Chapter 1 The Enraged Bodyguard

Chen Yingxiong had never seen any significant emotional changes in his female bodyguard, Christine. Cabrera. No matter the situation, she always wore a calm and cool expression, which, while reassuring, also made her seem dull and unapproachable.

But now, Christine Cabrera was glaring at the person in front of her with an angry expression.

The person she was glaring at was a skinny boy who had his head lowered.

Standing next to him were several burly men, who were not there to protect the skinny boy, but rather to surround Cabrera and the boy. Beside them stood a bald, pot-bellied middle-aged man with a thick gold chain around his neck and nearly every finger adorned with various bejeweled rings. A luxurious gold watch peeked out from his suit cuff, and his entire being exuded the air of a nouveau riche. A heavily made-up, scantily clad woman was clinging intimately to the middle-aged man's arm, her ample breasts squeezed out of shape…

"Beautiful lady, we were just playing cards, and your brother owes me money. I'm afraid I can't let him leave," the bald fatty said to Cabrera with a smile, but his smile felt uncomfortable, his eyes narrowed into slits that gleamed with greedy light.

He spoke in English, not French, indicating that he wasn't a local. This was quite normal, as French law dictated that all casinos must be located in cities with pleasant climates, boasting either seaside resorts or hot spring spas. Consequently, many visitors here were from out of town, even tourists like Chen Yingxiong.

"How much does he owe?" Cabrera glared at her disappointing brother.

The fatty held up his right hand, displaying his thick palm to Cabrera. "Not much, just fifty thousand euros."

Cabrera frowned.

Fifty thousand euros was not much?

As Mr. Chen's bodyguard, her initial contract stipulated a monthly income of ten thousand euros, which was quite high in Italy. However, Italy's tax rate was 46.5% of gross income, meaning she had to pay four thousand six hundred and fifty euros each month in income tax, social security contributions, and local taxes.

Nevertheless, her actual annual income was sixty-four thousand two hundred euros, which was still much higher than the average annual income in Italy. In 2009, the average annual income for Italians, after taxes, was approximately nineteen thousand six hundred euros.

Many people in Italy earned only a little over a thousand euros per month, so Cabrera's income could definitely be considered high.

And her good-for-nothing brother had managed to lose ten months of her after-tax salary in a single night at this casino…

"How could you have so much money?" Cabrera asked her brother. She didn't believe her brother had fifty thousand euros to lose.

"They said I could put it on credit and owe it first. I didn't expect to lose so much in the end…" the brother said softly with his head lowered, not daring to look at his sister's face because he knew she must be very angry.

***

Chen Yingxiong didn't expect that he would need an ID to get into a nightclub. He didn't have an ID card, only a passport. After showing his passport, he was let in by the security guard at the door.

Then he realized why they needed IDs to get in.

Because this was… a casino!

The entrance might not have looked that big, but once inside, Chen Yingxiong felt like he had… stepped into another world.

Before him was a massive three-story space, and he was standing in a raised area.

Rows of card tables, roulette tables, slot machines… neatly arranged in the huge hall.

The magnificent door was not a nightclub at all.

Although it wasn't the kind of nightclub he had expected, a casino… wasn't bad either.

Chen Yingxiong often made bets with others, so gambling wasn't anything new to him.

Since he was already here, he might as well play a bit. A little gambling for enjoyment.

He exchanged his money for chips at the service desk, and then Chen Yingxiong squeezed into the crowd. He planned to try his luck at the slot machines first.

If his luck was good today, he would play a few rounds at the card tables and roulette tables.

Just then, he suddenly spotted a very familiar face in the crowd.

***

It was only right and proper to pay back debts, whether in China or in any other country.

But Cabrera was troubled because she simply didn't have that much money.

Cabrera lived with Chen Yingxiong, so she didn't have to spend money on living expenses, but she used her income to support her family and could hardly save any money. So asking her to come up with fifty thousand euros at once to help her brother out of his predicament was completely impossible—the cash she had on her didn't even add up to five hundred euros…

But if she didn't pay, how could she leave? Was she supposed to start a fight and forcibly take her brother away?

She looked at the burly men standing around. She was a bodyguard, not a superhero. Even if she could beat these guys, there was no guarantee her brother wouldn't get hurt. Although her brother was disappointing and mischievous, he was still her brother, and she, as the older sister, had to protect him.

Seeming to notice Cabrera's predicament, the bald, nouveau riche fatty chuckled.

"No money? Easy to solve." He nodded. "Spend one night with me, little chick, and we'll call your brother's debt even."

As he spoke, he grabbed a handful of the butt of the chick next to him and leered.

A hint of anger flashed across Cabrera's face. Even if she was facing five burly men, if that man dared to do that, she would not hesitate to let him know what she was capable of.

Just as she clenched her fists, preparing for a fight, she suddenly heard two voices from both sides at the same time.

"So many men, bullying one woman, isn't that a bit much?"

***

When Chen Yingxiong stepped out and said this, he was first surprised, and then looked at the man opposite him, who looked just as surprised as he was.

The two of them had actually stood out from the crowd at the same time and said exactly the same thing… This kind of teamwork, even if Cassano and Arshavin were on the field, Chen Yingxiong didn't think they could be this awesome.

What surprised him even more was that the man who stood out with him had black hair and yellow skin, just like him.

An Oriental?

The other man also spoke English, so Chen Yingxiong didn't know what country he was from. He could be Korean or Japanese…

Chen Yingxiong was sizing up the other man, and the other man was sizing him up too. However, unlike Chen Yingxiong's completely surprised gaze, after the initial surprise, the other man looked at Chen Yingxiong with "great interest"…

But a very impatient voice interrupted their mutual sizing up.

"Who the hell are you?"

The bald fatty was furious when he saw someone come out to interfere.

"I'm your father," Chen Yingxiong blurted out.

Almost at the same time, the man opposite him said, "I'm your grandfather."

"Hey!" This time it was Chen Yingxiong and the bald man who glared at the man together.

The man opposite him quickly scratched his head with a smile and said to Chen Yingxiong in a questioning tone, "My mistake, my mistake, I'm also his father, I'm also his father."

He even repeated it twice.

Only then did Chen Yingxiong withdraw his gaze with satisfaction and look back at the bald, nouveau riche fatty.

The bald fatty, who had been teased by the two of them, was about to explode.

***

Cabrera was also very surprised. From the moment Chen Yingxiong appeared, her eyes had hardly left him.

She didn't expect to run into Chen Yingxiong in a place like this. What a coincidence!

Could it be that he was following her? That was impossible… Coming to Toulouse, France, was a last-minute decision. She only found out at home that her brother had run off to France to gamble, so she rushed over here.

But she couldn't help but smile when she heard Chen Yingxiong and the other man make fun of the bald fatty.

Chen Yingxiong saw it. He rarely saw Cabrera smile. This was the first time he had seen a smile on Cabrera's face since that kiss.

He even suddenly felt that seeing this woman smile once made this vacation worthwhile.

But now was not the time to be infatuated with a woman. He turned to the fatty. "How much does she owe you? I'll pay it."

Just as he was saying this, the man opposite him opened his mouth, but after hearing Chen Yingxiong's words, he closed his mouth again.

Chen Yingxiong had obviously stolen his line.

"It's not about the money anymore, yellow monkey!" the bald fatty said through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing fiercely.

After Chen Yingxiong understood what he had said, he paused for a moment, then grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Agreed. I also think it's not about the money anymore, fat pig!"

Then, just as he finished speaking, he swayed, suddenly jumped up, squeezed through the two burly men, and with the momentum of sprinting for a header on the soccer field, kneed the fatty directly in the chin…

And at the same time he made his move, Christine Cabrera reached out and grabbed the arm of a burly man who was about to attack, twisting it behind his back, and then kicked another charging man in the stomach.

From Chen Yingxiong's sudden attack to Cabrera's taking down two burly men, it was almost instantaneous.

In the blink of an eye, the fight had begun.

The man who was also yellow-skinned and black-haired froze for a moment, then excitedly waved his fists and jumped into the fray.

***

Chen Yingxiong's sudden knee strike sent the fatty staggering backward. If he added a little more force, he would probably fall flat on his back. But Chen Yingxiong's attack was not over. As he landed, he twisted his body and swept his elbow horizontally, hitting the nouveau riche in the bridge of his nose.

A two-hit combo!

The swung elbow quickly swung back, pressing down with thunderous force, hitting the fatty's fleshy cheekbone. This time, he finally smashed the tottering fatty directly to the floor.

A three-hit combo!

The woman who had been clinging to the fatty froze for a moment when she saw him fall, and then suddenly let out an ear-splitting scream.

In an instant, the boss was down, and his bodyguards hadn't even reacted yet. Watching their boss, who was lying on the ground with his face below his eyes a bloody mess, they were all frightened… They thought the other party was just some small-time gangster, but they didn't expect him to be so ruthless… This was a beatdown meant to kill!

It was dangerous to be in a daze on the battlefield, because the next unlucky person might be you…

"Ooh—yah!"

A bodyguard suddenly clutched his crotch and rolled on the ground, his expression extremely painful…

After he fell, he revealed a person, the man who had come out with Chen Yingxiong to uphold justice. He wiped his nose with his hand, struck a Bruce Lee pose, and beckoned to another dazed bodyguard.

The people who had been watching out of curiosity suddenly saw the fatty fall to the ground, his face covered in blood, after Chen Yingxiong's sudden act of violence. Some of the women screamed in fright. The men hurriedly moved aside, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

The scene was immediately thrown into chaos…

***

ps, I affectionately call out to you all—votes, monthly votes!