About an hour later…
"I'm not playing anymore! If we keep playing like this, I'll have to go to the ATM at the bank across the street to withdraw money!"
Complaining, Xu Peiyu gathered the money on the table and stood up, saying, "I wanted to get revenge for last week, but I ended up losing another ten thousand!"
"Let's stop here for today. Everyone go home, we still have to work tonight."
It had to be admitted that Xu Peiyu's self-control was quite good.
She rarely won, and even though she lost from start to finish, she didn't lose her temper.
If a group of men were in this situation, as long as their bank cards had money to withdraw, most of them would have sat there until the very end.
Hearing this, the curly-haired woman's expression faltered slightly.
However, she didn't say anything.
Instead, the other woman, who was wearing heavy makeup, said unhappily, "No, no! Sister Peiyu, you lost, and I lost too!"
"If you leave, I won't be able to get my revenge today either! You and Xiao Mei aren't in the same shift as us recently, and the four of us finally got together."
"We agreed to finish at ten, let's play for another hour and finish on time! Okay?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mei immediately pouted and said coldly, "Zhang Fengyan, you've only lost less than two thousand, and you still have the nerve to talk about revenge?"
"I lost almost five thousand and didn't say a word! Besides, Sister Peiyu lost nearly ten thousand!"
"She's just having bad luck today. If you ask her to stay and play, aren't you just waiting to give money to Cui Qianting?!"
"Cui Qianting today is like a sparrow pecking a bull's backside – an incredibly awesome existence!"
"Her luck is so good that she's barely busted the bank from start to finish! The three of us can't beat her, why don't we just go home, wash up, and sleep?"
"It's not like we won't have a chance to work together again, so why rush? Small bets are for fun, big bets hurt your health, don't you understand that?"
Hearing this, the curly-haired woman named Cui Qianting immediately got up as if to say, "How about we stop here for today?"
The other woman, wearing heavy makeup and called Zhang Fengyan, still insisted, "Don't! Although I lost less than two thousand, it's still money!"
"And when we came this morning, we all agreed to play until ten. Now you want to leave before nine, which doesn't seem right!"
"If you play like this, next time I lose more, I'll leave early too!"
Watching the four women divide into two factions and engage in a verbal battle, I felt a burst of amusement.
Undoubtedly, the four women in front of me were clearly divided into two small groups.
Xu Peiyu and Xiao Mei were one group.
Cui Qianting and Zhang Fengyan were the other.
In the second group, Cui Qianting and Zhang Fengyan were playing good cop and bad cop, clearly trying to prevent Xu Peiyu from leaving.
As for Xu Peiyu herself, she lit a cigarette with a gloomy expression. While smoking silently, she coldly observed the card game without speaking.
Although Xu Peiyu hadn't expressed her opinion, I could tell that she actually wanted to continue playing.
However, she was afraid of losing more and getting more deeply involved.
Just as Xiao Mei and Zhang Fengyan were arguing fiercely about whether to end the card game early…
After taking a final drag and exhaling, Xu Peiyu sat back down at her seat.
Then, ignoring Xiao Mei and Zhang Fengyan, Xu Peiyu turned her gaze directly to me and asked, "Chen Xiang, do you know how to play Niu Niu?"
Looking at Xu Peiyu with surprise, I knew exactly what she meant by asking that.
It was truly a case of someone bringing a pillow just as I was getting sleepy!
I was just worrying about not having a chance to expose Cui Qianting's actions, and an unexpected opportunity appeared without any warning.
Hearing her, I nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Zhang Fengyan immediately said displeasantly, "Sister Peiyu, you're not planning to have your apprentice take your place and play Niu Niu with us for an hour, are you?"
Before Xu Peiyu could speak, Zhang Fengyan looked me up and down, smacked her lips, and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "The young man looks good, but unfortunately, he's wearing cheap clothes!"
"We play for high stakes, so if you don't have money in your pocket, don't force yourself!"
Hearing this, Xu Peiyu's expression instantly fell, and she said coldly, "I'm having bad luck today, so I won't be stubborn and force it."
"I'll have my apprentice play with you! Don't worry! No matter how much he loses, it'll all be on me!"
"As soon as we run out of money, I'll go downstairs and withdraw it from the bank across the street! Is that acceptable?"
Hearing Xu Peiyu say that she would cover the losses, my heart tightened slightly.
As the old saying goes: "Card manners are a reflection of character."
Considering her performance during work hours last night and at the card table today, Xu Peiyu's character was indeed good; she was someone who dealt with issues objectively.
As soon as Xu Peiyu finished speaking, Xiao Mei was stunned, and Zhang Fengyan also fell silent.
At this moment, I clearly saw Cui Qianting and Zhang Fengyan exchange a subtle glance.
Then, without any further ado, everyone sat back down in their seats.
After everyone was seated, Xu Peiyu stood up, gave me her seat, and smiled lightly, "Don't worry, apprentice! If you lose, it's all on your master. If you win, we'll split it fifty-fifty!"
Hearing this, I nodded and sat down.
Xu Peiyu stood behind me.
Since I wasn't sure if Xu Peiyu really wanted to leave earlier, Cui Qianting had taken back all the money from the bank into her bag after the last hand.
Now that the game was starting again, Cui Qianting only took out a thousand yuan to be the banker.
From this alone, I could see that Cui Qianting was not only greedy but also played unfairly.
When she finished shuffling the cards and passed them to the center, I cut a hand of cards without hesitation.
And right from the start, it was an upgraded version of the "flower-cutting" technique – the "hundred-flower hand."
To avoid exposing my methods, I didn't cut multiple times, but used the "triple cut" method that many people had seen.
I believe many people playing cards have probably seen instances where someone cuts the cards not once, but three times in a row.
Regarding this, I can't guarantee that the person definitely has a problem, but everyone understands the principle of "long-term illness makes one a good doctor."
One must guard against others.
If you encounter such a situation, be more vigilant.
Perhaps, he is indeed a cheat?
Alright, back to the point!
Seeing me come in like a simpleton and cut the cards three times in a row, Cui Qianting took the cards and said with a smile, "Yes! That's how it should be!"
"Cut a few more times, and luck will come!"
Hearing this, I smiled subtly.
It was clear that Cui Qianting hadn't noticed my technique; she was likely a novice in the world of cheating.
As she held the cards in one hand and brought them closer to deal, Cui Qianting confidently restored the cards right before my eyes.
In response, I sneered disdainfully in my heart.
Do you think all cards that have been cut can be restored without damage?
Naive!