Chapter 183: Money Game (20)

Just as Cheng Zhao made his move, He Yu had finished another high-stakes game.

Of course, this time he hadn't participated as a player. Instead, he had served as the dealer. Having the casino owner personally deal the cards was considered an honor.

The two players had both ranked within the top thirty on the wealth leaderboard, each possessing assets exceeding fifty billion. After acting as their dealer for a while and properly hosting them, He Yu returned to the lounge.

Little Stone closed the door behind them and anxiously asked,

“What should we do? These rumors are terrible for the casino. Will they affect business? Will the wealthy stop coming?”

Having followed He Yu for some time, he had put on quite a bit of weight. His chubby little face was scrunched together, making him look like a tiny adult worrying over grown-up problems.

Both He Yu's personal fortune and the casino's largest source of income came from the wealthy.

Now that the entire Money Planet was spreading rumors unfavorable to the casino, those wealthy patrons might lose faith in it.

Unless, of course, He Yu could provide a convincing explanation.

But how was he supposed to explain something like this?

Should he deliberately lose money to prove his innocence?

He obviously wouldn't agree to that.

Besides, even if he did, it would only treat the symptoms rather than the cause.

Unless he never won again.

He Yu didn't answer.

He walked over to the table and leaned casually against it, stretching out his long legs.

Whenever he lacked sleep, his complexion became especially pale. Combined with the fact that he was naturally slimmer and more delicate than Federation citizens, he looked almost fragile.

A few loose strands of hair hung messily over his forehead.

Tilting his head back slightly, his Adam's apple stood out distinctly, inexplicably attractive.

His slender fingers, elegant and clearly jointed, reached up to loosen his tightly fastened collar.

Two buttons popped open.

His beautiful collarbones became faintly visible beneath the opened shirt.

The buttons bounced across the floor with crisp little sounds that seemed unusually loud in the quiet room.

A trace of irritation appeared on He Yu's face.

His glasses rested loosely on the bridge of his nose, making his expression seem especially cold.

It was a rare expression.

【Bullet Screen: “AHHHH HE GOD IS SO SEXY!! HE GOD IS KILLING ME!!”】

【Bullet Screen: “Wuwuwuwu, He God, don't be upset! Whatever you want, we'll give it to you! Vote! Everyone vote for him so he can relax!!”】

【Bullet Screen: “Oh my god... he's so handsome.”】

【Bullet Screen: “Maybe it's a little immoral to say this, but I have to. Even when He's irritated he's this gorgeous. I'm dying. My heart can't take it anymore!”】

It wasn't just the viewers.

Even Little Stone, standing in the same room, found it difficult to look away.

He was still too young to understand romance.

But appreciation of beauty knew no age.

He stared blankly at He Yu, completely entranced.

After quite some time, he suddenly shook his head hard, forcing himself back to reality before carefully speaking.

“Don't be upset. We'll definitely think of a solution.”

He Yu looked up at him strangely.

Then he shook his head.

His voice had become especially low and hoarse from staying up late.

“No. That's not what's bothering me.”

【Bullet Screen: “It's not because of the accusations? Then what's bothering him?”】

【Bullet Screen: “It's obviously because of the accusations. He God's just too proud to admit it. Oh my god, why do I like him even more now?”】

He Yu lowered his eyes slightly, staring absently at a single spot.

He truly wasn't irritated because of the accusations.

Something else was bothering him.

There was someone...

Who still hadn't appeared in this world.

According to the usual pattern, that person should have shown up by now at the latest.

His competition with Cheng Zhao had already entered its later stages.

If that person still hadn't appeared...

Would they appear at all?

Yes.

He Yu was thinking about Blue Eyes.

The casino was a place where every kind of person gathered.

It was also where information spread the fastest.

At first, He Yu had simply waited for Blue Eyes to come find him.

But Blue Eyes never appeared.

Later...

He had investigated the entire Money Planet.

There wasn't a single clue related to Blue Eyes.

It was as though that person simply didn't exist.

That made He Yu somewhat restless.

He disliked accidents.

He disliked situations slipping beyond his control.

Blue Eyes' disappearance implied too many things.

More importantly...

He still hadn't uncovered the truth hidden behind everything.

Blue Eyes absolutely couldn't disappear.

Skipping one instance was acceptable.

Disappearing forever was not.

He Yu reached toward the nearby table and picked up a cigar.

The cigar was something he himself had recently introduced.

The fourth floor had already begun providing them.

The wealthy patrons smoked cigars while gambling enormous fortunes.

The pleasure doubled.

Something so perfectly suited to gambling...

How could He Yu possibly not manufacture it?

Cigars made the mind clearer.

But they also made people more excited.

Losing money while both excited and clear-headed...

This cigar was slightly smaller than those on Blue Star.

Slimmer.

Longer.

He Yu gently held it between two fingers and brought it to his lips.

His thin lips caught the cigar.

The lighter clicked open.

The flame ignited the tip.

His eyes narrowed.

His head tilted downward.

The loose hair covering his forehead hid his eyes.

He looked both wicked and impossibly handsome.

Then...

His hand paused.

After thinking for a moment, He Yu removed the cigar.

With a soft breath...

He extinguished the lighter's dancing flame.

The fire disappeared.

He casually tossed the cigar aside.

He Yu had never smoked.

Not on Blue Star.

Nor after entering the Top Talent Show.

The Federation also had products similar to cigarettes.

He had never touched them.

Because...

He had been an idol.

Although he had once carried many titles...

"Idol" would always remain one of them.

He loved cameras.

He enjoyed having cameras focused on him.

He longed to stand beneath everyone's gaze.

And because of that...

He believed he had to maintain a certain image before the camera.

Other contestants might not care.

He did.

It had been carved into his bones.

It was the standard he demanded of himself.

The dignity of an idol.

People watched him.

People liked him.

Countless cameras pointed toward him.

Then he had to be worthy of that attention.

Worthy of that affection.

He could go mad.

He could be ruthless.

He could scheme against others.

But...

He could never become a rotten person.

One cigar hardly made someone "rotten."

Even so...

He Yu no longer wanted it.

Putting away the lighter, he pushed himself upright with one hand resting on the table.

He lifted his head slightly.

His beautiful eyes were revealed once more.

They were perfectly clear.

Every trace of irritation had vanished from his face.

No matter what happened...

Reason always came first.

Even without a cigar...

He could remain calm.

He could think clearly.

Judge situations.

Analyze the truth.

Thinking of that, He Yu curled his lips into a smile.

It was as though his entire body had begun to glow.

【Bullet Screen: “AHHHH I DON'T KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED BUT HE GOD SUDDENLY LOOKS EVEN COOLER!!”】

【Bullet Screen: “He's always handsome. Every version of him is handsome.”】

【Bullet Screen: “Just now, with the cigar in his mouth, he was breathtaking. After throwing it away, he's still breathtaking. AHHHH MY HEART CAN'T TAKE THIS!!”】

【Bullet Screen: “Who would've imagined someone this handsome and lovable came from a garbage planet?”】

【Bullet Screen: “Blue Star isn't a garbage planet anymore. Blue Star is joining the Universe Federation. Speaking of which... what happened afterward? Ever since the passageway was attacked last time, there hasn't been any news.”】

He Yu continued thinking.

One question had occupied his mind for a long time.

Why did Blue Eyes appear?

He already had a rough idea of what Blue Eyes was...

And who Blue Eyes was...

But...

Why had Blue Eyes appeared at all?

Starting with Who Is the Undercover...

No.

Actually, even earlier.

During the preliminary selection.

He had already encountered Blue Eyes.

With the sole exception of the Dawn Training School instance...

Blue Eyes had appeared in every instance.

Yet in this instance...

Blue Eyes still hadn't appeared.

Or rather—

Wouldn't appear at all.

He Yu's hand paused.

His beautiful almond-shaped eyes narrowed.

He had once made a guess.

Perhaps...

Blue Eyes had always been searching for him.

Following him.

Looking back over every previous instance...

Blue Eyes had always appeared wherever He Yu appeared.

No exceptions.

One coincidence could happen.

Repeated coincidence...

He Yu never believed in.

If Blue Eyes truly didn't appear in this instance...

Did that mean Blue Eyes hadn't been following him after all?

There had always been others in those instances.

Zhen Xing.

Wanrenzhan.

Eugene.

All three had appeared in the same instances as Blue Eyes.

That hypothesis sounded perfectly reasonable.

Yet...

He Yu rejected it.

Because...

Of intuition.

His intuition told him Blue Eyes had always come for him.

It was an unspoken understanding.

A tacit understanding shared only between the two of them.

There was evidence supporting it as well.

He had always been the first person Blue Eyes encountered.

In Preliminary Selection.

In Who Is the Undercover.

He met Blue Eyes first.

In Death Countdown.

Universal Romance.

Species Collapse.

Blue Eyes had always been closest to him.

He Yu thought again about his own transmigration.

He had said it before.

Nothing happened without cause and effect.

Whether it was arriving in this world...

Entering the Top Talent Show...

Or occasionally being able to see the Bullet Screen...

None of it lacked a reason.

Something was wrong with him.

Something was also wrong with Blue Eyes.

And Blue Eyes' problem...

Was even greater.

The question returned to the beginning.

Blue Eyes had come for him.

In every previous instance, Blue Eyes had been the ultimate boss.

An extraordinarily powerful boss.

So...

Why hadn't Blue Eyes appeared this time?

There was only one possible answer.

Blue Eyes couldn't come.

Or...

Had already been eliminated beforehand.

He Yu immediately recalled the previous instance.

Blue Eyes had dropped an incredibly important piece of equipment.

A divine-grade treasure.

Li Zhan's zither.

Suddenly, He Yu looked out the window.

Inside the livestream, every viewer could clearly see his eyes.

Cold.

Sharp.

Filled with an endless desire to uncover the truth.

His gaze was like a blade.

It seemed directed outside the window...

Yet also beyond the competition itself.

A faint smile slowly curved his lips.

Without making a sound, he mouthed the words—

'Are you getting anxious?'

Because he was getting closer and closer to the truth.

Because Blue Eyes had already made a move.

Whoever stood behind everything...

Was beginning to panic.

That...

Was delightful.

【Bullet Screen: “HOLY SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!! THAT LOOK!!”】

【Bullet Screen: “My god, I've got goosebumps all over. Every hair on my body is standing up.”】

【Bullet Screen: “Damn it... but I still think he's unbelievably handsome. I must be crazy.”】

【Bullet Screen: “You're not the only one. He God is insanely handsome. What on earth is he thinking? Why did his eyes suddenly become so sharp? I don't think that look was directed at Cheng Zhao.”】

Little Stone had no idea what had happened.

He only knew that He Yu had remained silent for a long time.

Carefully, he asked,

“What's... wrong?”

He Yu suddenly stepped forward and strode toward the door.

His pace was swift.

His back looked carefree and resolute.

“Let's go.”

“It's time to speed things up.”

“Don't worry about the accusations.”

“They're easy to deal with.”

With that, he disappeared through the doorway.

Little Stone blinked.

Then hurried after him.

Cheng Zhao's move had indeed been effective.

Many people on Money Planet had begun doubting He Yu.

They didn't mind gambling.

They accepted winning and losing.

But they absolutely refused to be deceived.

Cheng Zhao had expected He Yu to explain himself.

He didn't.

Not a single explanation came that entire day.

That night, attendance at the casino dropped by one-third.

The number of wealthy patrons was cut in half.

Even then...

He Yu neither explained nor responded.

However...

The very next day...

One piece of news exploded across the entire Money Planet—

【Silver City tycoon Kuer wins 60 billion in a single night, soaring directly into the top three of the wealth rankings!】