Chapter 18: You Think You're Worthy of Ms. Shen?

Yang Biao was notorious in Beicheng’s underworld. He had started as a loan shark and expanded into casinos, nightclubs, and underground fighting. He kept desperate men on his payroll and had contacts on both sides of the law. Bailu Manor was ostensibly an exclusive private club but served as his headquarters; he controlled half the city’s underground casinos.

He was ruthless with debtors who couldn’t pay. Some lost limbs. Others disappeared.

Lin Mo frowned and turned toward the voice. This man was no ordinary thug. A middle-aged man in a patterned shirt emerged from the shadows, a gold chain as thick as a thumb around his neck and his hands in his pockets. Four or five large bodyguards followed, their bulging waistbands suggesting weapons.

Yang Biao smiled mockingly at Zhihan behind Lin Mo, then glanced at Mingxuan cowering in the room. The knife he’d thrown was embedded two inches into the wall. Lin Mo’s expression hardened. It had been aimed to kill. A fraction slower and Zhihan would be lying dead in a pool of blood.

“Yang Biao!” Zhihan straightened, furious. “What is the meaning of this?”

He stopped two meters from Lin Mo. “I haven’t asked you that yet. You hurt my men and forced your way onto my property. How do you propose to settle it?”

“I came for my brother. Your people wouldn’t let me in.”

“Your brother?” Yang Biao grinned at Mingxuan. “You can take him. Pay what he owes me first, and you can take him wherever you like.” He rubbed his thumb against his forefinger.

“How much?” Zhihan asked. Mingxuan trembled behind the table, too frightened to speak.

Yang Biao raised five fingers. “Fifty million.”

“What?” Mingxuan sprang out. “Fifty million? You’re lying! I borrowed five million. Since when did it become fifty?”

“You signed the terms: five percent interest a day, compounded if overdue. Work it out yourself. Given how long it’s been, I’ve even rounded it down.”

“Bullshit!” Mingxuan had borrowed only five million, but he’d been so eager to get back to the table and recover his losses that he hadn’t read the contract carefully. He hadn’t expected Yang Biao to trap him. “You set me up!”

Zhihan took a deep breath. There was no reasoning with a man like Yang Biao. He had named the amount because he expected her to pay, but even she couldn’t produce fifty million in cash at once.

Lin Mo scanned the area. More men were emerging from hiding and gathering behind Yang Biao. He could escape easily on his own, but protecting both Zhihan and Mingxuan would be harder.

Yang Biao stepped closer, openly appraising Zhihan. “You don’t have to pay. How about a wager?”

“Go on.” She suppressed her anger.

He pointed to the table. “Best of three. You choose the game and the rules. If you win, the debt is wiped clean and you take him away. I won’t stop you.”

He paused, his gaze lingering on her. “If you lose, you spend a night with me. Not a bad bargain, is it?”

Zhihan’s face flushed with fury. The head of Shen Group and Beicheng’s celebrated beauty had never suffered such a vulgar insult. “Yang Biao, you’re asking to die!”

“Don’t worry, Ms. Shen. I’m here.”

Lin Mo moved like the wind. Yang Biao didn’t see him coming; a blow struck his chest like a truck. He flew backward into the corridor wall and collapsed, spitting blood and clutching his chest.

“You… how dare you…” He looked up in terror at Lin Mo, now standing over him.

Lin Mo planted a foot on his chest. “Who do you think you are? You think you’re worthy of her?” He pressed down slightly, and Yang Biao screamed.

“Let Brother Biao go!” His men drew iron bars and machetes, shouting threats as they surrounded Lin Mo.

He kept his foot where it was and surveyed them. “Anyone who wants to die with him is welcome to try.”

Silence fell. The speed of his attack had chilled them, and their boss was under his foot. They exchanged looks, none daring to move.

“Lin Mo…” Zhihan hurried up, looking from Yang Biao to him, her expression complicated.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Shen. This is how you deal with people like him.” He looked down at Yang Biao. “You like gambling? I’ll wager with you.”

Yang Biao struggled to lift his eyelids, blood at his mouth. “Who… who are you to wager with me?”

“I said I’ll wager.” Lin Mo pointed toward Zhihan and Mingxuan. “If I lose, you get my life. If I win, I take them both away and the debt is canceled.”

“Lin Mo!” Zhihan’s face changed. She hadn’t expected him to stake his life. Her heart rose into her throat.

…