The competition began, and Du Ruoxin played every game with Grace, remaining undefeated.
From the preliminaries to the finals, it took three hours.
Every project Du Ruoxin participated in was, without a doubt, a win.
Gradually, more and more people began to bet with her.
The casino was in an uproar.
They had paid out a large sum of money.
The bald man's face turned red with anger, losing tens of millions in the blink of an eye.
However, this also made the casino more popular, with people flocking to watch the excitement and place bets.
"Boss, should we do something?" the man in black made a slicing motion.
The bald man looked grim but still shook his head, "What's the rush? The journey has just begun."
He wanted the people on the boat to win a little first, so he could gain more later.
The thrill of gambling lay in the unknown outcome of the next round; everyone hoped for a windfall, while he was the one who could dictate the wins and losses.
After several rounds of intense competition, Du Ruoxin fought her way to the finals.
There were five people in the final match: Du Ruoxin, another woman, and three men. The bald man was among them.
"Miss Du, I didn't expect you to be so skilled," the bald man said with a smile, looking at Du Ruoxin.
Old Wang's mistress certainly had some talent, but the question was, was she cheating?
Nine out of ten gamblers were cheats. Otherwise, in a casino with such high odds, most people would lose, except for the dealer, the casino itself. It was rare for anyone to win.
The bald man's sinister eyes fixed meaningfully on Du Ruoxin.
Du Ruoxin shivered. Although the air conditioning in the room was set to around twenty degrees Celsius, she felt as if she were surrounded by a pack of terrifying cobras.
She couldn't escape or break free, only await the misfortune of being torn apart.
A chilling coldness made her realize the danger.
"It's just luck," Du Ruoxin fabricated, "I checked the almanac today, and it said I'd win every gamble. Hahaha."
She forced an awkward yet polite smile, tinged with distance, and brushed her hands, trying to shake off the goosebumps.
"Is that so?" The bald man also smiled, feigning sincerity, "Then I hope you can continue winning tonight."
Turning around, he looked at the dealer with imposing presence, "Deal the cards."
The dealer acknowledged and began dealing.
In the first round, Du Ruoxin had the highest card and it was her turn to speak. "One hundred thousand."
The bald man, sitting below Du Ruoxin, was smoking a cigar. He blew a puff towards her, "Call."
Du Ruoxin coughed violently, almost choking to death on the smoke.
[Damn scumbag, if you're going to smoke, why are you blowing it towards me?!]
[Don't you know that's incredibly rude and asking for a beating?]
She couldn't help but retort sarcastically, "Mr. Lin, with your diamond 8 being the highest, are you intentionally here to give away money?"
The bald man, Lin Hai, blew another puff of smoke, "As long as it's to Miss Du, no amount is too much."
He paused, then declared to everyone present, "As long as it's Miss Du's card, I'll call."
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Du Ruoxin was truly—cursing internally while smiling outwardly.
She couldn't let the scumbag disrupt her composure; she had to remain calm!
Grace, seeing the bald man continuously blowing smoke towards them, was also getting angry.
Looking around, she walked to the side, picked up a casino brochure in each hand, and then stood between Du Ruoxin and Lin Hai, fanning vigorously.
The smoke could no longer drift over. In fact, the cigar in Lin Hai's hand burned out visibly fast.
Lin Hai: "—"
"Cough, cough, cough," the smoke backfired into his nose and eyes.
Du Ruoxin stifled a laugh and secretly gave Grace a thumbs-up.
With a friend like this, what more could one ask for?
...
The gambling continued for half an hour, and Du Ruoxin had won nearly ten million.
Two men had already lost and forfeited.
At this point, only Du Ruoxin, Lin Hai, and another woman remained.
Lin Hai didn't go head-to-head with Du Ruoxin every hand. He only called for one or two rounds, and if the situation looked unfavorable, he would fold. Therefore, he hadn't lost much so far.
"Last three rounds, what do you say?" Lin Hai asked, "Let's raise the stakes?"
Du Ruoxin was getting sleepy. Usually, she would be asleep by this time, but it was clearly not the moment to show fatigue. She mustered her energy and said, "How much?"
Lin Hai: "Five million as the base, and double with each call."
Du Ruoxin: ...Double? Does that mean if she doesn't win hundreds of millions or billions today, she won't be leaving the table?
ps: I'm experiencing writer's block, writing slowly these days.