Five days ago, 3 p.m., a certain photographic studio.
"Please come a little closer, you two," the photographer called out to the bride and groom-to-be in their wedding attire but with a somewhat cold atmosphere.
"Mr. Xu, please put your arm around Ms. Nan's waist a little."
Xu Yiyang followed the photographer's suggestion and went to wrap his arm around Nan Yue, only to have her push him away unabashedly.
Nan Yue said, "It's just a set of photos. As long as they look fine, there's no need to get overly serious about it."
Xu Yiyang's brows knitted into a frown. "The photos are meant to decorate the wedding venue. If you keep scowling, what will the guests think when they see us? You may not care about me, but you should at least consider the elders' feelings."
"Don't try to pressure me with the elders. You're no different from them."
Xu Yiyang stared at Nan Yue's indifferent profile for a while before suddenly grabbing a reflector from a crew member and smashing it on the ground!
After that, any movable object within his sight became a victim of his fury.
The set designers quickly scurried off to the side.
The backstage crew took out a computer and started tallying up Xu Yiyang's damages so they could have him reimburse them after he finished venting.
The photographer switched the camera to video mode. Though this sort of spoiled young master had money to spare, it was still best to take some precautions in case he refused to pay.
Aside from the crackling and crashing sounds of things breaking, the set was eerily quiet.
Clearly everyone here was experienced enough not to panic.
Nan Yue watched everything unfold with utter composure. Xu Yiyang's joy, anger, sorrow and happiness were unable to elicit any emotional response from her.
As the noise died down, Xu Yiyang took out his Burberry handkerchief to wipe away his sweat, and wrapped up his finger that got cut by a piece of glass.
He turned back to look at Nan Yue and found that she still wore the same expression as before his outburst.
Xu Yiyang gave a self-deprecating laugh and walked over to Nan Yue's side. "Nan Yue, you win. Let's see how long you can keep up this genteel image of yours!"
Nan Yue glanced at him briefly. "Let me give you some advice. Don't go coveting what isn't yours. It'll save you a lot of headaches."
"Hmph!" Xu Yiyang grabbed Nan Yue by the shoulders. "A melon forcibly plucked is still sweet even if underripe. If you knew how thirsty I am for you right now, you'd understand how hard it's been for me to endure! Nan Yue, you're too cruel to me! So I've come up with a way to get back at you."
Nan Yue tried to push him away but lacked the strength to break free of his hold.
So she stomped on his foot, and when he winced in pain and unconsciously loosened his grip, she slipped out of his shackles.
A certain possibility came to her mind, and she raised her voice to ask, "What do you mean by that, Xu Yiyang?!"
"Qin Zhao, your ex-girlfriend," Xu Yiyang called back even louder. "I'm going to kill her! If I can't be happy, I won't let you get your way either! Don't think I don't know. The one you truly love is that woman! As long as I kill her, you'll get to experience my pain!"
Nan Yue clenched her teeth to keep her expression from losing control. During the time she and Qin Zhao had been apart, Qin Zhao had actually done so much.
The words Qin Zhao spoke when they broke up echoed in her ears: "Don't leave, or you'll regret it!" She really meant what she said.
But the regret Nan Yue felt wasn't due to Nan Chenghui and Ye Chenxi.
She regretted not believing in Qin Zhao. If it had been her, she definitely could have saved Nan Yue. But now it was too late to say that.
Xu Yiyang closed in on Nan Yue and continued, "If you think my alliance with Nan Chenghui isn't enough... Then add a Ye Chenxi to it. To be honest, I have him to thank as well for being able to marry you."
"You still don't know this, but your dad is now bedridden and has only days left to live, while Ye Chenxi lost a leg. They have her to thank for that!!"
The shock in Nan Yue's eyes could no longer be concealed. During the time she and Qin Zhao had been apart, Qin Zhao had done so much.
The words Qin Zhao said when they broke up echoed in her ears once more: "Don't leave, or you'll regret it!" She really did as she said.
But the regret Nan Yue felt wasn't due to Nan Chenghui and Ye Chenxi.
She regretted not believing in Qin Zhao. If it had been her, she definitely could have saved Nan Yue. But now it was too late to say that.
Xu Yiyang approached Nan Yue and went on, "If you feel my alliance with Nan Chenghui still isn't enough... add Ye Chenxi to it as well. To be honest, I have him to thank too for being able to marry you."
"You still don't know this, but your dad is now bedridden and has only days left to live, while Ye Chenxi lost a leg. They have her to thank for that!!"
The shock in Nan Yue's eyes could no longer be concealed. During the time apart from Qin Zhao, she had actually done so much.
The words Qin Zhao spoke when they broke up echoed in her ears once more: "Don't leave, or you'll regret it!" She really did as she said.
But the regret Nan Yue felt wasn't due to Nan Chenghui and Ye Chenxi.
It was regret for not believing in Qin Zhao. If it had been her, she surely could have saved Nan Yue. But now it was too late to say that.
Xu Yiyang closed in on Nan Yue and continued, "If you think my alliance with Nan Chenghui still isn't enough... Then add a Ye Chenxi to it as well. To be honest, I have him to thank too for being able to marry you."
"You still don't know this, but your dad is now bedridden and has only days left to live, while Ye Chenxi lost a leg. They have her to thank for that!!"
The shock in Nan Yue's eyes could no longer be concealed. During the time apart from Qin Zhao, she had actually done so much.
The words Qin Zhao spoke when they broke up echoed in her ears once more: "Don't leave, or you'll regret it!" She really did as she said.
But the regret Nan Yue felt wasn't due to Nan Chenghui and Ye Chenxi.
It was regret for not believing in Qin Zhao. If it had been her, she surely could have saved Nan Yue. But now it was too late to say that.
Xu Yiyang approached Nan Yue and continued, "If you feel my alliance with Nan Chenghui still isn't enough... add Ye Chenxi too. To be honest, I also have him to thank for being able to marry you."
"You still don't know this, but your dad is now bedridden and only has a few days left to live. Ye Chenxi lost a leg. They have her to thank for that!!"
Nan Yue couldn't conceal the shock in her eyes any longer. Unbeknownst to her, Qin Zhao had done so much during the time they were apart.
The words Qin Zhao said when they broke up echoed in her ears once again: "Don't leave, or you'll regret it!" She really followed through.
But the regret Nan Yue felt wasn't due to Nan Chenghui and Ye Chenxi.
It was regret for not believing in Qin Zhao. If it had been her, she surely could have saved Nan Yue. But now it was too late.
Xu Yiyang approached Nan Yue and continued, "I just hope you recognize what kind of person your ex-girlfriend truly is. She's not your destiny. Someone so vicious, cruel, cold-blooded and merciless will only drag you down into hell!"
Xu Yiyang held out his hand, looking deeply affectionate. "Nan Yue, come to my side. I'll love and protect you for life."
"You keep calling her my ex-girlfriend. Even without her, you could never be anything to me now."
After letting his hand hang in the air for five minutes without Nan Yue showing any intention of taking it, he could only retract his hand dejectedly, putting on a pained expression.
After a long pause, he spoke again, "If you really can't bring yourself to like me, I have a proposal. Would you be willing to hear it?"
Nan Yue lifted her chin slightly to signal him to continue.
"Let's make a bet. If you win, I'll grant you one request. If I win, you have to promise not to divorce me for five years. During that time, while maintaining a superficially harmonious relationship, we can live our own lives well."
Nan Yue didn't hesitate for long. She did have one request for Xu Yiyang after all.
"Alright, I'll take that bet with you. How will we do it?"
Xu Yiyang took out a gold card from his pocket and started twirling it around in his hand. "Naturally, real gambling. If you don't know how, make sure to learn these next few days. You don't need great skills, since gambling mainly depends on luck anyway."
"We'll meet again on March 21st. Don't stand me up."
After he finished speaking, Xu Yiyang handed the gold card to Nan Yue, then called for his assistant and left together.
Nan Yue looked down at the card. Written on it in big letters were the words "Ghost God Casino VIP."
·
"You weren't satisfied with that last guy. How about I entertain you for a round?"
Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow at the middle-aged man. "What makes you worthy of playing with me?"
The middle-aged man made a slight lifting motion with his hand, and the person to his left immediately carried over a suitcase and placed it on the table.
He opened it to reveal a suitcase full of red hundred dollar bills, eliciting gasps of awe from the gamblers who had been silently observing this side.
Qin Zhao remained unmoved. "What does your money have to do with me? If you just want to flaunt your wealth, why not start a livestream? More people would be willing to sing your praises there."
The middle-aged man's mouth twitched, but he didn't get angry either. He held out his hand and introduced himself, "This humble one goes by Pei Qian."
"Gao Gan."
Seeing that Qin Zhao made no move to shake his hand, Pei Qian continued unfazed, "I didn't mean to brag, Miss Gao. To be honest, I've been gambling at this casino for seven or eight years now, and have seen tens of thousands of gamblers. But I've never seen such a young, beautiful and elegant woman like you before."
The corner of Qin Zhao's mouth curved up slightly. "Oh? So you approached because you're captivated by my beauty?"
"That's right," Pei Qian affirmed. "But don't worry. I conduct business in an upright manner. If you're unwilling, I won't force you to do anything."
"You seem very confident that I'd be willing."
Pei Qian neither confirmed nor denied it, but the assured expression on his face had already acquiesced to Qin Zhao's words.
"May I ask how many women have been 'willing' after winning them from you before?"
"Among the women currently at this casino, only two haven't slept with either me or my brothers."
After he finished speaking, some eavesdropping gamblers had awkward expressions on their faces.
They were probably thinking about how their own women had been lost to Pei Qian before.
During their conversation, the dealer had arrived at the table.
Qin Zhao clicked her tongue and said, "Impressive. Deal the cards then."
Such a reaction made Pei Qian feel provoked.
He winked at the dealer, who gave a slight nod in response before taking out a new deck of cards and shuffling them.
