Chapter 171: Money Game (8)

The Third Young Master had dark circles under his eyes as well.

He stared at He Yu. His plump face looked sinister, and his voice was eerily quiet.

"He Yu... I'm starting to think you really were sent by my eldest brother..."

The original plan had been to take the Eldest Young Master's money.

Instead...

He had ended up losing money himself.

The previous night, He Yu hadn't acted as the dealer.

All three of them had played together.

He Yu had been the banker.

He lost heavily at first, then recovered most of it, ultimately losing only a little over a hundred thousand.

As for the Eldest Young Master's three million in winnings...

Almost all of it had come from the Third Young Master alone!!

Wasn't He Yu deliberately targeting him?

The Third Young Master genuinely felt He Yu had come specifically to ruin him.

He had already lost five million to He Yu.

He had also written another IOU worth six million.

Then, trusting He Yu's words, he'd gathered another five million.

After a single night...

Three million had vanished.

Hadn't He Yu promised that if he prepared five million...

His eldest brother would lose thirty million?

As though reading his thoughts, He Yu said calmly,

"You still haven't spent all of your five million."

"Whether I'm working with your eldest brother to trick you..."

"Can't you judge that for yourself?"

The Third Young Master: "..."

Actually...

He really couldn't anymore.

He Yu packed away the cards and chips before snapping the case shut with a click.

Expressionless, he said,

"You only prepared five million."

"That means you only expect your eldest brother to lose thirty million."

"Give me three days."

"Three days from now..."

"...he'll be missing thirty million."

"Really?"

The Third Young Master's voice was full of doubt.

His chubby face looked exhausted.

Dark circles hung beneath his eyes.

As he narrowed his eyes at He Yu...

They were filled with suspicion.

He Yu calmly met his gaze.

The longer the Third Young Master looked...

The more trustworthy He Yu somehow appeared.

That was simply the kind of presence he possessed.

It wasn't that He Yu never lied.

Rather...

He seemed too proud to bother lying.

"Fine."

"I'll trust you one more time!"

The Third Young Master gritted his teeth.

Besides...

He had no choice.

He had already sunk eight million into this scheme.

On top of that, he'd let the Eldest Young Master win another four and a half million.

How could he possibly stop now?

If he withdrew now...

He would definitely lose the upcoming family capital competition.

And since he couldn't kill He Yu...

The only option left was to let He Yu lead him by the nose.

He Yu stood and yawned.

"Then get out."

"I'm going to sleep."

"I need to recover my energy."

"We fight again tonight."

The words fight again tonight instantly filled the Third Young Master with excitement.

He subconsciously stood up.

"Get some good rest."

"We'll fight again tonight."

"We're going to win Eldest Brother's money!"

With that, he strode toward the door before thoughtfully closing it behind him.

After shutting it...

He froze.

Wait.

Something wasn't right.

Wasn't this his room?

Why was he leaving...

And giving his luxurious master bedroom to He Yu?

The Third Young Master was so angry his nose nearly twisted crooked.

He instinctively raised a fist toward the door.

Then...

Stopped.

Fight again tonight...

Forget it.

He Yu needed proper rest.

He'd still be useful tonight.

Thinking this, the Third Young Master turned around once more and strode away.

"Prepare the guest bedroom."

"I'm going to sleep for a while."

"Unless the Patriarch sends word..."

"Nobody is to disturb me."

"Yes, Young Master."

The servants hurried off to prepare everything.

Guard A and Guard B continued standing respectfully outside with stern expressions.

The guest bedroom was located in the adjacent building.

Even so, the guards remained at their current position.

It was the ideal defensive point, protecting the entire villa complex.

Only after the Third Young Master disappeared into the neighboring building did the two guards simultaneously turn toward the tightly shut master bedroom.

They had been wrong.

Terribly wrong.

They had completely underestimated that beggar.

He wasn't merely capable.

He was extraordinarily capable.

Even the ill-tempered, arrogant Third Young Master had voluntarily surrendered his own master bedroom so the beggar could rest.

Such a thing had never happened before.

The respect in both guards' eyes grew even deeper.

—

After developing a gambling addiction, the Eldest Young Master couldn't stop thinking about the previous night's games.

He hadn't wanted to stop that morning.

It had only ended because He Yu no longer wished to continue.

Even while washing up...

His mind remained filled with the previous night's hands.

He could have won twelve million!

Twelve million!

That wasn't a small amount.

If he reported earning over ten million to the Bray Patriarch...

Even the Patriarch would praise him.

More importantly...

It had all been earned in a single night.

No fighting the Nan family.

No struggling against the Shu family.

No competing with the other members of the Bray family.

Simply by playing cards...

He could casually earn over ten million.

Later...

His cards had become worse.

His bets had become too aggressive.

He'd stopped treating money as money.

That was why he had lost so quickly.

Then...

When he began losing heavily...

He'd become too cautious instead.

Several times, excellent opportunities had appeared.

Yet he had failed to seize them.

He'd settled for tiny victories instead.

It was such a waste.

After practicing throughout the night...

The Eldest Young Master believed he had completely mastered the essence of Three Card Poker.

Next time...

He would certainly play better.

At the very least...

Defeating that foolish Third Young Master would be effortless.

Perhaps...

He should consider winning even more money from him.

That idiot was incredibly stupid.

The more he thought about it...

The more restless he became.

If he'd barely been able to restrain himself the previous night...

Now he could barely think about anything except gambling.

The Eldest Young Master possessed decent combat power.

His physique was also far superior to his obese younger brother's.

Going without sleep for two or three days wouldn't affect him much.

The reason his steps had felt unsteady that morning...

Had simply been because his nerves had remained tense throughout the entire night.

After washing his face and taking a bath...

He was energetic again.

Turning to his servant, he ordered,

"Keep watching the Third Young Master and Young Master He."

"The moment they've finished resting..."

"Come notify me."

"Yes, Young Master."

After dismissing the servant, the Eldest Young Master returned to handling his work.

Unfortunately...

He couldn't concentrate today.

He kept thinking about those twelve million.

He kept thinking about the card games.

He forced himself to work, barely suppressing the irritation and restlessness inside him.

This...

Was precisely He Yu's method.

He had allowed the Eldest Young Master to experience winning twelve million...

Then taken it away.

Without tasting the exhilaration of winning twelve million...

The Eldest Young Master would never have become so obsessed.

The three million...

Made him feel safe.

After all, he hadn't actually lost money.

The twelve million...

Was bait.

Specifically prepared to hook him.

[Bullet Screen: "I admit He Yu is brilliant. Nobody understands human nature better than he does. But this competition against Cheng Zhao can't be won with such tiny amounts of money."]

[Bullet Screen: "Exactly. Cheng Zhao made tens of millions just last night. His assets have already exceeded one hundred million. And the combat power improvement guide he's preparing is progressing at full speed. Once it goes on sale, it'll reach the entire global market. The Chat Plaza is already predicting Cheng Zhao's assets will exceed ten billion afterward!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Compared to Cheng Zhao, He Yu's vision just seems too limited."]

[Bullet Screen: "Exactly. What's the point of hanging around the rich kids of a single city?"]

What's the point?

Cheng Zhao thought exactly the same thing.

He couldn't understand what He Yu was trying to accomplish.

He Yu's assets kept fluctuating.

Yet they always remained around only a few million.

There seemed to be no real progress whatsoever.

And what future could possibly come from focusing on the younger generation of a single wealthy family?

Cheng Zhao had enjoyed an enormous advantage from the beginning.

His wealth allowed him to hire people to investigate and monitor He Yu.

Since Cheng Zhao considered He Yu an important rival...

Everything happening around He Yu was faithfully reported back to him.

Originally...

He had expected He Yu to forge equipment and sell it.

Instead...

He Yu spent all his time revolving around a few members of the Bray family.

—Didn't He Yu realize how quickly Cheng Zhao's own progress was advancing?

—Cheng Zhao refused to believe it.

He wasn't some extraordinary genius.

But ranking among the leading young officials of District Three proved he certainly wasn't stupid.

In fact...

At the very beginning of the competition...

He had also been considered one of the favorites to become the next top star.

So he simply couldn't believe that someone as intelligent as He Yu...

Would choose such a narrow path.

The fact that He Yu wasn't earning money through forging and selling equipment...

Could only mean one thing.

He had found an even better way to make money.

But what was it?

Cheng Zhao couldn't figure it out.

Everything had drifted far beyond his expectations.

When the competition first began...

Simply hearing that another contestant was named He Yu had greatly discouraged him.

Later...

He discovered his own starting position was far better than He Yu's.

Only then had he regained his confidence.

And now...

The great rival he'd feared so much...

Seemed to be wasting his time on trivial matters while falling farther and farther behind.

For a brief moment...

Cheng Zhao was completely bewildered.

But he quickly recovered.

"Continue watching He Yu closely."

With that, Cheng Zhao hurried off to continue his own work.

Regardless of why He Yu appeared to be falling behind...

He would never lower his guard.

Against He Yu...

Schemes were useless.

Only an honest head-to-head competition offered any chance of victory.

Cheng Zhao's top priority remained launching his Combat Power Improvement Course.

Never underestimate that business.

Whether within the Federation...

Or on Money Planet...

The market was enormous.

Every citizen wanted to buy it.

Everyone wanted to learn it.

Because...

There was nowhere else they could.

This knowledge had long been monopolized by countless powerful figures throughout the Federation.

Schools taught part of it.

Masters taught another part.

Everything else...

People had to discover for themselves.

Who would willingly reveal methods that made them stronger?

If everyone learned them...

Their own advantage would disappear.

Entire planets throughout the Federation maintained such monopolies.

Money Planet, where capital ruled everything...

Was even worse.

Every major family only cared about strengthening itself.

They had no °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° desire for ordinary people to awaken.

After all...

One awakened expert could elevate an entirely new family...

Competing for resources with the old wealthy houses.

Ever since Cheng Zhao arrived on this planet and began this business...

Many people had already tried to kill him.

Others attempted to stop him.

None of them wanted this monopolized knowledge released worldwide.

Inside the Federation...

Cheng Zhao would never have done such a thing.

But this was Money Planet.

A game instance.

His goal was making money.

Besides...

He couldn't truly die.

That made this the perfect place for such a venture.

Cheng Zhao's skin was incredibly thick.

Since death wasn't permanent...

He didn't care how much chaos he caused inside this instance.

Once the course launched...

He would instantly earn tens of billions and climb onto the rich list.

And if tens of billions still weren't enough...

He could simply sell forging techniques.

Or potion-making techniques.

—Immortality made He Yu fearless.

It also made Cheng Zhao fearless.

His path was correct.

Its prospects were limitless.

That was why the audience believed in Cheng Zhao.

Not in He Yu...

Who merely wandered among a handful of "children," thinking on far too small a scale.

—

They didn't even wait until evening.

After waking and eating lunch...

The Eldest Young Master hurried over.

The Third Young Master was also itching to gamble again.

He Yu had no desire to participate personally.

So he continued acting as the dealer.

His formal attire suited the role perfectly.

He still wore a white dress shirt and waistcoat.

The shirt was new.

The waistcoat had changed from black to silver-gray.

The silver-gray waistcoat suited He Yu exceptionally well.

He was already tall and elegant.

Wearing it made him appear even more refined and noble.

Thin people often unconsciously slouched.

Such a thing could never happen to He Yu.

His back remained perfectly straight.

Although his posture was relaxed...

He naturally possessed an elegant bearing.

Relaxed did not mean sloppy.

Casual did not mean unkempt.

On the contrary...

The Bray family's servants had styled He Yu that morning.

His hair was neatly parted 2:8 and slicked back.

The hairstyle resembled those popular during Blue Star's Republican Era.

It also happened to be fashionable on Money Planet.

Every strand was combed neatly backward.

No loose bangs covered his forehead.

His entire face was fully revealed.

Ugly people looked even uglier with such a hairstyle.

Handsome people...

Looked even more handsome.

—He Yu was obviously the latter.

The fashionable hairstyle seemed tailor-made for him.

Absolutely perfect.

When He Yu emerged after the servants had finished dressing him...

The Third Young Master was completely stunned.

Even the Eldest Young Master, who arrived later...

Froze for a brief moment.

With his hair swept neatly back...

Nothing concealed his face.

The very first thing anyone saw...

Was an overwhelming visual impact.

Snow-white skin.

Eyebrows that looked as though they had been painted.

Perfect almond-shaped eyes.

A delicately upturned nose.

Thin lips carrying a natural reddish tint despite wearing no makeup.

Those thin lips looked cold...

Yet beautiful.

The corners of his almond eyes tilted upward.

Overflowing with charm.

Yes.

Charm.

He possessed extraordinary charm without appearing feminine.

That contradiction...

Made him irresistibly attractive.

He was breathtakingly handsome.

His appearance was almost androgynous.

Yet his straight posture...

His narrow waist...

His powerful arms...

His long legs...

All radiated unmistakable strength.

His gaze was as sharp as a blade.

His rimless glasses carried endless coldness.

The faint tear mole beneath his eye removed any trace of softness.

—Handsome.

Simply handsome.

The kind of beauty that struck people like a physical blow.

He Yu casually twirled the playing cards between his long fingers.

Lowering his eyes slightly, he said calmly,

"If you aren't serious..."

"...there's no point in playing."

The Eldest Young Master and the Third Young Master both froze.

Only then did they hurriedly pull their eyes away from He Yu.

After clearing their throats awkwardly...

They looked across the table.

The Third Young Master saw the calculating face of the Eldest Young Master.

The Eldest Young Master saw the Third Young Master's fat, pancake-like face.

Instantly...

Every romantic thought vanished.

Leaving behind only...

Disgust.

He Yu began dealing.

Today's game—

Three Card Poker.

The Eldest Young Master's luck was terrible today.

He suffered crushing losses from the very beginning.

His one million in chips disappeared in only four rounds.

Staring at the few scattered chips remaining before him...

The Eldest Young Master was stunned.

If he'd gradually lost one million...

He might have stopped in time.

But losing it all in only four hands...

He couldn't accept it.

It wasn't the million itself.

It was losing so absurdly fast.

Before coming...

He had set himself a psychological limit.

One million.

Yet four hands had passed far too quickly.

He hadn't even enjoyed himself yet!

Watching the Third Young Master gleefully counting his winnings across the table...

"Again!"

Grinding his teeth, the Eldest Young Master demanded another million in chips from He Yu.

So...

He Yu exchanged another million for him.

The Eldest Young Master quickly lost another five hundred thousand.

But after that...

Things improved.

His luck finally began turning around.

Unfortunately...

The Third Young Master's luck remained unbelievably strong.

The Eldest Young Master's good fortune had simply arrived too late.

—He lost everything again.

Remembering his improving luck...

He couldn't help exchanging another million.

Sure enough...

During that third million...

His luck became extraordinary.

Before long...

He had won more than three million.

Across the table, the Third Young Master not only lost all his chips...

He had to exchange another million as well.

The Third Young Master cursed nonstop.

The Eldest Young Master, meanwhile, smiled happily.

Unfortunately...

Lady Luck seemed to transfer directly to the Third Young Master after his exchange.

The Eldest Young Master's four million-plus in chips quickly dwindled until barely two hundred thousand remained.

The final hand...

The Eldest Young Master received an exceptional hand.

The Third Young Master's cards were also excellent.

He continued calling every bet.

The Eldest Young Master's chips weren't enough.

But thinking of his cards...

He exchanged another million.

He had to continue!

This hand was practically guaranteed.

If he folded...

He'd regret it for the rest of his life.

Sure enough...

The Eldest Young Master won.

That single hand earned him over one million.

Smiling, he leaned back.

The Third Young Master cursed.

"It's only a little over one million!"

"I haven't lost yet!"

"Continue!"

The Eldest Young Master sneered.

Naturally...

They continued.

Half an hour later...

The Third Young Master flipped over his cards before throwing back his head in triumph.

"Hahahaha! I won!"

"I won again!"

"Eldest Brother, just admit defeat."

"You're out of money."

The Eldest Young Master stared viciously at his cards.

His expression twisted.

Just a little more!

Just a tiny bit more...

And he would have won!

He had never imagined that such an outstanding hand...

Could still lose to the Third Young Master's outrageous luck.

Grinding his teeth, he growled,

"Exchange another million!"

Another million.

It wasn't that the Eldest Young Master's skill was poor.

The Third Young Master's luck was simply overwhelming.

His cards were unbelievably fortunate.

Another million disappeared.

The Eldest Young Master glared darkly at his smug younger brother.

The Third Young Master wasn't excited merely because the Eldest Young Master had taken the bait.

He was also genuinely thrilled to be winning.

For people from Money Planet...

The pleasure of making money was incomparable.

Everything he won now genuinely belonged to him.

He was recovering the losses he'd suffered earlier.

How could he not be happy?

Afraid the Eldest Young Master might stop, he deliberately provoked him.

"Come on."

"If you've got the guts..."

"Let's keep going."

Before the Eldest Young Master could answer...

He Yu set down the black stick in his hand.

Removing his gloves, he said calmly,

"I suggest stopping."

"The Third Young Master has exceptionally good luck today."

"Eldest Young Master..."

"Don't act impulsively."

"You've already lost five million."

Five million!

The words struck the Eldest Young Master like a club.

Cold sweat instantly drenched him.

His entire body stiffened.

He shot He Yu a dark look.

Then glanced toward the Third Young Master with obvious suspicion.

Without saying another word...

He threw down his remaining chips and strode away.

The Third Young Master blinked in confusion.

Only after confirming that the Eldest Young Master had truly left did he leap to his feet.

He looked at He Yu in disbelief.

"You actually warned him!"

"He realized something!"

"We'll never trick him into losing money now!"

—Once again, the Third Young Master suspected He Yu worked for his eldest brother.

He grabbed He Yu by the collar and yanked him close.

His eyes were vicious.

Filled with killing intent.

He couldn't kill He Yu...

But he could certainly seize him.

This time...

The Third Young Master genuinely believed something was wrong.

Yet He Yu's expression remained unchanged.

Raising one slender hand...

He lightly tapped the back of the Third Young Master's hand, signaling him to let go.

His voice was cold.

"Idiot."

"Do you think that if I hadn't stopped him..."

"...he would've kept falling for it?"

The Third Young Master froze.

His grip loosened instinctively.

He Yu glanced down with obvious disgust at his wrinkled collar before looking back at him.

His gaze became even colder.

"Your eldest brother is much smarter than you."

"Even if I hadn't stopped him..."

"...after losing another two or three million, he would've realized something."

"And once that happened..."

"...forget about ever getting him near a gambling table again."

The Third Young Master unconsciously followed He Yu's reasoning.

It seemed...

That was true.

Near the end...

His eldest brother had suddenly become distracted.

Lost in thought.

Much quieter than before.

When He Yu later reminded him he'd already lost five million...

His reaction had indeed been completely different.

The Third Young Master hesitated.

"Then..."

"Will he still fall for it?"

He Yu smiled faintly.

"I don't know."

The Third Young Master immediately looked ready to explode.

Before he could speak...

He Yu asked calmly,

"Doesn't your family also have a Second Young Master?"

The Third Young Master blinked.

Completely confused.

"Why bring him up?"

"That guy's timid."

"Completely useless."

"Why are you suddenly talking about him?"

As though remembering something, he waved dismissively.

"Forget about Second Brother."

"He's no threat."

"His mother is only a servant."

"She still serves Eldest Brother's mother."

"He's nothing to worry about."

In other words...

The Third Young Master believed the Second Young Master wasn't even worth plotting against.

He had no money.

No influence.

No threat whatsoever.

He Yu smiled faintly.

"Invite the Second Young Master tonight."

"If your eldest brother doesn't come..."

"...we'll need someone else to play with."

"Otherwise..."

"...he'll think we're only targeting him."

The Third Young Master frowned.

Completely unable to understand.

"The Second Brother probably doesn't even have five hundred thousand."

"Why bring him?"

He Yu looked at him calmly.

"Do you still want to achieve your goal?"

The Third Young Master: "..."

He did.

He absolutely had to.

If he stopped now...

Or if the Eldest Young Master escaped...

He would lose miserably.

During the family capital competition...

The Eldest Young Master would crush him completely.

Not only would he lose resources for the next quarter...

His mother would suffer as well.

Grinding his teeth, he said,

"Then I'll trust you one last time!"

—

That night...

The Second Young Master was summoned to play cards.

Truthfully...

He didn't want to come.

Ever since childhood...

Both the Eldest Young Master and the Third Young Master had constantly bullied him.

His mother was merely a servant.

He wasn't favored.

His status within the family was extremely low.

Anyone could bully him.

Every quarter...

The Eldest and Third Young Masters fought over millions...

Sometimes tens of millions.

Meanwhile...

After his entire lifetime...

He had managed to save only a little over one hundred thousand.

Yes.

That's right.

Even less than the Third Young Master's estimate of five hundred thousand.

His mother had helped him save every bit of it.

As an unfavored young master...

He didn't even possess his own courtyard.

Every meal.

Every article of clothing.

Every daily expense...

Had to be paid from his own pocket.

People on Money Planet cared about money, not blood relations.

He had neither wealth nor status.

He couldn't afford bodyguards.

Even the kitchen charged him for meals.

Money disappeared everywhere.

Yet he had almost no opportunities to earn any.

His life was miserable.

Complain?

Impossible.

The Bray Patriarch would only conclude he was incompetent.

He would never stand up for him.

Therefore...

When the Third Young Master summoned him...

His very first thought was—

A trap.

Sure enough...

The Third Young Master insisted he play cards.

He even forced him to exchange one hundred thousand into chips before joining the game.

The game itself...

Was certainly fun.

But...

It required money.

One hundred thousand!

More than half his life's savings disappeared instantly.

The Second Young Master nearly broke down.

—Even so...

He played with complete concentration.

After all...

Chips were money.

He desperately hoped to lose as little as possible.

But...

After one night...

One hundred thousand...

Became ten million.

When dawn arrived...

The Second Young Master stumbled out of the Third Young Master's room.

His entire body seemed detached from reality.

His eyes were vacant.

His footsteps unsteady.

His face completely dazed.

Guard A and Guard B: "..."

—Young Master He...

You're incredible.

—

From the moment he returned home...

The Eldest Young Master kept replaying everything in his mind.

Although he'd lost five million...

Four and a half million of it had originally been winnings.

In reality...

He had only lost five hundred thousand.

More than the money...

What truly frightened him was his mental state.

If He Yu hadn't interrupted...

He really might have continued exchanging chips.

Continued gambling.

—The game of money was addictive.

Precisely because he'd realized that...

He didn't return to the Third Young Master's residence that night.

Even if his younger brother hadn't deliberately set a trap...

That state of mind was terrifying.

The Eldest Young Master had instinctively sensed danger.

Although he didn't go...

He heard that the Second Young Master had.

The Eldest Young Master paused briefly.

He didn't pay much attention.

Winning money certainly felt wonderful.

But losing too much...

Wasn't.

That night...

His mind remained restless.

He dreamed endlessly about the card games.

Several times during the night...

He woke with the urge to visit the Third Young Master.

Each time...

He forced himself to endure it.

I have to quit gambling.

He endured until dawn.

Then...

Another piece of news reached him.

"What?"

"The Second Brother won ten million?!"

The Eldest Young Master shot to his feet.

Utter disbelief covered his face.