Chapter Forty-Eight: Insiders, Consolidation of Funds

Gao Youde revealed a lascivious expression, bringing to mind the sound of him breaking through Suli’s door last night. Suli hesitated, torn inside. She knew what it would mean to accept Gao Youde’s stake, but her funds were almost depleted. If she refused, she’d likely be eliminated in the next round.

“What exactly are your terms?” she asked bluntly.

Gao Youde smiled slyly, a glint of cunning in his eyes. “It’s simple. If you win, we split the profits fifty-fifty. If you lose, for your first time, I’ll give you three million. Afterwards, you’ll spend the night with me. How about it?”

A tremor ran through Suli. Suddenly, she turned to me, her eyes full of venom, and said, “Cousin, are you just going to stand there and watch? Are you enjoying this? Does this give you some twisted sense of satisfaction?”

To be honest, I hadn’t expected Suli to suddenly call me cousin. At that moment, everyone at the table—Gao Youde, Old Leopard Chen, and Lu Yier—wore astonished expressions. Only Sister Hong remained unperturbed, utterly composed.

Old Leopard Chen asked, “What? Suli is actually your cousin?”

I took a deep breath, forcing down my tangled emotions, and nodded. “Yes, she’s my cousin.”

I tried to keep my tone even, but inside, the turmoil was impossible to suppress. In that instant, I realized Suli had been put into this situation on purpose—to ensnare me.

Sure enough, Lu Yier’s expression turned grave.

“Gentlemen, did none of you look over the rules before joining this stone gambling? If there’s collusion, it’s strictly forbidden. And you’re even family?”

“Mr. Wang Hu, are you and Miss Suli blood relatives or related beyond the third degree?”

I paused, then replied, “Miss Suli’s father is my uncle.”

All eyes were on Suli and me, the air thick with tension. Gao Youde’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold indifference. Clearly, he hadn’t anticipated this connection between us.

Suddenly, Gao Youde looked at Sister Hong and sneered, “Hong, I really didn’t expect this from you. You and this kid were working together all along, and now this girl you brought in turns out to be his cousin! Looks like the three of you are all in on it together!”

Sister Hong’s expression was icy as she turned to Gao Youde. “Youde, are you still drunk from last night? Or are you just scared?”

Gao Youde burst out laughing. “Scared? Scared of you, you old crow? Look at how much I have in front of me—fifteen million! That’s enough for us to share a bed if we turned it into blankets! You think I’d be scared of you?”

Sister Hong let out a cold, mocking laugh. “If you’re not scared, then shut your mouth.”

Gao Youde sneered. “Fine. You all want to gang up on me, but let me tell you, from the moment I laid eyes on Suli last night, I could tell she was trouble—”

He stopped, then slid four million from the fourteen-point-nine million in front of him and pushed it to Suli.

“If you spend the night with me, this four million is yours. Take it or leave it, up to you. My money only requires you to share my bed. Anyone else’s money, you’ll have to pay back with your hands and feet!”

Gao Youde laughed, his voice echoing through the VIP suite.

Old Leopard Chen frowned, his voice grave. “Mr. Wang Hu, your relationship does complicate things. According to the rules, relatives shouldn’t be participating in the same gambling round.”

Lu Yier nodded, adding, “It’s not just unfair to the other participants—it’s a serious breach of the rules in this industry.”

At that moment, Sister Hong spoke calmly. “Since things have come to this, I happen to know a rule in the stone-gambling world.”

She lifted her hand slightly, drawing everyone’s attention. Her face remained placid, as if everything was in her control.

“In our business, there’s an unwritten rule,” she began slowly. “If insiders are exposed during a session, the funds of both insiders must be combined. But that doesn’t mean they get off easy—their usable funds are halved. If others bet one and a half million, they must bet three million... until they lose everything.”

Lu Yier nodded gravely. “That rule does exist.”

Gao Youde’s face darkened, though a faint smile played at his lips. Clearly, he knew this rule too.

Old Leopard Chen glanced at Suli and me.

Just then, I heard Hu San behind me mutter under his breath, “This is bullshit! We did nothing wrong and just lost half our funds!”

“Brother Hu, we can’t agree to this!”

But before he finished, Lu Yier snapped at him, “Your master is at the table. Who are you to interrupt? That’s one warning!”

Hu San bristled with anger, his face flushed, but under Lu Yier’s reprimand, he could only grit his teeth and step aside, his eyes full of resentment and frustration.

Gao Youde sneered at me. “Wang Hu, if you can’t handle it, just admit defeat and leave. This isn’t your scene. Your cousin’s got a way to vent her frustrations, but what about you? Gonna talk your way out?”

He laughed uproariously, his voice taunting and mocking as it echoed around the suite.

I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm. The situation was clearly against me, but I couldn’t just give up—I had no way out. Every cent I had was borrowed from Gao Youde. If I backed down now, I’d be playing right into his hands.

As for Suli, I was now sure... she was being used by someone here as a pawn.

But in that moment, I truly didn’t know whose hand was behind her. Yet the way she called out to me just now was clearly targeted. With that single shout, I lost half my funds. What was now over three million was reduced to the equivalent of a million and a half. In the next rounds, if anyone found a top-quality stone, I might not even have enough to buy a single rough.

“You’re all so concerned about me,” I said coldly, “but the game isn’t over. Who wins and who loses is still uncertain.”

Gao Youde’s laughter cut off abruptly, a vicious glint in his eyes. “Fine, let’s keep playing and see who laughs last. So you’re agreeing to the terms?”

In truth, before this betting session began, Gao Youde had privately suggested we work together. He’d thought I could be an asset to him. What he didn’t anticipate was that the people in this business hadn’t changed much over the years.

He’d doubled his money as soon as he started, and now he wanted to push me out—convinced he could win on his own.