Lin Qiang finally saw the symbol above Zheng Shuai's head. A thick red arrow pointing almost vertically downward, signaling a
"Xiao Xiao, do you have a mirror?" Lin Qiang had an idea and asked.
"A grown man needing a mirror?" Xiao Xiao grinned.
"I have a habit of looking at my reflection while playing cards."
"Alright, alright, I'll get one. No peeking at my cards!" Xiao Xiao warned as she stood up.
Before long, Lin Qiang was looking at his own reflection in the mirror, seeing the symbol on his head.
It was almost a straight-down arrow too, though slightly better than Zheng Shuai's.
Previously, Lin Qiang had tried looking in the mirror to see his GoldenEye status without success. Seeing this trend arrow so clearly now, puzzled him greatly.
Meanwhile, the bidding for landlords had started. The new player, Lin Xiaozhao, despite having a bright green arrow above her head but chose not to bid.
The other three girls didn't bid either, leaving only Zheng Shuai and Lin Qiang. If neither of them bid, they'd have to reshuffle.
"Aiya, my cards are terrible..." Xiao Xiao pouted. "The landlord is in favor this time; our cards are bad."
"Pass," Lin Qiang pressed his cards down.
"Wait, why didn't you bid? We'll have to reshuffle, and everyone has bad cards," Xiao Xiao persuaded. "It's just right for you and Zheng Shuai, the two landlords, to bully us."
"Bully? More like getting beaten up!" Zheng Shuai threw his cards. "I couldn't even get rid of these in ten rounds; it's a wash!"
"So annoying," Xiao Xiao revealed her cards and sighed. "Straights and pairs, oh well..."
Everyone discarded their cards back into the pile.
Lin Qiang noticed the discarded hands matched the arrow indicators precisely. The best hands belonged to those with green arrows, and the worst, like Zheng Shuai's, had red arrows.
This reminded Lin Qiang of real-time stock charts—specifically, predictive charts.
After the round was canceled, the arrows disappeared from everyone's heads.
Lin Qiang, propping his chin, pondered. Maybe these markers only appeared during real time actions directly affecting money. His eyes weren't strained, suggesting seeing these simple arrows required little energy.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Who's here this late?" Xiao Xiao got up to open it.
A greasy-faced Zhang Jiaming poked his head in, smiling. "Got a game going without me?"
"Tch," Xiao Xiao sneered. "We have six people, no room."
"No problem, we're two," Zhang Jiaming stepped aside to reveal Hao Wei.
Everyone froze upon seeing Hao Wei, then quickly stood up to greet him.
"No need, no need," Hao Wei waved his hands, smiling. "We're just here to play, we're all equal."
Xiao Xiao's face darkened. What was meant to be a fun night was now likely to become tedious with these two around. If it were just Zhang Jiaming, she could lock him out, but Hao Wei complicated things.
Ring, ring, ring...
Just then, one of the female tellers received a call. After a brief conversation, she apologized. "Sorry, my mother is sick, I need to go to the hospital."
"Oh dear, I need a ride home too," another teller chimed in.
"Let's go together..."
"Sure..."
The two quick-thinking girls didn't give anyone a chance to convince them to stay and left swiftly.
Zhang Jiaming saw the empty seats and guided Hao Wei to sit, then sat next to him, rubbing his hands eagerly. "Perfect, six people, great!"
With that Xiao Xiao's plan of the girls working together to drain the guys' wallets was completely ruined. Now, they faced a 2 vs. 4 situation.
"I'll get drinks..." Lin Xiaozhao nervously fetched cups and started pouring beverages for everyone.
Lin Qiang was sharp and knew Hao Wei was here to disrupt. The card game was secondary; the main point was the people playing—with group activities like this, it was easy to aligning into the same camp, gossip about matters whilst having fun, strengthen bonds, and consider future strategies.
Hao Wei's presence not only disrupted the game but also allowed him to spread some good words, repairing his image from the morning meeting. He could also make some empty promises to give Xiao Xiao hope if necessary.
"Little Lin, you just arrived and already getting along so well with everyone. As expected from someone from the financing department, your social skills are impressive," Hao Wei said, accepting the tea Lin Xiaozhao handed over, with a hint of insinuation in his tone.
"Hahaha, you're the one taking time out of your busy schedule to play with us, truly dedicated," Lin Qiang replied, matching the polite tone.
Anyone could sense the underlying tension in their exchange. Xiao Xiao felt like crying. A promising card game had turned into a battlefield.
Despite the tension, the game must go on. With no women's alliance to rely on, Xiao Xiao rolled up her sleeves and prepared to win with skill alone.
Everyone sat on the floor, a new hand of cards dealt. Their expressions varied, and Lin Qiang found the arrows above their heads even more intriguing.
According to the arrows, Hao Wei had the best hand, though he didn't show it. Zhang Jiaming, with the worst hand, looked eager to play. Zheng Shuai and Xiao Xiao had average hands, showing some worry. Lin Xiaozhao had a terrible hand but wasn't discouraged.
Lin Qiang glanced at himself in the mirror. His hand, based on the slope of his arrow, should be second only to Hao Wei's.
He had one bomb and two long straights, making his hand easier to play.
The round started with Lin Xiaozhao passing on the landlord bid, followed by Xiao Xiao. Hao Wei immediately called landlord, leaving one more bid position.
"Called it!" Zhang Jiaming slapped the floor, making a crisp sound.
Hao Wei's expression brightened slightly. If Zhang Jiaming supported him by playing strategically, preventing the others from playing their cards, they had a good chance.
However, in Lin Qiang's view, the arrows above their heads neutralized each other, forming a slight upward trend. The other four players' arrows also aligned more, with a steeper slope.
"It seems Zhang Jiaming's bad hand is dragging Hao Wei down," Lin Qiang thought. "This means the rest of us will have similar gains and losses, truly real-time changes."
After a quick look at his cards, Hao Wei played a pair of fours, showing his habit of playing small cards first to clear them out.
"Pair of Queens," Zhang Jiaming followed, indicating he didn't plan to win himself but aimed to block others from playing.
Lin Qiang, holding a pair of Aces and three 2s, decided not to play, knowing Hao Wei would likely cover it. "This is going to be tough for us!" he laughed bitterly.
Zhang Jiaming laughed too, "In card games, don't blame others for playing hard; blame yourself for bad cards."
"Just pad it." Zheng Shuai said, he had no choice but to play a pair of Kings.
Lin Xiaozhao and Xiao Xiao both passed.
"Pair of 2s," Hao Wei played, then followed with a pair of sixes.
"Uh..." Zhang Jiaming hesitated, "Pair of sevens."
Hao Wei frowned slightly. Zhang Jiaming had boasted about trapping the others, yet he seemed weak now. Hao Wei had assumed Zhang Jiaming's hand was decent, not realizing the Queens were his highest pair.
Seeing that the time had come, Lin Qiang seized the moment and played his Aces.
"Nope," Zheng Shuai shook his head.
"Pass," Lin Xiaozhao genuinely had no options.
"Pass," Xiao Xiao grinned mischievously.
Hao Wei scratched his head. He considered using his bomb but decided against it. "Pass."
Lin Qiang played a long straight, "3456789-10."
There was another series of "no"s, and after hesitating for a while, Hao Wei, reluctant, also passed, holding similar cards but preferring to play safe.
"Three and one," Lin Qiang played three sixes with a three.
Zheng Shuai and Lin Xiaozhao passed again. Xiao Xiao finally played three Jacks with a four.
Unfortunately this time, she ran into Hao Wei's path.
He seemed to have been waiting for this and finally threw out his cards: "Three Aces with a seven."
"Damn, Manager Hao is hiding big cards! Very strategic, can't beat that!" Zhang Jiaming flattered, then turned to Lin Qiang, "What now?"
It was time for him to gamble, Lin Qiang took his chance: "Three 2s with an eight!"
"Going all in, what a bloody battle. Luckily it has nothing to do with us," Zheng Shuai laughed.
"I didn't even get a chance to play a card," Lin Xiaozhao sighed.
Xiao Xiao turned to Hao Wei, "Hao Wei, bomb?"
"Bomb!" Hao Wei, provoked by Xiao Xiao, didn't hold back and played his three Jokers.
Only when he felt he could secure the win did he finally play his bomb.
With no one able to counter the bomb, Hao Wei followed up with a long straight, leaving just one card in his hand.
"No one can beat that! We win!" Zhang Jiaming laughed.
Lin Qiang shook his head, "One card left means we win."
He then played four tens, revealing his bomb, leaving him with two cards in his hand.
Hao Wei's face tensed, knowing that something was amiss. He knew that he was out of luck this time.
He couldn't help but look at Zhang Jiaming with resentment. He had a lousy hand but still insisted on showing off, which only made things worse.
"Twice the multiplier, this round is going to be a deep one," Zheng Shuai started calculating the money.
At this time, Lin Qiang deliberately and slowly grabbed the two cards in his hand and was about to throw them out together.
Perhaps only Xiao Xiao could understand this posture. He was hinting that he had a pair in his hand, signaling her to avenge the past wrongs.
Xiao Xiao, holding back for a while, finally erupted shouting, "Four Queens! Another bomb! Let's make it explode again!!"
"You're really out for blood?" Zhang Jiaming exclaimed in shock.
"In card games, don't blame others for playing hard; blame yourself for bad cards," Xiao Xiao laughed, knowing no one could counter her and played her pair, "Pair of threes!"