Chapter 9: The Roulette Wheel

Shang Ying hesitated for two seconds before stepping into the elevator anyway. After all, she didn't have much time left. Her ruthless guardian had beaten her for three straight hours, yet had only granted her leave for the morning. By 7:10 AM tomorrow, she would have to head out for school.

To make matters worse, Guangming didn't open until 11:00 PM, forcing her to sneak out in the dark. It was now 11:30 PM; she had to be back asleep before 2:30 AM, or she would definitely be late tomorrow morning.

The taxi ride back would take nearly an hour, leaving her with less than two hours to spare. However, that was more than enough.

An unpleasant smell of cigarette smoke lingered around the tip of her nose. Shang Ying felt like gagging the moment she stepped inside, so she couldn't help letting out a soft cough. Perhaps that sound had an effect, as the person smoking dropped his cigarette to the floor and stomped it out.

"Hey kid, are you here looking for an adult?"

A light, magnetic voice sounded.

Shang Ying turned to look. Speaking was a young man in a wine-red shirt with a lazy smile. The top two buttons of his collar were unbuttoned, and with the slightest movement, one could catch a glimpse of his collarbone beneath his clothes.

‘A show-off.’

Shang Ying reached her verdict with a single glance.

Cui Heyuan’s handsome eyes curved slightly into a smile, softening his tone out of consideration for the kid.

Yet, after giving him a single look, the kid simply turned her head away and ignored him completely. Quite a personality, were all teenagers like this nowadays?

Cui Heyuan didn't take offense. Instead, he felt amused enough to keep chatting.

"This isn't a fun place for kids. Did you wander into the wrong place?"

Shang Ying maintained her silence.

Seeing her cold attitude, Cui Heyuan curled his lips and winked at the man on the far left.

Xie Tuo looked at him, then shifted his gaze downward to study the girl who was clearly a student. Shrouded in shadow, his eyes were unreadable, hiding whatever thoughts lay beneath.

The elevator doors opened, and Shang Ying briskly stepped out.

The three men followed closely behind. Seeing them, the venue manager immediately rushed forward to greet them with attentive deference.

Cui Heyuan rested his hand on Xie Tuo’s shoulder and couldn't help chuckling, feeling somewhat curious.

"Hey, do you think underage girls like coming to casinos for fun these days?"

"Do you think that's possible? An invitation would never be issued to a minor." Wei Yanyi rolled his eyes at him and walked familiarly toward the second floor with arms crossed.

"Like I wouldn't know that? I'm just curious how that kid got in."

Xie Tuo glanced in the direction Shang Ying had departed, then instructed the manager in a low voice to verify her invitation. Having received his orders, the manager hurriedly left.

As the top underground casino in the Capital, Guangming's environment was in no way inferior to well-known casino cities. Over twenty distinct games were available, and every single table was packed with people.

In the air, the scent of perfume mingled with cigar smoke. Crisp clinking of glasses, toast-making, and glamorously dressed men and women floated throughout the floor. Sparkling jewelry and flashing luxury watches displayed their wealth at every corner.

As far as the eye could see was an overstimulation of the senses. Crystal chandeliers radiated subtle warmth, casting a golden glow on the flushed faces of the gamblers. The decor could only be described as magnificent, bathing the whole hall in a brilliant, pretentious light.

Having not visited a casino in a long time, Shang Ying felt a bizarre, nostalgic sensation of returning home as she stood in the room.

With only twenty thousand yuan in hand, she was likely the poorest person in all of Guangming. After exchanging all her cash for chips, she walked over to the roulette table and stopped.

A round had just concluded. Amidst excited cheers and reluctant sighs of defeat, a pretty dealer lady offered a warm smile, swiftly clearing the table to signal that everyone could place their bets for the new round.

Shang Ying walked toward the inner ring. Quite a few people glanced sideways at her. Her mask and hat made her look quite odd in this crowd, and combined with her youthful aura and posture, one look was enough to tell she was a student. As a result, curious eyes continually hovered around her.

Roulette is a staple game in casinos. The pockets are numbered with green 0, and 1 through 36, alternating between red and black. The dealer launches a small ball into the spinning wheel, and it eventually lands randomly in one of the pockets.

Betting options include single-number bets. Betting on just one number, which carries the highest risk and offers a 35 to 1 payout. Secondary options include multi-number bets, red/black, odd/even, or high/low, where lower difficulty corresponds to lower payouts.

Many people had already placed their bets while others watched from the sidelines. Shang Ying belonged to the latter group, as she intended to place a bet with the highest difficulty and the largest payout.

She put down her entire twenty thousand yuan at once. If she lost, she would be left penniless; if she won, she would walk away with 720,000 yuan. It was an all-in, high-stakes choice. An exceptionally bold move.

Under the dealer lady's operation, the small ball dropped into the spinning roulette wheel. As the wheel and the ball spun together, Shang Ying ignored the noise around her, quietly calculating in her heart.

Before long, she stacked all the chips in her hand onto Black 33 on the betting felt. The surrounding people stared at her as if she were an idiot, because on the first floor, almost no one dared to bet like this.

To play it safe, experienced players usually chose corner bets, or at most a street bet on three numbers if they felt bold. Straight up betting on a single number right out of the gate like this was considered utterly foolish.

"Holy crap, someone actually put a straight up bet! Hahaha, thanks for sending us money!"

"How did this little sister even sneak in? She looks like a minor. She probably doesn't know how to play and is just tossing chips around randomly."

"Is she just standing here watching and adding to the chaos? It's messing with my train of thought."

"You never know. She looks young, but her gambling courage is insane! Did she watch too many movies at home and come here to pretend she knows how to play?"

Laughter and mocking comments broke out around her, but seeing that the chips in Shang Ying's hand weren't much, they simply treated it as entertaining drama.

Shang Ying turned a deaf ear to these remarks. Anywhere else, her temper would have made her curse right back, but in a casino, she chose to keep a low profile.

After all, she was here to win money, not to pick fights. Being able to walk out with the cash smoothly was a skill in itself.

"Hey girl, is this your first time here? Let me tell you, straight up bets on the roulette without technique don't work out. Don't do this next time."

An older guy nearby saw how young Shang Ying looked and assumed she had been brought here by an elder to have fun, so he kindly gave her a word of advice. Small money was still money. Using it for an experience was fine, but losing it foolishly was pointless.

Shang Ying raised her eyelids, cast him a glance, and nodded slightly, looking quite receptive to advice. Seeing this, the guy felt a sense of relief, convinced that his guess was right on the mark.

In a private room on the second floor, besides drinks, various gaming facilities were fully set up. It was naturally far more exquisite and luxurious than the floor below, and looking down through the window gave a clear view of half the casino.

Wei Yanyi had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, casually tapping his fingers on the window sill. Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a certain spot, his eyes narrowing as a look of surprise surfaced on his face.

"Hey Hey Hey! Quick, come here! Look at what I'm seeing!" He hurriedly grabbed Cui Heyuan, who was pouring a drink, yanking him over to the window in a rush.

Cui Heyuan grew impatient, having just taken a sip of wine. "You better be showing me a beauty, or I'll beat you up!"

Following the direction of Wei Yanyi’s finger, Cui Heyuan took a look and immediately spotted Shang Ying standing beside the roulette table. His eyes widened in shock, staring anxiously for a long moment without being able to squeeze out a single word.