Ignoring the curious, astonished, disdainful, and even somewhat mocking gazes of those around him…
Mo Pingqiu clutched Yu Shuang with trembling hands, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Ying Baolin and said, "Boss Ying, you must already be aware of Miss Yu Er's identity, right?"
Upon hearing this, Ying Baolin did not respond but nodded noncommittally.
Suppressing the fear and trembling in his body, Mo Pingqiu gritted his teeth and said, "Since you are aware of Miss Yu Er's identity, you should understand the consequences if something were to happen to her in Wenzhou!"
At these words, Ying Baolin immediately laughed.
However, his laughter was filled with a chilling coldness.
Conversations between intelligent people never require explicit articulation.
Although Mo Pingqiu had not stated it clearly, Ying Baolin understood what he wanted.
Mo Pingqiu was gambling! He was betting that by using Yu Shuang's personal safety, he could escape the immediate danger of losing a hand unscathed.
If that were not the case, he would bypass the hand-losing scenario and transition to an exchange of lives.
Individuals of Ying Baolin's caliber, despite their extensive influence, were limited to the territory of Wenzhou.
He was indeed a formidable local power, but the siblings Yu Feng and Yu Shuang were like dragons crossing the river, possessing backgrounds no weaker than his own.
Internal family disputes were one matter; relentless pursuit by enemies was another.
If he did not comply with Mo Pingqiu's demand and Yu Shuang met with misfortune within Wenzhou, he would bear undeniable responsibility from any perspective.
Therefore, after his laughter subsided, Ying Baolin's entire demeanor shifted, his imposing aura rising.
Ying Baolin had never expected that the face he had just helped regain, with interest, would be disrupted again by this meddling fool, Mo Pingqiu!
This situation was precarious, and he had to yield.
Because Yu Feng, standing nearby, was already staring at him with wide eyes.
After a moment of silence, Ying Baolin nodded and instructed his bodyguards behind him, "Escort him off the gambling ship!"
He paused, then turned to Mo Pingqiu and said, "Once you're off the ship, you release her to me!"
"Otherwise, you won't be leaving!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Pingqiu, whose face had been contorted in a ferocious expression moments before, was now beaming.
For him, as long as he got off the gambling ship, he had escaped.
For seasoned card sharps who operated in the underworld, once a game was exposed, escaping was not difficult if they could create even a little space.
With this thought, Mo Pingqiu's tone softened. After thanking Ying Baolin, he turned to Yu Shuang and said, "Miss Yu Er, I apologize for what happened today!"
"As one gets older, one fears death."
"Especially in our line of work, the injury of losing a hand is undoubtedly equivalent to the pain of having one's throat slit or heart gouged out!"
"Therefore, I must trouble you to personally escort me off the ship."
This old scoundrel was truly both life-fearing and adaptable.
Hearing this, a flicker of immense rage flashed in Yu Shuang's eyes, and she let out a heavy snort, not bothering to reply.
Then, under the "escort" of a group of people, Mo Pingqiu, with Yu Shuang in tow, exited the cabin and arrived on the deck without incident.
As for Yun Jin's group, they did not follow.
After all, it was the first day of operation, and the business on the ship still needed to be conducted.
With Yu Shuang absent, someone had to manage the situation and clean up the mess in the gambling hall.
...
Walking along the deck to the boarding ramp, Mo Pingqiu suddenly stopped and looked down at Yu Shuang, saying, "Please help me to the end, Miss Yu. Tell them to retract all the gangways!"
Looking at the distance between the dock and the gambling ship, I suddenly understood why Mo Pingqiu was so confident about escaping.
Once the gangways were retracted and then redeployed, it would take at least a minute or two.
By the time the gangways were reconnected, Mo Pingqiu would have long vanished.
Although Yu Shuang still did not speak, the immense hatred in her eyes had already silently spread.
After exchanging a glance with Yu Feng, the latter immediately understood and turned to find the ship's staff.
Within two minutes, the gangways slowly began to retract upwards.
At this point, if anyone still wanted to disembark, their only options were to wait for the gangways to be lowered again or to swim to the dock.
Having escaped the immediate danger, Mo Pingqiu did not immediately release Yu Shuang. Instead, he looked at Ying Baolin across the water and said, "Boss Ying, thank you for keeping your word!"
"How about this, to express my apologies, I am willing to exchange a secret for your understanding."
Upon hearing this, Ying Baolin sneered dismissively, "Heh, go on then, tell me!"
Mo Pingqiu, with a wicked grin, made a gesture of the character "Wang" with his hand.
Seeing this, my expression immediately stiffened.
The King of Gamblers' Token!
It seemed that Yu Shuang was indeed close to gaining Yun Jin's complete trust, and even clues related to the King of Gamblers' Token were about to surface!
I knew that Mo Pingqiu was doing this deliberately.
His objective was to thoroughly offend Yu Shuang's side while simultaneously attempting to mend his relationship with Ying Baolin's faction and appease the influential figure.
After all, he was still within the territory of Wenzhou.
Only if Ying Baolin did not act would Mo Pingqiu truly have escaped.
This old scoundrel’s mind was truly sharp!
Even as he was about to leave, he was willing to leak information about the King of Gamblers' Token to secure his future movements.
While completely betraying Yu Shuang, he also successfully diverted Ying Baolin's attention.
Seeing Mo Pingqiu make the gesture for "Wang," I felt a surge of anxiety and anger.
Yu Shuang alone was enough of a headache; if Ying Baolin were added to the mix…
I dared not think further.
After silently hinting at the secret, without waiting to see if Ying Baolin could grasp the meaning of his gesture, Mo Pingqiu no longer hesitated. He immediately released his grip, letting Yu Shuang go.
Simultaneously, the moment he released Yu Shuang, Mo Pingqiu turned and sprinted away as if his life depended on it.
As soon as Mo Pingqiu left, Yu Shuang immediately signaled to Yu Feng, indicating for him to find the staff and have the gangways lowered again.
Yu Shuang, with her meticulous attention to detail, knew that regardless of whether Ying Baolin understood the meaning of Mo Pingqiu's gesture, she absolutely could not show any abnormality.
Subsequently, the moment the gangways were reconnected to the gambling ship, Yu Shuang had the onlookers who had followed them out dispersed.
As the crowd dispersed, only two distinct groups remained on the deck.
Ever since receiving Mo Pingqiu's hint, Ying Baolin had not spoken another word, maintaining an inscrutable demeanor.