novelraw Chapter 863: Worry-free, Ninety-Seven (1)
Chapter 863: Worry-free, Ninety-Seven (1)
Just like the vegetable vendors in the market, the merchants in the electronics street, or the different esports teams, there are always some frictions between them, which well illustrates the concept of "rivals among peers."
In the global gambling industry chain, there are also numerous rivalries and enemies.
For example, the emerging powers in the gambling industry, the Song Dynasty and the Four Seasons Group, are both led by young women, making it easier for outsiders to compare them.
When Ouyang Jie slightly shifted aside to let Zhong Luoyue come into view, everyone could see the eye contact between Song's little princess and the talented woman from this prominent Chinese family. This is what it means to be in direct competition, with sharpness akin to a needle against wheat.
Dressed in a white women's suit with a blue shirt underneath, Zhong Luoyue had short hair that barely touched her shoulders, appearing capable and intellectual. In contrast, the Song family's little princess had strikingly bright pink-purple long hair, giving off an entirely different vibe.
Of course, at the core of it all, it's still because both of them have looks that can hold their ground.
As soon as Song Ying saw Zhong Luoyue appear, she slightly frowned, displaying a noticeable look of disgust, though it didn't make her look ugly; it’s said that beauty can afford to be willful.
Zhong Luoyue suddenly extended her hand towards Ouyang Jie, who gently placed the number 9 crystal ball in her palm.
Zhong Luoyue walked directly to Luo Qiu's side, opened her palm, held up the number 9 crystal ball in front of Luo Qiu, and then slowly returned it to the tray. “Excuse me.”
Luo Qiu merely nodded slightly.Zhong Luoyue then turned to Ouyang Jie and said, “A Jie, let’s go.”
Ouyang Jie shrugged indifferently and followed Zhong Luoyue past Luo Qiu. He paused slightly and murmured, “You can tell the difference between a 9 and a 6 from this far away… not bad, kid.”
Luo Qiu just smiled slightly and moved aside.
Ouyang Jie shot him a peculiar glance, frowned slightly, but said nothing further.
Zhong Luoyue paused in front of Song Ying and calmly said, “The medical expenses for the two cars and the five accompanying personnel; I will have someone send the bill to your office.”
Song Ying pretended to be oblivious and replied, “What bill? I don’t know! Oh dear, did something happen to your people? Is it serious? Do they have insurance? But since you’re a guest, if there are any difficulties in claiming compensation, just let me know; I can still say a word here.”
“Please send my regards to Old Master Song,” Zhong Luoyue said, and then directly left Song Ying's side.
Ouyang Jie waved his hand, “Alright, it’s fine, everyone continue.”
At his gesture, six or seven servants suddenly appeared in the hall, carrying drinks and snacks, and started approaching the guests.
Tu Shenyi had no heirs, so Ouyang Jie, as his closed-door disciple, naturally took on the role of host here. The music began to play; a band had been specially hired to lighten the atmosphere and started performing ahead of time.
At this moment, Song Ying let out a sigh and walked up to Luo Qiu, asking, “Are you really not angry, or are you just pretending not to be angry?”
“Are you very angry?” Luo Qiu retorted, looking at the retreating figures of Zhong Luoyue and Ouyang Jie, “It seems like you really don’t like Miss Zhong?”
Song Ying crossed her arms and said, “When I was studying in the UK, she was at the same school. She was a year ahead of me. By the time I just entered, this woman was already quite famous there. I don’t know what methods she used, but she gathered a large group of wealthy young people around her, almost ruling the school’s order behind the scenes. I couldn’t stand it, didn’t want to listen to her, and over time, many things naturally happened… why am I telling you all this?”
“Maybe you hope someone will listen?” Luo Qiu said softly. “It’s okay.”
“Who wants to have anything to do with you?” Song Ying shot him a glance and turned to the dining table, picking up a glass of water and gulping it down.
At this moment, Gan Hong looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Luo Qiu had to ask, “Is there something wrong?”
Gan Hong lowered her head and said, “Young Master Qiu, I’m sorry, my abilities aren’t enough, making you lose face.”
“They don’t know me,” Luo Qiu shook his head. “Face is generally given by those who know you... Since they don’t know, naturally, there’s no such thing. As for apologies, I don’t think whether you have the ability or not should be measured like that.”
Gan Hong looked up, curious, and asked, “Young Master Qiu, are you really not angry?”
"It will, there was a moment," Luo Qiu said unexpectedly. "Actually, I even had the thought that this Mr. Ouyang Jie could do a bit better, but... well, this is already good enough for me. Take your time; I have plenty of time now."
Hearing this, Gan Hong was puzzled, but Luo Qiu shook his head and picked up the number 9 crystal ball from the tray, placing it in front of Gan Hong. She instinctively reached out her hand.
Luo Qiu placed the number 9 crystal ball in her palm and said softly, “See, in the end, it still returned to your hands.”
Gan Hong was stunned, holding the number 9 crystal ball, deep in thought.
Luo Qiu then turned to Song Ying and asked, “Can I go outside for some fresh air? There are quite a few people smoking here.”
The cigar smoke wafted through the air.
---
“Why return the things?” Ouyang Jie casually brought two glasses of champagne to Zhong Luoyue.
Zhong Luoyue didn’t mention Ouyang Jie’s gesture, instead, she calmly said, “Do you remember the man next to Song Ying?”
“It seems like he’s a bag carrier?” Ouyang Jie sat down, tilting his glass, surveying the outside through the wine.
“The woman who just fought with you is called Gan Hong,” Zhong Luoyue said indifferently. “Last year during the major competition in Las Vegas, she was Song Ying's bodyguard; I wouldn’t mistake that.”
Ouyang Jie said, “Hmm, I admire your ability to recognize people, beautiful boss... I’ve heard you have an incredible memory since childhood; is that true?”
Zhong Luoyue looked at Ouyang Jie and asked, “Do you remember what Gan Hong said before she made her move?”
Ouyang Jie was slightly taken aback, furrowing his brow as he recalled... While he wasn't born with an exceptional memory, he had undergone rigorous training under Tu Shenyi and was indeed a person with extraordinary recall.
“Young Master?”
Zhong Luoyue nodded and then picked up the champagne on the table. “I met Song Ying during my university days, and since then, I've noticed that there are almost never any men around her. And now, this man, whom her former bodyguard calls 'Young Master,' doesn't his background seem rather strange?”
Ouyang Jie replied, “I heard there’s another person above Song Ying in the Song family, called Song Haoran. He’s the true heir of the Song family. Could it be him?”
“He would be much younger; it shouldn't be him.” Zhong Luoyue shook her head. “I've reviewed the profiles of the Song family members and their associates, but I didn't find this person. Even among the new generation in the Chinese community, both domestically and abroad, there's no one like him…”
“You're being overly cautious,” Ouyang Jie said dismissively. “Tiptoeing around like this is exhausting; if you’re not tired, I’m tired for you.”
“Because I'm not a gambler,” Zhong Luoyue looked at Ouyang Jie.
Suddenly, Ouyang Jie said, “I just thought of where my master might be now.”
……
……
Outside the banquet hall, which was meant to host guests with various purposes, there were six terraces extending outward.
Luo Qiu had just arrived at one of the deserted terraces, where he could see a vineyard planted outside.
Gan Hong was naturally following him, as she was now Luo Qiu's bodyguard. As for Song Ying, there were people taking care of her, and in fact, no one would dare to do anything to her on the Song family's territory.
“Those grapes look quite fresh; how about we pick some?” Luo Qiu suddenly suggested to Gan Hong.
“Now?” Gan Hong looked at this young master in surprise. “If you want to eat some, there are plenty inside the venue. I can bring some over; they should be freshly picked too.”
“For giving as a gift,” Luo Qiu smiled slightly. “It’s more interesting to pick them myself, and I can't just pick any random ones; they need to be chosen carefully.”
Gan Hong shook her head, “I don't understand.”
“The official start of the party is at three in the afternoon, right?”
“Yes.”
“That's still over forty minutes away.” Luo Qiu checked the time and said, “Let’s go now.”
“But Miss Ying…”
Luo Qiu glanced at the hall, where Song Ying was surrounded by several affluent individuals and couldn’t break free, then said softly, “Let’s go; she shouldn’t be able to get away for a while.”
Gan Hong naturally chose to obey Luo Qiu’s words. So the two quietly left the banquet hall through a side door, descended the spiral staircase inside the castle, and soon the expansive vineyard appeared before them.
There were no obstacles in their way—guests could only enter with an invitation and had to pass several inspections to ensure they weren't carrying weapons or sharp objects.
In fact, around the estate, there were some professionals discreetly monitoring security—they were specially hired security personnel from a well-known security company.
At this moment, a relatively ordinary-looking RV slowly drove up outside the estate.
The RV stopped not far from where Luo Qiu and Gan Hong were standing. A neatly dressed elderly man stepped out from the driver's seat and then opened the rear door.
A young woman emerged slowly with the elderly man’s assistance. She wore a black dress, covering herself quite tightly, and even had a hat on.
Even so, the elderly man holding the door opened a black umbrella beside her.
“This girl... she’s so pale,” Gan Hong said in surprise. “Is she an albino?”
It wasn’t just because of her black dress that she appeared exceptionally fair; her skin was indeed that pale—one could even say it was ghostly white.
Even her eyebrows were a grayish-white color.
At this moment, the young woman held a narrow wooden box in her hands. She looked up and surveyed the ancient castle estate, seemingly noticing the gaze upon her, and quickly nodded politely towards Luo Qiu and Gan Hong. Then, lowering her head, she looked timid and walked toward the entrance of the castle with the old man’s company.
“Looks like we might not only see the legendary ‘Worry-Free·River of Forgetfullness’ but also get a glimpse of other 'Worry-Free' series items,” Luo Qiu suddenly smiled.
Gan Hong was taken aback, as if she had thought of something, and instinctively said, “Young Master Qiu, you mean the woman just now might be holding something from the ‘Worry-Free’ series… Indeed, given its shape and size, it does resemble a wine bottle. But... how can we confirm that?”
“I'll go pick some grapes,” Luo Qiu smiled silently.
At this moment, in the vineyard, several women were picking suitable grapes. They didn’t stop the young couple when they walked in.
These women had come from a nearby town to work and naturally wouldn’t dare offend the guests at the estate... But generally, wealthy people wouldn’t choose to come down here because the muddy ground could easily soil their shoes and clothes.
Luo Qiu didn’t pause in front of any grapevine and walked straight ahead. Gan Hong spotted many grapes that should have been worth picking along the way and suggested several times, but Young Master Qiu just shook his head.
Suddenly, Luo Qiu stopped.
He saw Zhong Luoyue and Ouyang Jie emerging from the other side, and the two groups coincidentally met in the vineyard.
As soon as Gan Hong saw Ouyang Jie, she quickly walked to Luo Qiu's side with a cold expression.
Ouyang Jie smiled innocently and said, “Oh, it seems I’m disliked… Am I really that unpleasant?”
“Why don’t you take a look at the mirror?” Gan Hong snorted coldly.
Ouyang Jie shrugged and asked directly, “Why are both of you out here instead of inside? Did the people inside neglect you?”
“No, they’re all very polite. We just came out for a walk,” Luo Qiu casually replied. “The grapes here are growing nicely, so I couldn’t help but have the thought of taking some without asking.”
“Is that so…” Ouyang Jie nodded and suddenly pointed to another side. “Those over there should be nice; you can go pick some from there. It’s better not to come over here because outsiders aren’t allowed close.”
“Is that the homeowner’s rule?” Luo Qiu asked back.
“Am I not considered part of the homeowners here?” Ouyang Jie chuckled lightly.
“Let them go,” unexpectedly, Zhong Luoyue suddenly spoke up.
Ouyang Jie seemed to want to say something, but Zhong Luoyue shook her head slightly, so he could only shrug.
Luo Qiu smiled slightly at Zhong Luoyue. “Thank you.”
Zhong Luoyue merely made a gesture indicating for them to proceed and stepped aside to allow them to pass.
Seeing Luo Qiu and the others walk ahead, Ouyang Jie couldn’t help but speak to Zhong Luoyue, “I say, boss, I’m playing the bad guy here, and you’re making it very difficult for me!”
“Just right,” Zhong Luoyue replied indifferently. “We can’t prevent everything from happening; it’s better to understand the other party’s intentions and take the opportunity to learn what status they have concerning the Song family… This person reminds me of my second brother.”
“Second Young Master Zhong, Zhong Luocheng?” Ouyang Jie was taken aback.
“More accurately, my second brother from the past six months,” Zhong Luoyue replied calmly. “Their eyes… are too similar; they both look at people without emotion.”