boyutpedia 44. God of Gamblers
44. God of Gamblers
Zhang Renyong's "bald head" feng shui technique did have some effect; apart from Li Xiang winning, everyone else's luck wasn't very good.
That includes himself.
"Spades, spades..." Zhang Renyong muttered to himself while looking at his hole card. To his surprise, he got exactly what he wanted—it really was a spade.
"Flush! This time we can make up for all the losses we had in the previous game."
When it was Li Xiang's turn to speak, he immediately folded his card, saying, "I'm not calling."
"He didn't follow either of the two Ks, so there's even less reason for me to follow."
"I won't follow."
"Something's not right today. Since there's a guiding light, I'm not going to follow it."
"Baldy, we're all quitting. I'll let you win this round by cheating. Let's see who's the cards."
Zhang Renyong had finally managed to snag a big prize, but Li Xiang led the way and everyone ran off. He stood up, glared at Li Xiang, the culprit, and demanded, "Why didn't you follow?"
"You always manage to run away when there are big names involved; you're cheating, aren't you?!"
Wherever there's a spectacle, there are always onlookers. As soon as Zhang Renyong got angry, he immediately attracted a large crowd.
"What cards do you have?" A gambler, unable to resist, revealed Zhang Renyong's cards. "It really is a flush. No wonder you're so angry."
"Just lucky." Li Xiang maintained his smile, tossed two chips to the dealer, stood up and said, "The point of going out to play is to have fun. I've already won quite a bit today, you guys continue."
Zhang Renyong persisted, "You can't leave. We haven't explained things clearly yet."
"Baldy, if you can't handle losing, don't play. You have the cards in your hand. How could he see them from that angle? You've been watching too many movies. Do you suspect he's wearing those 'God of Gamblers' LCD glasses?"
"Your expression is too obvious. You can't hide what cards you've drawn on your face. You don't even try to pretend. I can't just let you lose, can I?" Li Xiang explained and then left.
Casino security personnel had already arrived but did not stop them.
"I could tell."
"Micro-expressions? Like something out of 'The Mind Detective'! Does this mean we'll have to wear masks when playing cards from now on?"
"It can't be that far-fetched, right? The bald man's expression is quite obvious."
Zhang Renyong ignored the surrounding chatter, his eyes fixed only on Li Xiang's receding figure as he weaved through the crowd.
For a fleeting moment, I seemed to see Chow Yun-fat.
"The God of Gamblers!"
-
Li Xiang had long ago discovered that his deskmate, the "bald guy," was Zhang Baizhi's father. It was 2006, and Zhang Baizhi seemed to have already gotten married.
The commotion caused by the casino's attack on Huili Casino prompted Li Xiang to consider switching to another one. Before he could even return all his chips, Zhang Renyong unexpectedly chased after him.
"God of Gamblers"
"Are you calling me?" Li Xiang was a little confused.
Zhang Renyong said cleanly and directly, "I want to become your apprentice. Can you teach me mind-reading? I'm willing to pay any price."
After the money arrived in his account, Li Xiang put away his bank card and prepared to leave.
"I can't read minds."
"You just said you figured it out from my expression," Zhang Renyong recalled and corrected himself, "micro-expressions."
"I've seen 'The Mind Reader,' so I know about this stuff. Look at my expression; I'm not lying. I really want to become your apprentice!"
As Li Xiang walked, he said, "Speak slower, I can't understand Cantonese if you speak too fast."
Zhang Renyong quickly replied, "I speak Mandarin."
Li Xiang: "Speak Mandarin slower, I won't understand if you speak too fast."
Zhang Renyong gave an awkward smile and followed Li Xiang closely.
"What's your name?"
Zhang Renyong said, enunciating each word clearly: "Zhang Renyong, Little Zhang."
"It's not appropriate for me to call you Little Zhang at your age," Li Xiang said, introducing himself. "Li Xiang, Li as in 'Li of wood,' and Xiang as in 'bandit.'"
"Brother Xiang." Zhang Renyong was slightly taken aback, as he didn't know what "Xiangma" meant.
Li Xiang replied dismissively, "Give me your phone number, we'll contact you later. I have other things to take care of."
"What's the matter? Do you need any help?" Zhang Renyong boasted, "I know all the ways in Hong Kong and Macau. There's no one I don't know. As long as you're willing to take me as your apprentice, I can get anything done for you."
Li Xiang deliberately asked, "Do you know anyone in the GG (boyfriend/girlfriend) circle?"
"I know him." Zhang Renyong breathed a sigh of relief; he really could handle this.
Li Xiang revealed his request: "I have established a GG company in Russia and want to find an experienced GG director from Hong Kong."
"Leave it to me," Zhang Renyong asked eagerly. "And what about my apprenticeship?"
Zhang Renyong's phone rang, and Li Xiang gestured for him to answer it first.
"What's up? Macau, I didn't lose, I'm on a winning streak. I'll pay you back as soon as I get back, I definitely will, this round's and the ones I owed before, I'll pay you back all at once. I met an old friend here and we're having dinner, I'll hang up now." Although Zhang Renyong was hiding to the side to answer the phone, his voice was loud enough for everyone around him to hear.
"Tight on cash?" Li Xiang promised, "If the director introduction goes through, I'll give you a referral fee."
Zhang Renyong was a little embarrassed and scratched his head. "I can't solve this debt with the referral fee. I still want to learn mind-reading from you."
Li Xiang said, "Micro-expressions aren't easy to learn; they can't be explained in just a few words. Are you busy tonight? If not, let's talk at the hotel."
Feeling uneasy, Zhang Renyong said slyly, "It's still early, let's go to the casino and play a few more rounds, let me see what it's like."
Li Xiang complained, "If it weren't for you, would I have been able to get out here?"
Zhang Renyong chuckled: "Let's go to another one."
Li Xiang went with the flow. Since Zhang Renyong already regarded him as a gambling god, he deliberately reinforced this stereotype by taking Zhang Renyong to the Jindu Casino next door for a while.
He won over 50,000 yuan, and gave half of it to Zhang Renyong as a kickback for introducing the director.
-
hotel.
Li Xiang and Zhang Renyong chatted while drinking, and the two had already become quite familiar with each other.
"Brother Yong, you're not going to get rich. Don't rush, listen to what I have to say."
"You've been out in the world since you were a kid, you haven't had much schooling, and you've forgotten most of it. Do you think you can make it in an honest profession?"
"Making a living on the side? The less noticeable you are, the safer you are. Your daughter is a celebrity; the police are watching you every day. Where can you run?"
"If you stay in Hong Kong, this is your life, there's no future for you."
Zhang Renyong said, "That's why I want to learn mind reading from you. Once I learn it, I'll have a skill to protect myself."
Li Xiang waved his hand and said, "You can't get rich by gambling. Do you dare to win too much? If the casino thinks you're involved, they won't need any evidence; they'll just blacklist you. They also have industry lists; if they blacklist one, you can't go anywhere else."
"I just happened to be passing through Haojiang and decided to stop by for a visit."
Zhang Renyong: "You just don't want to teach me."
"I forgot," Li Xiang said, slapping his forehead as if he were drunk. "I forgot about the important matter. I'll go make a call."
Li Xiang put his phone on silent, hid to the side, and pretended to call Fan Bingbing.
"Bingbing, what's your thought about GG? Don't always make me talk to Huayi Brothers. Their offer is too high, and my budget isn't enough. Can we discuss this further as friends...?"
Although Zhang Renyong didn't dare to get close, he pricked up his ears and eavesdropped.
Did you and Fan Bingbing not reach an agreement?
If Fan Bingbing doesn't want to take the bet, Xiao Zhi can. It's okay to charge less. Learning gambling skills is more important than anything else. If you can really master it, you'll be rich!