"Why wouldn't I dare?!" Mad Dog pushed all the chips in front of him forward. "No need to count. If these chips aren't enough for 25 million, I'll add the rest. Miss Guan, dare to play a round with me?"
Guan Yi smiled and said to the waiter beside him, "Just put the largest bet of 25 million on the table. I'll play along!"
At this, everyone in the VIP room changed color.
That's a bet of 25 million! Even in Las Vegas, such high-stakes bets are not common.
Chen Xu chuckled and said, "You two are really generous. Forget it, I won't go for it. Looks like I'm not destined for that!"
The casino chips ranged from a minimum of ten dollars to a maximum of five million dollars. Looking at the five gleaming purple chips in front of him, the waiter couldn't help but swallow hard—one of them was worth five million dollars!
"Let's reveal the cards, Ms. Guan. Would you like to raise?"
Guan Yi paused for a moment, then said, "Mr. Dong, we're just playing around, why get so worked up? To be honest, I'm quite satisfied with my hand. If you want to raise, Mr. Dong, I'll be happy to play however much you want. I just don't know how much you're willing to raise."
This statement is quite subtle, but it exudes an overwhelming sense of dominance.
The implication is that I have far more funds at my disposal than you do. If you want to increase your investment, I'm happy to oblige. You can increase it to your maximum limit; it's just a matter of a word to me.
Let's see if you dare to add it!
No one could find fault with what she said. Even the casino managers couldn't help but nod in approval: "As expected of the young lady, she spoke so tactfully."
A butler holds a position of considerable influence in North American high society, and indeed, in high society worldwide. The four-leaf clover crest commands respect. As the family heir, Guan Yi, while daring to say anything else, could easily lose the entire casino with a single word. Therefore, speaking too humbly would be beneath her dignity as a butler, while speaking too arrogantly would appear abusive—if Guan Yi were to add a billion or even a hundred billion dollars, even if Mad Dog wanted to bet, where would he get that kind of money?
If an ordinary person heard Guan Yi say this, even if they held a pair of double-treasures (in Pai Gow, of course), they would understand. But this guy's nickname was Mad Dog, so he couldn't be judged by ordinary standards. He chuckled, "Of course, the Guan family is wealthy and powerful, and Miss Guan is the future successor, so she can naturally mobilize a lot of funds. Well then, I'll raise the bet!"
When the words "I'm raising the stakes" were uttered, everyone in the room thought this mad dog had truly gone insane!
They've already said that, so your attitude is just ungrateful!
Although Guan Yi was practically bursting with laughter inside, he showed a slight expression of displeasure on the surface... Seeing this, Chen Xu couldn't help but cheer inwardly!
If this woman went to Hollywood, there wouldn't be any need for any of those divas!
As the heir to the family's household, she treated the other party with utmost courtesy, only to be met with ungratefulness. This left her somewhat annoyed but unable to express it... Guan Yi portrayed this character flawlessly, without revealing a single weakness!
Mad Dog chuckled: "My nickname is Mad Dog, so naturally I'll do some mad dog things. Miss Guan, let's not beat around the bush. There are a few things I've been holding back for a long time, so I'll say them right here and now. If you're unhappy with that, you can kick me out!"
Guan Yi said expressionlessly, "Okay, go ahead."
"Hmph, everyone knows my reputation as Mad Dog. And you all know why I've managed to stay in North America this long, so let's be frank. Yes, my old man's goal was to have me here, hoping that one day, through some ancestral good deed, I, Mad Dog, could win the favor of the housekeeper's daughter. And for this one almost—bah! What an almost! For this impossible task—I'm stuck here. To be honest, I really dislike you! Because of you, everyone thinks I'm a gigolo, and I hate being a gigolo the most!"
"So!" Mad Dog slammed his hand on the chair and said, "Today I'm going to let everyone know that no matter how rich you, Miss Guan, are, or how powerful your Guan family is, it's none of my business. Aren't there many people clamoring that the day you get engaged, Miss Guan, will be the day of my death, Mad Dog? Fine, you can stop waiting. I'm putting this out there today: even if you, Guan Yi, are willing to pay me, I won't... Of course, Miss Guan, please don't be angry; I'm just giving you an example. Anyone who wants to see Mad Dog make a fool of himself, come on! I'm going all out today; I'm betting everything I have. Go and calculate how much I have in North America right now; I'm betting it all!"
The VIP room was eerily quiet, and many people were thinking to themselves, "This is a real mad dog!"
Who would dare say such a thing in front of the young lady who is the housekeeper?
Guan Yi knew he wasn't actually targeting her, but the words still sounded very unpleasant, so her face was as cold as ice as she said, "Go investigate Mr. Dong's businesses, seal the license, and draft a contract."
Upon hearing Guan Yi's words, the managers immediately got to work.
A waiter immediately brought a silver cover and covered the card, while the others went to calculate the mad dog's assets.
Mad Dog sat there leisurely, smoking a cigar, drinking fine wine, and flirting with the beautiful woman next to him, but the woman's expression had already changed—she was just a socialite, and what if the housekeeper's daughter took her anger out on her...
The butler was quick; just ten minutes later, someone reported, "Mr. Dong Qinghong currently owns two villas, three sports cars, and a bar under his management in North America..." Guan Yi interrupted him halfway through, "Just give me the numbers!"
Everyone could tell that Miss Guan was in a bad mood!
The staff member immediately gave a figure: "That comes to over 160 million US dollars."
Has the contract been drafted?
"It's drafted, all that's missing is the specific amount."
“Let’s say it’s 175 million, plus 25 million, that makes 200 million.” Guan Yi took out his checkbook and wrote down the numbers: “Mr. Dong, would you like to check this?”
“Of course not,” Mad Dog laughed. “With the butler’s wealth, what is a mere two hundred million US dollars? I would never doubt the butler’s credibility.”
"Then sign it!" Guan Yi sneered. "You'll pay the price!"
Her threat was utterly insignificant to Mad Dog, as it was simply a matter of the housekeeper saving face. But to come up with two hundred million dollars just for the sake of saving face... Hmph, this woman is indeed all looks and no brains!
"Let's open the cards!" Guan Yi sneered after Mad Dog signed the contract.
Mad Dog revealed his trump card—the King of Spades!
"Hahahaha!" Mad Dog was extremely smug: "I have a pair of Kings and a spade! Your highest hole card is a King, but it can't beat mine!"
"Sigh..." A soft sigh rang out, it was Chen Xu who had been curled up on the sofa and was almost forgotten by everyone.
Chen Xu walked up to Guan Yi with a smile and took her hand. Guan Yi smiled back at him.
"Why is it so old-fashioned? Every time the poor supporting characters reveal their cards first, why don't they look at the other side's cards before they start to feel smug? Sigh, does the director always have to use this kind of trick to create the final climax?" Chen Xu smiled in a way that was quite irritating: "I hope you don't start by screaming hysterically, 'You cheated! You cheated!'"
A sudden sense of foreboding arose in the mad dog's heart.
Did I lose?!
If he hadn't lost, they would have seen his hand, so why does he still have that expression?!
But how could I possibly lose?
At this moment, Chen Xu grabbed the bottom card on the table and slammed it onto the table!
Ace of Hearts!
Mad Dog's hand is a pair of Kings, Ace, Jack, and 7!
Guan Yi's hand consists of a pair of Aces, King, Jack, and 5!
Both sides have a pair, but Guan Yi's pair is bigger, so Guan Yi wins!
Chapter 353 Goodbye to "Smart Drugs"
"You're cheating! You're cheating!" Mad Dog was stunned for a long time before finally shouting hysterically!
Chen Xu snorted dismissively, "Sigh, still so vulgar."
There's no way around it; everyone cries like that when they suddenly fall from the highest point to the lowest point. It's human nature. This mad dog may be a bit crazy, but it's still a human being!
"Mr. Dong, please watch your words! You are questioning the credibility of our housekeeper!" Before Guan Yi could even speak, the supervisor beside him reprimanded him.
In the West, reputation is extremely important, even above all else. A company without a good reputation will not get a loan from a bank, and if someone's phone bill is overdue for a long time or is not paid, they may not even be able to fly in the future.
Casinos, in particular, value their reputation! If a casino cheats, its reputation is completely ruined, and no one will patronize a casino with no integrity!
But Mad Dog was on the verge of collapse at this point, yelling incessantly, "You cheated! You definitely cheated! That hole card couldn't possibly have been an Ace! You could never have known you'd get an Ace as your last card!"
"Ignorant people!" Chen Xu sighed softly, looking compassionate, and stood next to the dealer, reaching out to touch the bottom card: "5 of spades".
Then he laid his cards out.
Normally, gamblers aren't allowed to draw cards like that, but since the game is over, it doesn't matter. When people saw that the card was indeed the five of spades, they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Eh!"
How many cards have been played by now?
He actually remembers the cards?
"3 of Hearts".
"7 of Hearts".
"Q the square".
"Plum Blossom 5".
"4 of Spades".
"..."
"..."
To everyone's astonishment, Chen Xu casually picked up a card, announced its value, and then laid it out on the table. His words were unhurried, but everyone was dumbfounded…
What a terrifying memory!
This hand of cards has been going on for a long time, yet he still remembers what cards are coming next? And he hasn't made a single mistake!
Is that a human brain or a computer?
Hmm... that guess was right, it's a computer, but a supercomputer!
When Chen Xu threw down the twentieth card, Mad Dog finally couldn't help but bark: "How is this possible? How is this possible?! How could you possibly have such a powerful memory? Even I! Even if I took drugs, I couldn't have such a powerful memory!"
"Take medicine?!" Chen Xu was stunned and stopped what he was doing. He saw the mad dog's eyes roll back, and it held its head and yelled "Ah ah" a few times. Then it took out a box from its pocket, poured out two pills and put them directly into its mouth!
"Wait!" Chen Xu swiftly reached out and grabbed the wrist of the mad dog's hand that was holding the medicine! Chen Xu was incredibly strong; how could this mad dog possibly compare to him? With a single pull from Chen Xu, the medicine bottle fell to the ground!
Chen Xu took it and looked at it. There was nothing written on the medicine bottle, but...
Chen Xu was very familiar with the mad dog's current state!
Those kids under Dr. Li's command, and Jimmy, those... kids who took "smart drugs," this is what happened after they were stimulated!
This is because of a side effect of drugs that stimulate human intelligence—most of these "smart drugs" can put the human brain into a "mystical" state for a certain period of time, in which a person can easily enter a state of "meticulous thinking." Because, in truth, the biggest obstacle to human thought is not intelligence, but rather the chaotic thoughts—what Buddhists call "inner demons."
As mentioned before, many mysterious and fantastical things that many people now regard as fantasy are actually all around us and closely related to us.
When preparing to seriously engage in something, many people encounter a state of mental clutter, with all sorts of random and chaotic thoughts. These are actually a kind of inner demon. Some difficult things, the more you try to think about them, the more anxious and restless you become.
One method used by "smart drugs" to enhance intelligence is to induce a state of deep concentration. In this state, people can focus much more intently on thinking than usual, and are largely undisturbed by external stimuli. This greatly improves brain efficiency. When learning new things, the memorization of knowledge becomes significantly more efficient—because the calm state naturally enhances learning, which is also a manifestation of "intelligence."
However, there are also side effects!
Aside from the chronic damage this drug causes to the human brain, the biggest side effect is that once the drug's effects wear off, a person will fall into a greater state of anxiety—or, to put it another way, the previous inner demons are suppressed, but only suppressed, not eliminated. Once this externally forced "meditative" state passes, the inner demons will launch a more powerful counterattack.
This can be considered a rule.
In addition, it can also lead to a certain state.
The effects of medication are ultimately limited, and the "meditative" state induced by medication is not necessarily invincible against inner demons; rather, it has a limit. Once a person's inner demons become strong enough—well, that sounds a bit mystical—in simpler terms, once they are stimulated by external factors while in this "meditative" state, causing them to become agitated, doubt the medication, or feel remorse—then this "meditative" state is easily broken, and the brain falls into a chaotic thought process. The outward manifestation of this is… a headache.
Seeing the mad dog's condition, Chen Xu had already guessed most of what was going on. He poured a pill out of the bottle, smelled it, and then licked it with the tip of his tongue. Xiao Min had already concluded that this was a kind of smart drug, but it was even more advanced than the one Dr. Li had developed before!
Smart drugs...
The appearance of such a thing is not a good omen.
Chen Xu remembered that Dr. Li had just developed this drug and hadn't conducted detailed experiments yet, but Dr. Li had the relevant information. The organization behind Dr. Li—PRO, the top research institution under Tarot—also had a copy!
Could this mad dog be connected to the Tarot organization? Otherwise, how could it have obtained this kind of drug?