Free Web NovelChapter 28: Chapter 28 The Fish Takes the Bait
"Sure, let’s do it by Gao’s rules."
Wang Hao appeared calm on the surface, but inside, he was panicking a lot!
The surrounding gamblers also admired his courage, daring to face off against Gao all by himself.
Gao gestured for Sun Lao’er to bring another dice cup, and the two of them began.
Wang Hao shook the dice cup subtly in all directions, looked up at Gao, and noticed that Gao’s technique was rhythmic and not too hurried, plus his ears kept twitching—it seemed Gao could discern the dice by sound.
"Clack!" freewebnøvel.coɱ
The two put down their dice cups almost simultaneously. Gao gestured for Wang Hao to go first.
"I guess small!"
Wang Hao pushed out the ten thousand yuan in his hand. Despite Gao’s overwhelming presence which somewhat shocked him, his move was still generous.
Gao’s lips curled slightly upward, as if he knew the outcome, "You are small too."
They opened their dice cups, and indeed Gao’s roll was big, while Wang Hao’s was small.
The first round, Wang Hao lost!
The crowd shook their heads too, the gambling god is a gambling god after all. How could a greenhorn who just lucked out compete with that?
Wang Hao’s heart tightened, having lost half with this roll. If he didn’t win the next round, he would be completely defeated.
He took a deep breath and signaled to continue.
The second round was a draw.
When it came to the last round, Wang Hao suddenly shoved all of his money forward.
"I’m going all in!"
"Not bad kid, you’ve got guts!" Gao sneered, casually throwing fifty thousand on the table.
"Anyway, this is all winnings, I’m not afraid to lose it."
The dice cups were opened once more, and this time, Wang Hao watched Gao’s roll intently and was very confident.
"This time I guess big!"
Gao furrowed his brow because he too was aware of his own roll, and this time Wang Hao had guessed it right.
"Then yours is still small."
Opened it to see, Wang Hao had four, four, six—big!
This time Wang Hao won. He happily collected all the money on the table. Not only had he recouped his losses, but he had also doubled his money.
After three rounds, the victory between the two was still undecided, so they agreed to one more round.
The atmosphere on the scene was incredibly strange, everyone’s eyes glued to the pair.
Gao’s hands moved swiftly, at one point even tossing the dice cup into the air, continuously showing off his shaking skills.
This time, Gao bet all his chips confidently.
Wang Hao’s lips curved upward, smiling faintly, "I’ll put down fifty thousand, betting you have a triple!"
Upon hearing this, Gao was momentarily stunned, his heart involuntarily pounding.
Because the dice cup indeed contained a triple!
It’s very hard for most people to roll a triple. He was called a "gambling god" back in the day because he could roll any number he wanted, winning whether it was big or small.
But what he had never imagined was that his hard-learned skill would be seen through by this kid with just a glance...
"Eh? What’s the holdup? Why won’t Gao reveal it?"
Seeing Gao silent, the crowd started to jeer, eager to witness this thrilling moment.
Sun Lao’er, seeing that Gao hadn’t made a move, whispered in his ear, "Boss, what’s wrong?"
Only then did Gao snap out of it, staring intently at Wang Hao.
Six times fifty thousand is three hundred thousand; it was no small sum. Even the gambling den couldn’t produce that much cash so easily.
Wang Hao didn’t actually want to take that huge sum either, he just wanted to test his own strength.
Moreover, on someone else’s turf, one must leave some wiggle room.
"Gao, let’s not bet on this round. I’m scared. It wasn’t easy to break even, and if I lose, I’ll be ruined."
Wang Hao suggested in a low voice, his eyes betraying fear.
"Haha, who told you to bet that much?"
"Ah, it’s just me being too young and competitive."
"You think it’s that easy to get a triple? Haha..."
The onlookers, seeing Wang Hao looking so worried, pointed at him and murmured, "Such an ignorant kid, cried wolf and now he’s chickening out!"
At this point, only Gao and Wang Hao truly knew the score and who had won and lost.
But Gao, who had been watching Wang Hao closely, suddenly laughed.
He understood that Wang Hao wasn’t chickening out; he was giving him a way out with dignity.
What he didn’t understand was, how could a country boy see through his roll so easily and seem so nonchalant about a three hundred thousand bet?
Feeling the gaze of the crowd, Gao shook off his stray thoughts, laughed loudly, "Haha, it’s fine, it’s normal for the young man to care about his money. We’ll have another game some other time."
"Okay, thanks, Gao."
Wang Hao knew well that these street-hardened people cared most about face. Being new around here, it’s always better to leave some room for maneuver, to ensure a good relationship in the future!
Besides, he had won quite a bit today.
Gao remembered Wang Hao’s kindness, leaving the gambling table to head inside.
Wang Hao had been there for two hours, and Ding Li still hadn’t shown up. Just as he was about to take the money and head home, enthusiastic greetings suddenly erupted at the door.
"Brother Ding, why have you just arrived?"
"I was held up by some business today, but today I’m going to win back everything I’ve lost."
Wang Hao looked towards the entrance and saw Ding Li swaggering in.
"Hmph, speak of the devil and he shall appear."
Now that the fish had taken the bait, Wang Hao was no longer in a hurry to leave.
"Yo, I was wondering why this voice sounded so familiar. It turns out to be Ding the Fart!" Wang Hao mocked deliberately.
"Wang Hao? What are you doing here?"
Ding Li looked puzzled; it really was a case of enemies on a narrow road, running into him here. If it hadn’t been for him ruining his chances that day, he would have already dealt with that bitch.
"What’s the matter? This place has rules against me coming?" Wang Hao sneered contemptuously.
Unable to stand his smugness, Ding Li’s anger flared. "Wang Hao, don’t be cocky. Today you’ll learn a lesson."
"Brother Ding, who’s this kid?"
A few thugs gathered around him.
Ding Li was a regular at the gambling dens and often had a group of underlings following him, looking up to him for leadership.
"Brothers, this kid snatched my woman before, help me teach him a lesson today."
"Oh? Daring to snatch Brother Ding’s woman? You really have the guts of a bear and the heart of a leopard!"
The thugs sized Wang Hao up and down. With their superior numbers, they were more than a match for him.
"How about this, if you crawl under here and bark like a dog twice today, I’ll let you off the hook. Otherwise..."
Ding Li pointed to his crotch, a leering smile on his face, as he spoke to Wang Hao.
"If I were you, I’d kneel and beg for mercy now, or else I’d cripple another one of your hands today!"
The corner of Wang Hao’s mouth lifted. In the past, he might have been wary of these thugs, but now he was not afraid at all.
"Still so tough when death is staring you in the face!" Ding Li reached out to slap Wang Hao.
"Slap!"
Wang Hao deftly caught Ding Li’s hand and returned the slap.
Ding Li, infuriated, lifted his fist and smashed it towards Wang Hao’s face. However, Wang Hao easily caught his fist with one hand, while the other fist struck Ding Li’s abdomen, sending him flying far away and crashing into a chair in the corner.
"Crack!"
Along with the sound of the chair breaking, everyone’s attention was drawn here, and they finally came to their senses, realizing what had just happened.
Seeing Wang Hao’s brazenness, the thugs drew knives from their waists and stabbed at him.
Just when blood seemed imminent at the scene, Mr. Gao, having received the message, promptly appeared in the room.
He rebuked, "You’ve got some nerve to come and wreak havoc in my place. Do you all have a death wish?"
Hearing his voice, the thugs sheepishly stopped in their tracks.
After all, Mr. Gao was not someone just anyone could afford to offend.
Ding Li lay on the ground clutching his belly, too nervous to utter a word.
"Many thanks for stepping in, Mr. Gao," Wang Hao stepped forward and thanked him.
"It’s nothing. Someone, kick those troublemakers out," ordered Mr. Gao, nudging his men to drive the thugs away, thus repaying a favor to Wang Hao.
Wang Hao approached Ding Li, who was sprawled on the ground, and looking at his pitiful state, he laughed and said, "What’s the matter? Can’t accept it? How about we bet on a couple of rounds?"
Ding Li’s eyes lit up at the mention of gambling. When it came to gambling, he didn’t consider himself second to anyone.
Although he hadn’t won much before, his wealth of experience made him confident, and he wasn’t afraid of a novice like Wang Hao.
"Bet on what?"
"I have twenty-eight thousand here."
Wang Hao waved the money pouch in his hand.
The sight of the money tempted Ding Li.
"We’ll bet on something simple, high or low. What do you think?"
Wang Hao placed two dice cups in front of Ding Li, noticing his hesitation.
"I’m giving you a chance to win money, you’d better seize it well. If you win, this twenty-eight thousand is all yours."
Ding Li thought for a moment. Twenty-eight thousand was no small sum, and the temptation was real. Besides, how could he possibly lose so easily to Wang Hao?
"You better not go back on your word. Second Brother, bear witness for us!"
Ding Li called Sun Lao’er over as the witness.
Sun Lao’er was the second in command at the gambling den and commanded some respect among the gamblers, usually responsible for the security of the gambling stalls.
But glancing at Ding Li, who thought he had a winning ticket, he looked like he was staring at a fool.
For goodness’ sake, both Mr. Gao and I have lost to this kid, and you dare gamble with him?
Of course, he wasn’t about to tell Ding Li; after all, it would break the rules.
"Then I’ll witness for you two. Once the bet starts, there’s no going back, or you’ll have to face the consequences!" Sun Lao’er said with a serious face. The rules of the gambling house couldn’t be broken, and if someone violated them, they also had to intervene.
Ding Li looked greedily at Wang Hao’s money pouch.
"Let’s start!"
