Chapter 43: VIP Box, 9:00 PM

"A VIP lounge?"

Xu Yi was, of course, aware that inside the casino of the Tianlan Club, there was also a VIP lounge.

This was precisely why Xu Yi had to make such a high-profile entrance into the casino. The VIP lounge was not open to ordinary people; those who gained entry were either immensely wealthy or possessed exceptional gambling skills.

For the wealthy, this place was a way to showcase the difference between their fortune and ordinary people.

For those skilled in gambling:

The first reason was that if the casino left them out on the main floor, the house would suffer massive losses. Inside the VIP lounge, winning and losing money was strictly a matter between players. Not only would the casino not lose money, but those wealthy individuals didn't care about the monetary wins and losses—having an interesting game was their ultimate goal, and keeping the game interesting naturally precluded ordinary people.

As for the second reason, Luo Hao was actively searching for individuals skilled in gambling, and anyone who attracted enough attention would be brought directly to the VIP lounge.

According to the intelligence provided by Crazy Zhang, Luo Hao was also scheduled to appear in the VIP lounge tonight.

"What's so special about the VIP lounge? If there's no technical depth to it, then it won't be very interesting, right?" Xu Yi feigned a lack of interest.

A-Jie smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, what do you think of my skills?"

"So-so, I suppose."

A-Jie continued, "Indeed. I am truly mediocre, but inside the VIP lounge, I wouldn't even count as mediocre. If you want a truly interesting game, you might as well go in and see for yourself."

"Furthermore, given your gambling prowess, if you were to play in the VIP lounge, you could easily add another zero to your earnings right now."

Yang Tingting’s mouth immediately dropped open. "Add a zero? That would be... twenty million!"

At the appropriate moment, an excited expression appeared on Xu Yi's face. "Now that is getting interesting. In that case, lead the way quickly!"

Seeing Xu Yi agree, A-Jie let out a long sigh of relief! If this man had stayed outside any longer, the casino's floor would have collapsed tonight.

Soon, guided by A-Jie, the three of them passed through a golden set of doors and descended to the second underground level.

The casino staff thoughtfully exchanged Xu Yi's chips, replacing the original ten-thousand-dollar chips with one-hundred-thousand-dollar ones.

The interior space of the second level was not particularly large, but the decor was exquisitely refined. The style abandoned the flashy, nouveau-riche display of gold and jade; instead, a dark gray aesthetic gave it an immense sense of class and texture.

The gambling equipment here was not as abundant as on the first floor. There were only four gambling tables, uniformly dedicated to card games.

There were not many people here either. A quick sweep of the room told Xu Yi that, including the casino personnel, there were fewer than thirty people present.

However, Xu Yi did not spot Luo Hao among them.

Could Crazy Zhang's intelligence have been mistaken? Did Luo Hao not come tonight?

Xu Yi frowned slightly.

"Well then, Mr. Xu, I wish you a pleasant game! I'll take my leave."

After saying this politely, A-Jie withdrew from the lounge.

Xu Yi let out a breath. Since Luo Hao had not shown himself yet, he had no choice but to continue playing for now.

He lifted his eyes again to scan the card games at the four tables, and ultimately chose a Blackjack table to sit down at.

Seated at this particular table were already three players and a dealer.

The first player was a grossly overweight man with a head as round as a pig's, possessing a massive physique. Piles of chips sat before him like small mountains, conservatively estimated to be worth at least ten million.

Yet this fatty seemed to have no intention of paying attention to the game at all; instead, he buried his head directly into the bosom of his female companion beside him, brazenly toying with her.

Looking at the next person, it was a refined-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He had no female companion, and although the stack of chips in front of him wasn't as large as the fatty's, it amounted to at least five million.

The final player was an arrogant-looking young man surrounded by three female companions. He uninhibitedly groped back and forth among the three women, nearly stripping the clothes off the three beauties without a care in the world.

In front of him, the chips occupied nearly a quarter of the table—so many that it was impossible to tell their exact value at a glance.

In comparison, Xu Yi's stack of just over three million chips made him look like a pauper here.

Lastly, the dealer was an expressionless, stern-faced elderly man.

Xu Yi quietly chose the last empty seat and sat down. Yang Tingting had been terrified by the massive stacks of chips on the table and the uninhibited atmosphere, gripping Xu Yi's arm tightly. She didn't dare to speak, remaining as quiet as a frightened quail.

Seeing Xu Yi sit down, two of the players glanced at him once and then withdrew their gaze.

Only that arrogant young man suddenly stared at Yang Tingting beside Xu Yi and said, "Beauty, I haven't seen you around before! New here? Why don't you come over and keep me company?"

Yang Tingting instantly tensed up, subconsciously looking toward Xu Yi.

Only then did the arrogant young man look at Xu Yi and the chips in front of him, subsequently saying with disdain, "New here? Your woman isn't bad. This young master has taken a liking to her. Name your price."

Yang Tingting instantly grew even more nervous, gripping Xu Yi's arm tightly as a pleading look appeared in her eyes.

She had come to make money, but she didn't want to become a plaything for the wealthy just for cash.

Xu Yi patted Yang Tingting's hand reassuringly, then looked at the young man and replied indifferently, "Not interested."

The arrogant young man shrugged, wearing a care-free expression as he said flatly, "Newcomer, if you want to play at our table, you have to follow the rules. With just that pitiful amount of chips you've got..."

The youth scoffed disdainfully, "You'll be forced off the table after a couple of rounds. This young master taking a liking to your woman is doing you a favor, understand? Where did this bumpkin crawl out from?"

Right as he finished speaking! The card game on the table reached the showdown phase.

The young man had the highest hand value and swept the board entirely. The dealer pushed the three million chips over to the youth's side.

The youth pointed at the dealer and said, "Old Wu! Explain the rules of our table to this bumpkin."

"Understood, Young Master Ye!"

The dealer then calmly addressed Xu Yi: "This gambling table plays Blackjack. Players take turns acting as the dealer. I am the dealer for the house, but the player with the highest hand value in the current round becomes the dealer for the next round. The dealer's rules for hitting are identical to the players' and are not restricted by the seventeen-point rule."

"The minimum bet per round for players is one million, with a maximum cap of ten million. To ensure fairness, the deck of cards is completely replaced every round. Would this guest please confirm if he wishes to participate?"

Xu Yi narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment. The only difference between the Blackjack rules here and standard Blackjack lay in the dealer's hitting rules.

According to traditional rules, during the dealer's turn, if the dealer's hand total was less than seventeen, the dealer was forced to "hit" until the hand total reached seventeen or more, at which point they had to "stand"—this was the so-called seventeen-point rule.

Once the seventeen-point rule was removed, it meant the dealer's maneuverability and winning odds were vastly enhanced.

This was a game specifically designed for the wealthy!

Xu Yi narrowed his eyes, then calmly slid out one million in chips and pushed them directly forward.

Actions spoke louder than words.

The dealer nodded, then expertly retrieved a brand-new deck of cards prepared in advance, displayed it to everyone, skillfully finished shuffling, and dealt them face down.

"The dealer for this round is Young Master Ye. Place your bets, everyone."

The fatty tossed out two million in chips, and the man with the gold-rimmed glasses threw out one million.

The arrogant Young Master Ye stared at Xu Yi, a demonic smile playing on his lips as he said, "Bumpkin! Once you're at this table, you no longer have a chance to regret it. Today, I'm going to watch you beg me on your knees to play with your woman, hahaha!"

"The current round begins!"

With those words, the old man began dealing the cards with practiced ease.