Lin Ran held Xu Zhi’s hand as they escaped the clamor.

The fifth floor housed the casino—lavish decor, stacks of chips worth half a fortune. Beautiful girls lingered behind gamblers; a casual toss of two chips could make their day.

But those chips would vanish back into the tables by dawn. When desperation set in, some might linger in certain rooms on the sixth floor.

Xu Zhi knew this place. She’d once considered working here as a server—until abandoning the idea after thirty minutes of thought.

Self-awareness was vital. She doubted her willpower could withstand this whirlpool. Half a month here, and she might end up summoned to the sixth floor too.

“Hey… you’re really playing?” Xu Zhi’s voice slurred slightly with drink. She tugged Lin Ran’s hand, eyes fixed on him.

He understood but only chuckled. “Just a small game. Keep your money safe. I’ll exchange a thousand chips.”

Returning with the chips, he guided her to a fruit machine. Only one seat remained—so Xu Zhi sat on his lap. Lin Ran’s arm circled her waist. “Pick any fruits,” he murmured.

She chose oranges and watermelon for a hundred credits. The lights stopped on apples. Two hundred gone.

“I’m not picking anymore… you do it.” Her tone turned petulant. She couldn’t fathom his eagerness to throw money away.

Gambling ruined lives. She remembered her father—the debts, stones shattering their window at midnight, kicks against the door, blood-red paint splattered across it, her mother clutching her tight. Unforgettable.

Lin Ran’s hand brushed past her waist, randomly selecting three hundred credits’ worth of fruit. Nothing won.

Five hundred left. He grabbed her hand, slamming all credits onto the machine. Xu Zhi didn’t understand the mechanics, but this was clearly reckless button-mashing.

It was money meant to vanish anyway.

Her breath hitched. She turned, eyes reproachful. “Once this is gone… we leave, okay?”

“Okay.” Lin Ran smiled.

As reward, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. Then pressed start.

The machine’s lights settled at the top. Xu Zhi blinked. “What does this mean?”

“Jackpot.”

“J-Jackpot?” Her lips parted, eyes wide.

“How much?”

“See for yourself.” The display read 126,000.

Xu Zhi’s vision blurred. After seconds of staring, she turned. “Pinch my chest.”

Lin Ran sighed, pinching her waist instead.

“Ow!” She shot him a wounded look, then suddenly threw her arms around his face, kissing him wildly. He barely dodged her frenzy.

“Alright, alright… you have a choice now.”

“What?” Her words tumbled out.

He pulled her ear close to his lips. “This is the boss’s gift. That girl hinted it—he rigged the odds. An olive branch.”

“I don’t…”

“Su Nisheng helped me today. The boss wants his favor. I’m just borrowing his shadow. You could try high-low now. If the boss intended more, this doubles. If not… poof. Gone.”

“Will you gamble?”

Lin Ran watched her eyes. Xu Zhi stared at the machine’s glow, silent for long seconds. Then she cashed out all chips. No further bets.

Lin Ran exhaled.

Easy money bred addiction. Once a gambling dog, never free again. No exceptions.

“Wise choice.” He tweaked her earlobe, lifting her up. Handed her the golden 100,000-chip token. “Now it’s complete.”

Watching his calm face, Xu Zhi’s throat tightened. Tears threatened.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Why… are you so good to me?”

“We’re friends.”

“Will you go home tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t.” She gripped his collar, chin lifted. Her eyes were rabbit-red, voice trembling. “Why tease me… then refuse me?”

“I meant nothing by it.” He gently pried her hands away, pulling her into a hug.

She mumbled against his shoulder, “You’ve never even tried me… yet say you don’t like me.”

“Hush. Tomorrow, pay the hospital. Get your mom’s surgery done. That’s what matters.”

Lin Ran pocketed the remaining 26,000 in chips—no greed in his heart.

…………………………

“Lin Ran?”

A voice cut through the crowd. He released Xu Zhi—she’d been crying quietly against him—and spotted Su Nisheng at a poker table.

He led Xu Zhi over.

Xu Zhi studied Su Nisheng. *Looked up* at her. They lived in different worlds. Su Nisheng wore simple clothes, yet her aura dwarfed Xu Zhi’s.

“Thanks for today,” Lin Ran said lightly.

“Nuisance.” Su Nisheng rolled her eyes, kicking his shin playfully. Testing Xu Zhi’s reaction. But Xu Zhi just shrank behind Lin Ran, hand loosening from his—taller yet seeming smaller than dust.

“Play a round for me?” Su Nisheng arched a brow.

Chips on the table totaled mere tens of thousands. “Sure,” Lin Ran agreed.

“Sit on my lap then… and you,” she glanced at Xu Zhi, “he said you’re not his girlfriend, right?” Not a challenge—just testing Lin Ran.

“No,” Xu Zhi whispered. Her fingers slipped from his.

Lin Ran took Su Nisheng’s seat. She settled onto his lap, legs swinging as she played Texas Hold’em. He peeked at her cards, tossed in a few thousand chips carelessly.

Opposite sat Xu Weiyu—a girl in a light blue LOLITA dress. Lin Ran avoided labeling her, but her bust was undeniably generous. *Like a petite dairy cow*, he thought, stealing a glance.

Su Nisheng swayed on his lap, smiling sweetly. Xu Zhi stood frozen behind him, watching the game.

Thirty minutes passed. Lin Ran clashed repeatedly with Xu Weiyu—Su Nisheng’s chips meant nothing to him. Xu Weiyu lost tens of thousands, unfazed. Clearly wealthy.

Lin Ran lifted Su Nisheng off his lap. “Time to go?” He patted her shoulder.

“Need a ride?” Su Nisheng grabbed her bag. The pair looked oddly matched. She hid her gritted teeth behind a neutral mask.

“No. I biked here.”

He squeezed Su Nisheng’s shoulder, reclaiming Xu Zhi’s hand. She’d stood numbly for half an hour. They descended to the first floor. Outside, drizzle blurred the streetlights.

“I’ll bike you home?” Lin Ran smiled at Xu Zhi.

“You could ride with her… I’ll walk.”

“Aren’t you Xu Zhi—the confident beauty?” he teased.

Her lips pursed. She kicked a pebble. “Your ex-girlfriend… she’s not what you described.”

“How so?”

“She still likes you.” Xu Zhi met his eyes squarely.

“I’ve got a strong stomach. No freeloading.” Lin Ran laughed.

“She’s beautiful. Kind to you. Why not stay together?”

“Exactly the problem, isn’t it?” He winked.

Xu Zhi understood.

“She doesn’t like me that way. Just a friend. You’re wrong.”

“When she sat on you, her smile wasn’t fake. And when she called our names… her eyes lingered on your hand holding mine. Yet she wasn’t angry. She likes you.” Xu Zhi’s voice dropped as she settled on the bike’s rear seat.

“Why overthink it? Sounding like a petulant wife.”

She held an umbrella over him as he pedaled. Rain painted the world in watercolors under the streetlights.