Suddenly, a few people gathered around the table ready to play Three Card Brag.
Everyone in the room thought Luo yang was a true profligate, and many even came over to watch the excitement.
Hong Jiaxin had never played Three Card Brag, didn't know how to play, and just picked up the cards to show Luo yang, leaving the decision whether to follow or not to him.
Luo yang sat next to Hong Jiaxin, with his arm around her shoulder, looking like a pair of lovebirds to the onlookers.
In the first few rounds, it was Luo yang who won, and the crew-cut young man exclaimed with admiration, "Brother, your luck is exceptionally good today. Luckily we're not betting big, or we'd lose terribly."
The cards were dealt by the crew-cut young man, and Luo yang had already seen that he was cheating.
Then, Hong Jiaxin picked up three cards and slowly unfolded them before Luo yang's eyes for him to see. Three Jacks, which was considered a very strong hand.
Luo yang smiled calmly, took the cards, and when it was his turn to bet, he boldly grabbed a stack of cash from his backpack and tossed it onto the table.
"Ten thousand yuan," he said indifferently.
"Scary, isn't it? I'll match your ten thousand yuan," the crew-cut young man hesitated before almost pushing all of his money forward.
Actually, Luo yang had already seen through his glance that the crew-cut young man had three Queens.
The other two players didn't dare to follow anymore, leaving only Luo yang and the crew-cut young man in the game. Luo yang followed with another ten thousand yuan, but the crew-cut young man had run out of money to bet.
"My friend is on the way and will bring money soon. If you agree, I'll owe ten thousand yuan for now. If not, let's reveal the cards," the crew-cut young man said.
"Don't borrow money. Show the cards," Luo yang withdrew a stack of cash.
The result, naturally, was that the crew-cut young man won.
The onlookers also felt regret for Luo yang. After all, it was three Jacks, yet they were overpowered by three Queens.
"Next time I get such a good hand, I'm betting a hundred thousand yuan! I don't believe your luck can beat mine," Luo yang said defiantly.
"Brother, with your kind of luck, it's not easy for me to win a hand," the crew-cut young man said, with a cocky smile on his face and a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Seeing Luo yang losing money, Cheng Xin also became anxious. She had invited him to help find evidence of cheating, not to gamble.
However, Luo yang remained very calm, not caring at all about winning or losing, which made Hong Jiaxin a little nervous.
He then hugged her closer and said with a laugh, "Wife, I wonder when I'll manage to lose all this money."
She knew it was a joke, pursed her red lips, but couldn't bring herself to smile.
Luo yang lit a cigarette and had just taken a puff when Hong Jiaxin nudged him gently in the ribs with her elbow, clearly disapproving of his smoking. It was too close, she would be inhaling all the second-hand smoke.
So, he passed the cigarette to her lips. She smiled sweetly, snatched the cigarette from his hand, and put it out in the ashtray.
Exchanging a glance, no words were necessary; everything was conveyed in that slight smile, an enduring warmth enveloped them – a soothing, gentle rain over their hearts, leaving a deep, everlasting impression.
At this time, the crew-cut young man had already dealt the cards again.
Of Luo yang's three cards, one face-up showed a Queen, while the crew-cut young man's revealed a King.
Without picking up the cards, Luo yang had already seen the ranks and suits of all the players' hands. He had three Queens, while the crew-cut young man had three Kings.
"A hundred thousand yuan," Luo yang said, taking ten stacks of cash from his backpack and throwing them onto the table.
Aside from the crew-cut young man, the other two players didn't dare to follow and folded.
"I'll call. But I don't have enough money on me; wait for a bit, my friend is bringing the money over," the buzz-cut young man pushed all his money out first.
At that moment, footsteps were heard outside the room, and soon someone was "knocking" on the door.
A middle-aged woman opened the door, and three people entered, led by none other than Lu Daji. When he saw Luo Yang, Lu Daji was startled.
"Brother, what are you doing here?" Lu Daji asked curiously.
"I had some free time today, wanted to play a bit," Luo Yang said with a smile.
The buzz-cut young man and his group were slightly taken aback to see Lu Daji knew Luo Yang. They then took a black plastic bag from Lu Daji's hand and pulled out several stacks of banknotes, throwing them onto the table.
The game had already started, and Lu Daji wanted to say something but ultimately held back.
"It's your turn, brother," the buzz-cut young man urged.
"Pay attention, everybody. I've got three queens in my hand. Do you know what he's holding? I'll tell you, it's three kings," Luo Yang tapped lightly on the table and glared coldly at the buzz-cut young man.
The onlookers, many of whom probably knew about the buzz-cut young man's group being cheats, were not very surprised.
The buzz-cut young man became furiously embarrassed and slammed the table, exclaiming, "Hey, trying to start trouble because you lost money? Smarten up, or I'll beat you so bad even your mother won't recognize you!"
Witnessing this explosive scene, Cheng Xin grew even more anxious. She felt Luo Yang was unable to handle the conflict at hand.
There were about twenty or thirty people in the room, and aside from Lu Daji, Luo Yang didn't know anyone else. This was essentially the buzz-cut young man's turf.
Hong Jiaxin knew of Luo Yang's capabilities and didn't show the slightest sign of panic.
"I noticed you were cheating a long time ago. I didn't expose you so that you would call someone to bring money over, so you'd have the cash to pay back my friend Cheng Xin," Luo Yang said with a sneer.
"I've got three kings, so what?! I told you before, I didn't want to play with you because you'd make trouble if you lost, and look, that's exactly what's happening! But don't mess around here, I'll take you out in a minute!"
The buzz-cut young man suddenly stood up, and with a flick of his wrist, he threw three cards on the table – all kings.
"We're all friends here, let's not get heated. Brother, how about we call this round a draw?" Lu Daji attempted to mediate.
"Brother Ji, give me some face. Stay out of this, I still want to talk with you later. This is a grudge between them and me," Luo Yang said while picking up a call on his already dialed phone, "You can come over now."
Hearing Luo Yang say this, the buzz-cut young man knew he had called for people to come.
"I've got three kings; what cards do you have? Show them!" he reached out to reveal Luo Yang's cards.
Luo Yang swiftly extended his right hand, grabbed the buzz-cut young man's right wrist, and pulled hard. Under the forceful drag, the buzz-cut young man lost his balance and lunged towards the table.
In that lightning-fast moment, Luo Yang's right fist struck the buzz-cut young man's face, causing his nose to bleed profusely.
The money on the table scattered on the floor.
"Anyone who wants to be an enemy of Mr. Luo, come closer. Those who are friends, please stand over there," Luo Yang said coldly.
The gamblers in the room did not wish to court trouble and nearly all retreated to the other side.
One of the buzz-cut young man's accomplices, another young man, picked up a chair to smash at Luo Yang, but Luo Yang effortlessly caught it and threw it back, hitting the young man with a loud crash.
"Brother, calm down, for your own good. You don't want to mess with them," Lu Daji urged.
"Brother Ji, hearing you say that makes me want to mess with them even more!" Luo Yang said with a cold laugh.