While staring at the chips on the table, I pondered ways to break the deadlock…
Zheng Xinyi, possessing the advantage of timing, location, and people, seemed to be cheating and switching cards almost every hand. The chips piled before her had already reached nearly two million!
Aside from me stubbornly dragging out each round with a ten-thousand bet, and repeatedly considering whether or not to cheat myself, everyone else’s chips were almost gone.
About ten minutes later…
After seeing off the last gambler at the table, Liu Xiang strode over to me, clapped me forcefully on the shoulder, and leaned in to whisper in my ear, "Little brother, you're quite the actor!"
Liu Xiang's words confirmed my previous deduction: Zheng Xinyi had singled me out, and without any evidence!
Although the accusation was still baseless, my identity had been exposed before I could win back the money, making Liu Xiang realize…
It seemed tonight would truly be difficult!
Seeing my lack of reaction, Liu Xiang continued with a forced smile, "It doesn't matter if you admit it or not, because now there are only two of you left at the table."
"If Zheng Xinyi keeps dealing, and you keep betting ten thousand per hand, the open-limit betting doesn't seem to have any effect on you!"
At this, my eyelids twitched fiercely.
Noticing my change in expression, Liu Xiang grinned menacingly and said, "From now on, you and Zheng Xinyi will take turns dealing! Hehehe…"
After hearing Liu Xiang's words, my face immediately fell.
This was forcing me to cheat, and then to finish me off!
Clearly, my strategy of "dragging it out" had been seen through.
However, it wasn't entirely surprising when I thought about it.
With open-limit betting, the player, not the dealer, ultimately determined how big a hand could become.
This was because only the player could initiate bets.
The dealer could only passively call.
The "alternating dealing" Liu Xiang mentioned actually meant that when I was dealing, Zheng Xinyi would directly place the maximum bet!
In Blackjack, the most crucial card was the Ace and the Ten-value card, forming a Blackjack.
Even if I risked exposure to cheat, the best hand I could achieve would only be a Blackjack.
In other words, even if I risked everything to cheat, the best outcome would be a draw.
Liu Xiang's side would suffer no losses.
And I would be in constant peril.
Furthermore, this would inevitably become an endless cycle.
As time went on, the risk of me being caught cheating would gradually increase.
Thus, the plan to raise funds for Xianyu to repay his gambling debts had directly become a dead end!
If I didn't cheat, I would surely lose!
If I cheated, not only would there be the risk of being caught, but the best outcome would merely be a draw.
Although I desperately wanted to refuse outright and leave immediately.
However, being trapped in this hotel casino at this point, the probability of escaping safely was truly minuscule.
They were the knife, and I was the fish!
Since my debut, I had never felt this way, not even when facing Yu Shuang, but today… I was experiencing it for the first time!
At this point, I knew refusal was no longer an option.
So, as I nodded in agreement, I subtly turned my head and gave Cheng Minglang and Xianyu a look, signaling them to be ready to turn hostile and act at any moment.
………………
With the new two-player dealing game commencing, Zheng Xinyi dealt the first hand.
I did not increase my bet, still wagering ten thousand chips. To read books.
Knowing I was bound to lose, I aimed to keep as many chips in hand as possible, to stall for as long as I could.
I would not make a move easily until the very last moment!
Therefore, I lost ten thousand in this hand.
After the first hand concluded, it was my turn to deal.
Just as I had predicted, Zheng Xinyi immediately placed the maximum bet of one hundred thousand.
After the rules were modified, as long as the player’s bet was within the limit, the dealer could not refuse, so I had no choice but to accept.
The dealer dealt the cards, then handed them to us to reveal. Undoubtedly, I lost again.
Fortunately, Zheng Xinyi did not choose to double down, so the one hundred thousand from this hand did not need to be increased further.
Even so, this hand had already affected my principal.
Because the chips I had won earlier were less than eighty thousand, which was not enough to cover the loss.
With twenty-three thousand plus eight thousand, after paying out one hundred thousand, I had less than twenty-one thousand remaining, which was all the chips I had left. kAnshu伍.ξà
In the third hand, Zheng Xinyi dealt, and I lost.
In the fourth hand, I dealt, and I lost again.
In the fifth hand, Zheng Xinyi dealt, and I still lost.
With no other gamblers left, Zheng Xinyi became increasingly brazen.
She seemed to be playing with me like a cat playing with a mouse, choosing to win my chips little by little instead of doubling down when she could have.
This feeling of slow death at the gambling table could greatly affect one's mindset.
After losing five consecutive hands, by the sixth hand, when it was my turn to deal, the chips before me were less than ninety thousand.
In this hand, if Zheng Xinyi continued to bet the maximum, and I lost again…
I would have no more chips left to pay her.
If my guess was correct, Zheng Xinyi had been waiting for this moment to avoid doubling her bets earlier.
This woman, who looked so captivating, likely had an ulterior motive.
As expected, after the one hundred thousand chips were placed on the table, Zheng Xinyi made a suggestion.
She stared at me coldly and said, "Stop pretending, little brother! I know you're a cheater!"
"To be able to secretly cheat and win two to three hundred thousand under my nose, you've got some skill!"
"The reason I didn't finish you off just now was because I wanted to give you a chance!"
"If you can beat me in a one-on-one duel, you can take all the chips you win!"
"But if you lose, you either leave a hand behind, or… you join us!"
Hearing this, although my heart skipped a beat, I calmly replied, "I don't know what you're talking about?"
"Is your establishment really one where guests can't win money?"
Upon hearing my words, Zheng Xinyi's expression immediately turned grim.
She gestured for the dealer to shuffle the cards, stood up from her seat, and leaned on the table, looking at me with an extremely oppressive gaze. "It's fine if you don't admit it. I'll double my bet this hand!"
"If you lose, and can't pay me that many chips… you'll face the consequences!"
With that, without giving me any chance, Zheng Xinyi directly signaled the dealer to start dealing.
I knew she was forcing me to cheat.
With that thought, as I reached out to take the card, I made my move…