Chapter Fifty: Defeated Until You Yield (1)

Page 1 of 3

The Wastrel – Chapter 50: Lose Until You’re Afraid (1)

(Only a few days left on the New Books Ranking—everyone, please throw in your votes and support!)

Laughter immediately rippled through the crowd. The imposing momentum with which Xiao Tianci and his companions had entered had originally prompted the people sitting there to tactfully make way for them. Now, realizing that the cause of such a ruckus was a drunkard, everyone couldn’t help but laugh. Still, their laughter was subdued and cautious; just judging by the people around Xiao Tianci, it was clear that this was no ordinary man.

By now, the hall manager had rushed over as well. However, compared to Jerrison, his rank was lower, so he could only stand by discreetly, awaiting orders.

Someone in the crowd muttered with a chuckle, “I was wondering, what’s someone like him doing here? Clearly he's had too much to drink. He’s Chinese, isn’t he?”

“No way. Since when are Chinese people this bold? Must be from one of those wealthy Chinese families, or maybe he’s Taiwanese.”

These days, there were quite a few Chinese who came here to gamble. Suddenly, someone cursed loudly, “Screw you! You think I don’t understand English? Taiwan is a province of China; Taiwanese are Chinese too, damn it!”

A companion nearby tugged at his sleeve, “Don’t make a scene, brother. Just watch the show. Besides, you understand English, but they don’t understand Chinese! Next time, curse them out in English.” But with everyone’s attention focused on Xiao Tianci, nothing more came of it.

However, the commotion had whipped the atmosphere into an even greater frenzy. Soon, a crowd had gathered around the table, making it the center of attention in the entire hall.

As for Xiao Tianci, after placing his bet on the banker and receiving no response, his drunken eyes wandered. He noticed that the dealer hadn’t even looked his way, which immediately ignited his temper.

The dealer, of course, had no intention of looking at him. Having worked in the casino for over a decade, moving up from a waiter to his current position, he had never encountered anything like this. Drunk troublemakers were not uncommon, but this one had come in accompanied by the VIP hall manager; the dealer had no idea how to handle the situation. Most importantly, he couldn’t possibly treat a bottle as a billion-dollar bet—such a massive wager was beyond his authority.

Tables like this had betting limits; a billion-dollar bet was something he’d only heard about in legendary high-stakes games. At a loss for what to do, he looked anxiously at the hall manager, who was even more stumped and turned to Jerrison for guidance.

Jerrison had no choice but to step forward. “Sir, you’ve been playing for quite some time. You must be tired. Why don’t you rest for a while in our presidential suite? If there’s anything else you need, the casino will cover all expenses.”

“Oh…wow…” As soon as the crowd heard this, they understood—full VIP treatment, all expenses paid. Envy and exclamations filled the hall.

Page 2 of 3

“Bang… bet on banker…” With a dull thud, everyone saw it clearly this time—Xiao Tianci slammed the bottle forcefully onto the table. Yet, whether the table was too cushioned or the bottle too sturdy, it did not break.

At this moment, several security guards in suits had surrounded the area, thinking trouble was brewing. When they saw Jerrison present, they clustered around him. Jerrison’s expression was grim, but he waved the guards off and whispered a few instructions to a nearby subordinate, who quickly melted away into the crowd. Jerrison dared not let these men get too close; until he figured out the identity of this guest, he couldn’t risk offending him.

The chief steward, Lin Jian, hurried over, bowing to Xiao Tianci and whispering in his ear, “Boss, please wait a moment. I’ll have them exchange chips for you right away. We can begin immediately.”

“Hurry… up… Such a big casino… no one here… Today, I… just want to… have a good… time…”

As one of the top ten casinos in Las Vegas, their efficiency was second to none. The person dispatched earlier quickly returned with a team. One member, replaced the dealer at the table—a man in his forties, with an air that spoke of experience with high-stakes games.

The rest were senior casino executives who gathered by Jerrison to get a handle on the situation.

After consulting briefly with Xiao Tianci, Lin Jian turned to Jerrison. “Exchange ten billion in chips.”

A collective gasp swept through the crowd. Here, of course, chips meant US dollars. In the VIP hall, this might not have raised eyebrows—high rollers weren’t unheard of—but on the main floor, where bets of a few hundred thousand were the norm, to hear of someone exchanging ten billion in chips at once was simply unheard of.

The crowd immediately buzzed with excitement. The news quickly spread, and soon everyone in the hall was aware—someone at the baccarat table was exchanging ten billion in chips. No one was gambling anymore; everyone gathered to watch. In fact, the area was already packed—those at the back couldn’t see a thing, but still clustered around, eager just to soak in the atmosphere of an event most would only ever witness on television.

Jerrison knew that, at this point, nothing he said would make a difference. If he refused, the consequences would be unimaginable. He conferred with his team and ordered the chips to be brought over. The main floor didn’t have chips of this denomination, so they had to fetch them from the VIP lounge.

Soon, the ten billion in chips was brought out. Lin Jian produced a card—not the one Xiao Tianci had used earlier, but one belonging to him as chief steward. A financial officer immediately debited ten billion from the card. A sudden hush fell over the casino. Even the sound of breathing seemed loud, and the sound of Xiao Tianci gulping down his drink was the most prominent rhythm in the hall.

“Ah… haha…” Xiao Tianci gazed at the mountain of chips, muttering to himself, “Damn, you really force me to curse. Bastard… Haha… But… it’s been… years… since I last did… Feels good. Wonder how… Fatty… is doing.”

His voice was low, inaudible to others. The new dealer was extremely cautious, eyeing every one of Xiao Tianci’s movements. With so much at stake, what if this was a setup, or a master pretending to be a fool, or someone here to cause trouble? He had to be careful. Seeing Xiao Tianci muttering to himself, the dealer’s nerves grew taut. Was this man really a master gambler? He’d better be wary.

“Bang… banker… one billion…” The bottle slammed onto the table again, and Lin Jian immediately placed one billion in chips on the banker’s side.

Page 3 of 3

The crowd began to speculate, nervousness mounting in their hearts—a billion dollars was at stake! Only now did everyone realize that a casino could be as nerve-wracking as a football or basketball game. The atmosphere on site was indeed different; every gambler had watched gambling movies, but rarely had they ever felt this kind of tension themselves.

But when Xiao Tianci slammed down the bottle with a “bang” and a billion dollars was wagered, countless hearts leapt into throats. One by one, the onlookers were more anxious than the drunken Xiao Tianci himself. No—by now, Xiao Tianci was truly drunk and felt no anxiety at all.

Elsewhere in the casino, other departments were mobilizing rapidly. Jerrison’s superior, the casino director, instructed Jerrison to keep watch while he personally hurried to the information department to investigate Xiao Tianci and his companions' backgrounds, and to notify the owner to come back immediately.

The spectators held their breath, their heartbeats rising and falling in time with the dealer’s every move.

In the entire hall, only three people remained truly calm—and two of them were at the very heart of the storm. Xiao Tianci smiled as he watched the dealer distribute the cards, sipping his drink from time to time, while Chief Steward Lin Jian stood beside him as immovably as ever, responding only to Xiao Tianci’s direct commands. Everything else seemed to have nothing to do with him. As for Fang Meng, he quietly observed every change in the room. The more they acted this way, the more mysterious they seemed, and the more uneasy the casino staff felt.

“Deal…” At this moment, the first hand was about to be revealed.

=================================================================

Recommended new book by Xingchen: “Elite of the Future: Arriving in 2006”—a story of a man from the future arriving in the modern era.

=================================================================

The Curse of the Imperial Tomb—a magical prologue leading into a history of iron and blood, and iron cavalry.

Witness the invincible iron cavalry sweeping across Europe, forging a unique and mighty empire, realizing the dream of unity and world peace. All the excitement awaits in “Iron Cavalry Conquers the West.”

Click to view image link: Iron Cavalry Conquers the West

Page 3 of 3