Chapter 14: Are Cards Growing on My Face?

What kind of situation was this?

A conference meeting of villains?

"How should we address you, little friend?"

Cui Heyuan was exceedingly handsome, carrying a slightly feminine allure, with narrow, glistening eyes. When his expression relaxed, his entire presence seemed coated in a soft, gentle glow.

He tilted his head and stared into Shang Ying's eyes, his gaze sweeping over her face without any aggressiveness, just a light, casual glance as if mapping out her features.

Shang Ying lowered her eyelids, completely ignoring his question, and went straight to the point.

"Why did you call me up here?"

Xie Tuo looked at her sideways, raising an eyebrow. Quite a cautious one.

"Oh, I want to gamble a round with you. How about it? You name the conditions!" Seeing that she had deliberately dodged his question, Cui Heyuan didn't mind and cheerfully stated his goal.

He was a straightforward person who had seen far too many sly, roundabout people, so meeting someone this direct made him like her all the more.

‘She could name any condition?’

Shang Ying's pretty eyes lit up slightly. Looking into Cui Heyuan's slightly raised eyes, her brain spun at top speed.

These few villains were loaded. Losing a few hundred million was definitely something they could afford, and they probably wouldn't even bat an eye.

Although these young masters were written as absolute powerhouses by the novel's author, when it came to gambling, Shang Ying possessed absolute confidence. At the table, if she claimed to be second best, no one would dare claim first.

Thus, she spoke up quickly, "What are we playing?"

Cui Heyuan hadn't expected her to agree so readily. Although this kid had shown guts far beyond her age at the roulette table, those clever tricks wouldn't be enough on the second floor.

"Blackjack, how about it?"

"Deal."

Shang Ying agreed without a moment's hesitation.

He certainly knew how to choose. Blackjack was the very first card game she had ever learned.

Hearing Shang Ying agree so decisively, Wei Yanyi paused his hand holding the glass, shot Cui Heyuan a cold, sideways glare, and felt that this guy was completely picking on a kid.

"Why don't you ask what the minimum bet is at the table first? What if he scams you?"

Hearing this, Cui Heyuan threw a throw pillow from the sofa at him.

"What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?"

He turned back and smiled at Shang Ying.

"How about this: let's not play too big. A minimum bet of 200,000, how's that sound?"

"Not good."

The moment Shang Ying said these words, a bizarre silence fell over the room. Xie Tuo stood quietly as before, rarely speaking, observing her every move.

Cui Heyuan blinked twice with an odd expression. Was 200,000 too much? But this kid had just won several million downstairs.

Seeing Cui Heyuan's plan hit a wall made Wei Yanyi feel great, internally giving Shang Ying a huge thumbs-up. The kid was clever enough to teach this old fox a lesson.

However, the very next second, Shang Ying's words almost made him spit out his wine.

"I was going to say: minimum bet of 10 million. Any lower, and I'm out."

Wei Yanyi: ??

Cui Heyuan: Huh?

Xie Tuo: Wow (^ ^)

When Shang Ying came upstairs, she had checked the time. It was already past midnight, leaving her with barely an hour and a half. It was all those fools downstairs' fault for wasting her time. Blackjack was a slow game, so she had to raise the stakes to finish her mission and head home.

"Alright, fine, whatever you say!" Though shocked by the kid's bold words, Cui Heyuan quickly agreed.

Either way, once the kid lost her money, he would just stop, saving her from racking up debt and getting beaten at home. He at least possessed that much goodwill.

Wei Yanyi's eyes looking at Shang Ying were now filled with respect. Setting everything else aside, her sheer courage to gamble was insane. With an aura like this, she had to be a boss-level figure at school!

After agreeing on the rules, they walked over to the card table. Shang Ying randomly picked a seat and sat down, while Xie Tuo, who hadn't spoken, pulled out a chair right next to her. Shang Ying looked up at him, and Xie Tuo responded with a subtle smile.

Noticing the vigilance in Shang Ying's eyes, Cui Heyuan teased, "Little sister, watch out for him. He just won a piece of land from me earlier."

‘A piece of land? Tch.’ Shang Ying curled her lips. Rich people really were different; others gambled with money, while they gambled with real estate.

The dealer was a young, handsome guy sitting inside the table. Offering a smile, he unsealed six new decks of cards right in front of them. His practiced, fluid shuffling was immensely satisfying for Shang Ying to watch, yielding an effect similar to an ASMR sleep video.

The top four cards were randomly removed from the shoe. The dealer placed them face-down into the discard tray, out of play. These four were the burn cards.

Once shuffled, the young dealer stepped aside, and Cui Heyuan took his spot. He sat down with a smirk, his tone rising and falling playfully.

"I'll be the dealer. Please place your bets, everyone~"

The four of them placed their chips. Shang Ying didn't go all-in this time, putting down only the minimum bet of 10 million. Roulette had its way of playing, and card games naturally had theirs.

With bets placed, Cui Heyuan smoothly dealt cards from the shoe, his smile unchanged and his movements slick, clearly someone who played often.

Two cards per person. Cui Heyuan sat as the dealer, his face-up card being a Queen of Spades, counting as 10 points.

Shang Ying looked at her hand: a 3 of Diamonds and an 8 of Hearts.

Xie Tuo wasn't in a rush to check his cards, choosing instead to observe Shang Ying's demeanor. Ever since watching her play roulette from the second floor, he felt this girl was anything but simple, exceptionally composed and calm.

Being invited upstairs by the casino owner only confirmed his suspicion: for an 18-year-old kid at most to be personally invited to a high-stakes game by the casino owner was already highly unusual.

And right now, sitting among a group of seasoned gamblers, her posture showed not a shred of tension. No matter how you looked at it, it defied common sense. An ordinary student would never dare sit here.

Furthermore, she had obtained an invitation through technical means. What was her true goal in entering the casino?

Sensing someone staring at her, Shang Ying felt a bit annoyed. She turned her head and shot him a glance.

"What are you looking at me for? Are cards growing on my face?"

They were all villains, so she wasn't afraid of Xie Tuo at all. What could be scarier than the female lead throwing her into prison to eat state-provided meals?

Xie Tuo opened his mouth slightly, then let out a laugh, shifting his gaze downward to look at his own cards.

"My apologies."

Rarely seeing Xie Tuo get snapped at, Cui Heyuan and Wei Yanyi exchanged a look and both burst out laughing.

"Yeah, why are you staring at her? Even if she's pretty, she's not for you to stare at! Ah-Tuo, do you want a card or not?"

Xie Tuo sat as the first player. To sit here required a strong mindset, as he was the one taking the most psychological pressure at the table. After asking for two consecutive hit cards, Xie Tuo raised his hand to signal a stand, and the turn moved to Shang Ying.

Cui Heyuan squinted his eyes with a smile.

"Little sister, your turn."

His tone was excessively playful. Hearing it, Wei Yanyi rolled his eyes to the sky. This guy was practically a sly fox, showing off whenever he could.

Shang Ying tapped her index finger lightly on the table. Cui Heyuan understood the gesture, flicking a card from his fingertips, an 8 of Diamonds. Now holding three cards, she had a total of 19 points, a fairly solid hand.

Shang Ying raised her hand, palm facing down, and gave a light wave.

This signaled a stand.