Chapter 57: Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger

Snacking while playing cards was Shang Ying's habit, especially at a gambling table she didn't take seriously. She pulled down her mask, shaking her head to decline. Having eaten desserts made by Shop Owner Shen, others were simply lacking.

One portion was plenty, more would be too rich.

The seventh round began.

The dealer flipped three community cards. Shang Ying glanced at her hand, casually throwing in a few chips.

"Six hundred."

Xie Tuo said: "Call."

"One thousand."

Cao Ping revealed a confident smile.

The Queen of Hearts had a decent hand as well, or rather, her hands were never bad, so she tossed her showy hair and chose to call.

The dealer flipped the fourth card.

"Turn card, Ace of Hearts."

It was Shang Ying's turn to make a decision again. Looking at the large pair in her hand, the Queen of Hearts spoke with an enchanting, drawn-out tone.

"Is little sister continuing? My hand isn't bad~ Don't go crying to Mr. Xie when you lose."

Clearly, Shang Ying's earlier warning was nothing more than a joke to her, something she didn't take to heart. After all, having been in this scene for so many years, fearing a brat would be a blow to her standing.

The air was sliced open. Her wine-red hair was cut clean through by a sharp cross-section, falling silently onto her fair arm. With a sharp thud, a playing card lodged firmly into the wall behind the woman.

It all happened too fast. The teasing smile on the Queen of Hearts' lips didn't even have time to fade before her gorgeous face froze abruptly, like a single frame of a frozen movie screen.

The rest of the room seemed to have been hit by a pause button. Cao Ping's smile vanished without a trace along with this quiet. In utter disbelief, he turned his head, wanting to look at the card on the wall, only to be interrupted by a lazy voice.

"Looking back at the cards counts as cheating. Hey, buddy, help me get my playing card back down, thanks."

The latter part was directed at Xie Yancan. His brain was still in shock, mechanics prompting him to make a sound of agreement as he pulled the card out from the wall with considerable force.

To actually embed a card so firmly. How much raw force did that take? Was this little sister a normal minor?!

The Queen of Hearts looked down at those few strands of red hair in utter shock.

Shang Ying retrieved her card, letting out a soft snort from her nose.

"Consider this a reminder. You'd better take my words to heart instead of constantly provoking me. Even if your dad cried his nose out, I wouldn't cry a single tear. Cut the chatter."

Seeing his woman get bullied, Cao Ping snapped back to his senses after his initial astonishment. With a dark, somber face, he looked at the composed man in the seat.

"Mr. Xie, isn't this sister of yours being a bit too...?"

"Chairman Cao should manage the mouth of the person beside him instead. My sister has such a good temper, yet she was brought to anger. An apology is the least you owe."

Xie Tuo took a sip of warm tea, his silver-grey suit gleaming faintly under the indoor lights. The high bridge of his nose accented a sharp, three-dimensional face that brooked no argument.

‘Lying through his teeth!*°’ Calling this a good temper?! If that card had been a fraction off, it would have sliced right across her face, guaranteeing disfigurement! If her temper counted as good, then no one had a bad temper!

Yet Cao Ping didn't dare speak up. Though the Jiang family held some influence with the Xie family, he certainly didn't. He was merely angry about his family's ancestral property being touched, which was why he wanted to dampen Xie Tuo's edge at the card table, but he didn't dare actually offend him!

Thus, he could only glare fiercely at Shang Ying, the one who appeared to be the softer target compared to Xie Tuo.

Shang Ying swept a glance at him.

"Glare at me again, and your eyes will share the same fate."

Xie Yancan was so excited he almost applauded, holding himself back forcefully due to the stiff atmosphere. He could only scream in his heart.

‘Well said, brilliantly said! With the boss sitting right here, little sister, go ahead and throw all the fierce words you want!’

Cao Ping gritted his molars, his face thoroughly dark, turning to look at the Queen of Hearts with a voice dropping to freezing point.

"Apologize."

The Queen of Hearts widened her eyes in shock. She had been with plenty of men, but all were powerful and wealthy. Ever since getting with Cao Ping, others had always bowed to her. When had she ever needed to lower her head? Let alone to a bratty little girl!

A burning sensation of humiliation surged up, but with Cao Ping's face looking so terrible, she didn't dare provoke further trouble. She could only squeeze out three words from her teeth unwillingly.

"I am sorry..."

Shang Ying looked at her with irritation.

"If you know you can't afford to provoke me, shut your mouth. As if I actually enjoy listening to your apologies."

Had she not been asked to come help, she wouldn't see a trashy figure like her in a lifetime, let alone listen to her acting arrogant here. She wouldn't even know how she ended up dying outside.

Scolded again, the Queen of Hearts' face turned green with rage. How dare this dead girl talk to her like this!

The game continued.

The dealer flipped the card: 9 of Hearts. Seeing that her hand could form two pairs, the Queen of Hearts' complexion finally improved.

‘Dead girl, daring to embarrass her. In a moment, she'd win every last bit of her money!’

After exchanging a glance with Cao Ping, his stiff face softened slightly as well, and he raised the bet.

When the four flipped their cards to compare hands, Cao Ping smiled with a winner's confidence. Without surprises, he would be able to take half the pot. But upon seeing the hand in Shang Ying's grip, his expression froze instantly.

"How is that possible?!"

The Queen of Hearts gasped, her mouth slightly open in disbelief.

Shang Ying's hand formed a Straight Flush in Hearts, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. An exceptionally brilliant hand that ended this round without a shred of suspense.

"Player holds a Straight Flush, winning the pot."

The dealer reached out, steadily pushing that dazzling mountain of chips across the centerline, stacking it right in front of Shang Ying.

Xie Tuo looked at her unbothered, desire-free expression, the corners of his lips curling slightly as he leaned in to ask softly.

"Are you getting serious now?"

"No need to get serious."

Her words were calm and plain. Xie Tuo's dark eyes held a smile, the usual icy, frozen calmness broken as subtle ripples washed through them, silently admiring her confident, bold attitude.

In the eighth, ninth, and tenth rounds, Shang Ying, who had been playing like a complete amateur initially, seemed like a totally different person. The psychological pressure within the room was dialed to the max as she kept raising bets to play mind games, making the Queen of Hearts and Cao Ping feel like they had a chance, only to lose miserably every time.

Xie Yancan had initially assumed it was good luck, but the more he watched, the more he felt something was wrong. How was this "not knowing how to play," or "good luck"? If she didn't know how to play, then no one did!

His eyes fell upon the girl sitting casually at the gambling table in shock, actually sensing the aura of a Gambling King radiating from her, a terrifyingly stable presence, as if she were sitting on her own territory, unshakeable by anyone.

"Player holds a Straight Flush, winning the pot. Congratulations."

The dealer pushed the chips over to Shang Ying once again, the admiration in his tone overflowing naturally. From their conversation, this masked girl seemed quite young, only in her teens, yet she was this formidable.

Having seen countless players as a dealer, they held guesses in their hearts regarding who could play and how skilled they were.

And the girl in front of him could no longer be described simply as "skilled at playing"...

Watching more than half of his chips get won away, Cao Ping let out a forced laugh: "Mr. Xie's sister is truly impressive. She really knows how to play the pig to eat the tiger."

Xie Tuo touched the wristwatch on his wrist, speaking politely with an impeccably calm expression.

"You flatter her. My sister does indeed happen to know a thing or two.”