319: Please... please, cousin.

A hand suddenly reached out and snatched Nala's phone.

"Forget it!"

Atapong panted heavily and said to Nala.

He had been standing nearby the whole time, already panicking.

He knew the consequences of calling the police better than anyone; if they really did, their whole family would be completely finished.

"Forget what?!" Nala was enraged by Atapong's action and shouted at him, "Why should we forget it?! They're bullying us to our faces, and you want to let it go? I'm telling you, this isn't over today!"

"Listen to me!" Atapong also got angry and roared at Nala, his voice even louder than hers.

He just wanted to settle this quickly now; even losing some money was better than going to prison.

"Why should I listen to you!" Nala refused to back down, "I won't! I'm going to call the police! Aren't they just a bunch of hillbillies? Who are they trying to scare! At worst, we'll all go down together! No one gets a good life!"

Nala thought to herself that she had nothing left to lose. The money was gone, and the factory, house, and car were all going to be gone. She might as well take a gamble. Even if she went to prison, she would drag these people down with her.

"Enough!" Songphong couldn't take it anymore and roared at the two of them.

He looked at Nala, trembling with rage.

"They aren't fools! Do you think calling the police will do us any good?"

Songphong walked to Nala's side and said in a low voice.

"We organized this game, and we set the stakes. If things get out of hand and the police are called, you know how they are. The money will be gone by then, and we might end up in prison! Do you want to go to prison?"

Songphong knew in his heart that calling the police was the most unwise choice. Their family couldn't afford to lose anymore, and if they went to prison, it would truly be the end for them.

So he had to stop Nala; he couldn't let her destroy the whole family in a moment of impulse.

Nala's momentum weakened a bit, but she was still unconvinced, muttering, "Setting aside the facts, isn't Su Cha at fault at all? If he hadn't insisted on betting so much with us, would we have lost like this?"

"Pfft—" Hearing Nala's words, everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing, followed immediately by even greater anger.

"I've seen shameless people, but never anyone this shameless!"

"‘Setting aside the facts’? How do you have the nerve to say that!"

"It was clearly you who forced Su Cha to bet, and now you're blaming him instead?"

"This really changes my perspective! How can someone like you exist in this world!"

"A loss is a loss, stop making excuses here! Pay up already!"

These people all felt Nala was too despicable; it was clearly her family's fault, yet she wanted to shift the blame onto Su Cha.

Only she could utter such words that twisted black and white.

"So what!" Nala's face turned red from the insults, so she simply threw caution to the wind and shouted at everyone, "Anyway, I just think Su Cha is also at fault!"

Su Cha's wife, Pinya, couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to speak to Nala.

"Sister-in-law Nala, stop being so unreasonable here! You were the ones who forced Su Cha to play, you were the ones who set such high stakes, and now that you've lost, you want to welsh on the debt and shift the blame to Su Cha. Have some shame! If you want to call the police, do it now, and stop wasting everyone's time!"

"Right! If you're going to call, then call! Don't dawdle!" Su Cha also took a step forward, looking coldly at Nala, "Nala, if you don't call, we'll call for you!"

Saying this, Su Cha pulled out his phone, making a move as if to dial the police.

Seeing that Su Cha was actually going to call the police, Songphong panicked instantly. He rushed forward, grabbed Su Cha's hand, and said with a forced smile, "Su Cha, don't be impulsive, it's no big deal! Your sister-in-law was just momentarily confused, she's joking with you..."

"Joking?" Su Cha threw off Songphong's hand and roared at him, "Who the hell is joking with you! When you were acting like scoundrels just now, why didn't you say it was a joke?"

"Now that I'm about to call the police, you say it's a joke? It's too late! For today's matter, either you pay up, or we call the police. If it blows up, I'll see it through to the end!"

"I'm telling you, if it really comes to that, I'd like to see who's the one that gets dragged down!"

The fire in Su Cha's heart could no longer be suppressed.

He had long been fed up with the faces of Atapong's family. If he didn't vent this anger today and get back the money he was owed, he wouldn't be able to let it go.

Songphong was startled by Su Cha's momentum, and his heart grew even more frantic.

He knew Su Cha wasn't joking; if the police were really called, their family would be completely finished.

He quickly turned around and shouted at Atapong, "Atapong! Apologize to Su Cha! Quickly! Maybe if Su Cha's anger subsides, he'll give us a break!"

Hearing the word "apologize," Atapong's body froze, and his expression instantly became extremely ugly.

He was filled with humiliation, and an indescribable pain welled up in his heart.

He never imagined he would sink to such a level! To actually have to apologize to Su Cha, a useless loser he wouldn't even have looked at before!

Previously in the village, he had always been high and mighty. Su Cha's family were just poor relatives in his eyes, targets to be bullied at will.

But now, he had to bow his head and apologize to Su Cha. This sense of humiliation was like a needle pricking his heart, making his whole body uncomfortable. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and never come out.

But he had no choice; if he didn't apologize, Su Cha really would call the police. Not only would he go to prison, but everything the family owned would be gone.

A battle raged in his mind; he struggled for a long time.

Ultimately, reason triumphed over pride.

He knew that now was not the time for pride; survival was what mattered most.

Atapong took a deep breath, suppressed the pain and humiliation in his heart, and slowly walked in front of Su Cha, his head bowed so low it nearly touched his chest.

"L-Little Brother, could you... could you give me a chance? C-Consider it... consider it your Older Male Cousin begging you."

Looking at Atapong's humble state, an indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up in Su Cha's heart.

So satisfying! This was truly satisfying!

All the grievances and humiliations he had suffered in the past vanished into thin air at this moment.

He had long been annoyed by Atapong!

How arrogant Atapong had been in the village before was exactly how humble he was now. This contrast made Su Cha feel incredibly refreshed.

He remembered how his father had just been kneeling on the ground, bitterly pleading with Atapong, and remembered Atapong's mocking face at that time; the anger in his heart rose again.

He looked coldly at Atapong: "What kind of chance do you want?"

Hearing Su Cha's words, a flicker of hope ignited in Atapong's heart.

He looked up with a fawning smile on his face, none of his initial arrogance remaining, his posture humble to the extreme.

"Little Brother, everything today was my fault. I shouldn't have forced you to play, I shouldn't have set such high stakes, and I shouldn't have humiliated Uncle. I apologize to you, I bow to you. Please, be magnanimous and give us a break. This hand... can we... can we just forget it?"