"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!"
Hao Wei's face had frozen over. With only one card left in his hand, he couldn't beat even the smallest pair.
"Pair of fives!" Zhang Jiaming played his strongest hand with all his might.
"Pair of nines," Lin Qiang chuckled, tossing out his cards and leaning back with his arms behind his head.
Zheng Shuai rubbed his head, "Oh, looks like we won?"
"Yes, we won," Xiao Xiao wasn't one to leave any room for doubt. "Three bombs, 8 times multiplier, a perfect start!"
Hao Wei barely turned his head to glare at Zhang Jiaming. It felt like he was playing 1 vs. 4, or worse, 1 vs. 5 because of his pig-like teammate.
Little did he know, he actually had a chance this round. His overcautious playstyle was to blame for not bombing at the right time and bombing when unnecessary.
Zhang Jiaming was immediately drenched in sweat, no longer daring to look at Hao Wei.
"As I said, the base is 50, 2x for two financiers meaning each of you owes 100. And with the multiplier that totals 800 each. Pay up," Xiao Xiao declared triumphantly.
"Uh… Can I pay with clothes?" Zhang Jiaming wasn't joking; he was genuinely distressed. "I heard people could strip to pay off debt, right?"
"Bullshit, you're a grown man, pay up!" Xiao Xiao scolded.
"Alright, losing is part of the game, don't embarrass yourself," Hao Wei, showing some grace, pulled out his black wallet, counted 800 yuan, and threw it on the pile.
Zhang Jiaming's face contorted with anxiety, "But… I don't have that much money on me…"
Hao Wei checked his wallet, "I'm pretty much cleaned out too."
Zhang Jiaming turned pleadingly to Lin Qiang, "Supervisor Lin… can I borrow some?"
Lin Qiang smirked inwardly. Gambling debts were known to be bad loans, unlikely to be repaid. He wasn't about to lend money, especially to this guy.
"I only have 200 on me," Lin Qiang shrugged.
"I've got 50," Zheng Shuai echoed.
Lin Xiaozhao murmured, "Well, I…"
"No, no, you keep quiet," Xiao Xiao quickly covered Lin Xiaozhao's mouth and turned to Zhang Jiaming, "What's the deal? Coming to a game without at least 1000 yuan?"
"But…" Zhang Jiaming emptied his pockets, producing barely over 200 yuan, "Can I owe it?"
"No way, our games never allow debt!" Xiao Xiao gave no quarter.
Lin Qiang had an idea, "How about this, let him owe it, and Xiao Xiao, you cover him for now."
"Why should I?" Xiao Xiao was puzzled. She knew Lin Qiang to be sharp; why would he ease the situation?
"Hear me out," Lin Qiang patted Zhang Jiaming's shoulder, "You can pay Xiao Xiao back with future credit card commissions, one card is 50 yuan. It's only 16 cards. The next bonus is far off, so let's say 17 cards. Saves you a trip to the bank."
"Good, good!" Zhang Jiaming, not thinking it through, nodded eagerly. Using future commissions seemed like a great deal.
"No!" Hao Wei interrupted, "The bank's performance shouldn't be used to settle gambling debts. I'll oversee it; Zhang Jiaming will repay you all tomorrow morning."
Hao Wei used his authority to clamp down and even Xiao Xiao couldn't argue. She could only curse inwardly.
For Lin Qiang, this was a test of Hao Wei's stance. Clearly, Hao Wei was staunchly protecting Zhang Jiaming's commissions, almost as if… he was protecting his own money.
"Alright." Hao Wei stood up and nudged Zhang Jiaming with his foot, "Sorry, we're out of money. We have to go."
"Yes, yes…" Zhang Jiaming stumbled to his feet, following Hao Wei out.
Hao Wei opened the door, looked back and said, "Have fun. I'll bring more money next time."
Bang!
The door closed, and they were gone as quickly as they came.
As soon as they left, Xiao Xiao jumped onto Lin Qiang, hugging him with excitement, "Just one game, 1600 yuan, 400 each! So great!"
Lin Qiang, nearly suffocated, felt something warm and soft against his back, momentarily distracted, he replied, "Aren't you afraid of Hao Wei resenting you? It's risky to win against the boss."
"Haha, you're talking? You won against Hao Wei, I just added fuel," Xiao Xiao laughed.
"Alright, enough talking," Zheng Shuai counted the money from the pool, distributing 200 yuan to each person, "With Zhang Jiaming's debt to be settled later, let's take this money and go out."
"Agreed!" Xiao Xiao cheered, "There's a new KTV on Longyuan Road, grand opening special, singing and drinking, and it's not our own money, perfect!"
"You guys are too wild, hard-earned money just thrown away," Lin Qiang laughed, "It's late, maybe another time."
"Yeah, I also need to look at some study materials, I'm preparing for an accounting exam..." Lin Xiaozhao declined.
"Oh?" Zheng Shuai smirked, "You two aren't planning to sneak off and…"
"Disgusting, perverted…" Xiao Xiao teased, pretending to be shy.
"Get lost."
"No way…"
To prove their innocence, Lin Qiang and Lin Xiaozhao were dragged to karaoke by the others.
Longyuan District was a developing suburb of Jijing, less than 30 kilometers from the city. With complete transportation facilities, wide roads, well-maintained green spaces, and ample parking, it quickly attracted residents and businesses. The area resembled a small city, with everything one could need, and Longyuan Road was the commercial and entertainment hub.
The four strolled and chatted, arriving at the "Golden Boy and Jade Girl KTV" on Longyuan Road. The neon sign flashed with images of voluptuous women, and the name alone conjured risqué thoughts.
"Xiao, this place… offers special services, right?" Zheng Shuai gaped at the sign.
"Who cares?" Xiao Xiao pointed at the advertisement board, "Grand opening special, 300 yuan for a medium room, unlimited drinks, perfect."
"I've never been to a place like this…" Lin Xiaozhao fidgeted with her skirt, "Seems expensive."
"You're overthinking it, just follow me!" Xiao Xiao led the way like a seasoned pro.
Lin Qiang chuckled and followed them inside.