Gambling (1)

Song Luli managed to arrive at work on time without much trouble. But some of her colleagues were stunned when they saw her.

She wore business attire—not as modest as she would like, but it wasn't scandalous either.

The blazer she wore shaped her breasts, and the pencil skirt was too tight. She internally cursed her sister for owning small-sized clothing, even though she was bigger than her in particular areas.

Nonetheless, she continued to work when until the late afternoon.

Her assistant, Yang Bao, stepped into her office and said to her, "President Peng Wu accepted your invitation to meet with him for dinner."

"Thank you, Bao," Song Luli responded to him. Yang Bao then left the room, finishing his work as his lady boss will no longer be in the office for the rest of the evening.

Song Luli then rose from her seat, gathering her things, taking her purse with her.

She drove to a large casino in the shape of a skyscraper building blanketed with bright skylights all around.

It shone like a beacon, and Song Luli felt out of place since she had never attended a big casino alone before.

Inside, the halls overcrowded with people drinking, laughing, and gambling and drunks stumbling and stepping over each other.

Most of them were socialites, influencers, and businessmen; others were guests attending to them as dates or companions.

Song Luli stepped through the halls, looking for the V.I.P area when she noticed a group of men surrounding the president. She took a deep breath before approaching him, and security let her through with a nod of his head.

Song Luli smiled and greeted him politely before taking a seat across him on a black leather lounge sofa in the shape of a semi-circle.

President Peng Wu appeared to be in his early forties; he hung an arm loosely over the armrest, eyeing her with a smile. There were other men, but he waved them away in dismissal without another word.

Song Luli reserved her expression, appearing to be cold and aloof, nothing soft and gentle.

A waiter came by to offer them drinks, breaking the silence between them.

"Would you like some?" he asked her.

Song Luli nodded. Since she grew up with elites, Song Luli grew accustomed to casual drinking, something she had done since she was eighteen.

After downing it, the metallic taste filled her mouth, but she prevented herself from cringing. She then straightened in her seat, appearing to be at his level, but she wasn't. He was far wealthier and prominent. He had connections with everything and everyone.

"Miss Song, why did you want to meet with me today?" he asked her with a curious gaze.

Song Luli smiled briefly before saying, "I came on behalf of one of my people. You see, if you heard about the rumours going around between you and another woman besides your wife, I assume that you would like to address and diminish them, seeing as you are already married."

Peng Wu's lips curled up slightly. "There's a lot of things the media says about me. It doesn't affect me at all," he responded.

Song Luli ground her teeth inside. So, he was the type of person who didn't care about his reputation because he can get away with it. Typical.

Song Luli smiled politely. "Mr. Peng, I think it would be in our best interests if you address the public about these rumours. It will reflect poorly on Miss Zhao Liyin if you do not," she said.

"Oh?" Peng Wu responded. "And what will you do to convince me?" he asked.

He looked at her challengingly, seeing what she would be willing to do.

But Song Luli wasn't sure what to offer him. She thought that since he was a businessman, he may have been more civil and reserved. But he wasn't.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Peng Wu smiled, chuckling. "Why not spend the rest of the evening with me?" he asked.

Song Luli gritted her teeth. As long as he doesn't overstep boundaries, she will accept it. "Fine," she said.

Peng Wu rose from his seat, holding out his arm. Reluctantly, Song Luli took it, locking them as he guided her around the slot machines, showing her how the machines worked. He then offered her some rounds to play, and surprisingly, he didn't invade her space after the arm lock. He even kept a distance.

They gambled and played for an hour until he escorted her to a dim-lit room where a poker table stood in the middle, and some players sat on high leather chairs, surrounding the table with women on their laps.

Peng Wu sat at one end of the table, where he asked Song Luli to stand next to him. It hit her then. She would stand next to him, seen as a prize rather than a person, and since she was the heiress of Song Entertainment, he would be showing her off in front of the other players.

Song Luli gritted her teeth; she was about to leave when Long Jie walked into the poker room suddenly. She froze.

His eyes flashed with surprise at seeing her, not expecting it.

He was alone when he stepped in, and Song Luli quickly glanced at Peng Wu, who stiffened at the sight of Long Jie.

Long Jie's face shifted from surprise to complete reservation and coldness. He strode towards them slowly with his hands in his pockets.

"Hello, Mr. Long," Peng Wu greeted, rising to shake Long Jie's hand. Long Jie shook his hand shortly while locking his gaze on Song Luli. "Hello," he responded to the president while looking at her.

Song Luli gulped. She didn't know why, but she felt like she dug herself into some trouble. She cursed in her head, 'Fuck!'

Long Jie kept his composure, acting as if he didn't know her that well.

"What is Miss Song doing here?" he asked Peng Wu, not her.

"Miss Song is joining me for the game. Would you like to join us?" he asked Long Jie.

Long Jie smiled, but it wasn't genuine, there was an underlying chill beneath his cold, cruel lips. "I will join," he said. "But, I would like Miss Song to join me by the table."

Peng Wu's eyes widened in surprise. He clenched his fists. What did Long Jie want with this woman? She was nothing special.

But he didn't feel like offending Long Jie. The Long's were known for making people, turning nobody's into something, and vice versa; they could destroy people's careers.

After the fall of Wang Worldwide, many corporations were cautious of them. Not to mention, Long Jie had made sure that those who challenged him were left with nothing. His reputation was ice cold with an unyielding iron-heart.

"Very well," Peng Wu responded. He called for another woman, as Long Jie grasped Song Luli's hand, guiding her to the other side of the long oval-shaped table. He didn't say a word to her, but his eyes appeared to be frosty.

He sat on a leather chair, and Song Luli stood next to him. He glanced at her coldly before gesturing her to sit in the armchair. Song Luli listened, sitting on it. He then reached up, close to her ear and whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you?" she retorted.

His deep-set eyes watched her, and it was difficult to look at him, but she could not have said why.

"You didn't come home last night," he said. "I could assume what it looked like just now."

Song Luli's eyes widened slightly; her mouth hung open. Indeed, it looked very, very wrong.

"I...I...I promise it's not what it looks like. I went to my parent's house, and I met President Peng Wu for a meeting," she explained herself.

Long Jie didn't appear to be happy. In fact, he looked as if he didn't know what to do with the information. He set his jaw, irritated; something in him roiled, but he didn't know what exactly. Anger? Rage? Aggravation? Why didn't she tell him?

Long Jie rubbed the space between his brows. He then inched towards her. "Sit on my lap," he said.