(Chapter 81 is the continuation of chapter 79; chapter 80 is fully author's notes)
Bai Youyo: Yuzu, what exactly happened?
: I'm so worried about you now. Can you tell me where you are?
: It hurts a bit... I want to see you...
The messages popped up one after another. Xu Xiaoyou simply turned off the phone screen.
She was almost certain that Bai Youyou must have discovered something over the past few days.
An inexplicable sense of unease settled in her heart. People like her often possessed a powerful survival instinct.
Intuition told her that Bai Youyou was extremely dangerous right now.
She trusted her sixth sense implicitly.
"It seems there's no way we can continue being friends, Youyou."
She had intended to block the girl's account, her fingertip hovering over the red block button several times.
In the end, Xu Xiaoyou abandoned the idea.
She would keep it as a memento. After all, she was the first person she could truly call a confidant since arriving in this world.
Evening arrived.
Inside the opulent gambling hall, the wealthy squandered fortunes.
Decadent lights flickered across tense faces, hands gripping the edge of the tables, and eyes fixed on the cards; desire was like a cup filled to the brim, looking as if it would spill from their eyes at any moment.
Everyone here was rowing a small boat named "Desire" across a sea of crisis, gambles, and infinity. The quiet atmosphere masked a constant storm; one slight misstep, and the boat would capsize, dragging the person into the abyss.
At a table in the corner, an old gambler appeared utterly lost. Fine beads of sweat dampened his forehead, and he gasped for air as if he were drowning.
His gaze darted around, looking for a lifesaver, but the onlookers were cold and mocking.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the person in front of him—a blonde girl.
"All-in."
Xu Xiaoyou pushed her mountain of chips forward.
The chips crashed onto the table, seemingly shattering the old gambler’s heart. His confidence and pride were smashed to bits, leaving only a hollow shell already eaten away by greed.
"No..." the gambler swallowed hard, shaking his head in terror.
"Either call or fold," Xu Xiaoyou said.
"You! Why are you all looking at me like that!?"
Seeing the indifference of those around him, the man's psychological defenses collapsed.
He had already bet everything.
The fortune he had gained by selling his daughter to an old man hadn't been enough to turn his luck around.
The girl's pile of chips looked light as they bounced on the table. But the crisp clatter of those chips crushed him completely.
He had no money left to follow...
He had lost everything he had put in....
Suddenly, the man did something outrageous.
It was as if he had snapped; he leaned over and grabbed a large handful of chips, stuffing them into his pockets and even down his collar.
Then, under everyone's gaze, he fled toward the exit like a cornered animal. With every step, chips spilled out, clattering onto the floor.
By the time the hall’s security caught him, the chips on his person had all fallen out. He was pinned down against a gambling table.
He looked up to see the girl’s emotionless gold eyes reflecting a cold light. The last chip she had been twirling between her fingers landed right in front of him.
"Please, let me go...
"I need money. I need to buy back my daughter. I have to pay for my mother's medicine. Please!"
Looking at the fawning, ridiculous, and pathetic smile on the man's face, Xu Xiaoyou remained unmoved.
"I really know I was wrong. I shouldn't have gambled. I deserve to die! I've failed my daughter and my wife...
"
"People really will say anything when they're at a dead end."
Disgust flashed in Xu Xiaoyou's eyes.
"You don't know you're wrong; you just know you're about to die."
"Are you even human!?" the man roared in despair. "Are you just going to watch me die? They'll send me to the fresh meat restaurant! I'll die!"
"Being a pig suits you quite well," Xu Xiaoyou smiled. "After all, when someone abandons their wife and child for gambling funds, they lose the right to be human."
The man was dragged away, cursing Xu Xiaoyou with the foulest words in the world.
"Can't hear you, can't hear you, just a dog barking, dog barking, dog barking."
Xu Xiaoyou covered her ears, pretending she heard nothing.
Once it was quiet, Xu Xiaoyou blinked:
"Still playing?"
She looked at the people around her.
No one responded this time. From the moment this blonde girl arrived in the evening, these regular gamblers hadn't won a single round. Her hands seemed magical, always drawing the strongest cards. Her eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, always avoiding risk and every unfavorable situation.
It was as if she were using cheats or a scam!
But they simply couldn't find any evidence of cheating. In one night, the girl had won nearly ten thousand credit points.
They shivered at the thought of the man's fate.
In a short while, the room was empty.
Xu Xiaoyou shrugged: "I knew it."
She looked at the Texas Hold'em cards on the table, still showing her winning hand. Her expression didn't change.
Dreaming of making a fortune through this kind of thing was the height of stupidity.
A gambler can bet their life, but they can't bet on the money.
Thinking of the man, Xu Xiaoyou's gaze was indifferent.
Not a single gambler deserved pity. She didn't believe this gambling hall would actually let her leave with such a large fortune alive.
Moreover, those with sharp survival instincts had stopped playing with her after losing repeatedly. Now that the crowd was gone, only a girl with a hat and long black hair remained standing silently.
From that position, one could see the entire layout of the table.
Xu Xiaoyou walked up to her, the corners of her mouth curling up as she gently lifted the girl's chin. She had a beautiful pair of amber eyes.
Just like her own.
"Alright, that’s it for tonight. Let's go."
Xu Xiaoyou said as she waved her hand and walked toward the back of the gambling hall.
The Substitute: "..."
?
Mist swirled.
Xu Xiaoyou leaned back in the private hot spring, her face looking relaxed.
The feeling of being immersed in the hot spring water was wonderful. Her whole body was wrapped in warmth, and the fatigue of the past few days vanished amidst the rising and falling splashes. The fragrance of the flowers planted around the spring was rich and soul-refreshing.
A waitress walked over, her black and white uniform fitting her figure perfectly and highlighting her long legs. She wore a fox mask.
She handed over a glass of chilled white wine.
Xu Xiaoyou took it. Frost clung to the glass, and the fruity aroma of the wine wafted to her nose.
This was the life she wanted—so easy and carefree.
Most importantly, standing above countless others.
With that thought, Xu Xiaoyou took a small sip of the liquid.
This hotel, named Angel's Kiss, actually provided services that weren't meant to be spoken of aloud. In dark, narrow spaces, the veela dance troupes would hold hands and perform a spicy dance for you, followed by a chaotic party after the dance ended.
"What kind of person would be interested in imps?"
Xu Xiaoyou submerged her head in the spring water, then emerged with droplets falling from her damp hair. Her hands rested on the rough stone wall, and her chin rested lightly on her fair, folded arms.
The veelas trained by Angel's Kiss were all purebred.
They were raised from a young age.
In the entire city, this was usually the only place where one could see purebred veelas.
Just as she thought this peaceful time would stretch on indefinitely, a phone call came through.
Her face remained lazily propped on her arms. Without looking at the screen, she answered the call, her voice a bit slurred from the wine: "Hello? Who is it?"
A low, raspy voice came from the other end, sounding like suppressed emotions finally breaking through a cage.
"You have three minutes to run."
Rate on N.U.
