The moment I held the cards in my hand, I made up my mind to finish this as quickly as possible, no matter the cost!
I was determined to enrage Jiang He to the point where he'd lose all self-control and start cheating wildly!
...
After swiftly executing the perfect shuffle with ordinary techniques, I dealt the cards with ease and invited everyone to place their bets.
As the game neared its end, there were no longer any fifty-yuan bills on the table; only bright red hundred-yuan notes.
Including Jiang He, everyone was betting at least a hundred, with a maximum of two hundred.
Abandoning his earlier cautious approach, Jiang He began betting two hundred at a time after I had cornered him into a no-win situation.
Yet, for some reason, in these rounds where he bet the maximum, Jiang He hadn't once entertained the thought of cheating.
He was still holding back!
Seeing Jiang He stubbornly enduring like a cowardly turtle, my impatience grew.
This scoundrel! While his cheating skills weren't top-notch, his composure far surpassed that of an average cheater. It's no wonder they say rivals are enemies.
If this continued, I might have to abandon this highly strategic gambling match today.
Otherwise, the one who would first arouse Zhang Chengxiang's suspicion and displeasure... would be me!
Just as I was lamenting Jiang He's inaction, he suddenly spoke, "Buddy, you're having such good luck today. I wonder if you'd dare to take on an outside bet?"
Outside bet?
The moment I heard those words, I immediately understood why Jiang He had been so composed and patient earlier.
This guy was stubborn, still clinging to the hope of crushing Zhang Chengxiang and his group.
I had been racking my brain for a way to deal with him, and now he had walked right into my trap.
After a deliberate moment of silence, I asked, "Tell me, how would this outside bet work?"
Hearing this, Jiang He, who was clearly prepared, blurted out without hesitation, "Ever since you joined the table, my luck has been declining!"
"To have someone like you, a shoe-shiner, take my luck and win money, I'm honestly not happy about it!"
"How about this... the betting limits for everyone else remain the same, but you and I will open a separate betting pool, with a limit of two thousand yuan!"
"Do you dare to take it?"
Judging by his demeanor, Jiang He intended to use the excuse of gambling luck to cheat and win back money from me in a one-on-one challenge.
Regardless of the outcome, as long as his reasoning was sound, it was unlikely to arouse suspicion from Zhang Chengxiang and the others.
Clearly, Jiang He had calculated his move perfectly.
Before I could respond, Zhang Chengxiang chimed in, looking at Jiang He, "Da Jiang, isn't this a bit unnecessary?"
"We're all acquaintances. Even if a shoe-shiner joins in and wins some money, it's hardly a big deal, right?"
"I never realized you were so competitive when playing cards, demanding victory and refusing defeat!"
Ignoring Zhang Chengxiang, Jiang He gritted his teeth, glared at me fiercely, and said coldly, "Chen Xiang, this outside bet... are you in or out?"
Without a moment's hesitation, I nodded and agreed, "Since you want to give me money, I naturally have no objections!"
"Good! Then it's settled!" As if worried I might back out, Jiang He eagerly said, "Starting from the next round, we'll bet separately! Two thousand yuan limit."
"No problem."
As I agreed, I couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
He couldn't even see through the perfect shuffle technique, and yet he dared to challenge me one-on-one to protect his long-term livelihood at the Yongli Chess and Card Room?
Honestly, forget two thousand yuan, even twenty thousand or two million yuan limits wouldn't be an issue!
As long as he had the money to lose, I would accept any bet, no matter how it was played or how high the stakes.
Seeing that I, the party involved, had accepted the challenge, Zhang Chengxiang naturally had nothing more to say.
As a stranger I had just met, Zhang Chengxiang had already been quite accommodating out of respect for Han Jinlun.
In any other situation, based on the order of acquaintance, most people would have sided with Jiang He.
After the minor interlude of the outside bet...
Just as I was about to shuffle the cards, Jiang He suddenly reached out and stopped me.
"Buddy, I suspect you didn't shuffle the cards completely! Starting this round with our separate bet, I'll shuffle once... is that okay?"
Hearing this, I smiled nonchalantly and handed the cards directly to Jiang He.
Taking the cards, Jiang He didn't hesitate and began shuffling, making a clattering sound.
This kind of perfunctory shuffling, all show and no substance, was purely to fool outsiders who didn't understand cards.
For me, it was utterly useless.
When the cards returned to my hand, I could restore them instantly.
Jiang He, this stubborn fool, couldn't even see through the perfect shuffle technique masked by an illusion, let alone discern my restoration technique.
Thinking I was stunned by his shuffling, Jiang He immediately placed a top bet.
"Two thousand!"
As soon as he spoke, Jiang He pushed all the cash in front of him into the pot without reservation.
I took a quick look; Jiang He didn't actually have two thousand yuan in front of him.
But I didn't want to quibble with him; I just wanted to force his hand sooner.
After cutting the deck, I began dealing.
As the cards were dealt, Jiang He calmly lit a cigarette.
Then, while puffing on it, he pretended to examine his cards.
Seeing this, the corner of my mouth curved into a subtle smile that no one else could notice.
While Jiang He was fumbling with his cards, the others at the table had already started revealing theirs.
Without any doubled nine-point hands, the highest card among them was Zhang Chengxiang's eight.
After everyone had revealed their cards, Jiang He suddenly slammed his hand down on the table with a "bang" and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! A triple!"
As he spoke, three Jacks appeared.
This guy was really putting on a show, playing defensively to get three Jacks, multiplying the bet sevenfold!
"Hahahaha~ Two thousand yuan multiplied by seven means you owe me fourteen thousand!"
"14 is unlucky, and you're unlucky, Chen Xiang! This is the clarion call for my counterattack, now give me my money!"
As he spoke, Jiang He reached out to me, signaling for me to pay him.
At this moment, everyone at the table turned their gaze towards me...