Chapter 15: The Remaining Two Percent is My Modesty

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

This signaled a stand.

Watching her actions, a flash of playful amusement crossed Xie Tuo's eyes. The relaxed, experienced mannerism of this old hand made it clear she was anything but a first-time player.

Wei Yanyi had already busted his hand and couldn't help sighing, mocked relentlessly by Cui Heyuan for his greed being like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

Finally, it was the dealer's turn. Seeing his revealed cards, Cui Heyuan's smile stiffened, his voice ringing out clearly in the private suite.

"One point. The dealer stands at seventeen."

In Blackjack rules, once the dealer's hand reaches or exceeds 17 points, they are required to stand. Cui Heyuan had landed right on 17, proving his luck was pretty abysmal.

With the dealer standing, Shang Ying and Xie Tuo revealed their hands.

Xie Tuo's hand: a Jack of Hearts, 3 of Diamonds, 2 of Diamonds, and 5 of Hearts, totaling 20 points.

Shang Ying looked at his cards and raised her eyebrows slightly. His luck was indeed quite good.

Thus, in the first round, the player who busted and the dealer both lost, paying out at 1:1 odds. In this hand, Xie Tuo and Shang Ying each won 10 million yuan.

Starting the second round, Shang Ying pushed forward another 10 million in chips. Seeing this, Xie Tuo matched her with 10 million as well.

Cui Heyuan had lost the previous round and decided to step it up, putting down 20 million in chips to win back his capital.

"Watch how my explosive luck takes all your money in this hand!"

"Talk is cheap. When you end up stuck at seventeen points again later, you'll behave yourself," Wei Yanyi relentlessly dismantled his boast.

"Hey! Why don't you talk about your own greed? If you hadn't been greedy with that hand earlier, it would've been a push!"

Although Cui Heyuan was arguing verbally, his hands were unaffected as he flipped open one of his face-down cards.

"Ace, eleven points."

Xie Tuo asked for two more cards, but was ruthlessly declared busted. Unbothered, he leisurely sipped his drink, putting all his attention into sneaking glances at Shang Ying's hand.

Cui Heyuan found it hilarious. He had rarely seen Xie Tuo bust like this. He teased, "What's wrong, Ah-Tuo? Are you learning to be greedy now too?"

"Maybe," Xie Tuo chuckled softly. "Must be infected by your luck."

"Hahaha!"

"Hey! How can you say that?!"

Shang Ying's initial hand consisted of two 8s. Under her mask, the corners of her lips curled up slightly. She decisively made a hand gesture, then pushed out another 10 million yuan in chips for an equal addition to her bet.

Cui Heyuan understood instantly.

"Splitting."

When a player's starting two cards have the same point value, they can choose to split them into two independent hands, adding an additional bet equal to the original stake for the second hand, and then play each hand separately.

Cui Heyuan took in Shang Ying's fluid movements and suddenly smiled. "Little sister, you're quite practiced. Back in the elevator, I really thought you walked into the wrong place. Are you truly just here to play around?"

"Here to win money."

Finding this reason novel, Wei Yanyi couldn't help asking, "Did your family dock your allowance?"

He didn't think the girl in front of him was someone actually lacking money. Anyone truly desperate for cash wouldn't come to Guangming, nor would they know how to play cards so well. The only possibility was that her family had cut off her allowance, so she came to the casino to win some spending money.

Shang Ying flipped her two dealt cards: an Ace and a 3 of Hearts. Making another gesture, Xie Tuo caught it in his eyes, his lip corners curving upward.

A glint flashed through Cui Heyuan's eyes as well, his tone carrying a confirmative tone.

"Double down."

Shang Ying pushed forward another 10 million in chips, her movements so slick that she looked even more experienced than veterans like them.

"I owe someone money and need to pay it back."

"How much do you owe?"

This time, it was Xie Tuo who spoke up. Resting his elbows on the table, his pitch-black eyes fixed onto Shang Ying's face, a few stray locks of hair falling beside his refined, full forehead.

At the gambling table, Shang Ying was usually easy to talk to because most of her focus was occupied by calculating cards, leaving her in a state where she answered whatever was asked.

"A few hundred million, I suppose."

"Huh?!"

Cui Heyuan's hand trembled, nearly dropping his cards. ‘A few hundred million?!’ He looked closely at Shang Ying once more. She clearly carried a strong student vibe. Did she blow up a school building or something?

Remembering the cloisonné vase in Shang Heng's study that had been smashed into debris, Shang Ying felt her butt aching again.

Another card dealt: a 9 of Diamonds.

Shang Ying stood with satisfaction.

The turn moved to Wei Yanyi. He played it safe this time, stopping when appropriate and folding when necessary, completely ignoring Cui Heyuan's continuous taunts.

Hearing Shang Ying's answer, Xie Tuo pondered for a moment. ‘Really here just to win money? No other motive?’

He pressed his lips together and asked softly, "Can you tell us how you got your invitation?"

He asked for it after all.

Shang Ying lied without blinking an eye: "Asked someone else for it." ‘Of course, that 'someone else' was herself.’

Hearing this response, the main villain Xie Tuo let out a soft laugh and didn't pry any further, which came as a surprise to Shang Ying. From her interactions so far, this main villain's personality actually seemed quite decent.

He didn't seem to resemble the cold-blooded, calculating character described in the novel who killed without blinking, plotted against everyone, and completely disregarded familial ties.

The face-up card in Cui Heyuan's hand was a 3 of Hearts, and his face-down card was a 6. If he drew a 10 or another 6, his winning chances would be huge.

So, after drawing a card, he carefully flipped it open.

"Ten!"

"Ahahaha! How is my luck this good?! Thank heaven, thank earth, thank the God of Wealth, thank my parents, thank my ancestors..."

Before he even revealed the full hand, he had already thanked the entire world, as if he were guaranteed to win this round.

Xie Tuo slapped him over the head, forcibly shutting him up.

"Shut it and turn your cards."

Cui Heyuan's total hand: 19 points.

Wei Yanyi sighed, turning his cards: 17 points.

When it came to Shang Ying, all three pairs of eyes concentrated on her cards. Even Cui Heyuan, who rarely felt anxious, sensed a surge of tension.

Shang Ying smiled and flipped open her two split hands: one 19 points, one 20 points.

The moment these cards were shown, Cui Heyuan almost suspected her of cheating. What kind of insane luck was this? After several rounds, her lowest point total was 19. Was she possessed by an Emperor of Luck, or had the Goddess of Fortune personally descended?

Wei Yanyi couldn't refrain from clapping.

"So down on the first floor earlier, were you completely sure you would win before placing your bet?"

This was a question all three of them were curious about. Up to this point, they were about 80% convinced of it. Yet, Shang Ying shook her head.

"Not completely sure. About ninety-eight percent."

Xie Tuo asked, "And the remaining two percent?"

Shang Ying took off her hat. Her soft hair, flattened by the hat, looked slightly messy, but as she casually ran her hand through it, her superior facial features were revealed. Having seen countless beauties, Cui Heyuan raised his eyebrows, instantly confirming that she was a natural-born beauty.

She said slowly, "The remaining two percent is my modesty."

These words were spoken with immense arrogance and wild abandon. Even knowing she possessed real skill, Wei Yanyi and Cui Heyuan were still stunned by her boldness, while Xie Tuo tapped his fingers lightly against the tabletop, his lips curling up at her wild, confident demeanor.

‘Pretty nice. With real strength, one ought to speak this boldly.’

In this single hand, Shang Ying won 40 million yuan. Adding back her principal, she now held 50 million yuan, approaching half a small target goal, though she still felt it was too slow.

In truth, being the dealer yielded slightly higher winning odds, so the four of them had agreed to take turns as dealer. They could have brought in an official dealer, but Shang Ying had declined because she wanted to win big directly during her turn as dealer.

After a few rounds, each person had wins and losses. Cui Heyuan and Wei Yanyi were quite skilled at card play, but facing Shang Ying, they still remained at a disadvantage. Xie Tuo, on the other hand, won a bit more, his true depth remaining unreadable.