Chapter 53

The two people got into the car from the door and sat down. Julia surprisingly remained very calm, which was quite unexpected by Xiao Bing. To be able to calm down so quickly, she truly lived up to her queen-like personality as an outstanding woman.

The two sat in the back seat, with a distance of about a fist between them. However, sitting so close made it impossible for Xiao Bing not to notice Julia. Every time he glanced at this beautiful woman, he felt a sense of amazement. She was a few years older than Xiao Bing, yet she exuded a mature charm that young girls lacked.

The driver in the front listened to some music and hummed along, then said, "You two are going to the casino to find someone, right?"

Xiao Bing sighed with relief, finding it hard to imagine how a woman could be so attractive to him. It wasn't a spiritual attraction like with Yezi, nor a desire to protect like with Su Xiaoxiao, but a pure hormonal attraction. Xiao Bing had felt this before, but it was rarely as intense as this.

Xiao Bing looked at the driver and smiled, "How did you know?"

"Cough, as a driver, what kind of guests haven't I seen? You two clearly aren't regular gamblers. What else could you be doing but looking for someone? Is it a relative who's gambling? Sigh, in that place, nine out of ten gamblers lose."

Xiao Bing sighed, "Yes, nine out of ten gamblers lose... But isn't running a casino illegal? Why doesn't the police do anything?"

"What can they do? They have a business license. On the surface, it's a legitimate business, but in reality, it's a casino. Even a taxi driver like me knows this. How could the police not know? To put it bluntly, the people behind it have strong connections."

Xiao Bing said, "Oh, what kind of connections do they have?"

"That I don't know. It's not something a taxi driver like me would know!"

Julia, sitting beside him, rarely spoke. As Xiao Bing chatted with the driver, the car arrived at the casino. Actually, it looked like a hair salon from the outside. The salon was small, and inside, a few hairdressers were playing cards, both men and women.

Seeing Xiao Bing and Julia enter, one of the women said lazily, "We're closed today, no business."

Julia said coldly, "Take me to see Zhang Gui, I'm his wife."

Hearing Julia's words, the group began to scrutinize her. Then a young man with yellow hair sneered, jumped off the bed, and said casually, "Follow me."

He walked to the wall and rhythmically knocked three times, then three more times. Soon, someone responded from inside, and the wall, which turned out to be a door, creaked open.

"Go in," the young man said lazily, his eyes fixed on Julia, muttering, "A flower stuck in cow dung."

Xiao Bing followed Julia through the small door. Inside, two burly men greeted them. They carefully examined Xiao Bing, then looked at Julia and asked, "Is she your friend?"

Julia nodded.

"Alright, follow us."

They walked further, and there were stairs leading to the basement. Xiao Bing looked around; the people here were indeed resourceful, and the casino was well-hidden. The boss behind it seemed to be no ordinary person.

The basement was spacious, filled with slot machines, mahjong tables, and card tables. It was bustling with activity, with many gamblers gathered around each table, shouting continuously. When Xiao Bing and Julia entered, someone glanced at them and immediately walked into a small room inside.

"Please, our boss is waiting for you inside."

Julia and Xiao Bing followed the person into the small room. Inside, it was smoky, and a man was tied to the ground. Six or seven burly men were sitting and standing around, smoking.

One of the men, a bald, dark-skinned man, saw Julia and smiled, "Mrs. Zhang, I'm sorry to trouble you to come here."

Julia frowned, clearly disliking the place. Seeing the man tied to the ground, she looked furious. The man, upon seeing Julia, cried out in panic, "Wife, save me, save me! Give them the money quickly, they're going to cut off my fingers!"

Xiao Bing was stunned. The man was short, about 1.6 meters tall, while Julia was around 1.7 meters. He looked like a scoundrel, and it was hard to understand why a woman as beautiful, tall, and sexy as Julia would be with him.

Xiao Bing felt a pang of pity for Julia.

Julia's eyes first showed embarrassment, then turned to frustration and helplessness. Clearly, she was not satisfied with this marriage, but there must have been some reason for it.

Julia glanced at Xiao Bing, who took out 100,000 yuan from his clothes and handed it to her. Julia looked at the leader and said coldly, "Brother Biao, we've done business before, and I trust you. Here's the money. Hand over the money, and let him go."

Biao walked over, snatched the money, and handed it to a subordinate to count. After counting, the subordinate returned the money to Biao, saying, "Brother Biao, it's exactly 100,000 yuan."

"Good, very trustworthy, I like that. Sister, you can go home, but your husband has to stay."

Julia's face turned pale, and she said angrily, "What do you mean? Didn't we agree to take the money and let him go? The money is what you want, what use is my husband to you?"

Xiao Bing also found it strange. Even if they were looking for a prostitute, they would want someone better-looking. This man was a modern-day Wu Dalang. Who would want him?

Xiao Bing couldn't help but speak up, "Isn't this a bit unfair? Besides, what can this man do for you? Do you need another worker in your casino?"

"Worker?" Biao laughed coldly, "Someone like him, even if we got him for free, we wouldn't want him. Let me tell you, your husband... no, little wife, your man caused trouble. It's not just about losing money. He also stole the boss's wife's clothes while she was sleeping."

Julia's face turned white, and she bit her lip, her teeth chattering.

Xiao Bing was stunned, planning to scold Zhang Gui, but then remembered something in his bag and quickly changed his mind. He said sternly, "It's just a piece of clothing. We can compensate you for it."

"Hmph, easy to say... If it were just that simple, it would be fine. He also tried to assault the boss's wife while she was sleeping."

Julia's body trembled, and Xiao Bing quickly supported her. She gently pushed Xiao Bing's hand away, looked at him gratefully, and then took a deep breath, saying to Biao, "My husband was wrong, and I apologize for him. I can compensate the boss's wife in other ways. How about adding another 10,000 yuan?"

Even in extreme anger, this woman remained composed, speaking clearly and logically, showing her exceptional ability and character.

Biao laughed, "Little wife, you're wrong. Our boss doesn't care about the money. Even if you gave him all your possessions, he wouldn't care. What matters is not losing face. If people found out that someone assaulted the boss's wife and he let them go, where would his face be?"

Julia frowned and asked, "What do you want to do, then?"

"Simple, break his hands and legs, and make him a cripple!"

"No!" Zhang Gui struggled on the ground, shouting frantically, "Wife, save me, wife, save me! Mmm... mmm..."

One of Biao's subordinates covered Zhang Gui's mouth. Zhang Gui still tried to shout, his eyes full of fear. He had even wet his pants in fear.

Julia felt embarrassed, angry, and afraid. On one hand, her husband's disgrace made her want to hide, but on the other hand, she feared these people would do anything they said. Although the man on the ground wasn't a good person, he was still her husband.

Julia, who had gone to great lengths to save this man with money, clearly cared about him.

Just as Julia was at a loss, Xiao Bing grabbed her shoulder. His warm, steady, and strong hand made her feel more grounded. She looked at Xiao Bing, who stepped in front of her and asked, "What if we insist on taking him away? What then?"

"Nothing much." The speaker was a man in his thirties, wearing a pink suit and accompanied by a provocatively dressed woman, with two black-clad bodyguards following. He walked in.

Biao and the others quickly stood up straight, bowing respectfully to the man in the suit, saying humbly, "Boss."

The man in the suit, holding a cigar, pointed at Julia with the hand holding the cigar and said, "Leave her with me for one night, and I'll let her husband go!"