Chapter 841: The Trap of the Sober, the Graveyard of the Fool
"Hey, hey, hey, why are you all leaving—"
He Ziye, who had been playing in the group with the two of them, shouted with some dissatisfaction.
Zheng Ji, however, was a very decisive person; once he said he was quitting, he immediately had the staff nearby start collecting the chips on his table, preparing to withdraw from the gambling game.
Perhaps out of consideration for his relationship with the other three parties, before he left, he still offered a very tactful reminder: "It's only the first day, there's no need to get so carried away. There will be opportunities to play tomorrow; there's no rush to do it all right now."
However, his hints ultimately could not stop the others.
He Ziye watched Zheng Ji leave, his arm around a young woman while he stroked his chin with his other hand; although he had sensed something, he decided to see the excitement through to the end.
Dong Huai, who finally recognized how formidable Xiao He was, had become excited and began urging others to find new players to join the game and fill the gaps.
Although Texas Hold'em could still be played with four people, it was obviously not as interesting; it was much more fun with more people.
Therefore, Dong Huai was not very concerned about whether other players stayed or left; he just hoped to start the next round quickly.
Bao Wenqi, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and sized up the chips in front of Xiao He, wondering in his mind how many business deals those chips would be worth if converted into money.
If he could use that much money to exchange for a spot for a Lucky Charm, it {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} would definitely be worth it.
At that moment, Bao Wenqi even felt a faint sense of regret.
But afterwards, he looked at the enthusiastic Dong Huai and had a new idea.
In any case, Xiao He would remain at the gambling table, so they still had a chance.
Gambling always involved winning and losing; don't look at his current glory—going bankrupt in one fell swoop was only a matter of time.
In the next few rounds, he could continue to raise the stakes; Xiao He couldn't guarantee that he would always have such good luck.
Perhaps the next time Xiao He went all-in, they would have a chance to take all of Xiao He's chips—
Thus, the few people sitting there did not take the departure of Joyce and Zheng Ji to heart.
They didn't even realize that the gambling game just now was actually a trap set by Xiao He for the clear-headed.
The smart people had already seen the final outcome and had hastily withdrawn from the fray, while those who remained were either fools or fools who thought themselves clear-headed and smart, which made it even easier for him to manipulate the subsequent gambling.
He had driven away those who knew how to play and calculate.
Now, he wouldn't be polite—
Thus, everything settled; some left dejectedly, others took their seats one after another, and the area around the gambling table grew quiet once more.
Xiao He sat upright in his original position, with the posture of a big boss; his manner was lazy but his aura was intimidating. While crossing his legs, he slowly scanned the three newly found gamblers, his lips curling slightly upward.
Very good, the newcomers were either gambling addicts or drug addicts.
These were all guys with muddled brains, so the upcoming gambling game could truly be manipulated however he pleased.
The young man leaned slightly forward, his back straight, his elbows resting on the edge of the gambling table, fingers interlaced to support his chin. The warm light from the hall ceiling hid his face in light and shadow, setting off his calm demeanor that commanded respect without anger, a posture of a mastermind already in control of the whole situation, causing even the surrounding noise to disperse around him.
Before anyone knew it, the eyes of the whole room had fallen upon him.
It was as if this big star, who had countless fans in the entertainment industry, remained that radiant, shining superstar even when he came to this obscure, dark underworld.
Only, at this moment, for these people, that no longer symbolized gentleness, kindness, or approachability.
It was a giant shark baring its fangs beneath the undercurrents.
Even the dealer timidly raised their eyes and turned slightly towards Xiao He, treating Xiao He entirely as the official initiator of this gambling game.
—The several full boxes of chips at Xiao He's side were indeed enough to prove his ability, making him fully qualified to issue commands.
A moment later, the young man, watched by everyone, only scanned them coldly, then raised his hand to look at his watch, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable weight: "Next round, start it quickly; I'm in a hurry."
...
On the other side, Liu Rulan, Tong Junhui, and the others had just learned that the items lost by the Japanese had been successfully recovered by security personnel, and then they heard that the Japanese and Shipping Tycoon Bao Xingsheng had a fierce argument and parted on bad terms.
Originally, they had been very worried that the security personnel might have found the box in the Program Group's prop case, which might have implicated the Program Group, but it turned out the items were recovered from the casino.
There had been so many twists and turns in one go.
The group's emotions had been on a roller coaster, and their hearts could barely take it.
But fortunately, they quickly composed themselves and immediately integrated the current situation.
"This must have been done by that brat Xiao He."
Liu Rulan patted her chest, speaking as if she had survived a disaster, "Although I don't know how he managed it, there probably won't be any problems."
The only person capable of such a move must be Xiao He.
This was also good; the security personnel stopped searching the cruise ship, so they wouldn't further screen for suspicious individuals.
As for what was actually in the recovered box, Liu Rulan also believed that it definitely wasn't what those people wanted.
Well, she, as an Agent, was actually a bit blindly admiring of Xiao He.
She just believed that Xiao He could accomplish this.
But at the same time, she couldn't help but complain: "This kid didn't even give us a heads-up; I almost thought our plan was going to fall through at the last minute."
"And where is he? He pulled off such a big job so quietly, yet now he's nowhere to be found—this is too much!"
Liu Rulan complained, crossing her arms.
At this moment, their group had returned to the third deck. Since this deck connected downwards to the cruise ship's internal small commercial city, their current location was also considered the most prime area of the entire cruise ship.
They had originally planned to go have dinner first.
As a result, they were given another round of scares.
Tong Junhui did not forget to remind Officer Cheng Bei, who was still undercover, but the message he sent did not receive a reply.
"Has Officer Cheng been notified?"
Seeing Tong Junhui's actions, Shu Han also asked in a low voice.
However, Tong Junhui only shook his head: "Ever since he gave the items to you all, I haven't been able to reach him."
The identity of a bodyguard made it inconvenient to constantly take out a phone to check, so they rarely interacted via messages. Now that he had suddenly lost contact, they couldn't be sure what was going on.
"Since Xiao He has already bluffed his way through the screening, Officer Cheng should be safe for the time being. He might be investigating something else and is temporarily tied up."
Liu Rulan also said.
"Then should we go eat first?"
Shu Han asked.
They certainly couldn't be like Xiao He, an iron man who didn't get hungry. After being busy for so long, they were now starving and barely holding on.
Thus, the others agreed and went together to the most famous five-star restaurant on the cruise ship.
And entering the restaurant right after them were Xin Yiran and the others, who had just come out of the Feng Shui shop.
Seeing Shu Han, Xin Yiran immediately greeted him: "Brother Shu Han! Why are you all here to eat at this time, too? By the way, where is Brother Xiao? He separated from us earlier, and I thought he was coming to find you all."
Shu Han, who had been called out, was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and immediately asked: "Did you see Xiao He just now?"