Chapter 1502: Chapter 594: The Terrifying Side Effect Halo (2)

"Boss" represents a group that’s hard to elaborate on, but the place where they entertain is likely the VIP area upstairs.

The group toured the entertainment venue, and Zhou Wang pointed at the various common gaming machines inside, smiling, "I read some popular science articles before, saying the placement of these machines is quite deliberate. They ensure every corner of the venue has them, making guests feel the urge to play a few rounds anytime."

"Yes, that’s something those in Las Vegas figured out. It’s not just entertainment venues; supermarkets, streets, hotel lobbies... everywhere you might have some leisure time, we have these gaming machines."

Li Youlong laughed, "To be honest, they are the highest profit channel among ordinary entertainment tables."

As they chatted and walked further inside, Zhou Wang curiously examined the various entertainment tables, listening to Li Youjun beside him supplementing:

"It’s not just about the placement of gaming machines; this industry has evolved to the point where every large entertainment venue has at least one team behind them. Some comprising university professors and experts, specializing in studying human weaknesses. Others made of actuaries and analysts, who devise strategies for various games, plus PR teams, ahem..."

Zhou Wang was somewhat aware of what Li Youjun spoke about.

It’s said that the lighting, environment, food, and even the fragrances used in restrooms have their particularities in entertainment venues.

For instance, most don’t have windows, but invest heavily in lighting systems to erase any distinction between night and day so long as you’re inside; you can’t feel time passing.

The food and drinks offered minimize bathroom breaks, and the circulating air fragrances have subtle revitalizing functions. Those ubiquitous patterns might just be various psychological cues...

In short, entertainment venues go to great lengths to keep you at the table, ensuring you won’t want to leave even for a moment.

Hearing Li Youjun mention "PR" brought Bai Feifei and Li Nuoyi to Zhou Wang’s mind, making him laugh:

"Are the ’PR’ you’re talking about those specially trained ladies?"

"It seems Zhou Wang has had contact with them,"

Li Youjun nodded, speaking with deep meaning.

Not just contact, I even maintain two of them... oh, no, with Lisa, it should be three.

"Brother Dog, Brother Yu, since we’re here, why not play a few rounds?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

At this moment, Li Youlong laughed and suggested.

"Getting something for nothing" is an inherent human nature, and despite Zhou Wang and Qiu Zeyu being relatively wealthy, many rich people have lost everything this way. Clearly, it doesn’t have much to do with how much money you have.

Richer folks simply play bigger games.

Of course, Interstellar Entertainment City is essentially Zhou Wang’s property, and Li Youlong naturally had no intention to harm his friends; it was purely entertainment among buddies.

Seeing Zhou Wang showing some interest, Li Youlong called the venue manager after consulting with the duo, who shortly brought them to a relatively quiet table.

Initially, Qiu Zeyu wanted to go to the VIP room upstairs, but Zhou Wang felt it needless for just an experience, preferring to stick with a table in the main hall.

Qiu Zeyu was unsure why Zhou Wang suddenly became somewhat overbearing, disregarding his opinion, but he didn’t mind, so the two joined a Texas Hold’em table.

In contrast, Texas Hold’em isn’t purely a game of luck; it has already evolved into a legitimate poker competitive sport internationally, a game Zhou Wang quite enjoys.

Obviously, at Interstellar Entertainment City, it was not merely competition; every chip on the table was real money.

Concerned about being recognized, Li Youlong and his brother did not accompany further, leaving only Zhou Wang and Qiu Zeyu at the table.

The blinds were "100" and "200," with a normal buy-in of twenty thousand per hand, a high level for regular people, potentially swinging hundreds of thousands in an afternoon.

But for Zhou Wang and Qiu Zeyu, it was just regular fun, so Qiu Zeyu was quite relaxed.

Gradually, he sensed something amiss—mainly coming from Zhou Wang.

Initially acting normal and even joking with other players, Zhou Wang’s demeanor changed after losing all his chips to a straight override during one hand.

He waved a waiter over, instructing, "Bring me a million in chips!"

At that moment, the player with the most chips at the table only had about seven or eight hundred thousand, so seeing Zhou Wang buying in a million all at once felt "insane" to Qiu Zeyu.

He hurriedly tried to dissuade Zhou Wang, only for Zhou to impatiently cut him off.

"Brother Yu, aren’t you meddling a bit too much? Is a million a big deal for me? Even if I lose it all, so what!"

Upon hearing Zhou’s retort, Qiu Zeyu could only smile wryly, stumped.

Yet he couldn’t understand how, with his knowledge of Zhou Wang, the usually calm and composed fellow could act so impulsively today.

Unable to stop Zhou Wang, Qiu Zeyu resigned to let him be.

After all, with the stakes involved, Zhou Wang wouldn’t be able to lose the full million.

What unfolded next was as Qiu Zeyu anticipated; seemingly carried away, Zhou Wang kept going "all-in." Despite relatively small stakes from others, Zhou Wang lost a few million within just a couple of hours, thanks to continually letting loose.

Nevertheless, Zhou Wang was unwilling to stop, diverging completely from their initial notion of "entertainment."

While Qiu Zeyu frowned, contemplating how to advise Zhou Wang, the chatter marked the return of Miss Wang and Su Yajing from their side trip to the water park—laden with shopping bags, apparently indulging in retail therapy too.

Seeing the girls arrive, Qiu Zeyu breathed a sigh of relief, quickly briefing them on the situation, hoping Su Yajing might persuade Zhou Wang.

Su Yajing and the three other girls immediately surrounded Zhou Wang.

"Brother, Young Master Qiu mentioned you lost quite a bit; why not call it a day? Luck’s not in your favor, but you can always come again next time!"

Su Yajing cautiously advised.

Having just lost a pot worth tens of thousands, Zhou Wang threw his cards in frustration. Upon hearing Su Yajing’s plea, he angrily retorted:

"Who said women could start nagging when a man is at work?"

Zhou Wang rebuked mercilessly.

Then he noticed Cui Min’er beside him—dressed particularly beautifully today, with makeup accentuating her features brightly and a low-cut camisole exposing a large swath of fair skin.

With a chuckle, Zhou Wang pulled her in amidst Min’er’s surprised gasp, his hand reaching for her chest.

"Tsk, are you intentionally tempting me with this outfit? I’ve always been curious if your large bust is real..."

Zhou Wang’s sudden brazen behavior stunned everyone—including the grievously wronged and nearly tearful Su Yajing.

Though Cui Min’er harbored strong feelings for Zhou Wang, she couldn’t endure such advances publicly. Instinctively, she shoved Zhou away in fury, slapping him.

Smack!

The slap wasn’t heavy but resonated impressively on Zhou Wang’s face.

Feeling the burning pain on his cheek, Zhou Wang’s previously clouded mind suddenly cleared...

Damn, what the hell am I doing?