Chapter Twenty-One: True Might!

After receiving a phone call, Su Zhi hurriedly requested leave from Jiangcheng High School and left in a rush. She hadn’t had time to carefully dress herself that day, simply donning a white lace-trimmed long dress and slipping on a pair of high heels at random.

She walked to the roadside and hailed a taxi, but her mind was clearly elsewhere, her nerves stretched tight. Once inside, the driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror and was momentarily stunned, captivated by her beauty.

“Miss, where to?” The driver wiped the corner of his mouth, his tone lecherous.

“Hao Tian Casino,” Su Zhi replied without hesitation.

The name made the driver uncomfortable. He stole another look in the mirror, this time lingering on her slender, fair legs, swallowing hard.

Such a pretty girl, heading to Hao Tian Casino—there could be only one reason. To put it nicely, she was there to work as a hostess; to be blunt, she was there to sell herself. What a pity, he thought, she looked like she’d just come from school. Soon enough, this campus beauty would probably end up warming the bed of some wealthy tycoon.

The driver shook his head and focused on the road.

Five minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of Hao Tian Casino. After paying the fare, Su Zhi hurriedly got out and dashed inside.

“These days, money is everything—people are even in a rush to sell themselves,” the driver muttered.

Su Zhi paid no mind to the driver’s sordid assumptions. She went straight to the top floor of the casino and found the VIP suite.

Inside, a wealthy young man was singing loudly, his voice grating and off-key to the point of being unbearable. Behind him, an elderly man in a simple shirt was kneeling on the floor, his thin frame trembling.

“Dad!” Su Zhi spotted the old man as soon as she entered.

She tried to rush over, but a few black-suited bodyguards blocked her path.

Only after the last screeching note faded, did the young man put down the microphone, his gaze landing on Su Zhi with a mocking gleam.

“Zhou Ming, what are you trying to do?” Su Zhi bit her lip hard.

It was Zhou Ming who had summoned her—the same man whose arms Qin Mu had broken not long ago. Yet now, he seemed perfectly healed, as if he’d found some miracle doctor.

“I told you, even if they throw me in jail, I’ll be out in three minutes.”

“As for what I want, Su Zhi, aren’t you well aware?” Zhou Ming’s eyes shone with lust, even more brazen than before.

“I don’t like you, and there’s no chance between us. I’ll pay you back the debt, bit by bit, with my own work.”

“Don’t worry, I have plenty of ways to make you like me.”

With that, Zhou Ming’s face twisted in cruelty. He kicked the old man beside him hard, sending him sprawling.

“Daughter, save me, please!” the old man cried out.

“Zhou Ming!”

“Oh, come now, Miss Su, why are you shouting? You know full well—your dear father lost a lot of money here at my casino. Debts must be repaid. If you have no money, you pay with your life!”

“Fine, I’ll go borrow it right now. I’ll pay you back every last cent, even if I have to scrape together the remaining hundreds of thousands!” Su Zhi had steeled herself—no matter what, she would break free from Zhou Ming’s grip.

Zhou Ming just laughed, pulling a promissory note from his pocket and unfolding it slowly.

“Hundreds of thousands? Miss Su, it’s two million in total.”

“You probably don’t know—last night your father just couldn’t give up. He borrowed over a million more from me, hoping to win it all back in one go. Unfortunately, his luck ran out, and he lost everything.”

“What?!” Two million?

Su Zhi was dumbstruck. How could she possibly raise so much money?

“Dad, why did you keep gambling?” Su Zhi’s disappointment was palpable.

To pay off the debt, she had even gone to work in places like the Oriental Pearl Nightclub, and she was so close to repaying it all. But now, her father had racked up another two million in debt overnight.

“Daughter, it’s my fault—I was too impatient. Last night, I was actually up three million at one point. I thought if I could win a bit more, I could get our house back.”

“But then I lost my head, went all in, and lost every cent!” the old man said, full of regret.

Then, suddenly feverish, he insisted, “But believe me, if you just give me a bit more money, I can win it all back!”

“Dad, you want to gamble again? Haven’t you suffered enough?” Su Zhi’s anger was plain.

“If I don’t gamble, what then? Live off your measly salary? That’s not enough for even a couple bottles of wine! Besides, I’ve found a surefire way to win this time. Give me just a bit more, I’ll play carefully—I’ll win it all back!” the old man exclaimed, excitement in his eyes.

Such is the fate of all who fall into the gambling pit: lose, and they want to win it back; win, and they want more.

“That’s right, as long as there’s money, you can always win it back,” Zhou Ming said sarcastically.

“But before that, Miss Su, I’m giving you two choices.”

“First, gather all the money within three days and pay it back. For every day you’re late, I’ll cut off one of his hands.”