I believe I have precisely identified which of the seven people at the counter is He Chenguang.
He was seated slightly above and to my left, in a position where a slight turn of my head would reveal the entire hall. A middle-aged man, unremarkable in appearance and with no discernible presence.
He, is He Chenguang!
From the moment I sat down, He Chenguang hadn't looked me in the eye, as if nothing could stir him psychologically.
Up to this point, He Chenguang had been playing a passive role, occasionally turning his head towards the spectator area where He Zhonghua was seated, exchanging glances with him from across the hall.
After identifying and confirming He Chenguang, I had initially intended to signal Yu Shuang immediately and join forces to eliminate him from the table.
But then I considered that He Chenguang was the person in charge of the adjacent Yongli Entertainment City. What kind of storms had he not weathered?
As a top-tier cheater, he would be in control whether he struck first or last.
Without a solid plan, relying solely on passion and impulse to provoke He Chenguang could very well result in him targeting me and uniting with the others to counterattack.
So, after a brief moment of contemplation, I silently abandoned the idea.
I decided to steady my nerves and see how He Chenguang and his group intended to deal with me.
Would they disregard all principles and gang up on me at any cost, or would they catch me off guard and attack my weaknesses...
After a period that was otherwise uneventful and calm.
The beautiful dealer shuffled the cards and presented them to me, indicating it was my turn to cut the deck.
At this moment, before I could even reach out to cut the cards, I suddenly saw He Chenguang and others belonging to He Zhonghua's faction all glance at me, intentionally or unintentionally.
Simultaneously, as if by pre-arrangement, as this group shifted their gaze towards me, their eyes erupted with an invisible force, and they collectively pressed down on me.
Clearly, this was their way of showing me a demonstration of power, exerting both psychological and mental pressure. They truly lived up to their reputation as top-tier cheaters seated in the final round.
I recalled Uncle Tuo once saying that when top-tier cheaters prepare to launch an offensive against an enemy, they usually begin with psychological warfare.
This is because what truly drives a person's continuous progress and growth is never the external shell, but the inner spirit, that is, the mind and spirit.
Defeating someone is easy; to truly crush them, one must attack their spirit.
He Chenguang, when he didn't act, it was a decisive move, aiming to create an overwhelming sense of pressure on my spirit and force me to falter.
The seven-person cheating team, led by He Chenguang, had eyes like knives, swords, and spears, as if they wished to see right through me.
If it were the past me, facing the encirclement of seven top cheaters alone in such a grand scene, I might not have been able to withstand it.
But now, I had grown. I was no longer the naive youngster whose thoughts were seen through by Yu Shuang at a glance.
Therefore, I met He Chenguang's gaze without hesitation and reached out to cut the deck.
At the same time, to shift the pressure, I subtly glanced towards the beautiful dealer's chest.
At close range, sensing my intense gaze, the beautiful dealer blushed instantly.
I had to admit that the beauty serving as the dealer on the finals stage possessed excellent psychological fortitude.
The blush lasted only for a moment. The next second, she had regained her composure and indicated that I could cut the cards.
However, out of a natural instinct for self-protection, as she gestured for me to cut the cards, the beautiful dealer instinctively lifted her body slightly.
At this moment, my right hand moved swiftly, and I began cutting the deck with speed.
While cutting the cards, I deliberately revealed a bit of my technique, feigning a move to steal and hide cards.
In reality, I didn't actually steal or hide any cards; it was merely to make He Chenguang suspect me.
As soon as the host announced the final round rules, the issues of cheating and catching cheaters were emphasized, stating that it was Mr. He's decree.
Catch them red-handed! Only red-handed catches count!
In other words, it only counted if caught in the act; otherwise, it was considered a failure.
As long as the catch failed, the outcome was that the person attempting the catch would be eliminated!
When I heard this rule, I couldn't help but silently praise Mr. He in my heart.
Indeed, the older the ginger, the spicier it is!
Perhaps, while He Zhonghua was arrogantly plotting against Mr. He, Mr. He had already laid out everything in advance, just waiting for the former to walk into his trap!
I even had a sudden, inexplicable feeling that, given Mr. He's methods, it was unlikely he would be so easily dealt with by He Zhonghua using He Cong.
The reason he was subdued was likely to take this opportunity to clearly see how many people around him were truly selfish and opportunistic individuals.
As for whether this feeling would prove to be accurate, the conclusion would likely be drawn after the finals concluded. For now, I would set it aside.
...
By the time the beautiful dealer reacted, I had already completed the card cutting.
In an instant, I saw a slight change in her expression.
Whether it was because of my earlier gaze or my sudden card-cutting action that startled her, I couldn't tell.
She lowered her head slightly, looking at the shuffled deck of cards in her hand, her delicate brows furrowing for a moment.
Seeing this, I immediately concluded in my heart: there's something wrong! This beautiful dealer has a problem!
At the same time, I took the opportunity to light a cigarette and subtly turned my head to look towards He Chenguang.
I wanted to see if He Chenguang would show any subtle changes or fluctuations in his expression regarding the trick I had just performed while cutting the cards and the dealer's demeanor.
Unfortunately, I couldn't discern anything.
He Chenguang was no fool; he had concealed himself well from the beginning.
Even when he tried to use his gaze to pressure me and force me to falter, after seeing me counter his move, it immediately ceased.
He was almost exactly as described by Uncle Tuo, a top-tier cheater: if there's an opportunity, pressure the opponent; if not, wait patiently and remain hidden.
Soon, the beautiful dealer also realized her expression was off and quickly adjusted her state, preparing to deal the cards.
In this round, after the cards were dealt.
Except for He Chenguang, who chose to look at his cards directly in the first round, the other six players only made symbolic bets for one round before folding.
When I started calling bets in the second round, everyone outside of Yu Shuang had already folded...