The next morning.

Like always, I went to work as usual.

Just as I arrived at the bathing center.

A young girl at the front desk stopped me.

“Chu Liu, a guest in room 631 is looking for you, they asked you to come over…”

Hmm?

Who would call me to their room this early in the morning?

I casually asked:

“Male or female?”

The girl gave me a look.

“Female, and more beautiful than a Heavenly Immortal…”

She said, clearly annoyed.

From her tone, it seemed like she thought I was daydreaming, desperately thirsty for women.

Actually, I was wondering if it might be Tao Hua.

After all, she did say yesterday.

That she would continue today.

“If it were a man, he would have told the front desk right away. As soon as you come to work, go find him!”

A man?

Who could it be?

I walked to the elevator.

As soon as the elevator stopped, I saw Su Mei coming out.

Dark circles under her eyes, she looked exhausted.

It was obvious she hadn’t rested well last night.

Su Mei clearly didn’t expect to run into me, and she asked with some surprise:

“Why are you at work?”

She knew I had stayed up late last night helping Tao Hua catch cheaters.

And before, she had given me a special privilege.

I didn’t need to ask for leave; I could just not show up if something came up.

“How did it go yesterday? Did you catch them?”

Su Mei asked again.

I shook my head.

Su Mei looked disappointed.

After giving me a glance, she didn’t say more.

Perhaps, she thought.

Maybe she had misjudged.

My swindler techniques weren’t as good as she had imagined.

But Su Mei wasn’t giving up. She added:

“Xiao Xian will come to the gambling den this afternoon. Maybe you could talk to her again?”

Su Mei meant well.

She wanted to help me secure a position behind the scenes.

But I shook my head indifferently and said coldly:

“Thanks, but no need!”

With that, I entered the elevator.

Zou Xiaoxian, as the young lady of the Zou Family, had the capital to be proud.

But I could never forget the attitude she and the Nine-fingered heavenly cripple showed me that day.

Me, seek her out?

Impossible!

And I firmly believe.

Sooner or later, she will come to me.

Yes, come to me.

When I reached room 631, I pressed the doorbell.

It took a while before someone opened the door.

As the door opened.

A cloud of smoke billowed out from the room.

I squinted involuntarily.

In the already small room, the smoke swirled around.

Those who knew would realize it was from smoking.

Those who didn’t would surely think there was a fire.

And the person standing at the door.

Was none other than Brother Zhu, the chain-smoker from last night.

I knew Brother Zhu would come looking for me.

Just didn’t expect it to be so soon.

And for Brother Zhu to find me was simple.

A call to Tao Hua, and everything would be revealed.

Following him inside.

He opened the window and then handed me a cigarette.

We smoked in silence, neither of us speaking.

After a while.

Brother Zhu coughed twice.

Then he asked:

“Start a game?”

“I know a bit!”

The so-called “start a game” is the underworld slang of the northern Blue Path.

It means being skilled in swindler techniques, knowing how to gamble.

“Thanks!”

“You’re welcome!”

“Why help me?”

“Cooperation, to make money!”

“How do we split?”

“Depends on the number of people, fifty-fifty for two, we’ll talk if there are more!”

“The games I’m involved in are dirty, can you handle it?”

“No problem, as long as you can cover it!”

My conversation with Brother Zhu didn’t have a single superfluous word.

Concise and to the point, he understood, I understood.

I like communicating with clear-minded people, it’s not tiring!

“Deal! Do you want that thing, or should I return it?”

I took out the card springer disguised as money from my pocket and handed it to Brother Zhu.

Last night, when Qing San and Brother Zhu were talking.

I realized that Qing San must have known that Brother Zhu and the fat man were cheating.

I deliberately stood up.

Pretending to go to Tao Hua.

But as I passed by Brother Zhu, I used a sleight of hand “magic trick”.

I took the card springer from the pile of money.

I must say.

This card springer is very well made.

The right size, the right thickness.

And it’s even disguised with a few hundred-yuan bills.

It fits perfectly in the pile of money.

But such a device, while looking good, often does the most harm.

Swindler techniques are divided into literary and martial.

Also known as the soft touch and the hard touch.

I’ve heard people say.

That martial refers to physical strength.

That’s complete nonsense.

Some say literary refers to cheating with soft cards, like poker.

And martial refers to cheating with hard cards, like mahjong, Pai Gow, dice, and the like.

That’s also wrong.

In the art of cheating.

The real literary swindler is someone like me.

Without the aid of any tools.

Relying solely on hand skills and techniques to cheat.

And the martial swindler, like Brother Zhu.

Without a job in hand, can only rely on tools to cheat.

There’s a big difference between the two.

Using tools to cheat, you inevitably leave evidence on your body.

Not to mention being caught by a professional swindler.

Even ordinary gambling customers, bystanders.

All have a great chance of discovering it.

Taking the card springer, Brother Zhu put it aside and asked:

“With these skills, why are you still working as a waiter here?”

I remained silent, not answering.

“Why didn’t you play yesterday, yet you still helped Sister Hua win so much money?”

Brother Zhu asked again.

From the moment he knew I had taken the card springer.

Brother Zhu had figured everything out.

“Trivial skills, not worth mentioning in the grand scheme of things!”

I said indifferently.

My swindler techniques.

Are the foundation of my livelihood.

Such things, I would never casually reveal to others.

Brother Zhu understood and didn’t ask further.

“Alright, wait for my call. If there’s a good game, I’ll find you!”

I nodded slightly.

I spent the whole day waiting.

Because the game that night.

Was the most important one I’ve ever faced since I started my career.

Not because the game was big.

But because the person I was going to cheat was my cousin, Li Dabiao, who treated me like a stray dog.

Just before the end of my shift.

My phone rang.

It was Chen Xiaoxue calling.

I answered the phone, but didn’t speak.Across from me, Chen Xiaoxue’s voice came through.

“Chu Liu, did you miss me?”

I felt a bit disgusted by Chen Xiaoxue’s teasing.

I replied succinctly and coldly:

“Get to the point!”

“Really, is it so hard to just say you miss me? I called to tell you that I’ve done everything you asked. Li Dabiao agreed to let me invest tonight. We played a round of cards; I put in twenty thousand, and he added another hundred thousand. We’re going to play a big game with Old Hei…”

“Where is he now?”

“He went out to buy cigarettes! Chu Liu, why don’t you care whether we slept together or not?”

I sneered inwardly.

What does it matter to me whether they slept together or not?

Chen Xiaoxue isn’t helping me.

We’re collaborators.

Just in it for the money.

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Chen Xiaoxue sighed.

“Ah, it seems you don’t care about me at all. Alright, we didn’t sleep together. But I told him, if he lets me win money today, I’ll give it to him. The fool actually believed it. Haha, ridiculous!”

“Got it! Hang up now. Remember to delete the call log!”

With that,

I hung up the phone.

It was already the end of the workday.

I planned to find a place to eat first.

Just wait quietly for the game tonight.

Tonight, I was determined to make Li Dabiao take his first step towards the abyss.

Just as I stepped out of the Bathing establishment,

I saw four or five men with dragon tattoos standing at the entrance.

They were smoking.

It looked like they were waiting for someone.

And the man in the middle, with a cigarette in his mouth,

I knew him well.