The First Update,

...

On official terms, many knew of Third Young Master Qiao's name, but far fewer in the business world did, particularly the second-generation officials, who mostly chose to keep their mouths shut and adopt a policy of judicious self-preservation.

Even when Third Young Master Qiao entered the Elite Salon, it didn't attract much attention. Those who didn't know him still couldn't recognize him, and those who did tried to keep their distance as much as possible. It wasn't that they didn't want to curry favor, but rather, they simply couldn't, so they refrained from joining in on the fun.

Qin Fang, however, recognized Third Young Master Qiao at a glance, a young man about thirty years old, roughly the same age as Tang Cheng, who still looked quite young. Yet in those eyes sparkled the light of wisdom, making it clear that this man was not easily fooled, and certainly not someone to be taken lightly.

"Third Young Master, you give such face to my little Ye, I'm truly grateful. Today's opponents all have substantial wallets, just go ahead and slaughter them..."

Ye Xiang, naturally, was accompanying Third Young Master Qiao the whole time, and even his speech was biased towards him.

"That's not necessary, I gamble only for the sake of gambling. The issue of money really doesn't matter to me..."

This statement wasn't Qiao Sanshao being pretentious. If he really wanted to win money, he could easily find people who would beg him for favors, and he could win every day. But he actually enjoyed going to casinos in places like Macau and Las Vegas, even if he lost tens of millions each time, it didn't matter.

"Understood, understood..."

Ye Xiang was a bit embarrassed all of a sudden, but he could only go along with it and smile. He could secretly play dirty tricks on Xiao Nan, but he dared not show any dissatisfaction towards Third Young Master Qiao.

As the economic powerhouse in the east of Dragon Country, Jiangnan Province was second to none in terms of resources, and Ninghai, as the capital of Jiangnan Province, was the center of politics, economy, and culture. It had the largest population density and was home to many wealthy individuals.

This gambling event was specially prepared by Ye Xiang for Third Young Master Qiao. The Qiao Family's Third Young Master, named Qiao Zhenfei, had this particular indulgence. It was said that he stayed in Macau for one or two weeks every year, with his losses and wins always amounting to tens of millions. Ye Xiang got acquainted with Qiao Zhenfei in Macau, which led to their slight friendship.

It just so happened that Qiao Zhenfei was coming to Jiangnan on business, and upon hearing the news, Ye Xiang made a special effort to get in touch with him and organize this gambling event.

The Elite Salon's gambling operations meant that organizing such a gambling event, with only the wealthiest individuals entering, was rather easy.

Although Qin Fang was a new face, with Tang's support, even if Ye Xiang was a bit surprised, he didn't say much. As long as Qin Fang could sit there, it proved his wealth was substantial, and that was enough.

Around the gambling table, besides Qin Fang, there were five other wealthy individuals, then Qiao Zhenfei and Ye Xiang. None of the privileged young masters from Ninghai got involved; they weren't fools. Losing money would upset them, but winning might upset Qiao Zhenfei. Caught between a rock and a hard place, they opted not to participate at all thereby avoiding any potential issues.

The Elite Salon took this gambling event very seriously, going so far as to convert a banquet hall into the current gambling scene. Besides the eight participants, the rest could sit on the sidelines and watch.

"The game begins..."

With the croupier announcing the start, all eight players were seated, and the dealer began dealing cards. The game was All-in, a gambling game of skill and courage seen in some Hong Kong gambling movies.

Of course, for Qin Fang, there was really no difficulty to speak of. If there were any difficulty, it naturally lay in how to outwit Ye Xiang.

Intermediate Detection Skill allowed Qin Fang to clearly "see" every card in each player's hand. Additionally, all cards were destroyed immediately after use, reducing the chance of cheating.

Why say reduce?

That's because there was still a certain chance of cheating.

For instance, Qin Fang had already secretly pocketed several cards without anyone noticing.

Each person's bet of two million wasn't exceptionally large but certainly not small either. If someone had enough luck, they could ultimately win fourteen million, and for this gambling event, the Elite Salon had explicitly stated that they would not take any commission.

Qin Fang called for cards every time, at least one and often three, but after collecting five cards, he ended up losing more than he won. In just half an hour, Qin Fang's two million bet had already dwindled by more than half, leaving around five hundred thousand.

"This Young Master Qin seems very unfamiliar. May I ask where you have been excelling?"

Indeed, what the gambling den desired most was someone like Qin Fang, who quickly caught the attention of both Qiao Zhenfei and Ye Xiang. These two were old hands at gambling, and while they often counted money in Macau, they had also picked up some skills.

Qiao Zhenfei didn't recognize Qin Fang, and although he was somewhat inclined to ask, without clarity on Qin Fang's background, it wasn't very convenient to ask. On the other hand, Ye Xiang, being the host and owing no courtesy, naturally needed to understand the situation.

Ye Xiang was quite self-aware, knowing there were many people in Ninghai he couldn't afford to offend. He recognized most of them, yet Qin Fang was an exception. Oddly enough, the man who wasn't part of his supposed foolproof plan had appeared, meaning despite this, Ye Xiang still felt he needed to inquire.

"I don't come here often, so Young Master Ye understandably doesn't recognize me. As for my business, I just run a small trade!" Qin Fang said with a smile. Although he was extremely annoyed with Ye Xiang, the plan was already in motion, and he couldn't let his resentment lead to wasted efforts.

"Running a business? That's good! I wonder what kind of business Young Master Qin is in. Maybe there's a chance for us to collaborate..." Qin Fang's reply was within Ye Xiang's expectations. People he knew through gambling circles generally were reserved and wouldn't lay bare all their secrets.

"I'm afraid there's no opportunity for that; my little brother deals in industry..."

Qin Fang said with a chuckle, but his words seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm towards Ye Xiang's propensity for making money from nothing. Naturally, this was the truth, but speaking so openly in front of everyone did have a taste of face-slapping.

Many were slightly taken aback upon hearing this, unclear on why this enigmatic Qin Fang seemed to bear such dissatisfaction and disdain for Ye Xiang.

Sitting in a corner below, Ning Weiqiang couldn't help but laugh. He had been worried for Qin Fang, who had been continuously losing, but now Qin Fang had unexpectedly sounded the bugle for a counterattack in such a manner.

"Engaging in industry? That's very good..."

Qiao Zhenfei seemed to completely miss Ye Xiang's somewhat unsightly expression, giving Qin Fang a word of praise.

Qin Fang himself was slightly surprised; he had thought Qiao Zhenfei would take Ye Xiang's side, but instead, Qiao Zhenfei's expression showed no dissatisfaction—rather, he seemed quite appreciative of Qin Fang.

For this, Qin Fang could only nod amiably in thanks towards Qiao Zhenfei for the appraisal, making Ye Xiang's expression turn even uglier.

"I call the twenty thousand, raise another twenty thousand!"

And by coincidence, in that round of cards, the other players had all folded, leaving only Qin Fang and Ye Xiang.

At this point, both players had four cards, but Ye Xiang had a pair of Qs and a 6, whereas Qin Fang only had a pair of 6s and a K, clearly putting Ye Xiang at an absolute advantage.

"You're raising with just a pair of Aces? Looks like Young Master Ye's hole card is also a Q, so you think you've already secured victory..."

Qin Fang said with a laugh, though his expression seemed a bit hesitant.

"You guessed that too, huh. Well, unless you have a set, and even then, it seems unlikely to be larger than mine. You might as well fold!" Ye Xiang spoke straightforwardly—the worst Qin Fang could have was three of a kind with 6s, but Ye Xiang had three Qs, leaving no chance for Qin Fang to win.

"I really was about to fold! But I just don't believe in giving up so easily. It's not like I'm losing much, and I'll play this hand with you, all-in..."

Qin Fang stared at Ye Xiang with a somewhat icy expression, then pushed all of his chips forward, going all-in!

Seeing Qin Fang's demeanor, Ye Xiang had a nagging feeling it might be a trap, but then he thought that at most, Qin Fang's hole card was a 6. Unless Qin Fang's fifth card was a K, forming a full house with a pair of Ks, there was no way he could lose.

"Alright, I'll play this one out with you!"

Ye Xiang was somewhat irked by Qin Fang's opposition, especially since Qiao Zhenfei seemed to admire Qin Fang. Ye Xiang, dissatisfied, pushed out a pile of chips to match Qin Fang's bet.

The croupier began to deal the fifth card, giving Ye Xiang a 6. Qin Fang's card went unnoticed by Ye Xiang, while Qin Fang picked up his card, rubbing it against the hole card.

"Haha, looks like Young Master Qin is out of luck. This 6 has come to me. Three Qs plus a pair of 6s, a full house. Let's see how you can win against that..."

Ye Xiang was so focused on his own hand that he excitedly flipped his cards while exclaiming, completely unware of the gamblers around him watching as if he were a fool.

"Is that so? That's truly disappointing for Young Master Ye. My hole card is a K, three Ks plus a pair of 6s, also a full house, and just enough to win over you..."

As Qin Fang spoke in a calm and collected manner, he revealed the card in his hand, and as it happened, both his last card and the hole card were Ks, adding to the K on the board to form three Ks, which trapped Ye Xiang completely, slapping his face hard. (To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com, where there are more chapters and support for the author, support legal reading!)

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