Chapter 168 The Confidence to Go All In

As soon as Chen Shuang finished speaking, her mind buzzed,

as if she had been struck by something.

She suddenly looked up and stared at the person in front of her. The eyes that had been feigning composure just a moment ago

were instantly filled with panic. Even her voice wavered, carrying a faint, barely detectable tremor:

"How... how... You're in Star City too?"

Panic—she was truly panicking now.

Her hand clutching the hem of her clothes tightened quietly,

and her mind turned into a chaotic mess.

"It's over, it's over. How could I be this unlucky?"

"If I'm spotted by an acquaintance from school and they find out that during her vacation..."

"She came to this den of iniquity to work as a junket agent, how could she ever show her face again?"

"If we run into each other on campus later, how strange would their looks be?"

She didn't even dare to think deeply about those terrifying consequences,

and fine beads of cold sweat broke out on the tip of her nose.

Lin Chen didn't respond immediately. He just lowered his gaze to look at her tense profile,

the corners of his mouth curling slightly. His tone was nonchalant but carried a hint of reassurance:

"The world is big; how many coincidental acquaintances can there really be?"

"Relax."

His words were like a sedative for Chen Shuang,

but the weight in her heart hadn't fully lifted, and she still hadn't let go of her hem.

Lin Chen stepped forward and jerked his chin toward the chip exchange counter,

his tone as casual as if he were asking 'what's for dinner':

"Let's go."

"From what you said just now, it didn't seem like you were faking it or trying to lie to me."

"I originally planned to exchange five million in chips for fun, but since you're in such a rush, I'll exchange ten million instead."

"What?!"

Chen Shuang's voice suddenly rose, her eyes widening into circles,

her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

Her heart nearly jumped out of her throat, and her breathing hitched for half a beat:

"You... you're exchanging ten million?"

"Lin Chen, you're not joking, are you?"

She leaned in half a step, her eyes full of disbelief,

sizing Lin Chen up from head to toe.

Seeing him dressed in simple casual clothes, with handsome features and looking only about twenty years old,

he didn't look like someone who could produce ten million to squander at a casino no matter how she looked at it.

"No,"

Chen Shuang swallowed hard, her voice stuttering slightly,

"you only look about twenty. Where did you get so much money to play at a casino?"

"To be able to casually pull out ten million to gamble, your net worth must be at least fifty million or even over a hundred million, right?"

Her mind was in turmoil as a series of thoughts popped up:

"Is this Lin Chen some kind of hidden Second-generation rich?"

"But since when did wealthy young masters in this casino become so common?"

She had encountered a few before, each with their noses pointed to the sky,

deliberately acting wealthy in front of her to show off and hit on her,

but even they only exchanged hundreds of thousands or a million in chips—five million at the very most.

She had only come to this VIP room today because she had no other choice.

The doctors at the hospital were pressing her every day for her mother's surgery fees,

driving her nearly insane. With no other way out,

she had braced herself to come to this high-end area to try her luck, hoping to find a big client to serve.

Even if the other party was handsy and took liberties with her, she would just have to grit her teeth and endure it,

as long as she could scrape together enough for the surgery fees, she could take any grievance.

But the Lin Chen in front of her hadn't shown the slightest hint of lust toward her from beginning to end.

His eyes were clear; he hadn't even really looked her over properly.

Chen Shuang began to wonder again:

"Then again, what kind of beauties haven't these rich young masters seen?"

"I'm just slightly pretty; I'm not some world-class beauty,"

"maybe I'm just not his type at all."

After a few seconds of internal struggle, she quickly suppressed the messy thoughts in her mind,

forced a professional smile onto her face, and quickly led Lin Chen to exchange the chips,

her movements much swifter than before:

"Mr. Lin, this way please. I'll get that handled for you immediately."

After exchanging the chips, Lin Chen casually carried the heavy chip box in his hand.

As Chen Shuang led him toward the VIP room, she gave a quick introduction:

"Mr. Lin, there aren't many people in our VIP room,"

"but everyone is a high-net-worth client. You need to exchange at least one million in chips to enter."

"There are many ways to gamble here, mainly divided into four categories: table games, electronic gaming machines, traditional Chinese gambling, and other legal off-site betting."

"The most mainstream are baccarat, Blackjack, roulette, Sic Bo, and Slot machines. Which one would you like to play?"

Lin Chen scanned the scene in the VIP room.

The decor was luxurious, and several people were gathered around each gaming table.

The atmosphere was lively but not noisy. The Croupiers were in neat uniforms, their movements skilled.

Without much thought, he casually walked over to a baccarat table,

threw down tens of thousands in chips, and played two rounds. He didn't win,

losing tens of thousands. His face showed no expression.

He then moved to the Blackjack table, played two more rounds, and still lost.

Next, he tried his luck at roulette, betting fifty thousand,

and still lost. He didn't even knit his brows.

Finally, he strolled over to the Sic Bo table and stopped.

No one knew what he was planning.

He only had one chance to predict. He had tested it for a whole day yesterday,

and only the prediction function for Sic Bo was accurate. He hadn't had time to test the other gambling methods and didn't dare take the risk.

"One hundred thousand on Small."

Lin Chen leaned back in his chair, his tone casual as he toyed with a chip in his hand.

The Croupier, expressionless, called out loudly:

"Place your bets, preparing to reveal the dice!"

Several people around also joined in the excitement. Someone whispered "Big,"

while someone else urgently called for "Small."

It was a bit chaotic. Chen Shuang, standing beside Lin Chen,

felt her heart rise as well, and she quietly clenched her fists.

"One, two, five—Small!"

The Croupier lifted the dice cup and announced loudly.

Lin Chen gave a faint "Mm," his tone lacking any inflection:

"Again. Fifty thousand, still on Small."

At this moment, Chen Shuang walked over carrying a cold drink

and handed it to him, a cautious smile on her face:

"Mr. Lin, it's a bit hot. Have some water."

Lin Chen reached out to take it, deliberately avoiding her fingers,

only touching the rim of the glass, without any extra contact with her.

Watching his movements, Chen Shuang felt even more bewildered.

"This Lin Chen won't even take such a small opportunity to touch me?"

"Does he just not like me, or does he not like women at all?"

But that wasn't right. If he didn't like her,

why would he let her accompany him as a host and even exchange an extra five million in chips?

The confusion in her heart deepened, but she didn't dare ask more,

only standing quietly to the side, watching Lin Chen play hand after hand.

After playing four or five hands in a row, Lin Chen had lost nearly a million.

A hint of irritability finally appeared on his face, his brows furrowing,

and his tone grew heavier, as if he were getting frustrated from losing:

"Damn it, what's going on?"

"I've lost several hands in a row!"