2.9 million! Finally, Fatty took a deep breath, raised his hand to pick up the dice cup, took the dice, shook the cup, pressed it down—all in one smooth motion, as fluid as flowing water. The gamblers nearby couldn’t help but praise him. This time, Fatty put in his full effort and was absolutely confident of the outcome.

Just as Fatty was about to lift the dice cup, Emily Thompson suddenly spoke: “Wait.” Fatty’s hand paused on the cup, and he asked suspiciously, “What do you mean, kid?”

No trace remained of his previous impatience; Emily Thompson looked completely relaxed and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve already bet on small, but I’d like to invite this beautiful lady beside me to reveal the final answer for this round. Is that a problem?” As he spoke, Emily Thompson gave the beautiful female dealer beside him a gentle smile and a gesture of invitation.

Fatty couldn’t really refuse this suggestion. After all, the bet was already set, and it all depended on the result now, so he nodded in agreement.

Unexpectedly, Emily Thompson would make such a request. The beautiful dealer was slightly taken aback, but then nodded and stepped forward, gracefully lifting her fair wrist to reveal the result everyone had been waiting for.

With a clear and slightly surprised voice, the beautiful dealer announced, “One, three, five—eight points, small.” Fatty instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, a fierce glint shooting from his small eyes as he glared at Emily Thompson and said, “Kid, you’ve got guts. I, James Parker, will win it back sooner or later.” With that, he signed a cash check, tossed it onto the gambling table, and turned to leave.

Emily Thompson cheerfully pocketed the 2.9 million cash check on the table, then casually tossed a 10,000 chip to the beautiful dealer and said, “Thank you for your help just now. Calculate the casino’s commission, and this is your extra tip.”

After settling the casino’s commission, Emily Thompson left the table under the envious gazes of the crowd. This young man really was lucky—losing small, winning big, and after just four rounds, he’d made over three million! Of course, that was just what the ordinary, clueless gamblers thought.

Those in the know, like the beautiful dealer, were secretly shaken. She hadn’t expected someone so young to be so skillful, playing the fool to catch the tiger—truly impressive. Taking out the 10,000 chip Emily Thompson had given her from her cleavage, the beautiful dealer felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of loss. Young, rich, and capable—why couldn’t she meet a man like that herself?

Leaving aside the dealer’s thoughts, after the earlier commotion, Emily Thompson had lost interest in gambling. He went to the cashier to exchange his chips and was surprised to find that, after subtracting his initial losses, he’d still won 3.55 million.

But then Emily Thompson thought about it and wasn’t so excited anymore. He liked gambling for the thrill, but now that he could use his true energy, continuing to gamble just felt boring. As he was thinking about finding David Brooks to go have some fun elsewhere, he saw David Brooks walking toward him with a dejected look.

“What kind of day is this! Whatever I bet, I lose,” David Brooks said angrily, spreading his hands.

“Haha, it’s just a little loss. Gambling all the time isn’t that fun anyway. Since luck’s not on our side today, let’s go find something else to do. We can come back here anytime! Next time, we’ll sweep the place,” Emily Thompson said, hooking his arm around David Brooks’s shoulder with a smile.

“Look at that sly grin—you must have won a lot, huh?”

Emily Thompson just shrugged noncommittally and said calmly, “Won a bit, not much, just over three million.”

This time, David Brooks was no longer downcast. He looked shocked, and after a long pause, slowly said, “No wonder my luck’s so bad today—it’s because you put your arm around me and stole all my good luck!”

Hearing this, Emily Thompson was speechless.

Chapter 8: A House Full of Gold and Jade (Part 3)

After leaving the casino, Emily Thompson and David Brooks went up to the third floor of Jin Yu Man Tang. As soon as the elevator doors opened, a delicate fragrance wafted in, followed by a gentle, feminine voice: “Hello, welcome to the Warm Jade Fragrant Pavilion.”

Standing before them was a hostess dressed in a Japanese kimono, her features exquisite, her voice as soft as water.

But such a beauty in front of him only made Emily Thompson frown. Damn, in China, why dress like this? He was about to pull David Brooks away when the hostess spoke again: “Are you two gentlemen dissatisfied with my attire?”

At her words, Emily Thompson and David Brooks stopped in their tracks, wondering how this girl could read their minds.

The hostess was clearly used to this, and explained with a smile, “Actually, some guests, like you, want to leave after seeing my outfit. But once they understand the deeper meaning behind our Warm Jade Fragrant Pavilion’s choice, they no longer feel any dissatisfaction, and instead enjoy the tender pleasures here to the fullest.”

“Oh?” Emily Thompson asked with interest, “Then let’s hear it.”