Looking at these sports cars, they are mostly Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini... there's even a Bugatti Veyron!
These luxury sports cars are clearly a favorite among young people. In Las Vegas, or rather, in Western high society, most mature and wealthy people prefer extended luxury supercars, some of which even have swimming pools inside! Only the new generation of young people, who love excitement and passion, dislike those extended cars that look like centipedes but move like snails, and instead prefer luxury sports cars that are suitable for the younger generation.
Here, you should never use the official factory price of a sports car to measure these luxurious metal houses.
Just as people familiar with computers rarely use brand-name machines with official configurations anymore and choose to DIY, for these people, if the equipment in a sports car is completely original from the factory without any modifications, then a Porsche worth millions is not even as good as an old-fashioned off-road jeep that has been modified for hundreds of thousands.
Of course, the modifications ordinary people make to cars are often nothing more than gilding the lily. Their knowledge and expertise certainly can't compare to that of professional automotive engineers at Ferrari and Bugatti, whose designs are the most scientifically sound and rational. A modified sports car might temporarily improve performance in a certain area, but its overall performance may not match that of the original. Yet, many people are still enthusiastic about it. In the United States, a luxury Bugatti Veyron costs only $1.5 million. In China, this price, coupled with over four times the luxury goods tariff, would be astronomical. However, in Las Vegas, where a single gambling game could exceed that amount, this sum is insignificant. But the price of modifications is a bottomless pit. Therefore, modification is also a way for wealthy young people to enhance their social standing.
A group of men and women, mostly impeccably dressed, stepped out of the sports car. Although many people might find it contradictory to be wearing formal attire while driving at 120 mph on city streets, it's clear to anyone with a discerning eye that many of their suits and tuxedos are more expensive than their luxury sports cars.
The casino manager was immediately notified when so many seemingly arrogant people arrived. After confirming their identities, his expression changed. He immediately ran over and whispered a few words in Guan Yi's ear. Guan Yi's expression also changed slightly... She already knew who these people were.
The four major overseas Chinese families.
North American housekeeper's four-leaf clover, Western European Li family's peony pavilion, Southeast Asian Dong family's emerald bamboo, Eurasian Yu family's azalea.
The Guan, Li, and Yu families are all Chinese families who went overseas during the Self-Strengthening Movement in the late Qing Dynasty. After two hundred years of vicissitudes, most of the other families who went abroad to seek their fortunes at that time have either disappeared or declined. Only these three families seized the opportunity for development and have now become the largest Chinese force overseas.
The Dong family, on the other hand, is another branch. They inherited the wealth of Southeast Asia in the past and escaped the pursuit of the British Empire and Spanish colonists. After many twists and turns, they finally developed into what they are today.
The four-leaf clover, the peony pavilion, the green bamboo, and the azalea are the crests of these four families. In overseas high society, even though these four families have always been low-key, those who wear these crests will receive the treatment of honored guests wherever they go. This is because these four families are incredibly wealthy, have a network of connections all over the world, and wield a far-reaching and formidable influence.
Now, representatives from the other three major families have all come to this casino at the same time, and judging from their expressions, they are definitely here for Guan Yi.
Guan Yi might have been able to maintain a certain air about others, but with these three families arriving, she had no choice but to greet them. This was because these three families were no less powerful than the Guan family, and while the four major Chinese families weren't exactly inseparable or bound by shared destiny, they at least maintained a friendly cooperative relationship. As the first in line to inherit the Guan family business, Guan Yi naturally couldn't afford to be negligent.
only……
Chen Xu.
It's obvious even to a fool that these people's sudden arrival was all for Chen Xu. Guan Yi understood perfectly well that while the four major Chinese families possessed considerable power and influence, they weren't invincible in this world. There were many other powerful families comparable to them, such as the ancient Rothschild families of Western Europe, the four major American families, and other influential figures with ulterior motives. To expand their influence, they naturally needed to cultivate alliances, especially powerful ones… Therefore, marriage alliances often became a necessary practice for these families.
Guan Yi's mother's surname was Yu, and she was the daughter of the Yu family, one of the four great families. By calculation, the current head of the Yu family, Yu Chenming, was Guan Yi's maternal uncle. The other families had also engaged in similar intermarriages… Within this large family, apart from the Guan family's generation, which had only one direct descendant, Guan Yi, the other families had several heirs, not to mention collateral branches. Unlike most Chinese youth of this generation who were only children and hoped for siblings, the heirs of these families wished they had fewer siblings, ideally remaining only themselves, so they could rightfully inherit their incredibly wealthy families.
If this is how it is between brothers, let alone between distant relatives. So, although Guan Yi had some impression of his uncle, he felt no affection for him at all.
But there was one thing she could sense... desire!
Naked desire!
Whoever marries Guan Yi will become half the master of the future butler's household... Of course, the direct heirs of these three families have no chance, but collateral branches, even those within the butler's own family, are all eyeing Guan Yi. Furthermore, some members of these three families who believe they are destined to have no chance of inheriting the family business are also considering marrying into the butler's household, abandoning their original identities, but the rewards they can gain will definitely be more than before!
Because each family only has one head of the family, and apart from the head of the family, other people do not have much power.
Chen Xu noticed Guan Yi's unusual expression and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Guan Yi forced a smile. "A few old friends came over, um...why don't you come with me to meet them?" Guan Yi didn't originally want Chen Xu to go, because she knew what kind of people these guys were, and seeing Chen Xu would likely lead to a fight and unpleasantness. But she knew that if she didn't let Chen Xu go, it would hurt his pride, and it wouldn't give up on those guys. Besides, the fact that she was so ostentatiously walking arm-in-arm with Chen Xu in the casino was a way of telling everyone...this is my man!
Seeing Chen Xu readily nod, Guan Yi hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Those guys are mostly spoiled brats. Well, in short, you'd better act tough later, but don't completely offend them. Of course, my man can't be looked down upon by them either."
Chen Xu paused for a moment, then scratched his head: "Oh dear, I still can't escape this hurdle." Seeing Guan Yi's confused expression, Chen Xu laughed: "The protagonist's law, there are always some clueless guys who come to their doom, especially those who think they're so great, from good families, or handsome or rich, who come to steal the protagonist's woman... You don't know, there are quite a few losers in college who have crushes on you, but not a single one dares to stand up and duel me... I wasted my time training in the special forces!"
Guan Yi couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
However, she felt relieved at this moment.
Chen Xu is Chen Xu. He has an innate arrogance in his bones. This arrogance makes him feel inferior to anyone of any status and prevents him from being overly self-important. However, he also does not think that others are superior to him.
Moreover, this guy has a quirky and mischievous personality, so really no one can get the better of him.
I just hope this guy doesn't escalate things.
Even if things get out of hand, it's not a big deal. This is North America, Las Vegas.
Where there are four-leaf clover symbols, who has the right to act arrogantly?
At this moment, several people walked straight in from outside the door, bringing with them a powerful aura... Seven or eight people filed in, and the people on both sides of the surrounding area unconsciously made way for them.
Dear reader, in a place like Las Vegas, there's only one way to get others to make way for you... and that is to be richer and more powerful than them.
This is a very pragmatic city. Some say that even the rats living in this city know whose house is easier to find food in.
The passersby coming and going, and the seemingly sophisticated people inside this casino—their true backgrounds are far from respectable. Among these men loitering at the entrance are pickpockets, swindlers, loan sharks looking for gamblers who've gone blind by greed, and of course, prostitutes.
These people frequent casinos, so they naturally know who they can mess with and who they absolutely cannot afford to offend.
Just by looking at the clothes worn by the group of people striding towards them, these lowly hustlers in the city knew that these were people they absolutely could not afford to offend. Killing such people would be as easy as crushing an ant. So, these guys immediately scurried to the sides; they dared not be the first to face that aura.
Aura refers to one's presence or aura.
Judging from the way these people walk with such a swagger, it's obvious they're up to no good!
Chapter 345 The Toad
The man in the lead was Li Chang, one of the princelings of the Li family stationed in North America. He was considered to have some influence, but his position within the family was awkward—neither high nor low. To ordinary people, he seemed to belong to the enviable upper class, but in reality, he was merely a front man, not even the one in charge.
Chen Xu followed Guan Yi's gaze, and Xiao Min's voice immediately echoed in his mind: "Hate detection is at level C. The other party has a good degree of control over their emotions. Based on the physical examination of several key parts of their body, this person is highly hostile towards you, but is still able to control their feelings."
"The guy following behind is called Yu Lang. He's a complete spoiled brat. You can bully him all you want. Just leave him alive."
"Hospitality level: A." Even without Xiaomin saying it, Chen Xu could sense it. That guy with the non-mainstream hairstyle, though he had one arm around a pretty girl, the hostility in his eyes was almost blatant. That gaze was like that of a greedy monster wanting to devour Guan Yi whole, and then devour him too…
Of course, these two methods of swallowing are completely different concepts, and men should be able to understand them.
Yu Lang's hostility towards them was already quite blatant, but it was still far less than that of the other man standing behind them.
This man has a very cool look.
In a place where everyone is dressed in suits and tuxedos, a guy in race car driver's attire is just as stylish as someone driving a donkey cart adorned with a big red flower in front of Tiananmen Square.
Not to mention that this donkey had its head dyed bright red and wore countless earrings, giving it a hippie look.
This is one of the reasons why this guy is called Mad Dog. You see, in many respectable Chinese families, there is a particular standard that is not to forget one's roots. Many elderly Chinese people are very uncomfortable with people who dye their hair in all sorts of colorful or strange styles to stand out, especially in formal occasions such as social events. People with brightly colored hair and not wearing formal attire will leave others with a frivolous and untrustworthy impression. So, Mad Dog's style is indeed unique here.
But what caught Chen Xu's attention wasn't his flashy red racing suit, but his face!
Chen Xu could swear to Chairman Mao that if their dormitory resident, Lao Dong, were to shave his beard, fix his face, and make his hair look like a bird's nest, his face would resemble this person's by at least seventy percent!
"This person's name is Dong Qinghong..."
"He also has the surname Dong?" Chen Xu exclaimed in surprise, "Dong Qing... Our old Dong, I seem to remember that he had a name, um, Dong Qingjie?"
Guan Yi was taken aback, because Lao Dong's name at school had always been Dong Qingjie.
As for Dong Qingjie... that's Old Dong's real name in the family. As for Dong Qingjie, that's just a pseudonym.
The name Dong Qingjie was something Chen Xu had randomly discovered during a test when he first found the supercomputer. That was a long time ago. If he hadn't met him today, Chen Xu really wouldn't have remembered it... Was it a coincidence?
Guan Yi squeezed Chen Xu's hand and whispered, "Old Dong didn't say anything about it, so I can't bring it up. Let's not worry about it for now. This Dong Qinghong's nickname is Mad Dog. This guy is capable of anything. Don't let him provoke you later."
Chen Xu squeezed her hand to indicate that he understood, but inwardly he was sneering.
Is it a mad dog?
If you really mess with me, I'll turn you into a stray dog!
Chen Xu's confidence did not stem from arrogance, but rather from the fact that he genuinely possessed the "capital" to back it up!
After breaking through the second layer of access to the supercomputer and establishing a super connection with Chen Xu, Xiao Min had the real ability to stand out from the crowd.
Xiaomin is his eyes and his brain.
Why should Chen Xu be afraid of anyone?
Even now, Chen Xu has already had Xiao Min start observing these people.
By observing their various physical signs, such as breathing rate and blood reaction, one can calculate a person's current mood and hostility.
Actually, it might not just be hostility. Chen Xu looked at Guan Yi, and Xiao Min concluded: "The target's emotional expression towards the three enemy targets is disgust, with a level of disgust of A. Their feelings towards you are dependence and affection."
With this emotional analysis, Chen Xu felt more confident. Machines have observational abilities far superior to humans in some aspects. For example, it's not appropriate for two people to stare at each other for too long when they meet, but Xiao Min can unconsciously record and analyze all his movements… such as fleeting emotions in his eyes, and occasional subconscious physical reactions…
This thing is incredibly effective at the negotiating table!
Of course, such facial expression detection tools were indeed used at the negotiating table for a period of time, but they were quickly met with protests... because this method made both sides of the negotiation very nervous, and using such a tool was considered a disrespectful act... Of course, many masters of acting and disguise can also make the opposite reaction at certain times to mislead people, and so on.
But in this era, no one possesses such a thing.
Chen Xu instructed Xiao Min to keep a close eye on these people, especially the three guys Guan Yi mentioned... As for the others, he didn't know if Guan Yi didn't recognize them or simply didn't bother to introduce them. If it was the latter, then there was even less need to pay attention to them. However, Chen Xu still asked Xiao Min to take notes... because the biggest difference between a computer and the human brain is that this amount of computation doesn't consume much of a supercomputer's resources. Monitoring one person is the same as monitoring a hundred.
Through Xiaomin's monitoring, Chen Xu quickly obtained first-hand information.
The people arrived in three groups.
The three guys Guan Yi introduced were clearly not a united front, but rather each acting independently. From Xiao Min's analysis notes, it was obvious that the guy surnamed Dong, nicknamed "Mad Dog," was the least popular. The other two deliberately kept their distance from him. The relationship between Li Chang and Yu Lang wasn't particularly good either; they both maintained a degree of wariness towards each other.
The group's imposing presence immediately attracted the attention of many people inside the casino. The casino manager had already gone to greet them with a beaming smile: "Young Master Li, Young Master Yu, and Young Master Dong, what brings you three here today?"
Li Chang, who was in the lead, smiled arrogantly, but his gaze had already fallen over. Guan Yi subtly pulled Chen Xu aside and went to greet them, saying, "Oh? What a coincidence today. I just got back and I've already run into a few of you."
"Hello, Miss Ellen." The group greeted Guan Yi politely, or at least outwardly so, but their eyes were all fixed on Chen Xu.
Guan Yi smiled and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Young Master Li, Young Master Yu, and Young Master Dong. This is Chen Xu, my fiancé."
The moment the word "fiancé" was uttered, everyone present changed their expression... including the manager of the casino.
I've never heard the master mention it!
However, when Guan Yi himself said this "title," it naturally carried a different weight.
In that instant, Chen Xu received several reminders from Xiao Min. The three people in front of him, as well as the few guys around who seemed to be watching the show, all harbored resentment towards him, and even... murderous intent!
"Fiancé?" Li Chang looked at Chen Xu with a half-smile. "Oh, may I ask where Mr. Chen's family business is located? To be Miss Ellen's fiancé, Mr. Chen's family must be quite famous."
"I don't deserve such praise," Chen Xu smiled insincerely, "It's just some medicine."
Li Chang frowned. "Making pharmaceuticals?"
Many people may think that making pharmaceuticals is very profitable, and indeed, the profit margin in the pharmaceutical industry is very high. However, in his memory, there are not many people in the pharmaceutical business who have reached the level they have achieved. He gave a wink to the person next to him, and someone immediately slipped out of the crowd, apparently to investigate Chen Xu.
His little tricks didn't escape Chen Xu's notice, but Chen Xu didn't care. However, this angered a nearby mad dog, a guy in a racing suit named Dong Qinghong, who loudly proclaimed, "Kid, are you really Miss Ellen's fiancé? I've never heard of you before!"
"Oh?" Chen Xu smiled good-naturedly. "What, does Miss Ellen need to report to you about who she's getting engaged to or marrying? Who are you?"
Upon hearing this, several people nearby couldn't help but suppress their laughter. However, they knew this mad dog was extremely difficult to deal with, at least they couldn't afford to offend him, so they didn't dare to laugh out loud, holding it in like they were constipated.
Li Chang somewhat regretted bringing this guy along.
In fact, this mad dog's popularity in North American high society circles is almost negative infinity, meaning very few people like him. His position in the Dong family is also quite awkward… He's not a direct descendant, so he doesn't have to undergo the same tests as direct descendants. The reason he was left in North America is that, in this generation of the Dong family, besides the direct descendants, he's the only unmarried person around the same age as Guan Yi.
The others were either in their early thirties or only thirteen or fourteen years old. Only this guy was about the same age as Guan Yi, so at least in terms of age, he was a potential candidate for the position of the housekeeper's son-in-law.
Of course, even the elders of the Dong family felt that the probability of the proud housekeeper taking a liking to this mad dog was probably only going to happen when the mountains crumbled and the heavens and earth merged... but at least there was still a glimmer of hope, wasn't there?