Guan Lin glanced at Fu Gui and saw that he was ready to go all out. He had dealt the cards himself, so of course he was confident. He chuckled. This scene was exactly what he wanted.
Yu Qiang smiled at him, and Yu Qiang understood. He chuckled and said, "Since Xiao Hu also wants to play a bit, why don't I play too? Everyone can raise the bet on whoever has the better hand, how about that?"
As he spoke, Yu Qiang pushed the 30,000 in front of him toward Guan Lin and said, "30,000, I'll add another bet, is that alright?"
Fu Gui is Guan Lin's rival. As long as neither he nor Guan Lin objects, there will be no problem.
Seeing Zhou Xuan's composure, Fu Gui inexplicably felt calm as well, his heart gradually settling down. At this moment, he felt a sense of foresight and control over the entire situation. This feeling, of course, stemmed from the even more composed Zhou Xuan; the impression Zhou Xuan gave Fu Gui was simply too strong.
Although it had only been a few days, Fu Gui felt that Zhou Xuan had a different temperament from ordinary people. Not to mention anything else, the bonuses of more than 100,000 yuan for everyone on the ship were all brought by Zhou Xuan. Such a scene had never happened before.
Seeing that both Fu Gui and Guan Lin had enough cash in front of them, Fu Bao started to panic. Two of them had placed bets in secret, leaving only him with his cards upfront. Although he was 100% sure of his own cards, if Fu Gui and Guan Lin didn't look at their cards, and given the rule that you can't look at the cards of those who have placed bets in secret, then there was only one way out: he had to gamble with cash.
But now that he's already invested so much, and only has five or six thousand yuan left, he can't invest much more, so he's starting to panic.
Fu Bao immediately said, "Since you have other people raising the stakes, of course I can take it too. Fu Shan, Lao Jiang, are you going to raise or not?"
Old Jiang knew Fu Bao's trump card and immediately said happily, "Okay, okay, I'll add, I'll add another ten thousand."
Because Fu Bao's cards were face up, he wasn't afraid of Fu Shan seeing them. Fu Shan turned around and secretly glanced at Fu Bao's cards, then immediately took his own 20,000 yuan and said, "Okay, I'll add 20,000 yuan too."
Fu Bao continued, "You can raise your bets, but I need to make it clear beforehand. As you know, I'm playing my cards open. If they bet 500, I have to bet 1000. So even if we win, those who bet 10,000 will only get 5,000 in profit, and those who bet 20,000 will only get 10,000. Is that okay?"
Fukuyama and Lao Jiang both chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, why not? We won't blame anyone for winning or losing. If you win, it's just luck; if you lose, it's not your fault either."
Seeing that the two of them said that, Fu Bao immediately nodded, and then asked Fu Gui, "Do you object or not?"
"I don't object. As long as you're willing, you can add as much as you want. It's just for fun, so let's all have a good time together," Fu Gui replied nonchalantly. Guan Lin had received 30,000 yuan in cash from Yu Qiang, so he had 45,000 yuan in his hands, while he only had 30,000 yuan in front of him, which was 15,000 yuan less than Yu Qiang.
Fu Gui said to Fu Shan and the others, "Who among you is willing to raise the bet? Bring in 15,000. If you win, you get double the amount in cash."
However, Fushan and the others looked at each other and were not very willing to raise the bet. Fushan pondered for a moment and said, "Fugui, show me your hole cards and I will decide whether to raise the bet or not." Fushan had already raised the bet on Fubao and had great confidence in his hole cards, so he naturally did not want to raise the bet on someone else's bet.
"No, it's either raise or not, it's all about luck anyway," Fu Gui refused outright. He reasoned that if he showed them his cards before deciding whether to raise, he might make a mistake. If Guan Lin lost and then denied it, saying the cards had been tampered with, it was hard to say. It was best to keep the cards in front of him. These were the cards Guan Lin had given him, and he hadn't touched them at all. If they wanted to cheat, they couldn't.
Fu Shan and his group were thinking that they should either see the hole cards before making a decision, or follow their own ideas. However, they preferred to raise the bet to Guan Lin rather than to Fu Gui, because they trusted Guan Lin more. Usually, Guan Lin and Yu Qiang had a much stronger presence in the gambling scene, and they had been winning money for a long time, which put a lot more psychological pressure on Fu Shan and the others.
Fu Gui smiled faintly and ignored it. He originally wanted Fu Shan and the others to win a little, but they lacked confidence in themselves, which was understandable. If it were him, he would have thought the same way in the past, and would have placed his bets on Guan Lin or Yu Qiang, rather than on himself.
However, he was always short 15,000 yuan in cash. To gamble, he would need the same amount of money as Guan Lin. After thinking for a moment, Fu Gui said to Lao Jiang, "Lao Jiang, lend me 15,000 yuan. If I win, I'll pay you back immediately; if I lose, I'll give it to you when I get back."
Because of the 100,000 yuan bonus this time, there was definitely money to be had, so Lao Jiang wasn't worried. In the past, he definitely wouldn't have dared to lend out such a large sum of money easily, but now he seemed to be somewhat numb to money, as if he had developed a kind of illusion. Now, as long as they went out to sea, they were guaranteed to receive tens of thousands of yuan in bonuses. It didn't matter; 10,000 yuan was not as much as the bonus they received from a single trip to sea.
“Okay, I’ll lend it to you.” Old Jiang immediately counted out 15,000 yuan and gave it to Fugui. The scene became even more lively. They had never seen so much cash before when they played cards. It looked like a small mountain when it was placed in the middle.
Now, facing their final opponent, Guan Lin has 45,000 in cash, Fu Gui has 45,000 in cash, while Fu Bao only has about 35,000. Moreover, he has his cards upside down, so it would be painful for him to keep going until the end. He would have to double his cash. Besides, there are two opponents in the game, and according to the rules, he cannot see the hole cards of the blind bettors. So he can only keep going, and he will suffer if he runs out of money later.
So after Fu Bao called a bet of 1,000 yuan, he frowned. It seemed that Guan Lin and Fu Gui were locked in a battle of wits, neither willing to give in. Even though he was the one with the exposed cards, his partner was still calling. Why weren't they calling their cards? Did they think they had too much money?
Of the group, Zhou Xuan and Fu Gui were the most knowledgeable, Guan Lin and Yu Qiang also thought they knew, while the rest of them all thought Fu Bao's open hand was the strongest and placed bets with Fu Bao, just waiting to win money.
Guan Lin glanced at the troubled Fu Bao, his eyes darting around, and immediately said, "Fu Bao, I see you're having a hard time continuing with your hand open. How about this, I'll make a deal with you. You bet all your money, and I'll gamble with you. If you win, you and Fu Gui can continue. If I win, it's all mine. How about that?"
Fu Bao was in a dilemma, but upon hearing Guan Lin's words, he was overjoyed and said, "Great! I have 35,000 here. You take out another 35,000, and then look at your cards. Whoever wins gets the money."
Guan Lin smiled, first counting out 35,000 and pushing it out, then said, "I've put 30,000 out. If you win, my money goes into the gambling table; if you lose, your money goes into the gambling table. Also, I can't show you my hole cards right away, but I can see yours. How about that? That's my condition."
Fu Bao was taken aback. Although he felt it was a bit unfair, he accepted it after thinking about it. Guan Lin was probably afraid that he would see his cards and reveal his expression. It was normal for him to be worried. Besides, if it weren't for Guan Lin helping him like this, as long as he and Fu Gui kept betting secretly, his money would be tied up. Once the money was gone, he would be dead. In gambling, money is what matters, not face.
“Okay, you can look then,” Fu Bao nodded.
Guan Lin put all his cards together, then picked them up and waved them in front of his eyes before quickly putting them back face down. In reality, he didn't even look at the cards; he could clearly see the Ace of Spades at the bottom with a quick glance.
Zhou Xuan was worried that Guan Lin would be in trouble after seeing his hole cards and realizing he had a pair of Aces. No matter how angry he was, the fact that he had a pair of Aces couldn't be changed, and he wouldn't be able to win the tens of thousands of yuan in front of him. He had left Guan Lin a chance to win. But Guan Lin carelessly pretended to see his hole cards. This was truly a case of "Heaven's sins can be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins cannot be forgiven."
Guan Lin chuckled as he took the cards Fu Bao handed him and examined them. He knew Fu Bao's cards were three eights, but he still looked at them carefully before smiling and putting them into the discard pile. He said, "Not bad, but just a tiny bit weaker than mine."
Guan Lin's actions immediately startled Fu Bao, Fu Shan, and Lao Jiang. Fu Bao even hurriedly took out his trump card from the discard pile and said urgently, "Guan Lin, are you sure you didn't see it wrong? What is my trump card? Are you sure you saw it clearly?"
Guan Lin said, "Of course I saw it clearly. Don't worry, if there's a mistake, I'll take full responsibility. We both understand this rule."
Upon hearing Guan Lin's words, Fu Bao, Fu Shan, and Lao Jiang immediately felt utterly dejected. It was highly unlikely that Guan Lin would make a mistake; they had gambled quite a bit in the past, and the amount of money they had lost this time was simply unbelievable. Their hearts sank to the ground.
Guan Lin chuckled, ignoring the others, and then said to Fu Gui, "Fu Gui, you have 45,000 in front of you, and I have 45,000 in front of me. It doesn't matter whether we put it down in hundreds or all at once. The key is whether you and I will play that much. I think we should just go all in. There's no need to see each other's cards anymore. We'll just put all the money in and then reveal the cards. Whoever wins gets the money. What do you say?"
Fu Gui gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, let's go for it. I haven't seen your cards, but you have. I'll only bet half the money, okay? If you agree, we'll play; if not, I won't play my cards. I'll fight you to the bitter end. I think you're a bluffer, and I'm not going to play my cards even if it kills me."
Upon hearing Fu Gui's words, Guan Lin frowned. He knew that Fu Gui's hole cards were three Kings, and no one would play with such a hand. But Fu Gui was surprisingly sharp and had caught him out by revealing that he had already seen the cards. This way, he would still have over 22,000 left out of the 45,000, leaving him a lifeline. However, upon further reflection, Guan Lin thought, "Fine, if we lose this round, only Fu Gui will have over 20,000 left. The others will be left with nothing. Our momentum will be gone. If Fu Gui continues to gamble, he will inevitably lose the 25,000 as well."
After a few thoughts raced through his mind, Guan Lin immediately said, "Okay, it's your way. I'll put all my money in, and you put in half. Let's flip the cards."
Sweat beaded on Fu Gui's nose; he was getting nervous, but he tried to remain calm. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I haven't seen this trump card anyway, so why don't you just reveal it for me? Live or die, it'll be quick."
Guan Lin chuckled, "Alright, I'll help you reveal your cards." He then reached out and flipped Fu Gui's cards over. Upon seeing them, Fu Bao, Fu Shan, and Lao Jiang all exclaimed in surprise, "Oh!"
Fu Shan and Lao Jiang, holding "three kings," were immediately filled with regret. Fu Gui had clearly told them to raise, but they refused, insisting on raising against Fu Bao's hand. Now they were truly doomed. Even if they hadn't lost to Guan Lin, losing to Fu Gui was certain; they couldn't escape this ultimate fate.
Guan Lin chuckled and said, "Three Kings! Fu Gui, you're really something! To get such a strong hand through a blind bet is practically a god-tier hand. If I didn't get three Aces, I'd be doomed. But I guess I would have been doomed anyway; three Aces are so hard to get."
Listening to Guan Lin speak so solemnly, Fu Gui became increasingly nervous. Although he truly trusted Zhou Xuan, it was impossible not to be nervous at this point.
Fu Gui was certain that Guan Lin and Yu Qiang were cheating. Only someone who knew they were sure to win would remain so calm and composed. There was nearly 200,000 yuan in cash in the middle of the cards. With such a large sum of money, none of them could stay calm.
Guan Lin chuckled and turned over his cards. The three cards were stacked together, with the Ace of Spades on top.
"It really is an A!"
Fu Bao, Fu Shan, Lao Jiang, and the others exclaimed in surprise. An Ace had indeed appeared in the hole cards! This was truly something to see!