The Years I Was The Gambling God

Mei's alluring gaze remained fixed upon me.

"Are you pretending to be naive? I may be fortunate, but I cannot believe that my luck would grant me a heavenly win of a pure suits seven pairs on the very last hand! Even if we assume that fortune is on my side, why is it that in the following hands, you consistently provide me with the tiles I need, whether I call for them or declare a meld?"

She paused deliberately before continuing, "Especially because Sister Hua and that man are conspiring to cheat. You claim you're not cheating—should I believe you?"

I was momentarily taken aback.

It appeared that Mei had been aware all along of Sister Hua and that man's collusion. Yet, if she knew, why did she not expose it and instead choose to play along?

"I can only say that if you don't believe me, there is little I can do!"

I offered no further explanation, nor did I afford her any undue courtesy simply because she was my manager. Instead, I maintained my demeanour, as distant as before—as though speaking to a stranger.

This was not out of ignorance of social conventions or a deliberate act of foolishness. Rather, Varg had once imparted that a true professional gambler must possess not only the cunning to manipulate but also a steadfast pride. Without it, no matter how exceptional your skills are, your patrons would hold you in no regard, viewing you merely as a tool for profit. In the event of mishaps, you would undoubtedly bear the blame.

My indifference did not incite anger in Mei; instead, it seemed to amuse her.

"Lupan," she said, "do you realize you are the only person at Tianxiang who dares to speak to me in such a manner? Are you not afraid I might fire you?"

I remained reticent.

"Extend your hand!" she suddenly commanded.

I glanced at her, uncertain of her intent, yet I complied and extended my hand.

Mei gently clasped it, her fingers occasionally caressing my palm.

Her touch was soft and smooth, reminiscent of fine silk.

The gesture held a hint of intimacy, though she appeared entirely oblivious to it. She continued to trace my palm with her fingers, each movement eliciting a faint tickle.

Unsure of her motives, I refrained from asking and allowed her to play with my hand.

After some time, Mei finally spoke.

"What beautiful hands! It would be a shame for them not to belong to a renowned gambler."

I was momentarily speechless.

Varg had expressed similar sentiments about my hands, noting their slenderness and weight, ideal for concealing great fortunes. Such hands were the hallmark of a natural gambler.

"Come, I want to take you somewhere..."

After releasing my hand, Mei rose to retrieve her car keys but paused to extract a neatly bundled stack of cash from a drawer, tossing it onto the mahjong table.

"Regardless of whether you cheated, today's earnings are thanks to you. Consider this ten thousand as a reward for your contribution..."

This money was, in some sense, rightfully mine. I made no attempt to refuse it and stowed it away.

Yet, I still found myself puzzled as to why Mei, fully aware of Sister Hua and the man's deceit, would choose to gamble with them.

But since she remained silent, I, too, chose not to inquire further.

Mei drove a red Audi A4.

I sat quietly in the passenger seat, gazing ahead into the distance, saying nothing.

After some time, Mei turned to me with a hint of curiosity and asked, "Lupan, I'm rather intrigued. You speak very little and never smile. Now that you're in my car, you don't even ask where we're going. How can you be so peculiar?"

I continued to remain silent.

Seeing my reticence only seemed to pique her curiosity further, "The more you act this way, the more intrigued I become. Are you deliberately trying to appear cool, or are you genuinely indifferent by nature?"

Casting my gaze out the window, I replied flatly, "In truth, a woman ought not to be curious about a man like this!"

Though I was not particularly old, my tone carried an air of wisdom beyond my years.

Mei couldn't help but laugh.

She glanced at me again, arching an eyebrow as she playfully retorted, "Oh really? You can't possibly believe that my curiosity about you would make me attracted to you! Whatever gives you such confidence?"

"Nothing is impossible!"

Her laughter rang out again, a delightful sound that filled the car.

It was evident why she laughed; though not mockingly, there was an undercurrent of derision.

As the manager of Tianxiang, Mei had encountered countless men—wealthy dignitaries, prosperous merchants, global magnates. Many among them wished to win a taste of her charm, while I stood no larger than a speck of dust in comparison.

How could she possibly find me appealing?

She glanced at me once more, teasingly saying, "I'm becoming increasingly interested in you. The thoughts that occupy your mind are quite whimsical. Now, let's suppose—I said suppose—if I were to take a liking to you and we were to enter a relationship, how would you support me?"

"With money!"

"Money? From where? Are you relying on your measly thousand-dollar monthly salary from the bathhouse? Am I supposed to live on that?"

Women are often practical.

Yet I understood her practicality—after all, who wouldn't relish wealth?

I countered, "So what you're suggesting is that as long as there's money, you would consider being with me?"

"Dream on!"

Mei rolled her eyes in disdain.

I could sense that although she bore me no hatred, my audacious words found little favour with her.

Nonetheless, her dismissiveness ignited a spark of competitiveness in me.

Dreaming? Well, this dream would have you in my bed!

I never anticipated that the place Mei would take me to was an underground casino.

This establishment was located within a hotel, featuring stringent security. To enter, one needed to be accompanied by someone familiar, and entry was strictly through a private elevator in the underground parking garage.

While the casino itself was not large, it possessed all essential amenities.

Slot machines lined the exterior, alongside games like fishing and karaoke machines, while the interior housed baccarat, blackjack, dice games, and roulette.

Since it was dinner time, the number of patrons was moderate, perhaps around a hundred or so.

Mei was quite familiar with the layout. After a brief tour, she gestured towards the upper floor, "The lower level is for casual players, while the upper floor caters to VIPs, offering all forms of gaming. Guests can even host their games..."

When she mentioned "hosting their games," she meant that patrons could bring their guests to play, and the casino would also provide accompaniments.

As for the games, the patrons were free to choose whatever they pleased—poker, pai gow, mahjong, dice—anything they desired.

As long as one possessed money, the casino would find players for even the simplest games like rock-paper-scissors.

In such games, the casino's revenue primarily relied on a commission.

I still did not understand why Mei had brought me here.

Did she truly believe I was a gambling expert eager to make money alongside her?

Noticing my silence, Mei promptly inquired, "Would you like to play a couple of hands? I could fetch some chips?"

I shook my head immediately.

"No, thank you! I've never gambled before!"

As the words left my lips, I perceived a hint of disappointment flicker across Mei's face.

Yet, I had spoken the truth.

In all the years I spent alongside Varg, he had taken me to countless gaming halls and casinos across the country, yet he had never allowed me to sit at a table.

In Varg's words, participating at the table was akin to confronting one's inner demons.

Once you sit down, the desire to win becomes overpowering, leading inevitably to cheating.

If your skills were unstable and your mental fortitude lacking, then cheating was a path to perdition.

Even if you escaped this time, it was only a matter of time before you would be caught.

Only by mastering oneself to the point where one could remain indifferent amidst a torrent of fortune could one dare to sit at a table, to cheat.

Mei seemed reluctant to give up and pressed on, "Lupan, do you not wish to earn a bit more money?"