"Of course,"the leading big man said,clapping his hands with the banknotes,smiling.After they all left,Ran Gui said to the woman,"Miss,you're safe now,you can go home."After walking a dozen steps,Ran Gui noticed the woman hadn't moved,so he turned back.
"Miss,why aren't you going home?"Ran Gui asked,puzzled.
"Benefactor,to be honest with you,I have nowhere to go,I don't know where to head,"the woman said,tears welling up in her eyes.
"Don't cry,don't cry,I can't stand to see women cry,especially beautiful ones like you,"Ran Gui comforted the woman."If you don't mind,come back with me."
"Is it appropriate?"
"There's nothing inappropriate about it.I live alone,and you can add some liveliness to my home."
"Then thank you,benefactor,for taking me in,"the woman said gratefully as she knelt on the ground.Ran Gui helped her up,and they slowly returned to his residence.
Time is a great thing;as they spent more time together,they gradually fell in love.Ran Gui spent his days accompanying the woman,leaving his business to others to manage,and it was this woman who arranged for the management.
"Wenxing,how about we get married?"In a pavilion by the river,Ran Gui said to the woman he was holding.
"As long as young master doesn't mind,I am willing to marry you,"the woman said softly,leaning against him."Mind?I can't love you enough."He then held her tightly and kissed her forehead,and on the shimmering lake,the two sweetly embraced.
Unbeknownst to Ran Gui,he was slowly falling into a conspiracy.While he was entertaining this woman,his assets were being secretly transferred by her.The former housekeeper noticed discrepancies in the accounts and told him about the huge differences,but Ran Gui,already deeply involved,couldn't listen to anyone else's advice.Moreover,with Li Wenxing whispering in his ear every day,he directly drove the former housekeeper out of the Ran residence.
The housekeeper walked out of the Ran residence,looked back at the mansion,sighed,and shook his head before leaving.
Daily outings had become mundane,and gradually Li Wenxing became more demanding,finding the silent transfer of assets too slow.She directly persuaded Ran Gui to take her to the casino for some excitement.
At first,under the casino's arrangement,Ran Gui won a small amount of money.Gradually,he became addicted to the easy money,and his bets began to increase.
On this day,in the smoky casino,Ran Gui's face was covered in sweat.He had just lost nearly ten thousand taels in a dice game,and looking at the five thousand taels in his hand,he couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Don't worry,brother Gui,we'll definitely win it all back this round,"Li Wenxing said,wiping Ran Gui's forehead with a handkerchief.
"All bets are final,all bets are final,"the dealer shouted after shaking the dice cup.
Ran Gui's throat tightened as he nervously placed all his chips on the small number side,rubbing his hands together,praying for a small number.
But things never go as planned,"Six,seven,eight,large,"the man said after opening the dice cup.
"Ah～"Ran Gui almost fell under the table but was caught by Li Wenxing.
"You seem to be out of chips,Ran Gongzi,"a casino assistant said to Ran Gui.
"Yes,I have a house,located right in the middle of the street,"Ran Gui said confidently,his eyes red from loss,not caring about anything anymore.
At this point,the casino assistant glanced at Li Wenxing,and they exchanged a look.
"Ran Gongzi,stop gambling.A little gambling is enjoyable,but too much can be harmful.You've lost so much today;you should go back first,"a friendly neighbor gambler advised.
"If you don't want to see blood on your bodies,then shut your mouths,"a casino assistant said.
Ran Gui looked at the money across from him;he wanted to break even,he wanted to get it back,and he vowed:once he got it back,he would definitely never gamble again.
"Then bet my house,"Ran Gui finally made up his mind.
"But where's your deed?"The casino owner appeared at this moment.
Ran Gui tore open the sleeve of his right arm,took out the deed from inside,and threw it at the casino owner.
"This kid still doesn't trust me;the deed I've been looking for all this time was hidden on him all along,"Li Wenxing cursed in her heart.The casino manager looked at the deed and said with a smile,"Ran Gongzi,since that's the case,let's begin.What kind of bet do you want to make?"After finishing,he placed twenty thousand taels of chips in front of Ran Gui.
"I don't know how to do anything else,just bet on big or small,"Ran Gui directly placed the twenty thousand chips on big.
"Are you sure?If you lose this time,you'll have nothing,"the boss said with a smile.
"But if I win,I'll break even,"Ran Gui muttered,biting his lip.
"The mentality of a gambler is always the mentality of a gambler;if everyone thought like you,wouldn't I go bankrupt?"The casino owner laughed,closed the lid,shook it with both hands,and with a thud,slammed it on the table.At this moment,the venue was very quiet.
The audience looked on with curiosity as the casino owner opened the lid,"Three ones,a straight!House wins everything!"the assistant shouted loudly.
"Hahahahaha～"The casino owner grabbed all the banknotes in front of Ran Gui,leaving him stunned,looking at the dice in the cup.
"You're cheating,"Ran Gui suddenly stood up and said excitedly.
"Ran Gongzi,which eye did you see me cheating with?You can eat randomly,but you can't speak randomly,"the casino owner's face became serious.
"Since you have nothing left to gamble,let's stop for today,"the casino owner was about to leave when Ran Gui stopped him,"You definitely cheated."
"You kid,you're looking for trouble!"A punch knocked him to the ground,and the casino's enforcers saw this and rushed up.Immediately,Ran Gui was beaten black and blue,and then the enforcers lifted him and threw him out of the casino.
Ran Gui lay on the ground motionless,opened his eyes,and painfully watched Li Wenxing laughing and hugging the casino owner,finally realizing that this was a conspiracy,a huge conspiracy from beginning to end.
Ran Gui looked at Li Wenxing,"I just want to ask you,was our relationship genuine?"
"There was nothing genuine about it;it was all just an act,otherwise,how could you have fallen for it?"Li Wenxing replied sarcastically.
Looking at Li Wenxing,Ran Gui shed tears;the only woman he had ever truly cared for hurt him the most.He wiped away his tears,supported his body with both hands,and stumbled towards the city gates.
This time,he lost completely.Once a man of great wealth,he ended up in such a situation.He needed to leave this place of heartbreak and started a new life in Yunzhou.
Ran Gui sighed again,looking at the moon outside and then at Shu Yixing lying on the bed.Although he didn't live as freely as before,his life was now stable,and wasn't it good?Ran Gui gave a bitter smile,lay back down,covered himself with the blanket,and went to sleep.
The next day,Ran Gui was awakened by the noise outside.Shu Yixing was placing the benches one by one.Ran Gui came out of the house,"Why are you up so early?The store doesn't open for a while yet."
"Brother Gui,you're up.Did I disturb you?I saw you sleeping soundly just now and thought about letting you sleep a bit longer,so I started working on my own,"Shu Yixing continued to wipe the benches and put them on the ground.
"Sleep?You've woken me up with all the noise.Don't do this again.If we work,we work together.There's no way a younger brother should be taking care of an elder brother,"he said,washed his face,and started organizing with Shu Yixing.