Chapter 5: One Round, All Gone (2 / 2)

The man quickly wrote the IOU.

Soon, the “sucker” took the banker’s seat, and Huang Mao took over as the dealer.

Huang Mao’s luck was terrible, and not long after, he lost the position, and Duo Hou became the dealer.

After one round, even the money Song Zi Qiang had won was all lost. Lao Hu and Duo Hou made some small wins, but the “sucker” took most of the money.

Now, it was the “sucker’s” turn to deal again.

As the rounds went on, some people won, laughing happily, while others lost, beating their chests in frustration.

The man took in all their unskilled tricks without a hint of emotion, continuing to play along with them.

In his past life, he’d never lost at gambling. These people were trying to cheat right under his nose—it was like playing a fool in front of Guan Gong.

Soon, it was the man’s turn to deal again.

He glanced at the dimming sky and said, “Qiang Ge, I should head back soon. How about I change the rules for my turn, one round to decide everything.”

Song Zi Qiang asked, “Yi Zi, what kind of rules are you thinking?”

The man took out one die and left only two in the cup, saying, “We’ll guess the number, with a 1:2 payout.”

Hearing this, the others immediately objected. Huang Mao said, “How is guessing the number only a 1:2 payout?”

“Yeah, Yi Zi, you can’t be playing like this when you’re losing,” Song Zi Qiang shook his head.

“Qiang Ge, don’t rush. I’m not finished yet.” The man smiled and continued, “I’ll let you all guess the number together, all seven of you. If even one person gets it right, I’ll pay double.”

Hearing this, their eyes lit up—this was a new way to play.

Seeing that they were interested, the man continued, “Yesterday I had my wedding, and on my wedding day, I don’t gamble. I’ll only be back on the third day, and on that day, I don’t gamble either. So no guessing the 5 or the 9. You guys only need to guess from the remaining numbers, and I’ll pay double for the whole table.”

The others exchanged looks and smirked secretly.

Song Zi Qiang said, “Yi Zi, if we guess right, you’ll lose big.”

“Fortune favors the bold,” the man replied. “Today, either I lose big, or I win big.”

With that, he picked up the dice cup, shook it fiercely, and then slammed it down. “Alright, place your bets!”

“Haha, since Yi Zi is so into it, we’ll play along.” Song Zi Qiang waved his hand grandly, saying, “I’ll bet fifty thousand on seven.”

“I’ll bet thirty thousand on six.”

“I’ll bet twenty-eight thousand on twelve.”

“I’ll bet twelve thousand…”

Others quickly placed their bets.

There were eleven numbers, but excluding the two, only nine remained.

The seven of them each chose one. The odds of winning were too high to not place a big bet at this point.

“Heh, in that case, I’ll go all in—fourteen thousand, bet on eleven.” The “sucker” piled up all the silver bills.

The man looked at the high stack of silver bills on the table and smiled faintly. “Bet locked.”

“Yi Zi, go ahead and roll. If we lose, we’ll admit it, and if we win, you better pay up tomorrow.” Song Zi Qiang reminded him.

The man smiled, “Qiang Ge, when have I ever not paid after losing?”

Song Zi Qiang burst out laughing, “Roll!”

The man’s gaze swept across the faces filled with greed, and then slowly lifted the dice cup.

When he saw the result inside, everyone’s faces froze, their expressions turned to one of shock.

There, under the dice cup, the two dice were stacked on top of each other, with only one red heart showing.

One, only one.

This was a result no one had guessed.

Damn it, who could’ve guessed that two dice would land on one?

“Looks like I’ve turned things around!” The man laughed, putting the silver bills from the table into his pocket, then handed two thousand back to Song Zi Qiang.

“Qiang Ge, I’m heading out.”

“Yi Zi, your luck is pretty good today!” Song Zi Qiang’s tone was a bit strange.

The man turned back and looked at Song Zi Qiang, saying, “I’ve lost a lot over the years. I’m just getting back twenty or so thousand now. Not much, right?”

With that, the man turned and walked away without looking back, leaving the others staring at each other in disbelief.

The man, pocketing the twenty-some thousand, headed toward Luo Tianfu.

Although Luo Tianfu wasn’t short on money, Xia Zhi Lan kept an eye on the family’s finances to prevent him from going off and causing trouble. Every expenditure needed her approval.

Now that he had his own money, things would be a little freer going forward.

He reached the corner of the wall, took a few quick steps, planted his toe against the wall, grabbed the top of the wall with both hands, and with a push, flipped over effortlessly.

But just as he took a few steps, Xia Zhi Lan’s cold voice suddenly rang out, “Are you out there messing around with your shady friends again?”