"It doesn't matter, it's the last round anyway."
Li Wenjing smiled calmly: "In my life, I have never liked to give up halfway through anything I do. A game of cards is like life, and you can't give up halfway through either."
A glint gradually appeared in his gentle eyes as he looked directly at the other person and slowly said, "It's just the last round anyway. Have you thought it through? Are you going to place your bet or not?"
The sleazy man's expression immediately changed. He gritted his teeth, carefully weighed the situation for a moment, and finally folded his cards! He sighed and shook his head helplessly: "Fine! I give up! I was 50% sure you were bluffing this round! But... I didn't dare to gamble! Hehe! You're right, cards are like life, so there's no need to bet everything in one hand. As long as you have capital, you can always make a comeback! I'll admit defeat this round and back down. At least I still have some capital left, so I won't be afraid of not having a chance to win back my losses in the future."
He paused, took a deep breath, and looked at Li Wenjing: "I'm not going!"
He was originally a sleazy-looking man, but when he spoke these words, he spoke eloquently, and his whole demeanor changed, revealing a hint of extraordinary charisma.
Li Wenjing was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Well said."
He was also a very easygoing person, casually slamming the cards down. Then he smiled at the dealer standing to the side and said, "Alright, settle the accounts and transfer everything to my account."
As he spoke, he stood up, slowly walked to the liquor cabinet in the room, poured himself a glass of wine, turned around, looked at Sato, frowned slightly, and said softly, "You... sigh. You sneaked out to find me again this time, didn't you?"
"I..." Sato hesitated, clutching the hem of his clothes, but finally raised his head and stammered, "I... I was afraid you wouldn't have any money if you lost, so... I brought you some gambling money..."
Li Wenjing chuckled at the lame excuse, walked over, and gently tapped Sato's nose: "Little girl, when have you ever seen me lose at cards?"
Sato's pretty face flushed red, but she was too embarrassed to utter a single word.
The sleazy-looking middle-aged man sat there scratching his head, his eyes fixed on the card Li Wenjing had covered, hesitating for a long time. Suddenly, he couldn't help but say, "Hey! Mr. Li, I've already conceded this hand, and the game is over. Can you tell me... what your hole card is? I've already lost, so at least tell me so I can die knowing why."
Li Wenjing chuckled, then shook his head: "That won't do. Since you didn't call, I can't let you see my hole cards... If you want to see my hole cards next time, you'll have to pay to see them. At the gambling table, the rules are the rules."
Just as the dealer was about to clear the card table, this sleazy-looking middle-aged man suddenly shouted, "Wait!"
The dealer paused for a moment, then looked at the man with difficulty: "I'm sorry... you see, the game is over, you can't..."
"Pah! You think I'd go back on my word? Do you think I don't know the rules of the game? I..." The sleazy old man thought for a moment, then continued, "You can collect it later. I just want to think it over carefully... to count the cards... this guy... was he cheating me just now...?"
"Whatever. You're free to sit here for as long as you want," Li Wenjing laughed.
"You...you're leaving already?" Sato suddenly looked disappointed.
"Hmm..." Li Wenjing sighed, "I've arranged for a helicopter to pick me up from the ship..."
But then he saw the girl's disappointed expression. Li Wenjing's heart softened, and he said gently, "The plane won't arrive for another hour... Hehe, I don't know what's wrong with today, the ship's helipad is very busy. My plane won't arrive for another hour." Sato's face immediately regained some of its cheerful smile: "That's right! Your friend just left by helicopter, right? And just an hour ago, Master Takeuchi also left by helicopter from the ship..."
"Oh, old man Takeuchi is here too?" Li Wenjing was slightly surprised.
"Yes, Master Fan has already left. It is said that... there are some things in Japan that he needs to go back to deal with immediately, so he can't travel slowly with the ship." Sato smiled lightly, but then stuck out his tongue: "It's a good thing he left, otherwise, if he had stayed on the ship, I wouldn't have dared to come looking for you."
Li Wenjing pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned his gaze to Chen Xiao, who had been standing at the door: "Is this your new personal attendant? I've never seen him before."
“I am Chinese.” Chen Xiao looked at the other person and said, “I wouldn’t say I’m her close attendant… well, if I had to say, I’d say I’m a bodyguard.”
Li Wenjing seemed somewhat surprised as well: "Bodyguard?"
He seemed to frown slightly: "Did you run into some problem? Given your status, why would they agree to hire a Chinese bodyguard for you?"
Sato seemed to hesitate for a moment, then shook his head after a brief silence: "It's nothing."
Since she wouldn't say, Li Wenjing didn't press the matter further, but turned to look at the lewd-looking man: "Friend, haven't you had enough yet?"
The sleazy-looking middle-aged man was lying on the table, staring intently at the card Li Wenjing had left behind, his eyes fixed on it as if he wanted to see right through it...
Hearing Li Wenjing's words, he reluctantly turned around: "Ah...ah? Hmm, I'll watch a little longer, just a little longer...just a little while. Sigh...what exactly is your trump card..."
At that very moment, suddenly, everyone in the room felt a violent tremor beneath their feet!
The shaking happened suddenly, without any warning!
Sato lost her balance and stumbled, but fortunately Li Wenjing caught her. Chen Xiao, however, heard a faint, indistinct humming or vibrating sound coming from the distance of the ship…
It looked like... an explosion?
Faintly, a dull creaking sound could also be heard...
Inside the room, Li Wenjing's expression suddenly changed!
Suddenly, the sleazy-looking middle-aged man jumped up from beside the table. His expression turned strangely, and he darted to the edge of the room. He pulled open the curtains, revealing a large window behind them. The sleazy-looking man glanced outside, and when he turned back, his expression was incredibly bizarre.
"The ship has stopped!?"
Everyone in the room was startled. Li Wenjing frowned: "It's stopped?"
"Could it be a routine maintenance stop? Or is there another ship docked here...?"
"Absolutely impossible!" The sleazy-looking middle-aged man shook his head firmly!
He quickly ran to the side and put on a coat that was hanging on the clothes rack.
"Why is it impossible?" Chen Xiao also began to have some doubts.
“Because…” the lewd man suddenly gave a bitter laugh, then said in a deep voice, “I am the captain of this ship! Without my order, no one dares to stop the ship!”
Chapter 143 [The Captain]
captain?
This middle-aged man with a sleazy appearance might be more accurately described as a pimp in the sex industry or a director of adult films...
Captain? The captain of the Victoria, the world's seventh-largest luxury cruise ship?
Seeing the surprised looks on Chen Xiao and the other young people's faces, the sleazy-looking middle-aged man chuckled awkwardly: "What? Don't I look like a captain?"