xia Liang's shoulder.

"Sixteen points. Haha, I have a slight edge," the man in the red shirt countered, making Tian Yuanyuan pout.

"Again! That was just bad luck."

...

"Nineteen points!"

"Twenty points. Sorry."

...

"Twenty points!"

"Twenty-one. I win again."

...

"Twenty-one! Let's see you beat that!"

"Impressive. Unfortunately, I also have twenty-one. The dealer wins."

After seven consecutive losses, all the chips in front of Tian Yuanyuan were gone. The seven-round losing streak was enough to make her composure begin to crumble, and the initial novelty of the experience had completely vanished.

"This isn't fun at all. Drinking is more fun. Let's go."

The man in the red shirt let out a wry laugh. "Miss, after losing so many chips, you can't just leave the table. That would be quite disrespectful."

Tian Yuanyuan was confused. "Weren't we just having fun? We didn't agree on any stakes, did we? Why can't we leave?"

"Miss, you have a great sense of humor. Anyone in New City's upper circles knows my bar has a card table, and the smallest chip is worth one-tenth of a currency unit. You've lost, by a rough estimate, about sixty Yuan."

The man swirled the red wine in his glass, inhaling the aroma with a look of pure bliss.

"Sixty Yuan?!"

Tian Yuanyuan's large sunglasses nearly slid off her face. Though she was a top-tier celebrity, her personal finances weren't nearly as flush as people imagined. A sum of over sixty Yuan was something she could only dream of having.

"But I don't have any money... I only have a few mililiters on me. Can I owe you?" Wincing, Tian Yuanyuan reluctantly pulled out a six-mililiter bill and looked at Xia Liang. "How much do you have?"

"I don't have even one mililiter of cash."

Tian Yuanyuan rolled her eyes. He's even poorer than I am. He's really something else.

"There's a way to settle this even without money," the man in the red shirt said with a smile, putting down his wine glass. "The man leaves a hand, the woman leaves a night. But since you're new faces, I'll give you a discount. You only have to pick one."

As he finished speaking, the bodyguard at the door pulled a handgun from his jacket, its dark muzzle pointing directly at Xia Liang. "Want to test if you're faster than my bullet?"

"No need to test. Your bullet is faster," Xia Liang said frankly, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright then. The little minx stays, and I'll be on my way. My work for the day is done."

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't be so disloyal!" Tian Yuanyuan had initially thought Xia Liang was about to stage a heroic escape with her, and she had felt a surge of excitement and gratitude. This response was the last thing she expected. In the movies, the hero always saves the damsel in distress! Why are you kicking the damsel into the pit?

"Heh, I know you. The famous star, Tian Yuanyuan. And I've had the pleasure of seeing the video of the flying car. The name Black Flash rings like thunder." The man poured himself another glass of wine. "But here, even a dragon must coil and a tiger must lie down. How could you expect to leave without giving something up?"

Seeing that escape was impossible, Xia Liang prepared to switch tactics. "Since you know who she is, you must also know the consequences of touching her."

"I really don't," the man sneered. "And I don't want to know."

"Then allow me to enlighten you," Xia Liang said, glancing around the room. "When the police conduct a surprise raid, they'll find your bar is not only hosting illegal gambling, but also hiding a large quantity of drugs."

The man's fingers tightened on his glass, but his expression remained impassive. "There are no drugs here."

Xia Liang smiled faintly. "Don't be so sure. There will be. And your underlings... guys like Big Bear, Second Dog, and Little Cat will step forward and testify that you procured those drugs from the Silver Triangle."

"Bullshit! This Master would never betray Young Master Guo!" the bodyguard at the door roared.

Xia Liang turned to him, feigning confusion. "So, are you Wolfie, Er Pang, or perhaps Zhang San?"

"It's Zhang San! And you will call me Third Master!"

Xia Liang hadn't expected to hit the mark with a randomly made-up name. As for the drugs, he'd never been here before, but he had noticed waiters making discreet transactions with patrons on the dance floor earlier.

"Alright, it'll be you, then. When the time comes, you'll be the one to report your boss." Xia Liang turned back to Young Master Guo. "The drugs they find will be more than enough to get you sent to the firing range. Your bar will be shut down, and you'll lose this lavish lifestyle. Your family might even get dragged down with you—your parents could end up on the streets. Everything you've ever done wrong will be brought to light."

Young Master Guo stared blankly for a moment, then burst into hysterical laughter, tears welling in his eyes. "Mister Xia, it's a crime that you're not a writer. When you're not busy racing cars, you should really take up the pen. When you publish your first book, I'll be sure to buy a dozen copies."

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