C17 It Was Difficult to Get off the Tiger

A massive display screen adorned the wall of the adjacent room, showcasing the gambling table. Qin Shan was seated there, just as Tang Ye had instructed, leaving the spot vacant for him. Sure enough, Qin Shan had taken the bait.

"I'll keep watch from here," Lyi Tianzhao assured, flanked by several of his brothers. "If anything comes up, I'll have people on it in no time." The casino was crawling with informants.

"Monitor his behavior. If he leaves halfway through, that's your window of opportunity."

"Everything's set on my end, don't worry."

After leaving the room, Tang Ye strode to the neighboring door, swung it open with a beaming smile, and greeted the assembled guests, "My apologies for the delay."

"No worries, we're all in no rush here," drawled a flamboyantly dressed young man.

Seated next to the young man were Qin Shan and a bespectacled man, with an elderly gentleman next to him, and Tang Ye beside the old man. Bringing up the end was a stunningly dressed, attractive young woman.

"Now that we're all here, let's get started," suggested the bespectacled man sitting next to the young master.

"Let's kick off with blackjack, and raise the stakes by one hundred thousand each time."

"As you wish."

Tang Ye took his place diagonally across from a gaunt man who looked up at him, eyeing him as if he were a plump lamb ready for the taking.

The dealer dealt the cards: Qin Shan showed an Ace, the young master a 3, the bespectacled man an 8, the old man also an Ace, Tang Ye a King, and the young woman a 9.

The gaunt man kept his cards close, seemingly uninterested in revealing his hand. Tang Ye peeked at his own cards and feigned frustration, cursing, "What terrible luck!"

Qin Shan cast another glance at Tang Ye, then eyed the hefty pile of chips beside him as if they were already his for the taking.

The young woman requested another card, and the dealer dealt her a Jack. Displeased, she tossed her hand aside, revealing a 6.

Tang Ye's turn arrived, and he scrutinized the cards on the table, deliberating whether to draw another card.

"Brother, made up your mind yet?" Young Master asked, shaking his head as he looked at Tang Ye.

"Hit me with another card."

"That's it for me, I'm good." Tang Ye called it quits after receiving a 3.

"Not bad luck there," Young Master quipped.

The others decided to draw more cards. The old man and Qin Shan each received a 4, while the bespectacled man and Young Master got a K and a 7, respectively. The bespectacled man nonchalantly discarded his hand, leaving four players still in the game.

Tang Ye tossed 200,000 chips into the pot and waited silently for the others' moves.

The old man surveyed the cards on the table and matched the two hundred thousand. Young Master pursed his lips and said, "We've all come this far, why play so timid? I'm raising to five hundred thousand."

Qin Shan just watched the others silently, then followed Young Master's lead by throwing in five hundred thousand. Young Master nodded at Qin Shan's cards and remarked, "Hiding something, aren't we?"

Tang Ye seemed to hesitate, flipping over his cards for another look as if signaling to the others that his hand wasn't strong.

After a brief pause, Tang Ye defiantly tossed in five hundred thousand chips, saying to himself, "Bring it on, I'm not scared."

Seeing the tide turning, the old man quickly bowed out, leaving only Tang Ye, Young Master, and Qin Shan at the table.

Young Master, appearing dismissive of Tang Ye, slapped down a million and said to Qin Shan, "I'm calling your hand."

Without a word, Qin Shan revealed his cards: A, 6, 4 – blackjack.

Young Master grudgingly discarded his hand, muttering, "Tough break."

Tang Ye also tossed his cards away in disappointment, looking quite disheartened. Tang Ye had the largest chip stack at the table. After this round, Qin Shan had gained a quick read on his opponents, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Tang Ye as if marking him as his next target.

Unperturbed, Tang Ye seemed oblivious to the attention and urged the dealer to deal the next round of cards.

The second round started, and the visible cards were as follows: the woman received a Q, Tang Ye an A, the old man an 8, the bespectacled man a 7, Young Master also got an A like Tang Ye, and Qin Shan received a 5.

Tang Ye and the young master were both elated with their cards and decided to draw more. Tang Ye drew a 7 to add to the 2 in his hand, totaling 20.

The young master received a 2, hesitated, and ultimately decided against drawing another card.

Qin Shan silently drew a 5 and then stopped calling for cards, with a total of 10 showing on the table.

The young woman tossed in 100,000 chips, and Tang Ye matched the bet. The old man glanced at his hand and followed suit with 100,000. The man with glasses surveyed the table, seemingly losing faith in his hand, and folded.

The young master gave Tang Ye's cards a look and emotionlessly matched the 100,000 bet.

When it was Qin Shan's turn, he quietly threw in 500,000 chips, as if he had become addicted to betting big.

Everyone paused, taken aback. The young woman pondered briefly before discarding her hand. Tang Ye, undeterred, matched the 500,000, challenging Qin Shan with a skeptical tone, "I refuse to believe you can hit Blackjack every time."

Qin Shan reclined at the table, his eyes obscured by the brim of his hat, inscrutable.

The old man sensed something was off and folded, leaving just the three of them at the table.

The young master calmly met the 500,000 bet, waiting for Qin Shan's response.

Qin Shan countered by tossing in another 500,000. Tang Ye, upping the ante, threw in a million and demanded, "Show me your hole card."

Without a word, Qin Shan matched the million.

Tang Ye was in a tough spot, like a man riding a tiger, unable to dismount. He threw in another two million, but Qin Shan showed no sign of revealing his cards, continuing to match the bets. The two were locked in a standoff.

The young master, seeing the escalating battle, discreetly slipped away. The remaining players watched as the stakes on the table soared, the tension igniting their adrenaline, with the pot nearing ten million. Ultimately, Tang Ye lost his nerve and folded.

Qin Shan silently raked in the pot, winning over ten million, with several million coming from Tang Ye alone, all within the span of a short time.

A fleeting shadow of darkness passed through Tang Ye's eyes, swiftly erasing the arrogance and restlessness from his expression. In its place emerged a tranquil calm, reminiscent of still waters. He turned to Qin Shan and remarked, "You're not from around here, are you, brother? You seem like a new face."

"Right," Qin Shan responded succinctly.