The reason I rented a place outside instead of staying in the company dorms is because it’s easier to practice my cheating techniques alone. After all, "the hand should never leave the fist, and the mouth should never leave the tune."

When I arrived home, I turned on the lights. The dark room instantly brightened up. I walked over to my desk and looked back at Chen Xiaoxue, who was curiously examining my room. She looked at me, then flashed me a seductive smile and asked, “What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a beautiful woman before?”

With a playful wink, she strutted over to me, her hips swaying, and placed her hand on my chest. Her gaze was even more flirtatious.

“You won me over tonight, so now I’m yours. Tell me, what do you want me to do?”

As she spoke, her finger slowly slid down my cheek.

“Say something…”

Looking at Chen Xiaoxue, who was oozing with charm, I remained expressionless. Suddenly, I spoke in a low voice.

“Kneel.”

Chen Xiaoxue was momentarily stunned, but she quickly regained her composure, smiling coquettishly as she swayed her hips and slowly knelt at my feet. She looked up at me and spoke in a soft, almost pleading tone.

“Chu Liu… no, I should call you Chu Liu Ye. How long has it been since you’ve been with a woman? You’re so eager…”

As she spoke, her hand moved towards my belt, and with a gentle tug, it loosened.

“Do men always like it when women kneel and serve them?”

Slap!

I swatted her hand away. It seemed she thought I was looking for something more exciting.

“What are you thinking? Turn around and look at the table.”

Only then did she look at the table. On it was a black-and-white memorial photo of my father. It was the only photo left of him.

“Earlier today, at the gambling table, you insulted my parents. I won you, and now, I want you to kneel and apologize to my father, offer him incense, and make amends.”

Even someone as thick-skinned as Chen Xiaoxue turned awkward when I said that. But she still obediently lit the incense, knelt in front of my father's photo, and began muttering her apologies.

I ignored her and went to take a shower.

I had to admit, Old Black’s punches were hard. My body was bruised, and every part of me ached as though my bones had been broken. These injuries would need a few days to heal.

After showering and changing into my pajamas, I lay back on the bed. Chen Xiaoxue was still inspecting the room. When she saw me lying down, she came over and smiled at me.

“Chu Liu, you’re such a man tonight. Old Black was scared out of his wits by you. You must be exhausted. Let me give you a foot massage. I’m the best at it in our place, you know…”

Before I could respond, she had already grabbed a chair, sat down beside the bed, and took my foot in her hands.

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Although I wasn’t familiar with Chen Xiaoxue, I knew she was the type of woman who always tried to attach herself to the powerful. She was likely up to something with her sudden act of kindness.

“Wow, your feet look really nice!”

I sneered inwardly. It was laughable that she was now complimenting my feet.

“Don’t say, they even smell nice after the wash…”

She said this and, to my surprise, kissed my foot.

I kept my eyes closed, ignoring her. As she massaged my foot, Chen Xiaoxue suddenly spoke again.

“Chu Liu, I have a secret to tell you. Actually, the cards you play with in that game of Zha Jinhua—Hou Jun knows them. The playing cards he uses are magic cards…”

I didn’t understand why Chen Xiaoxue suddenly decided to spill this information. Was she planning to stop working with Hou Jun?

Of course, I wasn’t narcissistic enough to think she was interested in me.

“You don’t know?” I asked, eyes still closed.

“I don’t know, of course not…” she lied immediately.

She had been right next to Hou Jun to help him watch the cards, and now she claimed she didn’t know them?

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Chen Xiaoxue tried again.

“Chu Liu, do you really know how to cheat? I don’t believe it’s just coincidence. When you dealt the cards, Old Black got a full house with Jacks, Hou Jun got a full house with Aces, and you had a 2-3-5? I think you must be a cheater. That 10,000 you have, you won it, right?”

This time, Chen Xiaoxue was smarter than Hou Jun. Many things in gambling seem like coincidences, but they’re actually the result of someone cheating.

“Actually, I know a few rich big bosses in our bathhouse who also love to gamble. Why don’t I introduce them to you, and you can cheat them out of their money? You just need to share some of the winnings with me. What do you think?”

“No thanks,” I coldly refused.

So, this was her real goal—she had come back with me so easily, offering herself up like this, because she wanted me to cheat for her.

I needed money, but I knew people like her, who only cared about profit, were dangerous. Working with her meant there was always a chance of being double-crossed.

The old man used to say: in this world, the priority is always stability, and safety is paramount.

Seeing that I refused, Chen Xiaoxue didn’t give up. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.

“I’ll tell you another secret. The boss of our bathhouse is a woman. She’s young, and not only does she run the bathhouse and clubs, but she also owns a casino. Mei Jie works for her, managing the bathhouse…”

I was shocked. I had been at Tianxiang for half a year, but I had never heard this before. Was Mei Jie’s casino, the one she took me to yesterday, actually our boss’s?

“If you really know how to cheat, I can help you talk to Mei Jie and see if she can transfer you to the casino. Once you’re there, you’ll make a fortune…”

I remained silent.

“And you must have heard of the Zou family, right? In Ha Bei, everyone knows them. Our boss is part of the Zou family! Working for them is like hitting the jackpot. You can’t not get rich…”

I didn’t know who the Zou family was. I knew nothing about Ha Bei except for Tianxiang.

“Oh, and by the way, our boss is a big beauty. I’ve never seen her, but I’ve heard she’s even more beautiful than Mei Mei. She’s probably just like me…”

Chen Xiaoxue bragged about herself.

She was certainly attractive, but when compared to Mei Mei, she was in a different league.

“I’ll put it this way: every man who has seen me wants to sleep with me. If they saw our boss, they’d probably think the same…”

She laughed seductively, lowering her voice. “What about you? Chu Liu Ye, do you want to sleep with me?”

It was a clear and deliberate provocation.

She started to tease me, even adding in soft, seductive sighs. The sound was irresistible.

But I kept my eyes closed and didn’t say a word.

Her hand began to wander, moving from my ankle upward, inch by inch, getting closer to more sensitive places.

I frowned and suddenly asked in a low voice:

“What are you doing?”

“Guess,” she giggled, then climbed onto the bed.

“Get off!”

I opened my eyes and glared at her.

Chen Xiaoxue froze, thinking I was just a naive boy. A few words, a few moves, and she thought she could easily seduce me.

But to her surprise, I refused outright.

She didn’t give up, though, pretending to look hurt and vulnerable.

“Are you really going to let me go like this?” she asked.

I closed my eyes again and coldly said, “There’s 500 in my pocket. Take it. Consider it payment for your foot massage.”

Chen Xiaoxue saw that I wasn’t changing my mind, so with a sigh, she got off the bed, grabbed the money, and left.

“I’m taking 500 and leaving,” she said as she walked out.

But I knew she took 1,000.

The faint sound of her counting the money was barely audible, but in my ears, it was crystal clear.