C19 Someone to Back You up

Tang Ye sparked up a cigar and clamped it between his lips, casually tossing five million chips into the pot as he watched the remaining two players with a calm demeanor.

One of the players, unable to contain his frustration, chuckled in defeat and tossed his cards in, raising his hands in surrender, "Alright, you're too good."

Qin Shan from Freyfield kept pace with Tang Ye, cool and collected, with no hint of backing down.

Tang Ye eyed Qin Shan and challenged, "Hey, you from Freyfield, not scared in the slightest?"

"If I were scared, I wouldn't be sitting here," came the unflinching reply.

Qin Shan's response drew a hearty laugh from Tang Ye, who then confidently threw another ten million into the fray. In this game, there was no cap on the stakes.

The onlookers gasped, and the young master shook his head in disbelief, muttering, "Madness, pure madness."

Qin Shan lifted his gaze to meet Tang Ye's, their eyes locked. Qin Shan squinted, pondering why this young man showed no fear under his intense scrutiny.

Tang Ye seemed oblivious to Qin Shan's probing gaze, maintaining a slight smile as he asked, "What do you say? Are you going to keep up?"

With a slight smirk, Qin Shan pushed forward twenty million chips and challenged Tang Ye, "I want to see your cards!"

"That all you've got?" Tang Ye scoffed, upping the ante with another thirty million. "What's it going to be? You still in?"

Qin Shan went all in, sliding the rest of his chips forward—a total of over seventy million.

"That should cover it, shouldn't it? You don't have that many chips left," Qin Shan stated calmly.

"Let's reveal them then," Tang Ye said with a smirk, looking at Qin Shan. "But just to keep things fair, let's have our lovely dealer turn over the last card."

Everyone agreed with Tang Ye's proposal, and Qin Shan tipped his hat down a notch.

The dealer slowly flipped over Tang Ye's hole card, revealing it on the table—a seven of spades resting quietly atop the king and four.

The crowd erupted once more, marveling at Tang Ye's nerve.

"Your move!" Tang Ye said, fixing his gaze on Qin Shan.

As Qin Shan extended his hand, Tang Ye quickly cut him off with a calm tone, "I believe we had an agreement earlier that our lovely dealer would be the one to turn over the cards, in the interest of fairness."

Qin Shan's hand slowly withdrew, and he settled back into his chair with a slow nod of acknowledgment.

The dealer revealed Qin Shan's hole card – an Ace, with a 7 and Queen as the face-up cards.

"Wow! We've really hit the jackpot this time," the young master exclaimed, barely able to contain his excitement. "This is what I call thrilling – the pot has grown to a hundred million in just a short time."

"You all play for such high stakes. I'm going to bow out for now. It's about time I headed back down to play a bit before going home," the young woman said with a yawn, rising gracefully from her seat.

The man with glasses followed suit, "I'm out too. If I stay any longer, I'll lose everything."

After watching the two depart, the elderly gentleman also began to feel the urge to leave, and after a moment's hesitation, he too made his exit.

That left only Tang Ye, the young master, and Qin Shan at the table.

"It's so dull now; they all scattered after just one round. If they can't handle it, why even come up here?" the young master lamented.

Qin Shan remained motionless in his seat, showing no sign of leaving. Tang Ye collected his chips and addressed Qin Shan, "Buddy, you've lost all your chips. You might as well head back now and free up the seat for the next player."

Qin Shan stood up slowly, and Tang Ye said with a smile, "That's the spirit. If luck isn't on your side today, there's always tomorrow. No point in lingering here without any money."

To Tang Ye's surprise, Qin Shan simply instructed the nearby server in a subdued tone, "Hold my seat for me. I'll be back after a quick trip to the restroom."

"Fine, if you're keen to keep playing, I'm game to stick it out with you. But I hope you bring a few more chips next time so the game doesn't end too quickly," Tang Ye responded.

Qin Shan nodded, "Yeah, enjoying the game is what matters most."

Once Qin Shan had departed, Tang Ye also left the room, watching as Qin Shan entered the restroom before slipping into an adjacent room.

On the large screen in this room was a live feed from a camera installed beneath the sink in the restroom.

"How's it looking?" Tang Ye inquired as he entered and turned to Lyi Tianzhao.

Lyi Tianzhao gazed at Tang Ye with astonishment, as if he had just met his idol, and exclaimed, "That was an incredible move. You made a hundred million just like that. But he's probably onto your 'playing dumb' strategy by now. Do you think you can handle what comes next?"

Tang Ye replied, "Don't worry about me. Focus on your own tasks."

Suddenly, a shadow flickered in front of the camera as someone walked by. Qin Shan opened all the restroom doors, finding them empty. He conducted a thorough search but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Tang Ye accepted the headphones from Lyi Tianzhao and heard the sound of a door closing. A short time later, Qin Shan's voice came through the headphones, "Director Zhao, could you bring over some funds?"

The person on the phone was likely grilling him for losing everything, considering he had started with a hundred million.

Qin Shan responded, "There's a young guy here who's a bit tricky; he fooled me."

After a pause, Qin Shan spoke again, "Director Zhao, don't you want to win back your three hundred million? If you don't trust me, I can walk away right now."

The two seemed to come to an understanding, and Qin Shan assured, "I can definitely beat him."

Once the call ended, Lyi Tianzhao mused, "So it's him. There's a Zhao Tianrun who previously lost three hundred million at my establishment. If I'm not mistaken, it's the same person."

Tang Ye smiled at Lyi Tianzhao and said, "Mr. Lyi, perhaps you're oversimplifying things. In Tubert, who isn't aware of your tactics? Zhao Tianrun wouldn't dare to cheat in your establishment even if he had the audacity."

"It is three hundred million, after all. He might not have been thinking clearly," Lyi Tianzhao pondered.

"Zhao Tianrun may not have the largest business, but he's been a veteran in Tubert's marketplace for years. Mr. Lyi, do you really think someone as seasoned as him would risk stirring up trouble in your casino over a gambling debt or a business dispute?"

"So, Mr. Tang, are you suggesting..." Lyi Tianzhao looked at Tang Ye, seeking clarification, "that there's someone backing him?"

"I should head back. Since they're so keen on reclaiming their losses and winning back that three hundred million, why not invite Zhao Tianrun to join us?"

After giving a few instructions, Tang Ye returned to the adjacent room. Standing in the doorway, he stretched lazily just as Qin Shan, with his head down, happened to walk into him.

Tang Ye glanced at the waiter behind Qin Shan, who was cradling a stack of chips, and quipped, "You've managed to get your hands on chips already?"