Seeing my silence, Luo Qiwen let out a cold laugh and then signaled to the burly bodyguards. They rushed forward and surrounded me.
"Chen Xiang, I know you know martial arts. But in Baoli, if you want to negotiate terms with me, you'd better take down all these useless subordinates of mine first!"
As soon as Luo Qiwen finished speaking, the burly bodyguards surrounding me glared at me with fierce eyes.
Although these men were not desperate criminals, I knew very well that they likely possessed considerable martial arts skills.
The existence of these burly bodyguards was specifically to deal with me.
Sensing that things were taking a turn for the worse, Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun quickly moved to my left and right sides.
Drawing out their extendable batons, Cheng Minglang pointed them at the group of burly men and shouted, "If you want a fight, come at me! I'm a professional!"
"Professional!? Heh."
"After this gamble is over, I really want to see just how professional you are! But for now..."
With a cold smile, Luo Qiwen turned her gaze to the notary, Gu Chunlai, and said solemnly, "Master Gu, although a notary has the right to deal the cards for both parties in a wager, it is only permissible if both parties agree to it."
"Let me be clear, whether Chen Xiang agrees or not, I certainly do not!"
"So, I'll ask you to make a decision now. How should the final cards be dealt?"
"Who deals first, who deals second, or do both of you deal simultaneously?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Chunlai's face immediately showed embarrassment, and he began to look troubled.
Gu Chunlai was not foolish; he knew what Luo Qiwen was implying by asking him to speak up.
She was essentially trying to drag him down with her, so they could jointly bear the potential consequences of dealing the cards.
However, an old hand like him was not so easily led by the nose.
After a moment of thought, Gu Chunlai had an idea.
With a tense expression, Gu Chunlai looked at me and Luo Qiwen, then held up three fingers and said, "Since the matter is of great importance, both of you will reveal your cards simultaneously."
"You will have three seconds. When I count to three, if either of you fails to reveal your card, then regardless of whether it's a high card or a low card, you will be judged as having lost!"
I had to admit, the older the ginger, the spicier it is!
Gu Chunlai's timed reveal method not only ensured a degree of fairness in the gamble but also allowed him to avoid getting entangled.
Although dissatisfied with Gu Chunlai's approach, since the words had been spoken, there was no possibility of going back on them.
Helplessly, Luo Qiwen could only agree with a cold face.
As for me, I simply nodded.
There was no reason for me to refuse this way of revealing cards.
Because I was gambling that Luo Qiwen would wait until the last moment to cheat!
After all, apart from the ante, each card from the third one onwards was a bet of one million chips.
As long as Luo Qiwen's revealed cards were not normal, I would not continue to play.
Therefore, Luo Qiwen could not and would not tamper with the four cards already visible.
As for the initial hidden card, Luo Qiwen would definitely wait until both our hands were dealt, especially after my hole card was revealed, before looking for an opportunity to cheat and switch cards.
After all, if she cheated and switched cards before all the cards were revealed, and if she happened to switch to a duplicate card, there was no need to even think about the consequences.
...
After both of us were ready, Gu Chunlai began the countdown.
"3..."
"2..."
At such a crucial moment, both my face and Luo Qiwen's became tense.
At the same time, we stared at each other motionlessly.
Winning first is not winning; losing last is losing!
The moment Gu Chunlai shouted the final "1," Luo Qiwen and I, almost simultaneously, flipped over the hidden card that would decide the victor.
The instant the cards were revealed, the entire gambling hall fell into a complete and utter silence.
It was not an exaggeration to say that one could hear a pin drop.
Assuming no cheating, my hidden card was a Heart 10, which was irrelevant to the outcome.
A, 7, 4, 9, 10.
This was my final hand – a mixed hand.
A truly genuine mixed hand.
To win, I could only pray that Luo Qiwen did not get a pair.
But unfortunately, fate was not on my side.
3, 8, 2, 5, 2.
Luo Qiwen's final revealed card was another Spade 2, enough to seal the fate of this gamble!
After the silent atmosphere, because of this game-changing Spade 2, the entire gambling hall erupted into a piercing and boisterous cheer, except for the people on Rui Chi's side.
Undoubtedly, Luo Qiwen had won.
The moment the cards were revealed, after glancing at my slightly stunned expression, Gu Chunlai announced the result.
Since I did not protest, he, as the notary, naturally had to act impartially.
After the commotion died down, all eyes in the gambling hall turned to me.
"You lost! A bet is a bet, and your hand is forfeit!"
"Are you going to do it yourself, or do you want us to help you?"
As she spoke, Luo Qiwen sent her cards flying into the discard pile, her eyes filled with boundless arrogance and smugness.
She had every right to be arrogant and smug.
Because the gamble tonight was something she, and the entire Baoli, could not afford to lose and must not lose.
However, I might not have lost to her yet.
Watching Luo Qiwen prepare to gather the chips, I suddenly sneered, "Heh! We'll talk about the hand later!"
"If I catch you cheating, do you admit this hand or not!?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Qiwen immediately burst into laughter.
"What!? Have you been in Rui Chi for too long? Are you starting to be like Yun Jin and the others, unable to accept defeat and resorting to dirty tricks?"
"Putting aside whether I cheated or not, even if I did, where is the evidence? Where is the proof?"
To be honest, if Luo Qiwen hadn't made that slightly superfluous flicking motion with her cards just now...
Perhaps until now, I wouldn't have been entirely sure how she cheated.
But now, I had figured it all out.
At the same time, I also understood the source of her strength and confidence.
"I heard you want evidence, right?"
"Fine! No problem! Evidence... I'll give it to you!"
Before I finished speaking, I stood up and pointed at Gu Chunlai, saying, "Master Gu, please take out all the old cards you put in the drawer earlier and place them on the table."
"Whether Luo Qiwen cheated or not, all the secrets... lie within!"
Upon hearing that I had bypassed her directly and gone straight for the previously used old cards, a look of panic appeared on Luo Qiwen's face.
"Stop! I don't agree to you doing this!"