Zhang Chengxiang's words, "Your card manners reflect your character," struck a chord deep within Jiang He, causing his expression to falter. It was clear that Zhang Chengxiang was subtly criticizing him. After a series of shifting expressions, Jiang He ultimately dared not retort to Zhang Chengxiang. Instead, he shot me a venomous glare.
I ignored Jiang He and gestured for someone to cut the cards. Arguing with Jiang He at this point was utterly pointless. Instead, I could leverage Zhang Chengxiang's sense of justice to further provoke Jiang He. As soon as the thought formed, after the cards were cut, I casually took the top card and began dealing. Before dealing, I had already arranged the card sequence using my perfect shuffling technique. I'll skip the first few players, as they were merely bystanders.
It was Jiang He's turn to reveal his cards. Upon flipping over two eights, Jiang He's eyelids twitched violently, and his breathing became rapid. I knew exactly what he was thinking. Heh. Tightly gripping the corner of the third card, he slowly revealed it. Jiang He's face went through a rollercoaster of emotions, a truly spectacular display. From the initial elation upon seeing the side pattern to the sudden panic when the numbers perfectly matched his thoughts, Jiang He was a mix of excitement and nervousness. But as he continued to flip, trying to reveal the crucial hidden number in the middle, only to find nothing, his excitement and nervousness were replaced by sheer terror. Finally, as his thumb moved away from the card's corner, revealing its true number, a look of disbelief mixed with intense rage washed over his face. A single card, a 6, which was only two points shy of an 8, but a world apart in outcome, was revealed! 8, 8, 6, which translates to "bye-bye," a total of only two points. I, on the other hand, had two face cards and a single 9, totaling nine points.
Instantly, Jiang He erupted. There was no other reason than the fact that his two-hundred-dollar bet on this hand was now doubled. If he couldn't see that something was amiss now, he wouldn't be a seasoned cheat in a card room. "Damn it! You're really something else!" Disregarding Zhang Chengxiang's words about character, Jiang He, consumed by rage, directly and pointedly cursed, "If you've got the guts, keep it up!" After speaking, Jiang He glared at me with a menacing expression, as if to say, "You're in trouble!"
I had to thank Zhang Chengxiang for his timely intervention, which finally pushed Jiang He, who had been holding back for most of the game, over the edge. Originally, I could have seized this momentum and continued to press Jiang He. However... To make the act more convincing, and to further highlight Jiang He's image as a "bad cheat," I decided to ease up for a moment. Jiang He was already suspicious of me, and if I continued to follow his lead, he would surely be brewing up a belly full of anger and malicious schemes. Therefore, I began to deliberately lose a few hands, mimicking Jiang He's earlier pace, but not to him.
After I passed the dealer position to Su Jianwei, Jiang He finally managed to secure a nine. As soon as Su Jianwei paid out, Jiang He demanded to be the dealer for the nine-point hand. I knew this was his move. After taking the cards from Su Jianwei, Jiang He eagerly began shuffling. Unlike his usual meticulous shuffling, this time Jiang He used a fake shuffle to deceive. After shuffling, Jiang He handed the cards to the center of the table, but subconsciously leaned them towards me. As one cheat testing another, I understood Jiang He's intention. I didn't refuse. Instead, I swiftly cut the deck three times, using both hands, not giving Jiang He a chance to see my technique. As Jiang He followed my cuts and flipped over the top card, I saw his eyelids visibly twitch, and the corner of his mouth seemed to involuntarily contort. Heh heh~ Trying to probe my limits? First, make sure you're even playing on the same level as me!
After dealing, without a moment's delay, I flipped over my cards. Nine points, with a triple payout. The other four players also had strong hands: one nine, and three three-of-a-kind. In other words, the first hand after Jiang He took over as dealer, challenging me, I dealt him a hand that would result in a complete payout. And it started with triple payout, up to a maximum of nine times. The nine-times payout hand belonged to Zhang Chengxiang, three Ks. Zhang Chengxiang had bet two hundred dollars on this hand, so I decided to return the favor for his earlier righteous words.
After everyone revealed their cards, almost everyone was stunned. They had never expected that a common plot from gambling movies would actually happen in real life. Once they recovered, Zhang Chengxiang and the others praised me as a true "golden finger," even more amazing than Kato Eagle! Hearing this, I just smiled and remained silent. Although this approach was somewhat underhanded, it was the outcome I most desired. If Jiang He didn't cheat, I would create the opportunity for him to be forced to cheat. This current hand was the best example. If he didn't cheat, a complete payout would cost him several thousand dollars, and all the gains from my long performance would be in vain. If he cheated, then it would be exactly as I intended. From the moment Jiang He decided to be the dealer, my only task was to keep a close eye on him! If he dared to cheat and switch cards, I would call him out immediately!
Seeing the array of nines and three-of-a-kind hands on the table, a look of shock spread across Jiang He's face. I figured he must clearly understand that when I cut the cards earlier, I had already disrupted his pre-arranged sequence. Furthermore, I had also dealt a hand that would make him bleed profusely. I didn't need to guess to know that I wouldn't leave him any cards to win all the hands; a complete payout was inevitable. I had initially expected Jiang He to choose to cheat under the pressure of a complete payout, but to my surprise... After the shock, Jiang He restrained himself from acting. Instead, he revealed his nine-point hand of 3, 6, and 10, one by one. "Damn it! Consider me unlucky! I got a nine and still have to pay out completely!" After saying this, Jiang He began to settle the payment.
After completing the complete payout, Jiang He specifically requested that I take over as the dealer. Hearing this, I immediately understood why he had held back from cheating earlier. It turned out this guy was still unwilling to give up on Zhang Chengxiang and the others, who were his long-term meal tickets. But he also disliked me, a newcomer cheat, so he planned to go all out against me when I was the dealer. I... I'm truly impressed! The more I wanted to quickly resolve something, the more a troublemaker kept interfering. The trip to Longxi had started off so unproductively. Was this a sign that good things come to those who wait, or an indication that my future actions would be constantly interrupted, just like this moment...