The Love Reality Show's Big Boss and Little Sweetie - Chapter 70

【Isn’t it common knowledge that cruise ships have casinos? /doghead】

【Mu Chi clearly has never been to a place like a casino before.】

【Probably doesn’t know about the Lisboa in Macau* either.】(*Lisboa Hotel and Casino in Macau (China), one of the most famous and iconic casinos in the world)

【His over-the-top reaction is hilarious.】

【Forgive Mu Chi for being a good, well-behaved student his whole life.】

【Look how scared the kid is, his persona is totally shattered.】

【Demon King, hurry up and save your wife hahaha】

Mu Chi clung to the gold-painted pillar with both hands and feet. Even though his limbs were getting sore, he didn’t dare let go, afraid that Qi Yuan’s five bodyguards would jointly drag him into the casino and use his organs as stakes…

He regretted it. He shouldn’t have trusted Qi Yuan just because he was Qi Liao’s older brother.

What kind of place was a casino? A place that could make ordinary people lose their entire fortune in ten minutes. Mu Chi had always been a law-abiding good citizen; he wouldn’t dare risk near-certain doom by gambling.

o matter how sweetly Qi Yuan talked, Mu Chi just hugged the pillar and refused to let go, until he saw a familiar, tall young figure running towards him.

Mu Chi’s heart was instantly rescued from its state of seven ups and eight downs. He rushed over without a second thought, throwing his arms around Qi Liao, wrapping his limbs around him as if he were the only lifesaver.

“Gege..” Mu Chi seemed to revert to being seventeen again, full of grievances, and only the person before him could offer the broadest, most solid protection.

Qi Liao held him as if cradling a treasure, cupping Mu Chi’s buttocks to soothe him. “It’s alright now.”

Mu Chi breathed in the scent of Qi Liao in big gulps. This was the safest, most reliable smell in his memory, the calming aroma he could never get enough of every night. Qi Liao stroked his back rhythmically, like petting a cat.

Mu Chi thus grew calm, his fur smoothed, his heart settled. He wanted to take half a step back, but his legs felt weak. Looking down past Qi Liao’s back, he realized he was wrapped around Qi Liao’s waist.

And his butt was being supported by one of Qi Liao’s large hands.

“……”

Shame crawled up his nerve endings. Mu Chi moved his calves slightly and pushed against Qi Liao’s shoulders with his hands.

Qi Liao set him down, a smile touching the corners of his eyes and brows. “My family runs legitimate businesses.”

It took Mu Chi a moment to process this. Hadn’t Qi Yuan mentioned earlier that he had reported it to the authorities? So, this was the Qi family’s cruise ship? Everything on the ship belonged to the Qi family?

The Qi family naturally included Qi Liao. Mu Chi didn’t trust others, but he trusted Qi Liao unconditionally.

“But this is a casino.” Mu Chi still couldn’t quite accept it, influenced by the education he’d received since childhood. “Look at any city—they all have campaigns to crack down on gangs and crime, to stay away from pornography, gambling, drugs. These are major pests that threaten people’s physical and mental health.”

Qi Liao nodded. “Naturally. So I don’t like this place either.”

Mu Chi turned to look at Qi Yuan, his eyes clearly stating, See? Even your younger brother is so righteous. Shouldn’t you shut down this casino?

Qi Yuan was also rendered speechless, laughing wryly. “I already said it’s a legitimate business. If you don’t believe me, you should at least believe Qi Liao.”

Mu Chi looked at Qi Liao, conflicted.

“Just go in and see for yourself,” Qi Yuan said, feeling weary. “If I’m lying to you, may I be struck by lightning.”

Qi Liao also didn’t want to leave Mu Chi with the impression that his family was shady. He took his hand. “Come on, I’ll take you to see.”

Mu Chi obediently followed Qi Liao. The moment they passed through the casino’s dazzling golden doors, they were greeted by two attendants bowing at a perfect 90-degree angle. The manager came forward, beaming. “President Qi, Young Master Qi, what would you like to play tonight?”

Qi Yuan said, “Don’t mind me. Just give them an introduction.”

The manager smiled and asked, “First, I need to confirm, you are both over eighteen, correct?”

If this were before, Mu Chi would definitely have answered, “I’m seventeen,” and gotten thrown out.

But now, Qi Liao said, “We are.”

The manager smiled. “We have many types of games here: chess and cards, mahjong, arcade machines, sports betting, lottery, big and small, and word-based games. Which would you like to try?”

“Let’s start with the word-based ones,” Qi Liao said.

“This is the front desk. You can use cards, cash, or exchange for chips to place bets.”

Mu Chi saw over a dozen silver trays on the counter, piled with chips shaped like gold ingots.

The manager took one tray and handed it to them. “This is a complimentary appetizer. Enjoy yourselves.”

Mu Chi held the large tray of stacked chips, feeling at a loss. He whispered, “We don’t have to pay?”

Qi Liao said calmly, “Fishing requires bait. At the beginning, they’re given out for free. Once you’re hooked, you’ll reach into your own pocket.”

The casino was filled with electronic music, the curses and laughter of gamblers, and beautiful dealers moving between the tables. Some dealt cards with cool detachment, others alluringly used small sticks to push chips around, also stirring the hearts of the gamblers.

Mu Chi felt a physical discomfort. “It’s so chaotic.”

Qi Liao said, “This table nets a hundred thousand in one night, and that’s considered small. The real high-stakes action is in the private rooms, starting at least ten million per session.”

Mu Chi was stunned. “That’s so profitable.”

“They only operate here in international waters for these two days. The rest of the time, it’s closed. These people boarded this cruise ship specifically for these two days of fun. They’ll disembark at the next port.”

Mu Chi: “Oh.”

Qi Liao added, “The casino is profitable, but it also has to pay taxes. Calculated, this single cruise trip isn’t necessarily more profitable than closing a couple more business deals.”

“?” Mu Chi was skeptical. “Your family would do a losing business?”

“Of course not.” Qi Liao led Mu Chi to the word-based games area. “It seems like a loss, but each cruise trip develops connections. That’s the main purpose.”

Mu Chi was filled with awe. “They say the business world is like a battlefield, but I see it as more like officialdom. You need to accumulate connections everywhere.”

Qi Liao chuckled lightly. “Yeah. That’s why I don’t like it. In the end, it’s my eldest brother managing the Qi family business.”

Mu Chi’s impression of Qi Yuan improved a bit more. As long as he wasn’t doing things that harmed the country and its people, it was fine.

The two arrived in front of a row of machines. The screens scrolled with cartoon characters, and a few children were playing happily.

Mu Chi: “…This is for kids?”

“You can select adult mode.” Qi Liao inserted a game card, and the screen in front of them displayed categories: Children’s Mode, Adult Mode, Elderly Mode.

Mu Chi praised sincerely, “Such a user-friendly design.”

Qi Liao tapped on Adult Mode. A word-based game popped up. “Which one do you want to play?”

Mu Chi chose an idiom chain game. Getting one right earned two points; ten points could be exchanged for one chip. Because it used voice input, he felt inevitably shy. He managed over thirty in a row before he couldn’t think of any more.

Seven chips rolled out from the bottom of the machine.

Qi Liao smiled. “Getting that many is impressive. Want to try an idiom fill in the blank?”

Mu Chi: “So it’s truly word-based, testing vocabulary.”

“I’ll play with you.” Just as Qi Liao was about to walk to the machine next to Mu Chi’s to start a versus mode, a second-generation rich kid, his face slick with oil, stood beside them, eyeing Mu Chi.

“I’ll compete with you,” the rich second-gen said, his gaze lecherous. “If I win, you spend the night with me.”

The words were directed at Mu Chi. The person hitting him was Qi Liao.

The rich second-gen was suddenly knocked to the ground by a punch. He reacted too slowly, rolling on the floor like a fat pig for two rounds before he came to his senses and shrieked, “Fuck! Why did you hit me?!”

Qi Liao said coldly, “If you don’t know how to speak like a human, I don’t mind beating you until you learn.”

“How am I not speaking like a human?” The rich second-gen squirmed, ordering the casino bodyguards, “This guy is causing trouble! Restrain him!”

The bodyguards looked at him with incredulity. “He is our Young Master, the owner. The one standing next to him is the young master’s wife.”

“??”

Mu Chi: “?”