As soon as Old Hei sat down, he pulled out ten thousand yuan and placed it on the table.
After I gave Little Duo three hundred thousand, Old Hei and I were left with just over ten thousand yuan.
After understanding the rules, Old Hei started to play.
He bet fiercely. In the first round, his two cards were 3 and 8. He could only win if he was dealt a 4, 5, 6, or 7. The pot was eight hundred yuan in total. He surprisingly scooped the whole pot. Unexpectedly, the banker dealt him a 7, and he actually won.
Li Dabiao immediately started to flatter him from the side. His words were nothing more than praising Old Hei’s good fortune and how he was sure to win big money today.
However, such good luck couldn’t possibly last. After that, Old Hei lost more than he won. In no time, he had lost six to seven thousand. But Old Hei acted as if he didn’t care. He played with his car keys while nonchalantly playing cards.
Many people in the casino knew Old Hei. When they greeted him, they all called him “Brother Hei”. This made Li Dabiao feel that Old Hei must be powerful. But when it came to playing cards, he was a fool. Li Dabiao started to deliberately get close to Old Hei, occasionally offering him cigarettes and making small talk.
In this round, everyone at the card game seemed to have average luck. In the pot, there was quickly over three thousand yuan.
When it was Old Hei’s turn, he rolled up his sleeves and boldly said:
“Damn, this game is not exciting. If there’s a gap this round, I’m scooping it!”
The two cards he was dealt were 7 and 10. There was a gap! But the gap was only 8 and 9. Normally, with these cards, the most one could bet was a hundred yuan. But Old Hei still scooped the whole pot. Three thousand!
His foolish way of playing attracted a crowd of onlookers.
The banker dealt the cards. Old Hei started to mumble, still muttering under his breath.
“Give me an 8, give me a 9, I’ll be your friend!”
After mumbling for a while, Old Hei didn’t reveal his cards. Suddenly, he looked at Li Dabiao and asked with a grin, “Guess what this card is?”
Li Dabiao had already placed his bet on this card. How could he possibly not know what it was?
But he pretended to be confused and flattered Old Hei, saying, “Brother Hei’s luck is unbeatable. This card is either an 8 or a 9! You’re sure to win!”
Old Hei laughed heartily. “Sure to win my ass, it’s a 6!”
With that, Old Hei threw down his card, striking a bold pose and saying:
“This is too boring, I’m not playing anymore. It’s not exciting at all. It’s better to drink and play with women…”
Someone who knew Old Hei and was watching the excitement joked with him. “Brother Hei is getting rich, driving a Santana, losing over three thousand in one round, and still finds it not exciting…”
Old Hei glared at him and retorted, “What? Can’t I get rich?”
“Yes! Yes! Brother Hei must get rich!”
To everyone, it seemed that Old Hei wasn’t playing not because he was losing money, but because he thought the stakes were too low. Li Dabiao had already won over ten thousand.
Seeing that Old Hei was about to leave, he immediately said, “If Brother Hei thinks it’s too small, let’s raise the stakes and play big, shall we?”
Old Hei still waved his hand. “I’m not playing, it’s too boring. I’m going to drink…”
With that, he threw the car keys to me. “Go start the car!”
I chuckled to myself. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to raise the stakes. It was that we were almost out of money.
Seeing that Old Hei was determined to leave, Li Dabiao got up and said, “Brother Hei, it’s our first day meeting, and I feel like we get along well. I’m not playing either. How about I treat you to a drink?”
I sneered inwardly. The fish had touched the hook, but it hadn’t started to bite yet.
Old Hei waved his hand and said two words. “Let’s go, drink!”
Li Dabiao brought the girl next to him. The four of us went straight downstairs. As soon as we got to the ground floor, we heard someone humming at the entrance.
“Don’t gamble! Don’t gamble! Gambling is more dangerous than a tiger. A tiger sometimes doesn’t hurt people indiscriminately, but gambling always leaves you penniless…”
Turning around, we saw Old Wu sitting on a stone bench by the door with a teapot in his hand.
Seeing Old Wu, Old Hei chuckled and deliberately teased him, “Old Wu, didn’t you just say you were going to win ten thousand? How come you’re saying ‘don’t gamble’ now?”
Old Wu rolled his eyes and mumbled, “If I don’t lose everything, how can I know the harm of gambling, and how can I persuade you not to gamble? Did you win?”
Old Hei shook his head. “Lost!”
Old Wu curled his lip. “Damn, you’re a loser! I was hoping to get some lucky money from you, but it turns out you’re just a fool who lost everything…”
Old Hei laughed and pulled out two hundred yuan. “Even if I lost, it doesn’t stop you from getting your lucky money, here!”
“Two hundred is too little, add more!”
“Think it’s too little? Then you won’t get the two hundred…” As he spoke, Old Hei was about to take the money back.
“No! No! No!” Old Wu immediately stepped forward and snatched it. Holding the two hundred yuan, he turned and darted into the card room.
Don’t gamble! Continue to gamble!Old Hei deliberately gave Old Wu money in front of Li Dabiao. If Li Dabiao had any doubts about Old Hei’s strength before, they were completely dispelled when he got into the brand-new Santana 2000. He was now fully convinced that Old Hei was a sucker, and a rich one at that.
Li Dabiao had invited Old Hei for a barbecue. At the dinner table, he kept trying to get close to Old Hei and repeatedly steered the conversation towards card games. Old Hei’s response was always the same: he loved gambling and wanted to play, but the stakes were too low to pique his interest.
The two decided to raise the stakes for the game the next day. They agreed to meet at the card room at eight o’clock the next evening.
Some might ask, what if I deliberately let Old Hei lose money and Li Dabiao, after winning, doesn’t seek out Old Hei again? Or what if he runs away after winning? Is there such a possibility? Yes, but it’s extremely slim. Any swindler would want to find a sucker, especially a rich one. Once found, they wouldn’t let go until they were satisfied. Just like the game Chen Xiaoxue took me to before. If it hadn’t been for Yin Wu’s interference, I would have played for a long time. This has nothing to do with anything else, it’s just human greed.
The next day, as soon as I arrived at the bathhouse, I finished my work and sent a text message to Chen Xiaoxue, asking her to meet me in the storage room. Chen Xiaoxue was as flirtatious as ever, wearing a strappy mini skirt, her chest dazzlingly white and exposed.
As soon as she entered the room, Chen Xiaoxue wrapped her arm around mine, pressing her chest against my arm.
“Chu Liu, I’ve been missing you. Don’t you miss me too…”
As she spoke, Chen Xiaoxue pouted deliberately, putting on a coquettish act.
I looked at the hand on my arm and said calmly, “Let go!”
“I don’t want to…” Chen Xiaoxue said, swaying deliberately.
“Do you still want to make money?”
As soon as I mentioned money, Chen Xiaoxue’s eyes lit up and she immediately let go of my arm.