"Come on, come on, deal the cards already! I can’t wait."
Having just lost a round to Ma Qiang’s partner, Liang Youjun urged him to deal, eager to keep his lucky streak going. He looked ready for a big showdown.
"Liang, your luck is just too good," Ma Qiang said, flicking the ash from his cigarette. "If this keeps up, you’re going to take all the money I just won."
"Well, fortunes change, and it’s my time to shine."
Liang Youjun said, taking a drag from his cigarette, "But let’s all be decent about it. Don’t just run off if you lose. That’s just low."
"We’re all just here to have some fun. Of course we have that much integrity," Ma Qiang bantered with a laugh.
"Don’t get too cocky, Liang. I might just win it all back in the next hand."
"I’m on a roll right now. It won’t be that easy to beat me."
"My Uncle Liang is on a hot streak. Deal the cards, don’t hold up our winning," Lin Jiang chimed in.
Ma Qiang smirked. He could tell what kind of person Lin Jiang was.
"Come on, deal! I’ve lost enough hands, it’s about time I won one," Ma Qiang urged.
Ma Qiang’s partner was seated before Liang Youjun. He dealt his own cards, then Liang Youjun’s, and so on around the table. Each person got three cards, with Ma Qiang being the last.
"Stop!"
Just as the final card was about to be dealt to Ma Qiang, Lin Jiang suddenly called out.
The men at the table all looked at him. Ma Qiang’s expression soured.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
Lin Jiang smiled and looked at Ma Qiang’s partner.
"Could I trouble you to place that card on the table first, and then deal it to him?"
"What are you trying to pull? Our game has nothing to do with you," Ma Qiang’s partner said with a stony face.
"I’m with Uncle Liang. Since you’re playing with him, it certainly has something to do with me."
"Song the Third, don’t be so stingy. He’s just asking you to put the card on the table before giving it to Ma Qiang. It’s not a big deal, don’t make a fuss," said Liang Youjun.
Song the Third looked displeased, but he placed the card on the table anyway.
"Can I deal the card now?"
"Not so fast."
Lin Jiang looked at the card on the table. "If I’m not mistaken, that card should be the three of hearts, right?"
At these words, Liang Youjun froze for a moment.
’If he’s actually right about this, that would be incredible.’
"I’m just the dealer. How would I know what it is?" Song the Third said, his voice lacking conviction.
"Isn’t it simple? We’ll know if we just flip it over and see."
Lin Jiang reached out and flipped over the card on the table.
"It really is the three of hearts!"
Not just Liang Youjun, but even the onlookers gasped in amazement.
This caused Ma Qiang and Song the Third’s faces to drain of color. Ma Qiang pointed at Lin Jiang.
"What’s the meaning of this? What gives you the right to flip my card?"
"You still don’t know what’s going on? Do you really need me to spell it out for you?"
With that, Lin Jiang flipped over the two cards in front of Ma Qiang—a three of spades and a three of diamonds!
"Holy shit! It’s a three of a kind!"
The crowd cried out in shock. A hand like that wasn’t common at the card table.
Then, Lin Jiang flipped over the cards in front of Liang Youjun!
"Damn! A queen, king, ace—a spade royal flush!"
Another gasp went through the crowd. If those two hands had gone head-to-head, the betting would have been insane—tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of yuan, could have been wagered!
At this point, everyone understood what had happened.
They had definitely been cheating, and this young man had exposed them!
"Ma Qiang! You’re cheating!"
Liang Youjun pointed a finger right at Ma Qiang’s face, a wave of fear washing over him in hindsight.
’If this kid hadn’t exposed this hand, I might have really bet tens of thousands on it. I would have lost big time.’
"Don’t talk nonsense! I just got lucky and drew a good hand. What right do you have to accuse me of cheating?!"
Even though everyone knew what was going on, as long as Ma Qiang refused to admit it, there was nothing they could do to him.
The two of them had this confidence because everyone playing here was just an ordinary local.
If there had been a single tough guy around, they would have gotten a beating at the very least, or a broken leg at worst.
But these were all regular folks who didn’t have the guts to do something like that. As long as he didn’t confess, they were powerless.
"Since I dared to call you out, I naturally know what’s going on."
Lin Jiang pointed at the remaining cards in Song the Third’s hand and said slowly:
"When he shuffled, he stacked the three 3s together. When dealing to others, he dealt from the top. But when dealing to Ma Qiang, he slid the top card back to expose the one underneath, then pulled that second card out by the corner and dealt it to Ma Qiang. That’s how he ended up with this hand."
After a pause, Lin Jiang continued:
"Let me be honest with you all. This Ma Qiang guy is good at holding out cards. When you’re not looking, he can switch his hand for whatever he wants. Song the Third, on the other hand, is a skilled mechanic. He can deal whatever card he wants. As long as those two work together, they can win as much as they please. You’re no match for them at all."
All eyes fell upon Ma Qiang and Song the Third.
Liang Shuhuo finally understood. Lin Jiang had been waiting for this exact hand to expose the two of them!
’This will also make Dad understand the crooked tricks involved, and maybe he’ll finally stop gambling.’
"Don’t you fucking slander me! I told you, I was just lucky! I didn’t cheat!"
"You’re caught red-handed and you still won’t admit it? To be honest, the tricks you’re using are just too basic. There’s no way I could be mistaken about you."
After speaking, Lin Jiang glanced at the other tables, saw a new deck of cards, and casually picked it up.
He tore off the plastic wrap, gave the cards a few shuffles, and held the deck out to one of the onlookers.
"Pick a card, any card."
The man obediently drew a card.
"The ten of hearts, right?"
"Holy crap, that’s amazing! It really is the ten of hearts!"
The onlookers erupted in gasps of amazement.
Liang Shuhuo stared with wide, beautiful eyes. She never would have dreamed that Lin Jiang had these kinds of skills.
"Does anyone else want to try?"
A few eager onlookers came closer and each drew a card. Liang Shuhuo and Liang Youjun craned their necks to see as well.
"Two of diamonds, queen of spades, seven of hearts, six of clubs."
"My god, that’s spot on! I can’t believe this young man knows how to cheat at cards too."
This was the exact reaction Lin Jiang had been waiting for.
"Cheating is my specialty. That’s why I could spot their technique in a single glance. Your denials are useless."
The crowd’s gaze was like a thousand accusing fingers, every person glaring menacingly at Ma Qiang and Song the Third.
Because there were others present who had played with them before and lost a lot of money, they all wanted to use this opportunity to get their money back.
"Ma Qiang, Song the Third, neither of you are going anywhere! Spit out all the money you won!" a bald, middle-aged man shouted, pointing at the two.
"Fuck you!"
Ma Qiang cursed, pulled a folding knife from his pocket, and pointed it at everyone present.
Everyone instinctively took a step back, creating an opening in the crowd. Neither Ma Qiang nor Song the Third dared to linger; they turned and ran for it.
If they had been a second slower, they would have been surrounded, and it would have been questionable whether they’d get out alive.
With the two of them gone, even if someone called the police, it would be difficult to find them.
The people who had lost money resigned themselves to their fate. They knew they weren’t capable enough to do anything about it.
Besides, even if they caught them, they probably wouldn’t dare to get physical. They had no choice but to accept the loss.
"Dad, let’s go. We shouldn’t stay here."
Seeing the time was right, Liang Shuhuo came forward to persuade him.
This wasn’t the time or place to talk. They’d have to wait until they got back.
The commotion over, the three of them left the card room.
Liang Youjun looked at Lin Jiang gratefully. "Young man, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I might have been cheated out of tens of thousands."
Standing nearby, Liang Shuhuo brushed her wind-blown bangs aside, also feeling immense gratitude toward Lin Jiang.
’Now that he’s seen the scam for what it is, I’m sure Dad won’t gamble anymore.’
"It was nothing, just a small matter."
"But you’re really incredible. To have such a high level of skill at your age... if you sat down at a card table, no one could beat you."
"I quit gambling many years ago and swore I’d never touch this stuff again. If it wasn’t to help you see the light, I never would have put on that display in public."
"That makes you even more amazing." Liang Youjun gave him a thumbs-up. "I was just thinking about it. I really am a bit addicted, but you were able to stop. That’s truly admirable."
"I had no choice."
Lin Jiang lifted his shirt and pointed to a scar on his lower abdomen.
"Years ago, I was caught cheating. Got stabbed for it. I was lucky to survive. Otherwise, the grass on my grave would be six feet tall by now."
"What?!"
Both Liang Shuhuo and Liang Youjun jumped in shock. Neither of them had ever imagined Lin Jiang had a past like that.
"Uncle, take my advice: nine out of ten gamblers lose, and the tenth one is a cheater. You should stay away from this stuff from now on."
Seeing the scar on Lin Jiang’s abdomen, the father and daughter felt a chill run down their spines, the hairs on their arms standing on end.
’He was actually stabbed by someone!’
’It’s terrifying just to think about.’
"Alright, I’ll listen to you. I’ll never touch this stuff again," Liang Youjun said earnestly.
"That’s good."
"Well, that’s all in the past now. Sorry you had to see that."
Liang Youjun took out his phone and, while scrolling through his call history, grumbled:
"You’re unbelievable, Shuhe. You bring your boyfriend over and don’t even give us a heads-up? Your mother and I haven’t prepared anything. I’ll call her now and book a restaurant so we can all go out to eat."
"Uh..."
Liang Shuhuo wanted to explain, but she didn’t know what to say.
’The way we are now, we really do look like a couple.’
"Stop!"
Just as Liang Shuhuo was wondering how to explain the situation, Lin Jiang spoke up.
"Uncle, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not her boyfriend."
Liang Shuhuo felt a small pang of disappointment. ’Why is he in such a hurry to explain? What’s the harm in a little misunderstanding? It might even stop them from nagging me about getting married later.’
’And you still expect me to call you ’big brother’? Not a chance in hell!’
"Huh? You’re not my daughter’s boyfriend?"
Lin Jiang nodded and said flippantly:
"Not her boyfriend. I’m her creditor."

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