To win this round, cheating was inevitable.
If I refused, following the normal procedure, Shen Mengqing would shuffle the cards first, and then I would cut them.
After the cards were dealt, even if she couldn't find evidence of my cheating, the moment I revealed my hand, Shen Mengqing would surely use the excuse of checking the cards to pause the game.
At that point, if any problem was found with the cards, she could use it as a reason to demand a body search.
If she found cards on me, I would lose directly.
If she didn't, the game would be void.
This was because the cards on the table were problematic.
It seemed that this was a massive trap that Shen Mengqing had meticulously devised in her mind while feigning weakness earlier.
Furthermore, it was another trap that I had no choice but to fall into.
Therefore, even though I understood the scheme, I ultimately had to accept it.
Thus, Shen Mengqing began to ask the onlookers if anyone was interested in acting as the dealer.
In an instant, over twenty curious and enthusiastic gamblers raised their hands, clamoring to participate in this particular game.
After having each of them demonstrate their shuffling techniques and speed, Shen Mengqing selected an old gambler with a handlebar mustache.
Spreading the four decks of cards evenly on the table, Shen Mengqing and I examined them. Then, the man with the mustache began to shuffle the cards with practiced ease.
Earlier, Shen Mengqing had used the opportunity of selecting a temporary dealer to have these twenty gamblers showcase their shuffling skills, but there was a deeper meaning behind it.
Disrupting the card order!
Each person shuffles differently. While most gamblers' shuffling techniques appeared similar, the number of cards held in each hand was completely different.
Four decks of cards, shuffled by twenty people in succession.
Who could possibly remember the order of the cards?
From the current situation, even before the cards were dealt, Shen Mengqing was doing her utmost to lower my winning probability.
What was even more critical was that while the man with the mustache was shuffling, Shen Mengqing had already instructed him to deal one face-up and one face-down card to both of us.
This way, even if I wanted to cheat, I could only attempt it with the second card.
Shen Mengqing knew very well that if both cards were dealt to me face-down, I might directly get a Blackjack.
However, even with Shen Mengqing's complete strategizing, I still had one opportunity to touch the cards.
Cutting the deck!
The moment the man with the mustache finished shuffling, I immediately raised my hand to signal that I wanted to cut the deck.
Shen Mengqing could not refuse this request.
As I picked up the white card, preparing to cut the deck...
Shen Mengqing's eyes were fixed on my hands, as if she wished she could see through me.
However, this had no practical effect on me, nor did it exert any deterrence.
Holding the white card, I directly inserted it into the front of the deck, around the tenth card.
After cutting the deck, the man with the mustache took the cards in front of the white card and began dealing from the first card behind the white card.
The player goes first.
The first card I received was a face card, meaning 10 points.
When the second face-down card was dealt, I didn't even bother to conceal it; I simply opened it.
A glaringly obvious Ace of Hearts.
Twenty-one points, Blackjack.
Upon seeing this, Shen Mengqing's delicate eyebrows immediately knitted together.
Her first face-up card was also a 10.
If her face-down card was also an Ace, then the game would be a draw, and the chips would be returned for a new round.
Unfortunately, the moment the face-down card was revealed, the outcome of this round was already decided.
A single 3.
Whether I hit or not, I would lose.
It was evident that Shen Mengqing, representing Rui Chi, had lost.
However, exactly as I had predicted, she did not immediately concede but directly requested a card inspection.
"Sir, as the stakes for this round are very high, even if you win, I still request to inspect the cards. I hope you can understand!"
Hearing this, I nodded without hesitation: "No problem! Feel free to check!"
"If you're still worried, I can let you search me!"
As soon as I finished speaking, to prove my innocence, I decisively stood up from the gambling table and moved to an empty space nearby.
Seeing this, Shen Mengqing, after signaling Li Sheng and the other two with her eyes to search me, began to check the cards one by one in front of everyone...
Four times fifty-two, a total of 208 cards. Not a single card was missing or extra from the four suits, and there were no problems.
Seemingly dissatisfied with this result, Shen Mengqing began to carefully examine both sides of each card, trying to find any flaws.
But unfortunately, no flaws could be found.
Meanwhile, Li Sheng and the other two found nothing after repeatedly searching me.
This outcome instantly made Shen Mengqing appear dejected, and she repeatedly exclaimed, "Impossible!"
Seeing this, I said meaningfully, "Beauty, since the cards have been checked and there are no issues, and I've been searched without any problems, can we announce the result now?"
Upon hearing my words, Shen Mengqing instinctively turned her gaze towards me.
Her eyes were filled with frustration, confusion, and deep disbelief.
She couldn't understand at all how I had won the final round, and how I had won so cleanly.
Her lips parted several times, and Shen Mengqing desperately wanted to ask me the truth behind the final round.
But the words at the tip of her tongue ultimately turned into three defeated and powerless words.
"You... win!"
I nodded slightly and smiled, "Since I've won, please trouble you to exchange the fourteen million in chips for cash and take it away!"
Seeing Shen Mengqing's face turn even paler, I suddenly added, "Oh, right! I don't accept checks; only cash!"
Shen Mengqing was stunned for a moment, then replied in an extremely desolate and forlorn tone, "Alright! I'll have the finance department prepare it."
After speaking, Shen Mengqing stood up from her seat, turned, and instructed someone to contact the finance department upstairs.
Shen Mengqing, who had temporarily replaced Li Sheng in the gamble, had meticulously calculated and utilized every possible factor while feigning weakness earlier. She had naively assumed that if I cheated in the final round, Rui Chi would be invincible.
But the reality was... she was wrong!
In the final round, I didn't cheat at all.
My victory was entirely due to this crucial move of cutting the deck.
If you ask me if I remember the complete order of the 208 cards, I can clearly answer: definitely not! But...
I selectively remembered the positions of 16 Aces.
In Blackjack, Aces are the key to victory.
This is because they can be counted as 1 or 11 points, a significant difference.
They can be used for offense or defense.
The position where I cut the deck was the point where the first Ace appeared.
According to the player's and dealer's turn, if I cut just one card further ahead, that Ace would become my card.
Although I didn't know the value of the first face-up card, holding an Ace gave me more options.
The facts proved that my calculation was correct.
As for why the card inspection and body search didn't reveal any issues...