Learning to Be Bad

Li Yao's breathing quickened slightly.

Behind Lin Xiaoxi, stacks upon stacks of chips were neatly arranged, nearly forming a small mountain. Li Yao swept his gaze over them. There were thousand-dollar chips, ten-thousand-dollar chips—anything but hundred-dollar chips. Several thousand chips piled together made for a spectacular sight. After all, that was money! Cold, hard cash! Beneath the brilliant lights, the chips seemed to be sparkling, glittering with light.

Even Lin Xiaoxi seemed to be shrouded in a lavish, resplendent glow.

The bodyguards beside her vigilantly watched their surroundings, protecting both Lin Xiaoxi and her property.

The casino really was professional.

Even after being taken for nearly ten million, they showed no heartache at all. That was what true wealth and power looked like!

Still, Li Yao felt uneasy inside.

He walked over, his expression calm. "Why didn't you exchange them for higher-denomination chips? A pile this big is way too conspicuous."

Lin Xiaoxi replied matter-of-factly, "I won this money with my own skills. Why shouldn't I show it off?"

Li Yao: "???"

What the hell, that made so much sense he didn't even know how to argue.

Li Yao asked, "How... did you win?"

Lin Xiaoxi said, "I just bet on big or small with the dice. I put up half my chips and went all in. I lost a few rounds, won more than ten, and made that much."

Li Yao: "..."

Was she really that overpowered?

Was the Goddess of Luck her mother?

No. If the Goddess of Luck were Aunt Lin, the Lin family would never have fallen into such trouble.

Li Yao suddenly understood why this girl had been able to casually earn twenty thousand even while she was in school...

Lin Xiaoxi stared at Li Yao excitedly. "Tell me, aren't I amazing? More than eight million! That's so much money!"

The young girl came from a working-class family too. She had never seen this much money in her life.

Eight million was an enormous sum, wealth that many people could not earn even after striving their entire lives.

Li Yao looked at the pile of chips. Though they were all made of ABS, they now seemed to radiate an intoxicating aura of wealth.

While Li Yao and Lin Xiaowei were talking, the security officer behind Lin Xiaowei came over and asked, "Will you two continue playing, or would you like to cash out?"

Lin Xiaoxi was clearly reluctant to stop, but Li Yao hurriedly cut in. "We're leaving. Please cash these chips out for us."

The security officer said, "Certainly, sir. Would you like cash or a bank transfer?"

Cash was inconvenient to carry and troublesome to take through customs. The casino charged a small handling fee for bank transfers, but with the fortune they were carrying, the fee hardly mattered. So Li Yao asked for the money to be transferred into their bank accounts.

In the end, after the 8.6 million Hong Kong Dollars were converted into RMB and the handling fee deducted, 7.5 million RMB was deposited into Lin Xiaoxi's bank account.

After conversion, 2.7 million RMB was deposited into Li Yao's account...

That was a full three times less than Lin Xiaoxi! Even with Mage Hand to cheat, Li Yao had not dared to play so aggressively, yet Lin Xiaoxi had earned so much purely through luck!

It was downright surreal! Yet reality was just like that, often more absurd than fiction. After all, reality did not need logic.

After they completed the cash-out procedures, the casino manager came over and said, "Hello, sir. Will you be continuing to play? If so, we can offer you a complimentary night in one of the VIP rooms upstairs, along with membership here. If you wish to leave, you may contact us at any time. We also provide helicopter transfer services, flying directly from Macau to Zhuhai or taking you straight to the airport."

Li Yao thought for a moment and said, "We'll continue playing, but our luggage isn't here."

The manager smiled. "That's no problem. I'll arrange for a butler to bring your luggage over. You only need to give us the address and room number."

Li Yao said, "Sorry for the trouble."

The manager smiled. "It is our honor to serve you."

Li Yao gave the manager the hotel and room number he had booked earlier and asked him to make the arrangements. Then, led by casino staff, they went to the hotel on the upper floors of the Grand Lisboa. The hotel arranged only one room for them... Well, the hotel manager thought he was being very considerate.

Fortunately, the VIP room was a suite, with separate bedroom, living room, and bathroom.

Li Yao planned to make do in the living room for the night.

While they waited for their luggage, Lin Xiaoxi was too excited to sit still in the VIP room. She said, "Li Yao, let me tell you, I've found my direction in life! From now on, I'm going to live in Macau! What's daily earnings worth a fortune? I can earn a fortune in a single hour!"

Li Yao remained very calm. "Your gambling luck really is strong."

Of course it is! Lin Xiaoxi looked immensely pleased with herself. Li Yao continued, "So you're going to make a living by gambling? Yes, your luck is strong for now, but do you think you're the only one like this? You're not the only person in Macau's casinos to become rich overnight, and those who lose fortunes overnight are hardly few! Your luck is good. You've already earned more than many people make in a lifetime. You need to know when to be content and when to walk away! Save your good fortune for the truly crucial moments in life!"

By the end, he was practically growling.

Lin Xiaoxi was startled, but she calmed down as well.

"I... But isn't having money enough? Money brings happiness, it brings joy. Why make things so troublesome? Getting there in one step... wouldn't that be better?"

Lin Xiaoxi raised her head and stared stubbornly at Li Yao.

Li Yao pressed his lips together.

That was true.

For poor people, having money was happiness.

Money could solve ninety percent of this world's difficulties, and the remaining ten percent could be solved with a great deal more money.

That was reality.

A vivid, brutal reality.

Li Yao said, "You're right, but the path you take to become rich determines how happy you can be in the future. Do you want to become the Queen of Gambling? Step into that gray zone between black and white, spend the rest of your life drowning in luxury, yet risk losing your life at any moment? Or do you want to study properly, start a business in the future, and live openly under the sunlight? You should have had a bright and fulfilling life. Your sister too. Unfortunately, she never got that chance."

Well, she was living a far more comfortable life in another world.

At that thought, Li Yao suddenly fell into deep contemplation.

Uncle Lin...

Your two daughters have serious problems! Li Yao's final words seemed to touch Lin Xiaoxi. They pulled her free from the exhilaration of her huge gambling win, making her realize something had been wrong with her earlier state... She had probably become addicted. Under the influence of that emotion, she would have become a gambling addict, exhausting the luck of her entire life at the tables and ultimately meeting a miserable end.

After all, luck... probably had limits too.

Playing once in a while was fine, but making the Goddess of Luck help you win money at the gambling tables every day—wouldn't she get tired?

Even a devotee of the Goddess of Luck would not dare play like that! So Lin Xiaoxi asked, "Then what are we doing next? Wander around Macau and have some fun?"

Li Yao said seriously, "You go have fun. I'm going to the casino."

Lin Xiaoxi: "???"

You just told me not to gamble, and now you're ditching me to play by yourself? Hah, men are all dogs! Absolute scumbags!

Facing Lin Xiaoxi's furious, bewildered gaze, Li Yao said unhurriedly, "You can win because of luck. I can win because of skill."

We're not the same! As if she believed that! Lin Xiaoxi had the urge to strangle Li Yao. "I don't care. You have to take me with you, or I'll tell Uncle Li! I'll say you've been up to no good! The moment you win money, you start going bad!"

Li Yao: "???"

What bad thing was I learning? Oh right, I had money now... I could learn to be bad.

For some reason, Lin Xiaoxi felt that the expression on Li Yao's face was gradually... slipping out of control.

Don't you think today's chapter was a little strange?—Strangely good, right? So why aren't you giving me recommendation votes and adding it to your favorites?