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Chapter 218 It's been a long time since I've participated in such an ordinary gambling game.

In a sense, "Zha Jin Hua" is a simplified version of Texas Hold'em, an enhanced version where the stakes are higher. Compared to games like Dou Dizhu and Shengji, it involves more players in a single round and is more exciting, making it a suitable entertainment option for large gatherings.

"We're all working people now, so let's set the base bet at 20 yuan, with a cap of 100 yuan per round, how about that?" Zhu Wu suggested casually.

If Zhao Jin was a nobody in high school, then Zhu Wu was already a bully in the class. He was involved in fights and skipping classes, and it was said that many classmates had been punched by him. Later, because a fight got too big, he didn't even take the college entrance exam and went straight into the underworld.

At that time, Chen Xuan was given special attention by the teachers because of his good grades, so the class bullies didn't dare to mess with him. Over the years, they lived in peace.

Logically, such a person should be ostracized by everyone, but judging from the atmosphere at the scene, most of the students were chatting and laughing with him, and there was no indication that they had ever been bullied.

Zhu Wu's appearance is basically the same as before, or perhaps even more ferocious. He has a short shaved head, a thin old scar on his left eyebrow, many tattoos covering the front of his forearms, and a thick gold chain around his neck, practically writing "Don't mess with me" on his face.

"I think it's a good idea. It's more fun with a little prize," Zhao Jin agreed with a smile. "Ten yuan isn't much. What do you all think?"

"Sure, if I lose all my money, I'll just borrow some from Mr. Zhao."

"You can't afford to lose a few hundred dollars?"

"Sigh, my wife is very strict."

Everyone burst out laughing.

“I’m fine with lending it, but we’re all just hanging out together, so let’s do what we can afford.” Zhao Jin looked at Chen Xuan, “What about you and your friends?”

“If she doesn’t play, I’m fine with it.” Chen Xuan shrugged.

“Okay, then Sister Yanzi, you can be the referee,” Zhao Jin said to Xia Feiyan.

Then a few more classmates joined in the fun, bringing the total number of participants in the first round to twelve. After the three cards were dealt, the ante reached 240 yuan.

Chen Xuan glanced at the cards in his hand: 5, 8, and K. He didn't even bother to look at the suits and threw them directly into the discard pile.

This is equivalent to losing 20 yuan.

It doesn't seem like much, just enough for breakfast, but it's a trap. How much does a typical worker earn in a busy day? 300 isn't much, 500 isn't bad either. And now there's 240 on the table; another round could easily exceed that daily wage, and getting it only takes a few dozen seconds. This is undoubtedly a huge temptation for ordinary people.

Chen Xuan noticed that... two classmates' breathing had noticeably quickened, and even their pupils had slightly constricted.

One of them is named Wang Xingyu, and the other is named Cheng Yu.

They clearly had a good hand.

Zhao Jin's expression remained unchanged—he could no longer be considered an ordinary worker, so this amount of money was naturally nothing to him.

"Call or fold, hurry up, don't dawdle!" Zhu Wu shouted loudly, "I'm going to beat you to a pulp with this hand!"

"I'll add 20," someone said.

The next people followed suit and placed their bets.

When it was Zhu Wu's turn, he directly mentioned 50.

"50, are you going to bet or not!?"

The amount instantly increased fivefold, causing many people to hesitate. After this round, six people folded, but the amount on the table had reached 450 yuan.

The atmosphere at the scene quickly rose as the amount of money increased.

"Go for it! What are you afraid of!"

"Only 50!"

Encouraged by the crowd, Wang Xingyu bet another 50, but then proposed to show his cards to Zhu Wu.

After comparing the two players' cards, Xia Feiyan threw Wang Xingyu's cards into the deck, meaning he lost 90 yuan in less than a minute.

"Holy crap! Is Brother Wu's hand that good?" he exclaimed.

"I told you, you all have no choice but to admit defeat this time!" Zhu Wu laughed triumphantly.

After two more rounds, Zhu Wu won the final hand showdown. His hole cards were a pair of Aces, taking all 750 dollars on the table—symbolic, of course. In reality, only the referee keeps track of the winnings so far; the final settlement will be made via WeChat transfer at the end.

Winning 750 yuan in the very first hand has captivated all the onlookers. This is precisely the advantage that makes Texas Hold'em so popular at gatherings of all sizes; even Mahjong pales in comparison.

But apart from Chen Xuan, no one noticed that Cheng Yu's smile seemed somewhat forced. Just now, he had impulsively called two consecutive bets, losing over 200 yuan in one go—faster than drawing cards in a mobile game. At least a ten-draw has an animation, but this game is just a matter of shouting "Call!"

If they keep playing like this, winning or losing tens of thousands of dollars in an afternoon is a piece of cake.

Cheng Yu was clearly showing signs of backing down. Actually, if he were willing to swallow his pride, he could just say he didn't want to play anymore. But the problem was that classmates often fought over this face – after so many years since graduation, no one wanted to admit that they were doing worse than others.

This is probably what Zhao Jin was planning.

Chen Xuan chuckled. Stomping someone's head on the spot, arrogantly slapping someone in the face—that's something you only see online. In real life, there's no deadly enmity; there's no need to push your luck. Besides, if he acted too ostentatiously, others wouldn't be blind. What Zhao Jin most likely wanted was for him to admit he was broke and back out in a sorry state; he could make up an excuse to leave, but everyone understood the real reason.

Especially since Lin Qing witnessed this scene, it further highlighted the gap between the two.

However, he had no idea what kind of person Lin Qing was.

And he doesn't understand himself at all.

At the start of the second round, Chen Xuan received a flush of diamonds, which was considered a pretty good hand. Two more players joined the fray, bringing the pot to 280 at the start.

"50!" Zhu Wu, the winner of the previous round, raised his bet to 50 yuan in the first round.

"Looks like you're having a lucky day." Zhao Jin glanced at Zhu Wu with interest. "I'll bet 50 too."

The students started jeering, "Let's get General Manager Zhao!"

"I don't believe Brother Wu has such good luck, getting good cards every time!"

Amidst the enthusiastic atmosphere, only two players folded in the first round, while the rest called.

Everyone thought this was a game of luck and courage, but for Chen Xuan, it wasn't. He knew exactly what everyone's hand was; from the moment they received their cards, the outcome was already predetermined.

At this distance, the Divine Eye technique can magnify and capture the reflection in everyone's pupils—when people around him pick up their cards at an extremely slow pace, or peek out from behind a corner, Chen Xuan not only sees their hand, but also the emotions on their faces. A slight upturn of the corner of the mouth, or a slight flare of the nostrils when sighing, will be precisely recorded by the Divine Eye technique.

For example, Zhao Jin got a straight of 789, while Zhu Wu got a random hand.

The biggest flush on the table is the diamond flush in his hand.

Chen Xuan's expression remained completely calm. He had participated in life-or-death gambling games before. When a single coin toss could determine life or death, no amount of money on the stage would excite him.

After three rounds, everyone either folded or revealed their hand, leaving only Chen Xuan, Zhao Jin, and Zhu Wu on the field. Even with a terrible hand, no one dared to reveal Zhu Wu's hand, clearly intimidated by his performance in the first round.

The amount on the table had reached more than two thousand.

“I call 100.” Zhao Jin calmly raised the bet to the maximum. “Are you sure you want to compete with me?”

"Forget it, there will be other opportunities in the future." Zhu Wu grumbled as he chose to fold.

"Follow," Chen Xuan said briefly.

"Add 100."

"and."

"Wow, this is serious!" Wang Xingyu exclaimed. "Are you all this good at making money?"

"Nonsense, would we be able to hold a class reunion at the White Swan Hotel if it weren't for Boss Zhao?"

"Chen Xuan must have made quite a bit of money in Jiangcheng, right?" someone whispered.

"But he just said he resigned!"

"Maybe there's still some savings?"

Neither of them chose to show their cards, instead continuing to call. Although the maximum bet per round was only 100, the two were betting very quickly. In less than a minute, they had each put in another 2000.

The atmosphere at the scene gradually became tense. When it came to this hand-to-hand combat with bayonets drawn, surprisingly few people cheered anymore.

Everyone was focused on the card game, mentally calculating how much salary this would amount to.

"There's no need to push yourself so hard, is there?" Zhao Jin said to Chen Xuan with a smile. "You definitely can't win this hand."

Chen Xuan didn't argue, "Then drive."

The person who initiates the betting has to pay another round of betting. Although 100 yuan is not much for Zhao Jin, it means he has shown weakness and will obviously lose face.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he naturally wouldn't choose to start first. "Alright, let's continue, follow 100."

"Yes," Chen Xuan replied briefly.

This game was unusually long, lasting five minutes and still not over, with both sides having invested over 5000.

(End of this chapter)