Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 829: Bloodshed

The Dynasty Hotel was the type of place where, despite having relatively low floors, its vast size was impressive. Just the fountain in front of the entrance alone was as large as half a basketball court.

Everyone they encountered along the way treated Song Ying with great respect. For Luo Qiu, who understood the local language, it was clear that the Dynasty Hotel had a close connection with the Song family. “This hotel is a part of the Song Dynasty Group’s chain of hotels. This is the main branch,” Song Ying said calmly. “From the name, you can guess that this is the Song family’s business.” “Are you planning to show me around the Song family’s enterprises?” Luo Qiu asked, surveying the surroundings. Even though it was late at night, there were still plenty of vehicles coming and going, most of which were high-end, suggesting the guests were quite affluent. “Not at all,” Song Ying replied bluntly. “That drive just now was just sightseeing. Now it’s time for me to work. Thanks to you, I’ve had to delay my work until now.” “My apologies,” Luo Qiu said apologetically. At this moment, three men approached them briskly, one leading with two following closely behind. Song Ying pointed to the man in front and said, “This is Otis, the general manager of this hotel.” “Miss Ying,” Ottas, the general manager, greeted Song Ying with a nod but looked curiously at the young man beside her. From Ottas’ understanding, the Song family’s little princess rarely had male companions by her side, and this one... was dressed rather plainly. However, anyone who could be in Song Ying’s company wasn’t someone Ottas would underestimate. “Miss Ying, this gentleman is...?” “Don’t worry about him; he’s with me,” Song Ying waved it off and led the way into the hotel. “Let’s not waste time, start the report as we walk… Have the documents been prepared?” “They’re ready. Once you review and sign them, we can proceed,” Otis responded promptly, signaling to his assistants. The two assistants walked up to Song Ying, pulling out documents from their briefcases. As she signed the papers, Song Ying said, “Go ahead, start the report.” Ottas quickly began, “There’s nothing particularly noteworthy in the daily operations. Two things stand out, though. First, Sir Surikov wishes to book our Dragon Hall for his and his wife’s 40th wedding anniversary.” Without looking up from the papers, Song Ying replied, “He’s not qualified. Tell him he can use the Crane Hall instead… Why did the maintenance cost increase by 10% this week compared to last?” Ottas explained, “Oh, that’s due to the installation of a new batch of air conditioners. We reported it last week.” “Hmm… I remember now,” Song Ying nodded. “What’s the second issue?” Ottas lowered his voice and said, “The second issue concerns the casino.” His tone became quieter, and he instinctively glanced behind him. From the start, Ottas and his team had been walking closely around Song Ying, while Luo Qiu was following at a leisurely pace behind them. “Just say it directly; I told you not to mind him…” Song Ying noticed Ottas’ hesitation and instinctively turned around—but before she could finish speaking, she frowned. “Where is he?” “Uh… he was just behind us,” Otis stammered, looking anxiously at his two assistants. “Did either of you see where he went?” The two assistants shook their heads in confusion. "I'll send someone to search immediately!" Ottas quickly turned to Song Ying. "Then hurry up!" Song Ying said sternly. "If you can't find him, don't bother coming to work tomorrow!" But didn’t you just say to ignore him... Song Ying couldn't help but show a hint of anxiety on her face. Even though she didn't have much fondness for Luo Qiu, she couldn't afford to lose him either. After all, he was her grandfather's long-lost brother’s grandson, whom Song Tianyou had spent decades searching for. She couldn't imagine the kind of wrath she'd face if Luo Qiu went missing. "I'll go look too," Song Ying said, shoving the documents in her hand toward one of the assistants. However, as soon as she stepped out, she spotted Luo Qiu — but now, a little girl in pajamas was with him. "I saw this child walking alone and looking scared, so I didn't want to disturb you all while you were busy," Luo Qiu said as he approached the group, holding the little girl's hand. "It seems like she's lost. Can you help find her parents?" "Oh... leave it to me," Ottas quickly responded, "You two, check it out immediately!" The two assistants hurriedly pulled out their phones. Song Ying walked straight up to Luo Qiu and said in a low voice, "Next time, can you not disappear without saying anything? It causes a lot of trouble!" Her voice was a bit loud. Luo Qiu nodded and softly replied, "I'll be more careful... but, could you lower your voice a bit? You're scaring her." He glanced at the little girl holding his hand. The child looked up fearfully at the angry Song Ying before hiding behind Luo Qiu. Song Ying froze, then opened her mouth to speak, but the words got stuck. ... "We've found the child's parents." A short while later, Ottas returned with news that they had located the girl's parents. The little girl was taken to an empty lounge. Song Ying had the kitchen staff prepare some food, but the little girl remained fearful of her, clinging to Luo Qiu the entire time and refusing to let go of his arm. Am I really that scary? Song Ying thought to herself with a bitter smile, deciding not to bother the child anymore. "Have you found her parents? Where are they?" Song Ying asked Ottas. "They're in the casino right now. Our staff has notified them, and they're on their way..." Ottas glanced at the little girl before explaining, "It seems this couple sneaked off to the casino while the child was asleep. They probably didn't expect her to wake up in the middle of the night and go looking for them on her own... It's all good now, Miss Song, just a false alarm." Just as Ottas had mentioned, the little girl's father was soon brought over. “We're really sorry for the trouble…” The couple, realizing their mistake, appeared remorseful and said softly, visibly embarrassed. The hotel wouldn't reprimand the guests, so Ottas just offered a few perfunctory words of caution, letting the matter slide. As the parents were about to take their daughter away, the little girl tugged on Luo Qiu's sleeve. Luo Qiu knelt down and asked, “Is there something else?” “Thank you, big brother!” Unexpectedly, the little girl quickly kissed Luo Qiu on the cheek, gave a shy glance at Song Ying, and then ran back to her parents. Song Ying's expression became quite complicated at that moment. She had the distinct feeling that, in the child's mind, she had already been classified as the villain. "Not bad, she's quite a beauty in the making. She'll definitely grow up to be gorgeous," Song Ying said in a sarcastic tone. "Maybe you should consider it?" “Is there a casino here?” Luo Qiu asked as he stood up, completely ignoring her suggestion. "Isn't that obvious?" Song Ying rolled her eyes. "Why else do you think so many people are still here at this hour? By the way, Ottas, you mentioned something about the casino earlier? What's going on?" Ottas glanced at Luo Qiu before replying. Song Ying said, “Just say it. I told you not to worry about him.” But earlier, you told me not to bother coming to work tomorrow… Ottas cleared his throat and said, “We’ve located the ‘God of Gambling.’” Song Ying's eyes lit up. “Finally! Have we made contact? Where is he?” “He's hiding in a manor near the outskirts!” Ottas replied quickly. “Our people haven’t approached him yet... but it seems others have also tracked him down. Judging by their movements, they're probably after him for the same reason.” Song Ying said, “The new ‘Supreme King of Gambling Tournament’ is about to start, and those other people are probably trying to recruit him to compete for them. We can't wait any longer. Make contact with him right away. Whatever it takes, we need to get him on board. I don't want to lose to that woman from China, the one named Zhong, again this year!” O'Neil hesitated. “But... the person representing the Four Seasons Group this year is said to be the God of Gambling's last disciple. If we recruit him to go up against his own student, he might refuse.” “Offer whatever it takes. If it doesn’t work, I'll meet him in person,” Song Ying said with a cold snort. “Understood,” Ottas replied. “Oh, by the way, Miss Song, the person you asked me to bring earlier tonight is here. Do you want to see them now?” “They're here?” Song Ying nodded. “Bring them over.” With that, Song Ying walked over to Luo Qiu, smiling. “Come, I'll show you something good.” “Something good?” Luo Qiu asked, intrigued. Song Ying smiled coolly, “You'll see when you get there... By the way, are you squeamish around blood?” “Do you faint at the sight of blood?” Song Ying merely gave a mysterious smile. ... The prepared room was an exceptionally luxurious suite, complete with a living room and a master bedroom—essentially a private villa within the Dynasty Hotel. In front of the villa was a small bridge and a koi pond, with jagged rock formations decorating the garden. This setup could easily be described as a mansion. As they crossed the wooden bridge, Song Ying suddenly paused and said, “Do you believe there are crocodiles in that pond?” “Hm… what species?” Luo Qiu looked over the railing with curiosity, asking, “Are they hiding over there? How many are there?” This guy… Song Ying sneered and continued walking, “You’ll find out soon enough. Let’s go.” Accompanied by Ottas and the others, the group passed through the garden and arrived at an outdoor seating area in front of the villa. The square tea table was set in a space dug about 60 centimeters below ground level. When they arrived, several men dressed in black suits were already waiting. Lying on the ground was a man in his thirties, a Caucasian. He wore only a white shirt and suit pants, with bloodstains dotting his shirt—some fresh, others dried and dark, indicating that he had been beaten for quite some time. “Miss Song,” the men greeted her in unison. Song Ying sat down and gestured for Luo Qiu to do the same. Meanwhile, the man on the ground struggled to crawl toward them but was quickly pinned down by the suited men. “Miss Song, please spare me! I won’t do it again, I swear!” the man pleaded in terror. “This man is a gambler,” Song Ying said, looking at Luo Qiu calmly. “He was caught cheating in our casino, red-handed. According to our rules, cheaters lose a hand.” Upon hearing this, the man pinned to the ground began to struggle frantically. “Miss Song! Please! Please don’t cut off my hand! I had no choice, I was desperate… please, spare me!” “Desperate…” Song Ying nodded slightly. “In this business, many of us are desperate at times. You followed our rules: if you win, you take the money; if you lose, you accept the loss. But you cheated, and now you must face the consequences.” With a wave of her hand, several men grabbed the gambler’s right hand and placed it on the tea table. One of them then produced a large cleaver. “No, no… please!! Ah—!!” Without any mercy, the man holding the cleaver covered the gambler's hand with a white cloth and brought the blade down in a swift, brutal motion. With a clean, decisive cut, amidst the white man's piercing screams, a severed hand fell directly onto the wooden floor beneath the coffee table. The white man passed out from the intense pain. Once the strong men released him, he collapsed on the floor, completely still. "Get rid of him," Song Ying said coldly with a glance. Immediately, a few men lifted the white man's body, picking up the severed hand as well. They didn’t go far, instead throwing the man into a nearby pond. In the darkness, predators, roused by the scent of fresh blood, stirred the water violently. A large creature in the shadows suddenly lunged at the man's body, tearing into it savagely. Screams filled the air once more, but they didn’t last long before fading away, leaving only the splashes and foam rippling across the pond’s surface. "Did you see the species of crocodile?" Song Ying asked, flashing a stunning smile at Luo Qiu. Luo Qiu remained calm. "Didn't you say the rule was just to chop off his hand? Why kill him?" Song Ying replied slowly, "He cheated, so we cut off his hand. But after all, he cheated, and he succeeded several times. This can't be allowed to spread; it would hurt the reputation of our casino. So, we had to kill him. My grandfather once said, you can take something from the Song family through genuine skill, but if you cheat, there's no forgiveness." Luo Qiu curiously asked, "If he was able to cheat successfully, wouldn't that also be a show of skill?" Song Ying smiled faintly, "You're right, it is a kind of skill. But unfortunately, the Song family is stronger. We make the rules. We can say it's skill if we want, or call it cheating." She brushed back her long hair. "On the other hand, if one day we face someone stronger than us, our lives would also be in their hands. Just like this man—maybe I'd be thrown in to feed the crocodiles, or captured and made a slave, toyed with until I’m broken." She stood up, then leaned over in front of Luo Qiu, placing her hands on the back of his chair and pressing her body down. "My parents were killed in an assassination. Our enemies were the rivals of the Song family." She moved even closer, almost touching Luo Qiu's face. "Tomorrow... maybe tomorrow you’ll meet the same fate. Do you still want to stay with this kind of Song family?" Luo Qiu looked into her eyes and softly said, "You're beautiful." Song Ying was startled and instinctively glanced at her neckline—she had bent down too low, exposing her chest. She frowned, "Pervert!" Luo Qiu shook his head. "I meant your eyes. And what lies behind them." Song Ying scoffed, straightened up, and said, "Think carefully about whether you belong in this world. Behind all this luxury lies mountains of corpses and oceans of blood." Treat me for a coffe? Click Here Previous | Next