"I heard she's quite spirited, and Sweet Sister has confessed everything, yo!"

"GIGGLE, GIGGLE, GIGGLE..."

Zhao Shengnan covered her mouth, laughing until she was shaking like a blossom in the wind.

Goodness, you guys really have no reservations!

Han Lie beat a hasty retreat, feeling that these two girls didn't seem like good people.

At the card table, he chatted briefly with everyone and met two newcomers—astonishingly, they were freshmen, smoking cigarettes and looking more seasoned than the old hands.

One of them, face full of defiance, complained haughtily, "What's with this shitty service in Magic Capital's suites? I have a yearly-rented suite at our family's five-star hotel, where I can ask a waiter to find me a girl to have some fun with, and within 5 minutes, they bring me 10 to choose from! Damn!"

That boast might not be mere bluster; it could very well be the truth.

The privately-run business colleges in the country are filled with these little tyrants who reign supreme in their own hometowns, spoiled into developing a donkey's temper.

However, to complain like this in front of Han Lie was indeed problematic.

Han Lie kept a poker face and smiled.

"The industry in Magic Capital is certainly more developed than any other place. However, hotel groups like Marriott, Intercontinental, and Four Seasons are quite averse to this, feeling it lowers their class and affects their image. The locally-owned five-star hotels of a slightly lesser level, though, do have abundant resources. If Young Master Chen is truly interested, just ask Brother Wang to order takeout for you."

That guy named Chen Botao was stung by Han Lie's veiled barbs, and his complexion quickly darkened.

However, he wasn't foolish enough to start an outright confrontation.

"Han Shao, care to join us for a round?"

"Sure, I'll play with everyone."

Han Lie nodded with a smile, his attitude very humble. "But what's the game? I'm not very good at it."

The poker game they were playing was called Thirteen Cards.

With the jokers removed, four players each receive thirteen cards, with one acting as the banker and the others as players.

The cards are arranged into three hands—front, middle, and back—consisting of 3, 5, and 5 cards respectively.

They represent the vanguard, the main force, and the rearguard.

The card combinations could be freely arranged but had to ensure that the middle hand was stronger than the front, and the back stronger than the middle.

Then, the banker's cards are compared with each of the three player's hands, and wins or losses are determined by the strength of the three hands.

It was a rather complex game, but quite interesting.

This kind of game didn't allow for hidden cards or cheating; it was a true test of intelligence and decisiveness.

If you won one hand but lost the other two, you'd only lose 1 bet.

If you lost all three hands, you'd lose 3 bets plus a double-down—totaling 6 bets.

If you hit a special hand, like a straight flush in the back hand, that's an additional 12 bets.

So you had to make choices from a limited set of combinations, either evenly distributing your card strength or focusing your effort on a major play.

Too aggressive and you could lose everything; too cautious and you could miss opportunities.

Ultimately, it all depended on personal acting skills and mental strength.

"I get it. Let's give it a try. If I lose, consider it a treat for the big brothers."

Before even sitting down, Han Lie started playing his part.

And then... giving it a try was like signing his own death warrant.

In less than two hours, he lost over 200,000, claiming the title of ultimate loser.

Right at 11 o'clock, Han Lie got up on time. "I had a lot of fun, but it's my time. Alright, you guys keep playing. I'll see you fellas later."

Fang Tongzhi, Liu Yingjun, and the others knew Han Lie had official business during the day and saw him off warmly.

"Han Shao, sorry about today, huh!"

"Go get some sleep. There's always another chance. See you tomorrow."

"Why don't you stay here tonight? I'll ask Xiao Xiao and the others to vacate the spare room; you can make do for the night."

Their conversations with Han Lie were no longer so formal, a sign they were now on familiar terms and considered him one of their own.

But Chen Botao was not pleased.

"No, no, what's this about leaving halfway through a game? Who leaves just because they say so—where'd you learn that etiquette?"

As soon as he spoke, Liu Yingjun and the others were taken aback, all turning to look at Chen Botao, their expressions incredulous. Little brother, do you even know who you're talking to?!

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