Chapter 14

He Liang counted out ten stacks of banknotes and handed them to Chen Dasheng, "This is for you!"

Chen Dasheng took them and neatly arranged them in front of him. There were exactly ten stacks, totaling one hundred thousand yuan.

Liu Yunshi looked at the one hundred thousand yuan in front of Chen Dasheng, her face a mix of despair and anger. Was this the money she had sold herself for? Only one hundred thousand yuan.

He Liang said, "Speak up, how do you want to gamble?"

Chen Dasheng thought for a moment, then extended his hand and pushed the mahjong tiles off the table, causing them to scatter on the floor, clearing the tabletop.

He Liang was puzzled but then heard Chen Dasheng say, "I've heard you are a famous mahjong player, but playing mahjong takes too much time. I won't play mahjong with you. Get the boss to bring a deck of cards. We'll play a game of Three-Card Poker!"

"Hehe!" He Liang's lips curled into a smile, "Fine, as you wish, let's play Three-Card Poker!"

He Liang clapped his hands, "Boss, bring the deck of cards!"

"Sure thing!" Boss Li Fat responded from a distance and quickly ran over with a deck of cards, placing it on the table and preparing to leave.

Chen Dasheng waved at Li Fat, "Boss, don't go. I don't trust anyone else. You deal the cards!"

"Uh!" Li Fat's body trembled, and he let out a dry laugh, looking at He Liang. Chen Dasheng's words didn't count; He Liang's decision was final.

He Liang nodded slightly, showing no objection. Li Fat then agreed, opened the deck of cards in front of both of them, and his hands trembled, showing his fear.

In fact, Chen Dasheng didn't want to play mahjong with He Liang not just because it was time-consuming. After receiving the inheritance of the Juling Clan, Chen Dasheng's mind had become much sharper, and his analysis was more comprehensive. Using a mahjong table to play poker, he wasn't afraid of any tricks on the table. He Liang, known as a mahjong master, would have some cheating skills, but he couldn't apply those skills to poker.

Three-Card Poker is more about luck, courage, and wisdom. Chen Dasheng believed he was no less capable in these aspects than anyone else. With Li Fat dealing the cards, he wasn't worried about any cheating, unless Li Fat and He Liang were in cahoots.

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Li Fat opened the deck, removed the jokers and the advertising cards, and threw them aside. He then asked, "How do you want to play?"

He Liang glanced at Chen Dasheng, indicating that he should set the rules. However, since Chen Dasheng had been making the decisions, he decided to let He Liang take the lead this time, "You decide!"

He Liang didn't waste time and said directly, "Each round, each player puts in 1000 yuan as the ante. Each bet must be at least 1000 yuan, with no upper limit. As for the pot, a big hand is 5000 yuan, and a small hand is 3000 yuan. How about that?"

Chen Dasheng thought for a moment and said, "I think we should cap it at 10,000 yuan. I only have 100,000 yuan, and if you bet 200,000 yuan in one go, I won't have the money to follow!"

After all, Chen Dasheng wasn't very confident. Capping it at 10,000 yuan would prevent him from losing everything in one round.

"Fine! Deal the cards!" He Liang agreed and instructed Li Fat.

Li Fat nodded and began shuffling the cards with great agility.

Three-Card Poker is a type of poker game that many people know how to play. The rules are simple: each player gets three cards, and they compare hands. It's a game of speculators and adventurers, where one step can lead to heaven, and the next to hell.

The first round of cards was quickly dealt.

Chen Dasheng and He Liang each put in 1000 yuan as the ante. Li Fat said to Chen Dasheng, "It's your turn to speak."

"10,000!" Chen Dasheng, without even looking at his cards, grabbed a stack of banknotes and threw it on the table.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Liu Yunshi, seeing Chen Dasheng's generous bet, panicked and quickly took back the 10,000 yuan, "What are you doing? You haven't even looked at your cards!"

Chen Dasheng gave Liu Yunshi an exasperated look, but she awkwardly smiled at He Liang and reluctantly took out one note from the 10,000 yuan, throwing it in the center, "We, we'll follow 100 yuan!"

Everyone's faces twitched, and Chen Dasheng felt embarrassed. Li Fat reminded her, "Miss Liu, each bet must be at least 1000 yuan!"

"Ah?" Liu Yunshi's face fell like a bitter gourd, unsure of what to do.

"How about it, are you still playing?" He Liang, growing impatient, looked at Chen Dasheng.

Chen Dasheng snatched the remaining stack of banknotes from Liu Yunshi and threw it in the center, "Don't take it out on a woman!"

"Chen Dasheng, you're going to ruin me!" Liu Yunshi was so angry she wanted to spit blood. With only 100,000 yuan, Chen Dasheng's playing style would likely lose everything in one round.

"Poetry Sister, stop causing trouble!" Guo Hui quickly pulled Liu Yunshi aside. He didn't know if Chen Dasheng could win, but this was his last hope.

Liu Yunshi stomped her foot and gritted her teeth, retreating to the side.

"Brother Liang, it's your turn to speak!" Seeing Chen Dasheng bet, Li Fat turned to He Liang.

"I fold!"

He Liang gave Chen Dasheng a deep look, then threw his cards away, choosing not to follow the bet, allowing Chen Dasheng to win the 1000 yuan ante.

Chen Dasheng's lips curled into a smile, and he finally looked at his cards. He had a pair of Qs, a strong hand, but he didn't know what He Liang had.

He Liang looked at Chen Dasheng's hand and a faint smile appeared on his lips. Although he hadn't looked at his own cards, he knew they were a very weak hand, not worth fighting over.

Liu Yunshi patted her chest, still shaken. Chen Dasheng had won, and Guo Hui breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Chen Dasheng's calm demeanor and feeling a glimmer of hope.

The second round of cards was quickly dealt. This time, it was He Liang's turn to speak. He picked up his cards, smiled, and grabbed a stack of banknotes, "10,000!"

"He's betting 10,000 too?" Chen Dasheng's heart tightened. From He Liang's expression, it was impossible to tell if he was confident or bluffing.

Chen Dasheng looked at his cards: two 3s and a 2, a very weak pair.

To follow or not? After a brief thought, Chen Dasheng decided to bluff and followed with 10,000. It was a pair, weak but worth a try.

"Hehe! I'll follow another 10,000! Kid, let me remind you, you don't have much money left!" He Liang, seeing Chen Dasheng follow, threw another 10,000 without hesitation.

Seeing that He Liang wasn't backing down, Chen Dasheng hesitated. He didn't have much money left, and a weak pair wasn't worth a hard fight. His previous 10,000 yuan bet had been impulsive, and he was sure that if he bet another 10,000, He Liang would follow.

"I fold!" After some thought, Chen Dasheng decided to stop.

He Liang smiled and showed his three cards to Chen Dasheng. Chen Dasheng's face changed dramatically; He Liang had the same hand: two 3s and a 2.

"Haha, kid, you only know that Brother Liang is a mahjong master, but you don't know that he started with poker. Playing Three-Card Poker with Brother Liang is like courting death!" Seeing Chen Dasheng lose, Baiyi Ah Hu laughed wildly.

"Again!" Chen Dasheng took a deep breath, ignoring Baiyi Ah Hu's taunts, and asked Li Fat to deal the next round.

In the following rounds, Chen Dasheng had both wins and losses. When he won, it was usually just the ante, but when he lost, it was a significant amount. He Liang wouldn't follow when Chen Dasheng had a strong hand, but he would persist when Chen Dasheng had a weak hand, rarely making mistakes.

"There's no reason for this!" Chen Dasheng had tried to bluff with a weak hand but ended up losing another 20,000 yuan.

With only a little over 40,000 yuan left, Chen Dasheng's forehead was drenched in sweat. At this rate, he would soon lose everything.

"He seems to be able to see through my cards!"

Chen Dasheng looked at He Liang, who appeared relaxed and enigmatic. Chen Dasheng could even see a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"Is he cheating?" Chen Dasheng's brows furrowed. He had suggested playing Three-Card Poker to prevent He Liang from cheating, and with his keen eyesight, he hadn't noticed any signs of cheating. Unless, there was something wrong with Li Fat.

This thought led Chen Dasheng to carefully observe He Liang and Li Fat, trying to catch any suspicious behavior.

"Hmm? Is he memorizing the cards?"

As Li Fat began shuffling the cards, Chen Dasheng noticed that He Liang's eyes were fixed on the cards in Li Fat's hands.

Li Fat shuffled the cards extremely quickly, the cards flying apart and reassembling rapidly. The room was silent, filled only with the sound of the cards, but He Liang's sharp eyes didn't blink once.

"He really is memorizing the cards!" Chen Dasheng realized. No wonder He Liang seemed to know his cards; he was memorizing them.

To memorize the order of 52 cards in such a short time required not only incredible memory but also exceptional eyesight. He Liang was no ordinary player.

Understanding this, Chen Dasheng felt a heavy weight in his heart. If his cards were being read, what was the point of the game?

He had encountered a master. He Liang was undoubtedly a professional gambler, and there was no doubt that Chen Dasheng would lose.

Chen Dasheng clenched his fists tightly. He had intended to use his street smarts to win back Guo Hui's money, but now he needed to take more drastic measures. Should he resort to violence?

"Wait!"

Just as Li Fat finished shuffling and was about to let Chen Dasheng cut the deck, Chen Dasheng suddenly waved his hand to stop him, startling Liu Yunshi and the others with his sudden loud voice.