I pushed the door open as soon as Yu Shuang finished speaking.
"My apologies, everyone! My car broke down halfway here, and I was delayed by roadside assistance. Please don't leave after we finish playing; I'll be treating everyone to dinner tonight as compensation!"
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Da Jianming, a friend of A Yao."
As I spoke, I deliberately glanced in Wang Yu's direction.
Wang Yu, who had been fiddling with his phone, only looked up at me subconsciously when he heard the word "dinner."
Wang Yu, with a blank expression, froze the moment he saw me.
At that moment, I met Wang Yu's gaze and then pointed at him with feigned surprise, saying, "Hey! Isn't that Xiao Yu!"
Pointing at Wang Yu was a deliberate action on my part.
I distinctly remembered that starting from the fourth grade of elementary school, Wang Yu seemed to dislike people pointing at him while talking.
For this reason, he had argued with people many times, even gotten into fights.
And today, he was being pointed at by me again.
When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred! Today, I came armed and ready.
My objective was to provoke Wang Yu's anger before the card game began, to make him gradually lose his composure.
So that, during the game, he would slowly fall into the trap I had meticulously set.
Details determine success or failure!
In a card game, if someone's unintentional words or small actions make you feel annoyed or uncomfortable, remember, absolutely… do not get riled up!
Because there's a high probability that the other person is targeting you directly.
Not long after I lowered my hand, sure enough, Wang Yu's expression immediately soured.
"Heh."
After a noncommittal chuckle, Wang Yu instantly raised his voice and retorted, "It is indeed me. Long time no see, Xiangzi!"
"By the way, when did you change your name? How come you didn't even discuss this… with the adults in the family?"
"Uh, no! I think I forgot something."
"When you change your name, you don't even need to turn a page in the household registration book, do you?"
As he said the last sentence, Wang Yu even raised an eyebrow at me.
His final remark was actually quite venomous.
Not needing to turn a page in the household registration book meant that his family members… were all dead!
I knew that Wang Yu's words were intentionally directed at me, and they carried a strong retaliatory nature.
At this moment, if I could turn back time to when I had just resigned from the factory, before I met Yu Shuang, I might have fallen for his words.
Because Wang Yu's counterattack was not only powerful but also very malicious.
But now, I wouldn't.
My heart may be filled with thunder, but my face remains as calm as a tranquil lake.
Facing Wang Yu's sharp retort, I didn't pay it any mind, merely smiling subtly.
As for the gazes of the others at the table, they all turned to me following Wang Yu's words.
Most of these people were watching with a sense of schadenfreude, their eyes filled with gloating.
Only Shi Jianguo and Yu Shuang were different.
Before the atmosphere could turn awkward, the quick-witted Yu Shuang pulled me to a seat and said with a light laugh, "Come, come, let me introduce you all to each other."
"This is A Yao's friend, Da Jianming, and this is the son of our Liangshan Town Mayor, Wang Yu. Both are old acquaintances who often play cards here."
After introducing Wang Yu and me, Yu Shuang pointed to the others and introduced them one by one.
During this time, apart from Shi Jianguo who stood up and shook my hand, Wang Yu and his group didn't even budge.
Seeing this, Yu Shuang coughed awkwardly and then smiled at me, "Look, look! Everyone's getting impatient waiting for you."
"It's one thing to make others wait, but our young Master Wang never waits for anyone easily."
"This is actually a first for him today."
"So… just dinner afterwards won't cut it; you'll have to be prepared to bleed a lot!"
I had to admit, Yu Shuang was very good at speaking and at easing the atmosphere.
As the saying goes: a compliment is like a gift!
Who doesn't like feeling like the center of attention, being constantly praised and elevated?
As soon as Yu Shuang finished speaking, Wang Yu's gloomy face immediately cleared up, and a rather smug look appeared in his eyes.
After the atmosphere had eased, Yu Shuang took an unopened deck of Binwang playing cards from a drawer and casually asked, "Xiao Wang, what are we playing today? Still the ten to fifty 'Zha Jin Hua'?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Yu nodded subtly, "Yes, same as usual."
Seeing this, my eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
It seemed that Wang Yu had indeed matured a lot over the years, not getting directly angered by such a provocative action as he would have in the past.
But it didn't matter.
I had plenty of ways to get him riled up!
...
After confirming that everything was the same, we started drawing cards to decide who would deal.
In such a situation, I could have easily used my memory to pick out the ace of spades, the highest card from the 52 cards.
But I didn't do that; instead, I deliberately drew a low card.
Soon, the card drawing results were out.
The dealer for the first hand was one of Wang Yu's cronies.
While the other person was shuffling the cards, I lifted the handbag at my feet onto the table.
Then, in front of everyone present, I took out a stack of hundred-yuan bills from the bulging bag and placed them on the table.
Although showing off wealth is a major taboo at the gambling table, I didn't care about that.
I simply wanted to create the illusion for Wang Yu that I had been doing very well these past few years.
I believe many people have experienced something like this…
At a gathering, you suddenly encounter a former classmate or friend who was inferior to you in every aspect.
Once that person shows signs of having a much better life than you… you'll feel a sense of intense displeasure and unease.
Don't rush to deny it; face your inner feelings!
As the saying goes, if you don't look out for yourself, heaven and earth will destroy you!
Humans are inherently selfish, especially after starting a family and establishing a career; all interests are prioritized for the family.
In today's society, let alone friends and classmates, even relatives, even those with very close blood ties, don't necessarily have a single person who genuinely wishes you well.
I firmly believe that Wang Yu must have seen all my words and actions just now.
As for getting riled up, it's only a matter of time.
...
Alright, back to the main point.
After confirming that the shuffling was not tampered with, I didn't consider cheating for the first hand and played according to the rules.
He happened to be the winner in the end. However, it was a pity that he didn't win much money.
After all, it was only the first hand; no one would be foolish enough to bet recklessly.