Chapter 653: Building Trust

Qiao Ji Jin held a card that had nothing to do with the public cards and boldly taunted Di Hou.

“Fei Ma Luo, my hand is so bad—I’m betting two Dao. Are you in or not?”

Qiao Ji Jin placed two Dao on the table, but Di Hou showed no reaction.

“Who cares about him? Anyway, I’m in.” Chen Jun Nan decisively threw out two Dao. “Our Hou Ge isn’t short on cash; let him follow if he wants.”

Qi Xia also chose to call, and everyone turned their attention to Di Hou.

In this round, his expression was intriguing, as if he had come to some realization, and he remained silent.

“I’ll call too.” Qi Xia tossed two Dao onto the table and then looked up. “Di Hou, aren’t you supposed to show me your real skills?”

Di Hou lifted his head, glanced at everyone, and then looked at his own cards before calmly saying, “I’m folding.”

Without waiting for anyone to respond, he laid his cards face down and threw his two Dao away.

“This round, I’m conceding. You all go ahead and play.”

He shook his head, reached up to take the cigarette from his mouth, and tapped it a few times nearby, making it clear he was completely bowing out of this round.

Qi Xia furrowed his brow, not expecting Di Hou to fold so decisively.

They hadn’t even dealt the hidden cards yet, and here he was, not even putting in the basic bet.

“Is this your skill...?” Qi Xia stared at Di Hou for a long time before finally saying, “As a gambler, you lack the courage to take a risk.”

“Saying that just proves you’re not a gambler.” Di Hou looked up and replied, “The victory I want is to leave all of you without any chips to survive after eight rounds, not to let you gain Dao in this round just because my hand is bad.”

“Oh?”

“Qi Xia, you know that even if I do nothing, I’ll win this game in the end. After all, it’s you who wants to win chips from me. The ones in a hurry are you, not me.” Di Hou scanned the Dao on the table in front of everyone. “So I have more options than you. I can fold if I want.”

“I don’t think so.” Qi Xia shook his head. “In the first round, you had a hand similar to this one, but you boldly raised. Yet now you’re folding, so I believe there’s more to your decision.”

“Is that so?” Di Hou gave Qi Xia an ambiguous look. “What hidden motive?”

“You’re waiting, aren’t you?” Qi Xia’s eyes turned cold. “You think I’ve already figured out the rules of Shuo Wang Yue and could team up with the others to bluff you, lowering your chances of winning significantly. So you’re waiting for something.”

Di Hou slowly placed his hands in front of him, but his face remained expressionless.

“Waiting will lead to victory?” Qi Xia asked again.

Di Hou’s demeanor was well-controlled, without any telltale micro-expressions leaking through.

Seeing the psychological barrier Di Hou had suddenly erected, Qi Xia found it interesting.

His state seemed to have improved—who knew if Di Hou was always like this or if Qi Xia’s words had made him grow?

Unable to pry any information, Qi Xia glanced at the others and decided to wrap up this round quickly.

With Di Hou out, no matter how the rest bet, the total chips wouldn’t change; it was just a small-scale zero-sum game.

Next, it would be Xiao Cheng’s turn to shuffle.

Xiao Cheng slowly furrowed his brow, feeling that this round was a real shame. He thought he had figured out the rules, and his hand wasn’t bad—he had four nines, which should be one of the strongest possible hands—yet Di Hou had just folded outright.

“Everyone…” Xiao Cheng bit his lip. “I... I…”

He clenched his fists tightly, as if he had something to say, but it didn’t come out several times.

He appeared to be grappling with a tough decision.

“Think carefully.” Qi Xia coldly turned his head toward him.

“What?”

“Do you want to go against us here?” Qi Xia frowned and asked. “Are you really confident?”

Xiao Cheng lowered his head in distress, his expression a mix of sadness and reluctance. He hadn’t expected the other side to see through his thoughts from a simple expression.

“Qi Xia… right?” Xiao Cheng asked. “You might not know why I came here… I never meant to provoke a Di Ji… I just want to trigger my own Hui Xiang.”

“I can probably guess.” Qi Xia replied. “But I suggest you don’t lose the big picture over something small.”

“But I can’t die…” Xiao Cheng gripped his cards tightly, his face full of agony. “If I win this round… I can concede every round after and have the capital to get out…”

“Then what?” Qi Xia raised an eyebrow slightly. “Then go to other game venues and try to trigger your Hui Xiang?”

“I…”

“If I’m not wrong, the girl and the kid next to you are here because of you, aren’t they?” Qi Xia asked again.

Xiao Cheng froze and slowly turned his head toward Tian Tian and Zheng Ying Xiong.

Seeing his reaction, Qi Xia continued, “Are you planning to leave them here and win everything for yourself? I’ll give you one chance—tell me yourself if that’s the right thing to do. After you decide, I won’t interfere with your choices anymore.”

Xiao Cheng pursed his lips and thought for a long time before slowly lowering his head. “I just want to say this game isn’t right for me… As long as you’re here, we can definitely win… I have no chance of Hui Xiang staying here, and I’d just end up risking my life because of your grudge with Di Hou.”

“You’re underestimating both Di Hou and me.” Qi Xia said.

“What…?” Xiao Cheng was stunned. “I don’t understand.”

“Do you think the rules of this game stop here? If you don’t keep your mind sharp, you’ll die here.”

“So you mean…” Xiao Cheng lowered his voice instantly. “The rules can change?”

Qi Xia didn’t answer and went on, “Besides, even if I have a grudge with Di Hou, I won’t die here.”

“Qi Xia… who exactly are you…?”

“A fraud.” Qi Xia replied. “Do you believe me?”

Xiao Cheng fell silent for a long time after hearing Qi Xia’s words and said, “But I…”

“You might not even realize whose trap you’ve walked into.” Qi Xia waved his hand, cutting him off. “Just tell me if you believe me. I don’t want to hear any extra explanations.”