Chapter 56: Pretend My Ass

Xie Tuo sat down beside Shang Ying, asking in a low voice, "Texas Hold'em. Do you know how to play?"

"No."

"Hmm?"

‘No?! If you don't know how to play, how are we going to gamble!! And you said it so calmly!’

Xie Yancan felt as if a screaming chicken was frantically wailing inside his stomach. Ever since he met Shang Ying, his blood pressure had never stayed level, feeling like riding a roller coaster.

He hurriedly looked toward his boss, only to find him merely smiling slightly, not caring much.

‘Boss, please care a bit more!!’

Today’s gambling game was organized by Cao Ping, the chairman of the Sihai Association, who had invited Xie Tuo. Normally, Xie Tuo wouldn't pay any mind to a gang organization like this, but this time was somewhat special.

A recent project secured by the Xie family bordered ancestral property of the Cao family. To maintain high-society decorum and diplomacy, the Xie family had sent word to the Jiang family, considering Miss Jiang was buried there as well.

Upon receiving the message, the Jiang family didn't say much, merely casually mentioning that Cao Ping wanted to invite Xie Tuo for a small gathering.

Who was Cao Ping? He was the brother-in-law of Jiang Hongyan, the local kingpin of the Capital. Relying on Shisanting’s prestige, he established the Sihai Association independently, acting overbearing across the Capital.

Since the Jiang family and the Xie family had a slight acquaintance from years back, thinking a few hands of cards could clear away these petty social favors, Xie Tuo casually agreed.

Cao Ping’s reputation at the card table was notoriously terrible, with endless cheating tricks up his sleeve, while the beauty beside him was equally famous, holding the nickname "Queen of Hearts."

Xie Tuo didn't play cards often. If it were just Cao Ping alone, it might be manageable, but with that woman added, the situation changed. Yet this card game could not be lost, which was why he had bothered to ask Shang Ying, a minor, to come along.

"Do you want some cake?"

Shang Ying nodded. "Tiramisu, and a glass of orange juice."

Xie Tuo raised a hand. Standing behind him, Xie Yancan understood immediately and stepped out of the private room, sighing repeatedly.

‘Why on earth did the boss bring a girl who didn't even know how to play cards?!’

‘Playing games? Seeing the world? But this occasion really wasn't suitable!’

Xie Yancan wished he could transform into a girl on the spot to play cards for Xie Tuo. Even though his skills were average, it was still better than a little sister who knew nothing at all!

At the thought that Xie Tuo might lose, he couldn't muster any spirit, dutifully going to the food area to fetch cake and drinks.

To prevent suspicion of colluding with the dealer, Cao Ping, that old cheater, had someone bring up a random dealer from the first floor. This young dealer, coming to the second floor for the first time, had slightly trembling hands as he shuffled cards before these big figures.

Shang Ying and Xie Tuo took the small blind and big blind positions, respectively. These two positions required forced bets before cards were dealt, so Shang Ying casually tossed a few chips like flipping coins.

The beauty known as the Queen of Hearts burst out laughing.

"Little sister, if you don't know how to play, how about I go easy on you?"

"Hahaha, going easy on her won't do any good unless you unleash a whole Pacific Ocean's worth of leeway!"

Cao Ping laughed loudly, not putting Shang Ying in his eyes at all.

Having returned, Xie Yancan listened to their conversation, secretly gritting his teeth in anger. ‘What are you pretending for?! Who knows, maybe our boss will carry her to victory in a moment!’

"Pretend my ass."

‘Huh?’

Xie Yancan froze. Did he just curse out loud?

‘No, he widened his eyes. It was that little sister!’

Shang Ying rolled her eyes at the two posers across from her. Her sudden comment dragged the room's atmosphere down to freezing point, freezing the Queen of Hearts' smile right on her face.

Cao Ping slammed his hand onto the table, a "You..." just about to leave his mouth before Xie Tuo cut him off, looking at the dealer who hesitated over whether to deal.

"You can deal."

Receiving the instruction, the dealer immediately dealt two cards to each person, followed by a round of betting before the flop. The Queen of Hearts and Cao Ping put down chips with displeased faces.

Three community cards were flipped over. Shang Ying glanced at her hand, folded without a second thought, and when the round ended, everyone discovered her hand was actually the best among the four. Cao Ping burst into laughter on the spot.

‘As expected, just a wet-behind-the-ears kid who didn't understand cards at all, likely clinging to Xie Tuo just for fun. This Xie family head was truly bringing defeat upon himself; no matter how rich Xie Tuo was, he'd still have to admit defeat at the card table today.’

In this hand, the Queen of Hearts and Xie Tuo had identical hand types, splitting the pot chips equally.

Slightly proud, she shot a provocative, seductive glance at Shang Ying, only for Shang Ying to roll her eyes back at her after meeting her gaze.

"Auntie, shoot another look like that at me and I'll gouge your eyeballs out to play marbles."

"You!" The Queen of Hearts felt a surge of anger, her beautiful eyes flaring with rage.

Shang Ying's eyes curved slightly, yet her spoken words made one's spine run cold.

"I mean what I say. You can try if you like."

Watching from the sidelines, Xie Yancan felt deep emotion.

‘As expected, teenagers knew best how to anger people.’

Xie Tuo had experienced Shang Ying's fierce temper before and similarly understood how formidable she was at playing cards. Although he wasn't sure if her earlier claim of "not knowing how to play" was true, he was willing to trust her.

After all, she had said: ‘When it comes to gambling, I won't let you lose.’

Truth be told, even he didn't understand why he trusted this sixteen-year-old kid so much, but since he couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it.

In the second round, Shang Ying folded again. Xie Yancan almost cried watching this, though fortunately, she stopped folding in the subsequent hands. However, the hands she held were terrible, and she kept raising bets recklessly, tossing chips away like water. Anyone watching would think she was running a charitable foundation.

Yet no matter how bad a person's luck was, they could still win. So Shang Ying finally won a hand, looking quite happy as she pulled up her mask slightly to taste a bite of tiramisu.

"This tiramisu tastes better than last time."

She even had the leisure to offer a review.

Xie Yancan offered a forced, insincere smile.

"The pastries on the second floor are made a bit more exquisitely."

Noticing the person who had been standing silently finally speak, Shang Ying looked at him, then looked back at Xie Tuo, her expression looking indescribably strange.

Xie Tuo asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your assistant's expression looks very constipated. Are you making him work while sick? You capitalists sure are ruthless!"

Xie Tuo glanced lightly at Xie Yancan.

Xie Yancan: ‘I'm not! I didn't!’

"He's always a bit sick—ignore him."

Xie Yancan: ? ( ;| ▔ д ▔)

Cao Ping paid zero mind to minors being present, or perhaps the gambling atmosphere set the mood too well, so he couldn't be bothered to care, happily kissing the Queen of Hearts twice on the cheek.

"Mr. Xie, your sister is almost losing everything for you. You're spoiling her too much. How about swapping someone else in? Having you lose constantly makes me feel embarrassed too!"

Facing his flattering yet provocative words, Xie Tuo's expression remained entirely unchanged, his whole persona radiating an aristocratic poise, so much so that even the Queen of Hearts, who had seen countless men, flushed slightly looking at him.

Xie Tuo looked gently at Shang Ying, who was devouring the cake bite by bite, and asked, "Want more?"

Those eyes were like dark jade in a deep pool, calm and serene on the surface, yet harboring a vortex capable of swallowing all light within. His gentleness was merely a superficial facade floating on the water.