The more exaggerated his claims, the more Lu Rugao believed him.

Otherwise, if Lu Rugao knew he already controlled over one hundred billion in funds and had a world-class trader at his disposal, how could he possibly lure her into his trap?

Only if Lu Rugao incurred losses in this business war so great that even the Lu Family couldn’t bear them would he have the leverage to negotiate with the Lu Family and obtain the Mysterious Yin Pearl from their hands.

Watching Chen Xiao’s dead-serious expression, Lu Rugao almost spat out her red wine from laughing so hard.

She clapped her hands, clicking her tongue in amazement. "Chen Xiao, you’re a real eye-opener.

"I, Lu Rugao, brought a hundred billion in capital to invest in this battle! And you’re telling me you’re going to scrape together a few billion to play with me? Interesting, very interesting!

"I honestly don’t know how you can say that number with a straight face.

"All I can say is, I truly admire your courage."

Lin Qixian also sneered, "Miss Lu, perhaps that’s just how mongrels are. They’ve never seen real money, so they have no concept of what a hundred billion in cash flow truly represents!"

"I bet he’s just bluffing. Look at his shabby appearance; he looks worse than my family’s servants. If he could scrape together a few billion, then I’ll be the richest person in the world tomorrow," a woman beside Lu Rugao scoffed.

"Who knows, maybe he’s talking about the Zimbabwean Dollar!"

"Hahaha, if it’s the Zimbabwean Dollar, I could come up with ten trillion!"

"I’ve spent more than a few billion Zimbabwean Dollars just on a high-end condom."

A wave of mockery rose from behind Lu Rugao. The crowd watched Chen Xiao as if he were a clown, their expressions full of amusement.

One young man, in particular, seized the opportunity. He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, strode up to Chen Xiao, and slapped it contemptuously against his chest. "Never seen money before, little brother? This is all for you. Just get on the ground and bark like a dog a couple of times, and all this cash is yours. How about it?"

He knew full well that Lu Rugao wanted to thoroughly humiliate these people today. If he put on a good show, he might just win her favor. After all, the Lu Family was in a league of its own in Capital City. If he could get in with Lu Rugao, he’d be set for life.

However, the words had barely left his mouth when Luo Qingli’s palm connected with his face.

SMACK!

Caught completely off guard, Cheng Lin stumbled backward, his head ringing. He tasted the salty tang of blood in his mouth.

No one had expected Luo Qingli to lash out. With her cold and glamorous aura, she didn’t seem like the type to resort to physical violence.

Luo Qingli stared at Cheng Lin indifferently. "If you thought that clown act would provoke us, I’m sorry, but you’re overthinking it. We wouldn’t even bother with a fool like you."

Cheng Lin clutched his face, his eyes blazing with fury. "Bitch, you dare hit me?"

"Hitting you was letting you off easy," Luo Qingli said coolly. "You should be thankful it was me. If my man had done it, you’d be in a much worse state."

"Damn it!" Cheng Lin was seething, glaring viciously at Luo Qingli.

Lu Rugao’s face turned livid. She had assumed Chen Xiao and his companions would be more submissive today. Instead, they were as defiant as ever. It was a slap in the face, especially since she’d wanted to show off in front of these Capital City elites.

If she didn’t crush their arrogance today, her reputation would be ruined. Furthermore, these young elites from Capital City were her lackeys, there to back her up. Now that they were being bullied by Chen Xiao’s group, how could she maintain her standing in this circle if she didn’t settle the score for them?

At this thought, she spoke coldly, "These are my good friends. You come to my territory, Lu Rugao’s territory, and lay a hand on my friends. Don’t you think you’ve gone a bit too far?"

Chen Xiao offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "In that case, Miss Lu, you should keep a better leash on your dogs. Don’t let them run around biting people."

"You’re the damn dog—" a woman in heavy makeup shrieked, jumping forward. "Miss Lu, these country bumpkins are unbearably arrogant, absolutely shameless!"

Robin scoffed mockingly. "Speaking of uncultured, who’s more uncultured than you? You look like a ghost with all that makeup, and that nose job of yours is about to launch into orbit. With a face like that, you couldn’t get picked up in a club for thirty bucks; you’d have to pay them to take you."

Han Xin was practically apoplectic. She might not be a stunning beauty, and her nose job was a little unnatural, but it wasn’t that bad. She was at least an influencer-level beauty, yet this guy was tearing her to shreds.

"What do you know? A mutt is a mutt. This is the trendy, sophisticated influencer look! You think you can look like some cool international stud just by wearing a pair of floral shorts? Don’t make me laugh!"

Robin remained unfazed. "This is called ’casual style.’ Not like you, a pheasant pretending to be a phoenix."

Seeing that Han Xin was about to completely lose her composure, Lu Rugao raised a hand to regain control.

She took a deep breath. "Chen Xiao, I invited you here today, not for you to cause a scene. This is a high-class establishment for civilized people. Your thuggish behavior only lowers the tone of this place."

"Don’t you feel any shame?"

"Not really, no," Chen Xiao shrugged.

Lu Rugao’s mouth twitched at his audacity. She had met plenty of scoundrels, but few were like Chen Xiao, who was both a scoundrel and a powerful martial artist. The worst part was... she was helpless against him. She hadn’t brought any Martial Dao experts with her. If a fight broke out, all of her people combined wouldn’t be a match for even one of Chen Xiao’s fingers.

Suppressing her rage, she said, "Your wife hit one of my people. We can’t let that slide. I demand that she apologize to my friend."

"It was his honor to have his ugly face slapped by my wife," Chen Xiao said with an amused smile.

Hearing this, Cheng Lin nearly dropped dead from fury.

Lu Rugao’s chest heaved. "Fine, fine, fine! Since you refuse to be reasonable, then today, I, Lu Rugao, will take you down a peg! Let’s play a more civilized game. A bet, how about it?"

"I’m listening," Chen Xiao said, a playful smirk on his lips.

Let’s see what tricks this woman has up her sleeve.

Seeing him take the bait, Lu Rugao’s lips curled into a slight smile. "Brawling is so crude. Let’s play golf. Each side puts forward one person, and we’ll compete to see who’s better. What do you say?"

Chen Xiao’s expression was impassive. "I say no."

"Afraid to bet?" Lu Rugao raised an eyebrow, challenging him. "That doesn’t seem like your style."

"I never intended to bet with you," Chen Xiao said with a faint smile. "I was just messing with you."

"You were toying with me?" Lu Rugao’s composure finally cracked, despite her best efforts.

This man has absolutely no shame...

Just then, Robin suddenly stepped forward. "Lord Chen, take the bet! I’ll be your champion! This ’mutt’ wants to see just how well these self-proclaimed nobles play their noble sport!"

Chen Xiao glanced at him. "Are you confident?"

"I’m decent. I’ve played a few times," Robin said casually.

Though his words were nonchalant, Chen Xiao knew Robin wouldn’t speak up if he wasn’t sure. After all those years abroad, he had surely played more than just "a few times."

Still, Chen Xiao couldn’t let on. He glared at Robin and said, "You’ve only played a few times and you dare to make this bet? If you lose, are you going to get on your knees and apologize in her place?"

With that, he made a show of turning to leave with his group. He was just playing hard to get.

Sure enough, Lu Rugao grew anxious. She hadn’t reclaimed her pride yet. If she let them just walk away, she would be utterly humiliated. She had organized this party to flaunt her power over Chen Xiao’s group. Instead, they were running roughshod all over her.

This is intolerable!