280: dowry

Thinking of this, Atapong felt like victory was within his grasp, and his heart completely steadied.

Crossing his arms, he leisurely watched Su Cha, who was slumped in his chair as if he'd lost all vitality, with a cruel and smug smile on his face.

He had already begun calculating how to enjoy himself after winning the money and the house, and how to show off even more in front of his relatives.

Su Cha sat in the chair, feeling cold all over.

All the anger, impulsiveness, and resentment from moments ago were crushed to pieces by the cruel reality.

He looked at the deed for Atapong's downtown property on the table, then at the deed for his own marital home; a massive wave of powerlessness and despair overwhelmed him.

Can't call... I really can't call... Is it... really going to end like this? Losing everything to that animal?

No! I can't! Absolutely not!

But... what other way is there?

Borrow money? There's no time, and I can't borrow that much.

Mortgage? Aside from what's already been put up, what else is left?

He closed his eyes in pain, feeling like a fly trapped in a spider web; the more he struggled, the tighter it bound him.

Lei Jun took all of this in.

Atapong was using his capital advantage for a blatant crushing blow.

This had gone beyond gambling skills or psychological warfare; it had become the bullying of pure capital power.

Su Cha was forced to the edge of a cliff, caught in a dilemma.

Lei Jun's disgust for Atapong and his wife had reached its peak.

Just then, Pinya, who had been tightly holding her husband's hand, seemed to have reached a decision.

She looked up; though her face was still pale, her gaze had become exceptionally firm.

First, she squeezed Su Cha's hand hard, giving him an encouraging look.

"Don't panic."

She looked at her husband, Su Cha, but it also seemed like she was speaking to everyone.

"Isn't it just 1.5 million?"

Then, she turned and bravely faced Atapong and his wife.

"I'll raise it for you!"

Everyone's eyes—including the near-breakdown Wenchalong, the anxious Su Qing and Su Ya, the triumphant Atapong and Nala, and the calmly observing Lei Jun—all focused on Pinya in unison.

A flash of surprise crossed Lei Jun's eyes.

She hadn't expected Su Cha's wife to be so wealthy as to be able to produce 1.5 million.

It seemed the 1.5 million was her own money, and she was willing to use it to support her husband.

For a wife to go this far was truly admirable.

One had to say, Su Cha truly married a good wife!

Su Qing and Su Ya were even more stunned.

They gaped, looking at their sister-in-law in disbelief.

They had a general idea of their sister-in-law's family background; while better than their own, they were definitely not a family that could just pull out 1.5 million at will!

Was their sister-in-law... going to give everything for their brother, even at the cost of burdening her own parents' family?

They were both moved and frightened, afraid she might do something irrational.

Atapong and Nala were stunned for a moment, then their faces showed unconcealed sarcasm and disbelief.

Atapong snorted as if he had heard the funniest joke.

"Oh? You'll get it? Pinya, I didn't realize your family was so rich. 1.5 million, just like that? You didn't go out and steal or rob someone, did you? Hahaha!"

Nala added even more acidly.

"Exactly! You're bragging without even thinking! Do you think we don't know your family's background? Stop pretending to be a big shot! If you're so capable, produce 1.5 million in cash right now, or a house or gold of equal value! If you can't, then stop talking nonsense!"

However, despite their verbal mockery, a hint of doubt and... a faint unease involuntarily rose in their hearts.

Pinya's exceptionally firm gaze didn't look like a bluff.

Could it be... she really had a trump card?

Could Su Cha's hand... really be so strong that the couple would rather risk everything they owned to call?

This thought caused a crack to appear in Atapong's previous certainty.

But he quickly forced it back down.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If Su Cha really had a hand that could beat Three Queens, he would have been overjoyed long ago; why wait until now? Pinya must be bluffing, trying to scare them off!

The others in the courtyard instantly erupted into even more intense discussion.

"Holy crap! Su Cha's wife is that gutsy?"

"1.5 million! Can she really produce it?"

"Whether she can or not, that attitude and the way she supports her husband is beyond reproach!"

"Comparing Atapong's wife to her, it's just... night and day!"

"Now it's getting interesting! Let's see how Atapong responds!"

Su Cha's wife, Pinya, took a deep breath, her eyes showing not a hint of hesitation.

She reached directly into her bag and pulled out a dark red property deed.

Holding the deed in both hands, she turned to her husband, Su Cha, her gaze incredibly serious.

"Su Cha, my parents... left me a house. It was a dowry they secretly gave me when I got married. I originally planned to tell you once we settled down."

"Although the location is a bit remote, it's quite large. Based on current market prices, it's worth about 800,000."

Hearing his wife's words, Su Cha was stunned. A hot surge of emotion rushed to his heart, making his nose sting and his eyes instantly well up.

A dowry? A house? A dowry from his parents-in-law? She had never mentioned it before!

And now, to support him, to fight against a villain like Atapong, she was actually willing to take the dowry her parents left her—likely her greatest security for the future—and bet it on this predatory gambling table without hesitation?

A massive wave of emotion overwhelmed Su Cha, washing away some of the previous despair and coldness.

Looking into his wife's firm and gentle eyes, he had only one thought: With a wife like this, what more could a man ask for?!!!

What had he done to deserve such a wife in this life—one who was willing to stay with him through thick and thin and give her all!

However, despite being moved, his remaining logic and sense of responsibility as a husband snapped him back to reality.

He grabbed his wife's wrist, stopping her from putting the deed on the table.

"No! Pinya! Absolutely not!"

"The marital home, the three golds—these are things I should provide as a husband. Even if... even if we really lose today, it's my responsibility. It's because I'm incompetent. I can't drag you down, and I certainly can't lose the dowry your parents gave you! That belongs to you; it's your safety net. You can't touch it!"

Pinya gripped her husband's hand back tightly and shook her head.

"Su Cha, what are you saying? What's yours or mine? From the day we got married, we became a family. Family doesn't treat each other like strangers! What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine. Now that our family is in trouble and being bullied by bad people, how can I just stand by? How can I let you carry this alone?"