Supreme Heir Son-in-law

Chapter 871: Playing Cards

The young man was in a bad mood because Xu Ke lost so much money. He wanted to ask Xu Ke for the money, but when he thought about how it was his own bet, it would be too embarrassing to ask for it back in front of so many people. However, the young man couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache, so during the poker game, his eyes kept drifting toward Xu Ke, hoping Xu Ke would voluntarily take responsibility for the debt.

Xu Ke could feel the young man’s gaze on him, but he pretended not to see anything, leaving the young man fuming with frustration, and because he couldn’t focus, he accidentally lost another round.

"Three thousand? How did it multiply by ten? I only lost three hundred this round." When the young man heard the amount the winning side was asking for, he immediately widened his eyes, and his attention shifted from Xu Ke.

"While you were in the bathroom, we raised the stakes. This is the current rate now." The person collecting the money looked innocently at the young man, but being a generous person, he wasn’t going to cause trouble over some money, so he said, "Forget it, since you just came back from the bathroom, it’s understandable you didn’t know. I’ll charge you the original amount for this round, but next round, we’ll revert to the new rates."

The young man was about to argue, but after thinking it over, he had already lost so much, and if they played at the original stakes, he didn’t know how long it would take to win back the fifty thousand he had lost, so he didn’t oppose.

With the young man’s tacit approval, the card game resumed.

Xu Ke, who initially sat beside the young man, watched as the group got more engrossed in the game, gradually retreated and ducked back into his room.

Xu Ke originally thought the poker game wouldn’t last long, and once it was over, it would be done. But unexpectedly, the game stretched into the next day. Possibly because Xu Ke had played a few rounds with them the day before, they already saw Xu Ke as one of their poker buddies. Last night, those who were tired went to rest, but the ones who rested yesterday were now back with a vengeance—they needed a fourth player, and Xu Ke was conveniently recruited.

"Didn’t you guys play all day yesterday without a break? Besides, I’m hungry; I want to grab breakfast first. Do you want to join me or should I bring something back for you?" Xu Ke waved them off, declining their invitation to play cards.

But these people came specifically to lure Xu Ke into their circle of poker buddies—they had no intention of letting him go so easily.

So they directly pulled Xu Ke, who was about to leave, forcing him back onto the card table. "Buddy, we’re feeling restless without playing cards. If you’re hungry and want to eat, we can order takeout. We have all the local snack shop owners’ contacts here; whatever you want, let me know, and I’ll make a call to get it delivered," said a man in a floral shirt with a gold ring, confidently patting his not-so-heavy chest.

Xu Ke dropped his gaze and was silent for a moment. "Then I’d like some Spicy Chicken Pot. Just order from the place you think is best. I’ll cover today’s meal; treat it as my treat to you guys, and please don’t mind."

Xu Ke’s humble words, coupled with his handsome looks, made the group, who intended to drag Xu Ke into the mess, feel a twinge of guilt. They were embarrassed to corrupt such a promising young man into a gambling addict, but their conscience only flickered for a moment before it was suppressed again.

Conscience, after all, is trivial compared to money.

Watching their expressions, Xu Ke didn’t find it hard to guess their intentions given all that had happened from yesterday to today. As he considered the progress of his mission, a tinge of shyness and embarrassment touched his smile.

"I’m not that good at playing; you guys will have to go easy on me," Xu Ke said, a bit embarrassed.

"Don’t worry; you’re the youngest among us, so of course, we’ll take it easy on you," the three exchanged glances and said with a knowing smile.

Card games aren’t fun if you only lose or only win; you want to reel someone in, you have to let them win a few hands first, let them savor the sweetness of winning, and then start losing. This carrot-and-stick tactic wasn’t new to them—they all understood perfectly.

Sure enough, Xu Ke seemed to be on a lucky streak when he started, continuously winning, and in just a few rounds, he had recouped the fifty thousand he lost yesterday. But soon, his luck seemed to run out, and the hard-won fifty thousand was lost again, not to mention he owed another thirty thousand.

"I can’t keep going; my back can’t take it. I’m done, done." After losing another five thousand, Xu Ke waved his hand, his face unable to hide his exhaustion.

The three exchanged a look, and this time, they didn’t stop Xu Ke. They let him go graciously, "Alright, take a break; we’ll continue."

"You young folks, your backs are weak. How long have you been at the card table? You can’t take it anymore; you need to exercise more," said the man sitting above Xu Ke, holding his belly.

"True, I haven’t been exercising much; I’ll make sure to work out more and last longer next time."

Seeing Xu Ke so agreeable, the three wore satisfied expressions.

After Xu Ke pushed open the door and left, the young man who had been resting with his eyes closed finally opened them, "Good job. Keep it up, and when this is all settled, there’ll be good things for you." The young man had spent the whole night on mahjong to win back his fifty thousand and only slept at dawn. Though he looked worn down, at least he regained all the money he lost yesterday.

So even though he hadn’t slept all night, his mood wasn’t sour.

"Well?" The young man rubbed his aching temples and asked.

The others, knowing exactly what he meant, wore confident smiles, "You can rest your worries; we’ve done this many times before. Relax—no need to fret."

"I’m not worried about you guys, but Xu Ke is a bit tricky." The man recalled how his previous schemes against Xu Ke had been dodged by him, and his face darkened slightly.

"Don’t worry, no matter how tricky he is, he can’t escape our tricks. Just a few more games, show him the joys of poker, and he won’t be able to quit. Then, given our skills and familiarity with each other, it’ll be easy to make him owe money," said the man in the floral shirt, confidently patting his chest.