The Queen Bee, as always, was unconventional.
Without knowing whether her "algorithm formula" theory held an advantage for her, she chose to gamble on our eyesight.
I had to admit, it was an extremely novel tactic, and... the effect was obvious!
After shuffling the poker cards at an irregular pace, He Chenguang, caught off guard, was completely stunned.
The Big Ghost wasn't found!
Of course, I didn't find it either, but...
I didn't truly fail to find it; rather, I found it and chose not to reveal it.
Having dealt with the Queen Bee for so long, while I couldn't claim to truly understand her, I had a good grasp of her usual tactics.
So, just now, I had been secretly paying close attention to her every move.
Without exaggeration, I had nearly an eighty percent chance of finding the Big Ghost.
However, in the end, I chose to give up.
The reason I didn't want to find the Big Ghost was that I wanted to gamble on the text message Yu Shuang had sent me earlier.
After confirming Hu Dinggui's identity and stance, the best way to change the situation was to temporarily align with Yu Shuang and jointly confront He Chenguang!
If either Yu Shuang or I lost our chance to contend for the championship due to point differences, the remaining party would be insufficient to resist the combined force of He Chenguang and Hu Dinggui.
Therefore, just now, I chose to let Yu Shuang off the hook.
The result of the first small round ended with Yu Shuang, who was the dealer, winning completely.
After Yu Shuang's victory, the pressure instantly shifted to me.
According to the information sent earlier, if we were to join forces to keep He Chenguang in check, then in this small round, Yu Shuang's normal course of action should have been to decisively give up drawing the Big Ghost, cooperate with me to suppress He Chenguang, and ensure I scored points in the small round.
This way, even if He Chenguang won the final small round, all three of us would have the same score. We would either win together by counting our points, or all lose by not counting any points.
As long as our individual scores in this round were equal, regardless of whether we were considered to have won together or lost, Yu Shuang and I would retain the possibility of a comeback in the third round.
But as the saying goes: one should not harbor ill intentions, but one must guard against them!
Regardless of whether Yu Shuang had truly decided to join forces with me, I definitely needed to have a backup plan...
...
Poker card manipulation is my forte. After taking a deep breath, I quickly adjusted my state, took the new deck of cards from the bunny girl, and began to unpack and shuffle them.
Although Yu Shuang's move was effective and its impact was immediate, He Chenguang was clearly not someone who would fall into the same trap twice.
So, as a precaution, I started with a jump shuffle, followed by a false shuffle, and finally concluded with a perfect shuffle using ordinary techniques.
Before fanning the cards out on the table, I used the "Star Picking" technique to completely scramble the order, leaving He Chenguang with no clues.
After completing all this, it was He Chenguang's turn to draw cards.
I saw him first look up at me, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face, before quickly lowering his gaze to the table, preparing to reach for a card.
When I thought He Chenguang's swift action meant he had seen through all my shuffling and cutting techniques, my heartstrings tightened...
My right hand weaved back and forth over the deck more than ten times, my brow furrowing tighter with each pass. Finally, He Chenguang stopped and said, "I forfeit!"
Something unexpected, yet within reason.
A true master of manipulation knows when to hold them and when to fold them; they win cleanly and lose gracefully.
He Chenguang's decisive admission of defeat was far better than struggling for a long time and then randomly drawing the wrong card, which would affect one's mindset!
After He Chenguang forfeited, it was Yu Shuang's turn.
To be honest, I was more afraid of the Queen Bee than He Chenguang!
Because this woman was too fickle and often resorted to any means to achieve her goals.
She was a prime example of a refined egoist; once her own interests were met, she could turn her back on you without hesitation at any moment.
If it weren't for the circumstances and the necessity of joining forces against a common enemy, I truly wouldn't have wanted to let her off the hook earlier.
As I was pondering this in my mind, Yu Shuang suddenly spoke, "I can't find the Big Ghost either, I forfeit!"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
Whether Yu Shuang genuinely couldn't find it or was upholding her previous promise, in any case, this move... I had gambled correctly!
This way, Yu Shuang and I both successfully secured a valuable 1 point each in the second round's small games.
Regardless of He Chenguang's situation in the final small game, at least both of us had scored points, retaining the possibility of a comeback in the third round.
After I finished dealing, it was He Chenguang's turn.
At this point, after suffering defeats in two small rounds, He Chenguang's face no longer held the calm and composed demeanor it had before.
He took the deck of cards from the bunny girl with a cold expression and began to unpack and shuffle them.
Unlike me and Yu Shuang, He Chenguang's shuffling did not emphasize speed; instead, he deliberately slowed down his movements.
He was so slow that I could almost figure out half the card order, which was incredibly astonishing!
However, the crucial Big Ghost, along with another Small Ghost, did not appear in the first half of the card order.
Based on the card order when the deck was unpacked, He Chenguang's shuffling techniques, and the number of times he spread and stacked the cards...
Before the cut, the Big Ghost's position should have been right at the dividing line between the two halves.
As for its exact final position, it would depend on the cutting technique He Chenguang used before fanning the cards.
At this moment, I stared intently at He Chenguang, constructing a memory palace in my mind, and continuously deducing the card order based on the techniques he displayed.
After about half a minute.
*Snap!*
With a crisp sound of the cards being placed down, He Chenguang fanned the deck into a semicircular fan shape, signaling Yu Shuang and me to draw cards.
I didn't reach for a card, but said with a half-smile, "No need to draw!"
"What? Are you admitting defeat?" He Chenguang asked, not understanding.
"Not admitting defeat!" I shook my head and replied, "There's no Big Ghost in this deck, so how can I draw?"
After speaking, and before He Chenguang could retort, I flipped over all the cards on the table.
As expected!
When the cameras zoomed in to capture the scene, the audience below immediately erupted in boos.
There really was no Big Ghost!
Seeing me flip over the entire deck of cards, He Chenguang's eyes showed a hint of anger.
"When did you find out?" He Chenguang asked, suppressing the anger in his heart.
Upon hearing this, I smiled faintly and replied, "Guess!"