Fortunately, I snapped back to my senses in time, and I had already been prepared for today's test.
After a moment of thought, I asked directly, "How do we play?"
Shen Mengqing, while unsealing the deck of cards, said slowly, "In Zhejiang Province, the most popular card games among locals are Atomic, Red Ten, and Niuniu."
"Considering you're not from here and might not be familiar with the first two, we'll play Niuniu."
"The rules are simple, regardless of suits, we just draw cards and compare their values!"
"After both sides have drawn their cards, we reveal them simultaneously."
"As long as the cards you draw can beat mine, or are a tie, you pass."
"If the cards you draw end up being smaller than mine, then I'm sorry, little brother!"
"Please turn right at the door, thank you!"
After a brief thought, I understood what Shen Mengqing meant.
This was an introductory test encompassing shuffling, dealing, and other cheating techniques.
To win, I had to give it my all.
It seemed Shen Mengqing was well-prepared.
However, fortunately, I was also adequately prepared.
So, after pretending to ponder for a moment, I nodded and agreed.
"Who shuffles?"
This was the question most on my mind.
Upon hearing this, without even thinking, Shen Mengqing pointed at me and blurted out, "You!"
"Why me?" I asked, confused.
"It's simple! Because you are the guest, that's why I'm letting you shuffle! Little... brother!"
"If I were to shuffle, I'm afraid you wouldn't even get a chance to draw cards! Hehehe~" Shen Mengqing said with a smile.
Ever since I had a setback with Yu Shuang, the Queen Bee, I didn't trust a single word from beautiful women, especially those who knew cheating techniques.
Without even guessing, I knew Shen Mengqing's intention in letting me shuffle.
However, I didn't expose her and readily agreed, "Alright!"
As if she couldn't believe my straightforward answer, a flicker of surprise instantly crossed Shen Mengqing's eyes.
Ignoring Shen Mengqing's surprise, after taking the cards from her and inspecting them, I began to shuffle.
The moment I started shuffling, Shen Mengqing's entire demeanor changed.
Her eyes, as bright as stars, were intently fixed on my hands.
You can tell a lot from a little.
As I mentioned earlier, you can get a rough idea of a cheater's skill level just by watching them shuffle.
Although I could hide my skills or even deliberately show some flaws,
In front of a master like Shen Mengqing, no matter how I pretended or concealed, I couldn't escape her sharp eyes.
A woman who could secure the position of "Lantern Holder" at her age wouldn't be easily fooled.
After all, that's how I fell into Yu Shuang's trap before.
So this time, I learned my lesson.
From the shuffling stage, instead of adhering to the principle of hiding my edge as I usually did, I immediately started with the perfect shuffling technique.
The moment she saw my technique, Shen Mengqing couldn't help but smile.
She glanced up at me slightly and asked in a tone of playful mockery, "Little brother, you don't seriously think that with just a perfect shuffle, you can surely beat me, do you?"
Although Shen Mengqing was mocking me, I didn't get angry. Instead, I retorted, "Haven't you heard the saying?"
"Li Ning, anything is possible!"
"Quack quack quack..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mengqing burst into laughter again.
This time, she laughed so hard that her whole body shook, and her chest heaved with the motion.
After shuffling the cards, I casually spread them out on the table and, mimicking her, winked at Shen Mengqing and said, "Big... sister, come on! Draw your cards!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I saw the smile on Shen Mengqing's face vanish instantly.
Then, her hand reached out.
Her slender fingernails glided back and forth over the backs of the 52 playing cards.
Soon, Shen Mengqing made her move.
With a gentle flick of her right hand inwards, her sharp fingernails drew the playing card she had chosen towards her.
Then, the second card, the third card...
Until she had drawn five cards in total.
After drawing her cards, Shen Mengqing didn't look at them directly but placed them face down on the table one by one.
"Little brother, sister has drawn her cards, now... it's your turn!"
As she said this, Shen Mengqing still had a faint smile on her lips. What a fickle woman!
Ignoring Shen Mengqing's words, I began to draw my cards.
Compared to Shen Mengqing's lightning-fast draws, my pace was unhurried.
For the first card, I spent about 30 seconds before making a decision.
When it came to drawing the second card, I felt my state of combat wasn't ideal, so I lit a cigarette and took a puff.
Then, I moved my right hand, holding the cigarette, back and forth over the remaining 46 cards.
While my right hand moved freely, my eyes were also fixed on the backs of the cards.
My expression was as if I had X-ray vision, peering through the card faces.
Seeing this, Shen Mengqing's eyes immediately showed a look of disdain.
Then, even though I was taking a long time to pick the second card, she didn't urge me on.
Thus, by slowing down, it took me a full cigarette's length of time to draw all five cards.
During this time, Shen Mengqing gave me a glare because cigarette ash had scattered across the table.
The moment she saw me draw my five cards, Shen Mengqing immediately asked, "Little brother, you don't seem to be in a good state. Would you like another chance to redraw your cards?"
Upon hearing this, I shook my head decisively and replied, "Thank you, no need!"
"Alright! Then let's reveal the cards!"
Seeing my refusal, Shen Mengqing smiled confidently before flipping her cards, "Actually, from the moment I drew the first card, you... had already lost!"
After returning Shen Mengqing's words with a smile, I stared intently at her and retorted, "Why do you say that?"
"It's very simple!"
Her smile gone, Shen Mengqing looked at me with a cold expression and said, "In Niuniu, the highest card is a bomb made of five small cards."
"If I'm not mistaken, you were hesitating just now, probably looking for four Aces, right?"
Hearing this, I didn't answer Shen Mengqing but nodded noncommittally.
Seeing this, Shen Mengqing immediately said as she flipped her first card towards me, "So, as long as I draw four Aces and a 2, you... lose!"
After saying this, Shen Mengqing started to laugh.
But the moment she lowered her head to look at the first card, the smile on her face froze instantly!