Chapter 243: Taking the Blame

"Stop!"

Yi Jian sprang up, took a few steps to Chen Mo's front.

"Chen Mo, do you really want to take this to such an extreme?"

The one hundred million Chen Mo won wasn't all gamblers' money.

Counting it, among the thirty million chips Chen Mo had before entering the VIP lounge, only a small portion came from gamblers.

The rest was entirely the casino's money.

This casino had only been open a few months, its profit was only a few tens of millions.

The hundred million Chen Mo won also included the seed money the Triad Society provided when the casino opened.

To give Chen Mo the exchange for that hundred million, they'd have to strip the whole casino clean.

If other gamblers exchange chips, the casino might not have money to pay out.

Yi Jian now deeply regrets it.

He shouldn't have gambled with Chen Mo before.

He also didn't know why, after sitting at the table, it started three‑to‑one, and he was barely a hair's breadth from winning back Chen Mo's thirty million, yet Chen Mo suddenly turned the tide.

How did he end up foolishly losing a hundred million to Chen Mo?

Chen Mo looked at Yi Jian before him, a faint mockery at the corner of his mouth.

"What, can't afford to lose? It's only a hundred million; the casino can't refuse to pay, can it?"

"Chen Mo, don't go too far!"

"Did I bully you? I sincerely brought money to support you; you had bad luck, your gambling skills were poor—do you blame me for losing?"

Or is it that once inside your casino, you can only lose, never win?"

"This is Macau, not Gangdao!" Yi Jian was already grinding his teeth.

Chen Mo sneered, "How about you try? See if your men can keep me here."

"But I must warn you to think clearly about the consequences of doing so."

"Once you can't hold me, Gangdao, you won't be able to return."

Chen Mo, already half a head taller than Yi Jian, stood before him, eyes disdainful, and his aura directly crushed Yi Jian.

Although Yi Jian, like Chen Mo, was a top figure of Great Prosperity, his territory, number of subordinates, and personal strength were far inferior to Chen Mo's.

Facing Chen Mo, his threats sounded utterly laughable.

Chen Mo pressed on, "Have you made a choice? Order people to act, or go prepare the money for me?"

"You... you..."

Seeing Yi Jian take ages to decide, Chen Mo sneered and shoved past Yi Jian, heading out.

"If you don't dare act, just honestly exchange the money for me. I'll wait for you five minutes at the exchange point; after five minutes, if I don't see the money, I'll cause a ruckus in your casino."

A few subordinates behind each carried a tray loaded with chips, following behind.

Outside the VIP lounge, all gamblers saw the chips the subordinates behind Chen Mo were carrying and couldn't help exclaiming in surprise.

Inside the VIP lounge, the moment Chen Mo stepped out, Yi Jian quickly grabbed the phone and called Jiang Tiansheng.

After hearing Yi Jian recount Chen Mo's actions, Jiang Tiansheng erupted in anger.

"Yi Jian!!!"

"How exactly did you offend Chen Mo? The trouble you caused yourself, you must solve yourself!"

Yi Jian on the other end of the phone felt so aggrieved he was about to cry. He wanted Jiang Tiansheng to mediate justice, yet Jiang Tiansheng blamed him!

"Mr. Jiang, I really didn't provoke him! When I saw him today I was polite; it was only in the VIP lounge that my tone was a bit off."

"I truly don't know why he's picking a fight with me!"

"Hmph, you just had a slightly off tone? No showing off? No swagger? No cold sarcasm?"

Jiang Tiansheng's retort left Yi Jian speechless.

Showing off, swaggering, cold sarcasm—aren't those normal? Which short‑statured brat doesn't act that way?

Could it be that upon seeing Chen Mo one must grovel and flatter?

Then how can one survive in the jianghu afterward?

"But..."

"No 'but'! The trouble you caused yourself, you solve yourself; what's the use of finding me!" Jiang Tiansheng cut off Yi Jian's next words.

In fact, Jiang Tiansheng had roughly guessed why Chen Mo went to the casino.

The story of Bai Tou Weng and his men being shaved bald had already been the talk of Gangdao all day; it would be strange if he still didn't guess Chen Mo was there for revenge.

If this had happened on Gangdao, those with a bit of inside info, linking Jiang Tiansheng's invitation last night with Bai Tou Weng's shaved head today, could guess that Jiang Tiansheng had offended Chen Mo.

But then again, Yi Jian is in Macau!

The events that occurred on Gangdao last night, he still knows nothing about them today.

He just happens to take the blame for Jiang Tiansheng.

"Mr. Jiang, do you really intend to exchange a hundred million for Chen Mo? The Dang Zi casino doesn't have that much money now, and how will the casino operate in the future?"

"Mr. Jiang, the casino's profits have always been yours as Da Tou; if the casino can't continue, you bear the biggest loss!"

Yi Jian now no longer wants to discuss whose responsibility it is; he just wants Jiang Tiansheng to give him a solution.

Jiang Tiansheng also knows that simply shifting responsibility to Yi Jian is useless; the matter must be resolved, and someone must bear the loss.

"Are you confident you can eliminate Chen Mo without anyone knowing?"

"...... No!"

Yi Jian wanted to say yes, but he knows his own strength.

Back then, whether facing Hong Tai, Hongle, Lian Sheng, or Wang Bao, Chen Mo's few strikes all displayed the ability to take on a hundred opponents.

If you want to eliminate Chen Mo, either contact gunmen or mobilize a few hundred people, directly surround the entire hotel and, with great fanfare, carry out a massacre.

If you want to kill Chen Mo silently, he really has no way.

Jiang Tiansheng also knows Yi Jian can't do it; his question earlier was only to make Yi Jian give up.

"You won't give money unless you…?"

Calculate how much capital shortfall the casino has, first use funds from another casino to cover it, and send Chen Mo away.

Yi Jian, this incident was caused by you, so the loss should rightfully be borne by you.

But, the loss this time is huge; you alone might not be able to bear it.

How about this: of the one‑hundred‑million loss, you take half, and the other half counts as the casino's normal deficit.

Tomorrow I will first transfer fifty million from the Triad Society's account to the casino to ensure its normal operation.

Consider this money a loan from the Triad Society; later it will be deducted from your hall's earnings. No problem, right?

Jiang Tiansheng really knows how to do the numbers well.

For the one‑hundred‑million loss, after his maneuver, Yi Jian alone initially bears fifty million.

The remaining fifty million counts as the casino's operating loss. The casino's loss is charged to him, Yi Jian, and the Triad Society alike.

By this calculation, of the one‑hundred‑million Chen Mo won, Jiang Tiansheng's money accounts for less than half, and the lion's share is all Yi Jian's.

And so, Yi Jian still has to thank him for stepping in to help.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang. I will definitely work hard in the future to repay your great kindness."

Hearing that Jiang Tiansheng only let him bear half the loss, Yi Jian was moved to tears.

Although it feels a bit odd, he can't pinpoint what's wrong.

But now there's no time for him to ponder; the five minutes Chen Mo gave him is about to run out.