The Female CEO Falls in Love with Me

Li Yan and Hai Fu followed the manager through several corridors to a relatively hidden VIP room hall in the club. As soon as the door opened, a cloud of stale air hit them. Inside were quite a few people who had been gambling since last night.

Upon closer inspection, the dealers, waitstaff, and companion girls arranged by the club were all quite energetic, likely the early shift staff, while the gamblers had been staying up all night. Although they had food, drinks, coffee, and ginseng tea to keep them going, a noticeable exhaustion from energy depletion hung over them.

Li Yan shook his head silently. In such a situation, how many could stay clear-headed? Surely, losses outweighed wins. Those hanging on until now were probably the ones losing money. Those who were winning would know to quit while ahead.

Their entrance did not attract much attention; everyone was focused on their respective tables. This was not a professional casino; the games played were only the most common ones. The people here were probably referred by regular patrons.

Li Yan observed the hall's situation, while Hai Fu sharply searched for the person she was looking for. The manager led the way, moving through the hall, and there was no sign of the person Hai Fu was seeking.

"Manager Ma, what about Shishan Yao? Did you take him away already?" Hai Fu asked in a low voice.

Manager Ma Kui, hearing this, respectfully replied in a low voice, "You needn't worry. Every guest here is a VIP for us, whether winning or losing; we warmly welcome all. Someone else handles his debt, and our club continues to provide high-quality service. Right this way!"

With a hint of doubt, Hai Fu saw him open another door ahead and followed with Li Yan.

The layout of this level resembled a labyrinth, and after passing through the casino hall, they entered another large VIP room hall. Once inside, they heard soft piano music playing. There was a bar ready to serve guests various drinks at any time. Numerous luxurious sofas were placed at different angles, where guests could be seen hugging companion girls, drinking, chatting, and frolicking. Clearly, this was a place for weary patrons to relax and unwind.

Hai Fu scanned the room; only four or five guests were cuddling companion girls, drinking, but she did not see the Shishan Yao she was seeking.

The manager named Ma Kui remained calm, approached the bartender, inquired briefly, and then returned to say, "Besides resting in the hall, we have a few temporary guest rooms. Mr. Shi is resting in Room One..."

Hai Fu nodded, gestured for Li Yan to follow, and strode towards the guest rooms. Upon entering, there were three doors labeled VIP Room 1, VIP Room 2, and VIP Room 3. VIP Room 1 had a "Do Not Disturb" sign, while the other two did not. She reached to open the door to Room One.

Ma Kui hurried after her and politely suggested, "Miss, why not rest for a while? I'll invite you both for a drink; let Mr. Shi come out when he has rested. It's not ideal to disturb him."

Upon hearing this and seeing the hall situation, Li Yan had some understanding. He reckoned that these VIP guest rooms were not genuinely for sleeping, but were rooms for gamblers to invite companion girls in for intimate encounters, and Shishan Yao was likely active in that room now.

Traditional consumption habits—gambling, whoring, drinking, smoking; modern regulated vices—prostitution, gambling, drugs; Cloud Islanders' indulgence—whoring, gambling, drinking, blowing... Regardless, these are cursed as the "evil habits of the decadent old society." Yet, their fan base does not necessarily overlap. Of course, compared to ordinary honest folks, there is considerable overlap.

Whether out of superstition that pleasure in romance brings misfortune in gambling, or to avoid distraction, even with specially arranged companion girls, gamblers may only indulge in a little fondling during games. Getting down to the real deal happens after winning for relaxation or losing for venting. Shishan Yao clearly belongs in the latter category.

Regrettably, Hai Fu, possibly driven by anger or simply oblivious to this aspect, impatiently said, "Move aside! I'm not in the mood to wait for him to finish resting!"

This incident was reported to be the most severe, as Hai Fu initially believed Shishan Yao was being kept in a dark room, abused, denied money, not allowed to leave. Unexpectedly, he appeared to enjoy good food, drink, rest—hardly the image of torture. Naturally, she wasn't patient enough to wait, wanting to resolve it quickly and leave promptly to curb her anger.

Ma Kui could only look to Li Yan, who shrugged, indicating he was powerless too. He could only say, "Then please step aside to rest; I'll knock on the door."

Even if she came to deliver money, Ma Kui wouldn't offend Shishan Yao for her, as Shishan Yao was the paying client. Hai Fu was visibly angry; if she found a woman inside, she might explode, even retracting the money. Women despise men who gamble excessively and are even less inclined to engage with cheaters caught red-handed.

Yet, he underestimated Master Extinction's patience and presence. Hai Fu saw his dilly-dallying attitude, already impatient, as he knocked on the door, she decisively turned the knob and opened the room door directly. Because this VIP resting room had a "Do Not Disturb" sign outside, most people understood the implication, hence it wasn't locked, allowing her to open it at once, leaving Ma Kui stunned.

Li Yan teasingly patted his shoulder. After Hai Fu entered, he peered inside. The entrance had a large bathroom partitioned with glass; going further was furnished with tables and beds. From the door's angle, the glass obstructed the view, requiring a few steps inside to see the bed. However, the glass was transparent, essentially making the actions on the bed clear.

The woman on the bed noticed the door was opened and immediately started yelling loudly...

You could faintly see what was going on inside, and without the door to muffle the sound, the voices were even more direct and clear. Even Hai Fu couldn't keep a straight face and quickly turned around, shouting out, "Shishan Yao! Get out!"

There was no need for Ma Kui to say more; Hai Fu swiftly retreated, slamming the door shut behind her. He felt a bit of a headache coming on. Though the lady showed some restraint by only yelling and not going up to beat and scold anyone, it certainly ruined the guests' mood. After this incident, it's likely they won't dare to come back anytime soon.

...

Li Yan and Hai Fu were seated on a sofa together, while Ma Kui had someone bring over a glass of wine and a glass of orange juice. He himself didn't come over to provoke trouble, instead mingling with other guests, greeting them and building rapport.

Observing Hai Fu, who appeared calm on the outside but was seething underneath, Li Yan didn't know how to comfort her. Personally, he didn't find the situation all that serious; Shishan Yao was just letting off steam.

The glass of wine was undoubtedly Ma Kui's treat for him; the orange juice was meant for Hai Fu. Yet she reached for and picked up the wine, gulping down most of it in one go.

Seeing her like this, Li Yan sighed inwardly. Apparently even the feared Master Extinction in the company was just a woman when faced with such matters!

"Boss Hai, the issue isn't as severe as you think. Brother Shi didn't betray you emotionally; he wasn't meeting a lover, just venting temporarily. Besides, it's mainly because he lost money gambling and was feeling depressed. So, you don't need to take it so seriously…" He was comforting her, though there was a hint of putting in a good word for a fellow man.

Hai Fu shot him a glance, clearly not appreciating his words, "Hmph! What do you know?"

Well then! It's none of my business, really! Li Yan smiled silently, picked up the orange juice, and leaned back casually on the sofa. The hardware here was quite good, perfectly fitting for a small underground casino—it's really "user-friendly."

Seeing he didn't make a sound, Hai Fu realized she was taking her frustration out on others. She finished the remaining wine and then let out a bitter laugh, "It's not what you think. He's not my husband…"

A lover? Li Yan was a bit surprised, not expecting someone like her would be someone's lover. Was it dissatisfaction over not being able to become a legitimate partner that made her usually fiery?

"He's my brother."

Damn… Li Yan couldn't help but put his glass down; the discrepancy in this statement was too big.

Seeing his disbelief, Hai Fu slowly shared, "He took my father's surname, and I took my mother's. He used to be a great elder brother. Our family was poor, and our parents' incomes were low. We relied on him working hard to support the family, including funding my studies. But he doesn't have much education himself, and when his career hit a bottleneck, he got addicted to gambling. He turned from a good man into a compulsive gambler… Over the years, I've lost count of how many times I've covered his gambling debts. I'm not angry at him; I'm disappointed! His gambling addiction caused great pain to his wife. They used to be so happy…"

Unexpectedly, it was this kind of situation. For Hai Fu to have such an attitude towards her once-respected older brother, Shishan Yao must have repeatedly asked her to cover his gambling debts.

"Analyzing it psychologically, his situation likely amounts to an addiction. Without gambling, he feels uneasy, and he's also suffering greatly. The root cause is losing money. Initially, he probably had quite a bit of savings, but he lost it all. It's incredibly difficult and painful to start over, so he wants—and can only think about—getting back up from where he fell. He wants to win back his money and his dignity. But his mindset and skills are lacking, so he just keeps losing more and falling deeper into that hole," Li Yan explained simply.

She could obviously arrive at this analysis herself, but having an outsider say it often brings about a bit of a breakthrough. It made Hai Fu ponder and prompted her to ask, "Is there a way to cure this problem?"

"It's easy, let him win big once," Li Yan chuckled.

"..."

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