Chapter 286 – Is This a Dream or Is This Reality
Gu Yi’an carried her to the bedroom and tucked her gently into bed.
He couldn’t bear to see her torture herself like that. I hope she’ll feel better after getting some sleep.
Having spent the entire night awake, Luo Qiqi slept throughout the day and only woke up at seven in the evening.
The smell of good food wafted into her nose when she opened the bedroom door.
Gu Yi’an walked out with one of his dishes and saw Luo Qiqi standing on the stairs. “You’re up? Go wash up. Let’s have dinner!”
Luo Qiqi was in a daze. Everything that happened last night seemed to be a dream.
She felt as if she woke up from one dream only to step into another. She knew that Su Jincheng was dead, and that everything was simply her imagination.
She told herself, That wasn’t real after all.
“Okay, I’ll go wash up.”
Seeing her answer, Gu Yi’an heaved a sigh of relief.
He knew that she was still in pain, and rather than holding on to that glimmer of hope that Su Jincheng was still alive, it would be better for her to live in the present.
Luo Qiqi and Gu Yi’an did not leave Guan Zixuan’s villa for the next few days, treating it like their own home.
On the eighth day however, Luo Qiqi left early in the morning and returned late at night.
This was her routine for the entire week. Seeing her act like that, Gu Yi’an wondered if she was still wallowing in her sorrow.
He tried ways and means to break her out of her reverie but to no avail.
After two weeks, Gu Yi’an finally decided to stop her before she could leave in the morning.
“Qiqi, where are you going? Wait for me. I want to take a look around too. I’m leaving tomorrow!”
Stunned, Luo Qiqi mumbled, “You’re leaving so soon?”
“Yup!” Gu Yi’an answered. “It’s already been half a month, and this is the longest I’ve ever been in any city ever since starting on those art exhibitions. Are you going to leave with me, or are you going to stay here?”
Luo Qiqi looked slightly crestfallen at this.
“I’ll leave too.”
“Okay!” Gu Yi’an then said, “Let’s explore the city today since we’re going to leave tomorrow!”
Luo Qiqi nodded, her expression placid as she waited for Gu Yi’an to grab his jacket.
Gu Yi’an walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder before they left. “Let’s go, Qiqi!”
Coming out of her daze, Luo Qiqi nodded at him.
Gu Yi’an had no idea where Luo Qiqi would have preferred to hang out at. He knew Luo Qiqi had a fiery temper, and she was able to liven up the atmosphere wherever she went. However, she seemed to have changed totally after Su Jincheng’s death.
After much consideration, he decided to take her to the theme park.
To his surprise, Luo Qiqi seemed to enjoy it a lot even when theme parks were usually catered towards children.
Gu Yi’an was unaware that Luo Qiqi and Su Jincheng had played their game of cat and mouse in theme parks for a period of time back when Luo Qiqi was following Su Jincheng all around the world.
Theme parks were to Luo Qiqi a reminder of that time, and also a place where she could reminisce about the past.
Luo Qiqi took every single ride with Gu Yi’an in tow, and they only left in the afternoon.
After lunch, Gu Yi’an asked, “What do you want to do later?”
Luo Qiqi contemplated for a moment before saying, “Let’s go to the casino!”
Though surprised at her suggestion, Gu Yi’an agreed immediately. “Sure!”
It doesn’t matter where we go as long as she’s happy.?She is Ye Zhongjue’s only sister, and he had told Gu Yi’an to take good care of her.
He heaved an inward sigh of relief that he seemed to have been able to pull Luo Qiqi out of that despondency after that night in the bar.
With how much time they had spent together on those exhibitions of his, he had already looked at Luo Qiqi like his own sister, and he wanted nothing but the best for her.
They headed for the biggest casino in Emperor City only to be stopped at the door. The guard who stopped them said Luo Qiqi looked like she was underage.
Underage?! I’m already in my late twenties and I’m about to hit thirty soon!
The guard refused to believe her and insisted on Luo Qiqi showing her identification before he could allow them in. Luo Qiqi was frustrated at this. Why is it so difficult to enter a casino! This is so annoying!
Upon opening her purse, she realized she did not bring her identification card with her.
Rotten luck!
Before Luo Qiqi could stomp off, Gu Yi’an took out a golden card and passed it to the guard, saying, “Take a look at this. We’re here to have fun, no need to make a fuss!”
The guard became respectful suddenly after seeing the gold card. This gold card was a rarity in Emperor City and there were probably less than ten individuals who held it.
The guard then opened the door and welcomed them in. “Sir, Miss, this way please!”
Still annoyed, Luo Qiqi said, “You’re the miss. Out of my way!”
She then stomped into the casino.
Gu Yi’an shook his head as he watched her act like a spoiled brat.
He followed her closely, afraid that he’d lose her in the crowd.
Once in the casino, Luo Qiqi looked like she had gotten a new lease of life.
She tried her hand at many games armed with a million dollars worth of chips that Gu Yi’an had exchanged for her. He simply watched and followed as she enjoyed the games.
After a while, Luo Qiqi had turned her million dollars into five million dollars.
She’s pretty good at this. She didn’t cheat at all either,?Gu Yi’an marveled.
Someone finally approached when they racked up ten million dollars in chips.
A middle-aged man who looked like the casino’s manager smiled as he approached them. “We have a private room for guests who have ten million dollars or more in chips. Would the both of you be interested?”
Luo Qiqi turned and raised a brow at Gu Yi’an.
Both of them knew that this was a tactic commonly used by casinos to cut their losses and try to get back some winnings from the high rollers.
They did not want to refuse the invitation either since that would not be very polite.
Gu Yi’an thus nodded at Luo Qiqi and said, “Let’s go take a look then. It’d be a waste if we don’t go.”
Luo Qiqi smiled at this. “That’s true! Let’s go!”
The manager led the way through a luxurious hallway, leading them into a huge room where two muscular males were seated.
The room was huge and looked like it had all the facilities one could ask for.
The door closed behind them as Luo Qiqi and Gu Yi’an entered.
The both of them exchanged a look. They knew very well how casinos worked, and they knew that they might not be able to take their winnings home even if they won here. However, they weren’t about to admit defeat at this point.
The two men in the room stood up to introduce themselves.
The one with the blond hair said, “Nice to meet you, I’m Jin Laixi, you can call me Xiaojin!”
The one with black hair then said, “Hi guys, I’m Qian Yousheng, you can call me President Qian!”
Gu Yi’an and Luo Qiqi then introduced themselves.
Luo Qiqi said, “I’m Xiaoqi, and you can just call me Xiaoqi!”
Gu Yi’an contemplated for a moment before saying, “I’m Xiao Pingan, just call me Pingan!”
Luo Qiqi wanted to laugh at Gu Yi’an’s introduction. Xiao Pingan, hahaha… What a tender name.
Gu Yi’an shook his head as he saw her reaction. I am Pingan, that tiny and frail teenager. It’s just that no one else can bully me now.
He then turned to Luo Qiqi and asked, “Xiaoqi, do you want to go first?”
Luo Qiqi answered without hesitation, “I alone am enough for these two!”
Xiaojin and President Qian’s expressions changed as a slight hint of anger and a cautious glint flashed across their faces.
They knew that they shouldn’t be underestimating anyone who was able to enter, but this was the first time someone was being so rude to them.
[1] ‘Miss’ can also be taken to refer to prostitutes.
[2] ‘Xiao Pingan’ literally translates to ‘Little Pingan’.
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