221: Chapter 216 Surprise or not?

Hu Fei's face was frosty, looking so gloomy that it seemed like water could drip from it. He had made up his mind that he would absolutely not let Cao Xiao leave with this money today. Once Cao Xiao lost everything, he would find an excuse to take him away from the casino and humiliate him ruthlessly. Despite his thoughts, he said, "Alright, I don't have time to chat with you. You've already won forty or fifty million, haven't you? If you want to win more, come with me to the VIP room. There are several big clients there who spend lavishly. Playing around here is boring; after all, luck isn't that easy to come by. Having it once or twice is just a stroke of sheer fortune."

Cao Xiao sneered inwardly. What "VIP room" or "big clients"? How could Hu Fei's petty tricks, orchestrated from behind the scenes, escape his notice? They were clearly setting a trap for him inside to win all his money and then "kindly" lend him a huge sum he could never repay for the rest of his life to try and win it back. If he were an ordinary person who couldn't resist the temptation of money, he would definitely fall into the trap and never be able to recover. Hu Fei would naturally seize everything he owned, including He Yueyou! He couldn't understand why Hu Fei was going to such great lengths to deal with him. Back in university, they didn't have any deep grudges; at most, they just didn't like the look of each other. But after all, they were former classmates and should show some decency. Yet, the moment they met now, Hu Fei treated him like this, actually wanting to ruin his life!

Although he guessed that Liu Jiale played a part in this, along with Hu Fei's hidden, dark desire for He Yueyou, it made him re-examine his definition of human nature. Human hearts were fickle; was the classmate bond from back then still reliable now? Not just Hu Fei, but even Luo Yu, Zhu Yongqiang, and other buddies who seemed to have a good relationship—could they stand the test when faced with the temptation of immense interests?

"I'm not going anywhere. My luck is great right now; I just won fifteen million in one hand. If I win a few more hands, I won't have to do anything for the rest of my life and can live comfortably. You can't find such a good thing even if you look for it with a lantern. I'd definitely regret it for the rest of my life if I missed it. Don't try to persuade me anymore, or I'll get angry with you!"

Cao Xiao's gaze never left the gambling table. Seeing that a middle-aged dealer had taken over and the round was about to start, he finished speaking hurriedly and ignored Hu Fei.

Seeing Cao Xiao speak to him like that, Hu Fei's expression flickered between light and dark. He stopped talking but didn't leave, standing aside with his arms crossed, watching coldly. The middle-aged dealer who had just stepped in was a gambling expert the casino had spent a fortune to hire for long-term residency. His unique skill in shaking dice alone had secured countless profits for the casino, sending many gambling experts who came to cause trouble home in defeat. He didn't need any remote-controlled equipment from the back office; with a few shakes of his hands, he could produce the specific numbers he wanted. Even when his hands left the dice cup, he had a secret technique to invisibly change the numbers of the dice inside. With him there, as long as he deliberately targeted Cao Xiao, Cao Xiao wouldn't be able to win a single bet, not even on "Big" or "Small." Once Cao Xiao kept losing for a while, he would naturally become impatient. By then, Hu Fei would have plenty of ways to bleed him dry. Regardless, Cao Xiao wasn't going to leave his grasp in one piece today. It was just a matter of waiting a bit longer, so he watched the game patiently, though his gaze frequently drifted over He Yueyou.

When it was time to bet, the surrounding gamblers all focused their eyes on Cao Xiao. Seeing this, Cao Xiao gave the middle-aged dealer a half-smile, picked up a chip, and, to everyone's astonishment, placed it in the Triple section again. Specifically, Triple Six. In the eyes of others, he had become an idiot. The middle-aged dealer shook the dice cup with ease, placed it on the table, gave Cao Xiao a disdainful look, and rang the bell.

"Open! Six... Uh! Impossible! You cheated!"

The moment the dice cup was opened, the middle-aged dealer's expression was spectacular. He, who had been confident of victory just a moment ago, was now pale with shock. He stared at Cao Xiao with shame and anger. He had clearly shaken a one, a three, and a six for a total of ten points. How did it suddenly turn into a Triple Six "Leopard" without any warning? Only Cao Xiao had bet on Triple Six. There was no other possibility except that Cao Xiao had cheated.

"Hu Fei, what's wrong with your casino? It's one thing for the young ones to not know the rules, but as soon as an old one shows up, he starts making baseless accusations. This is Sic Bo; the dice cup was in your hands the whole time. If anyone cheated, it was you. Did a donkey kick your head flat? To speak so certainly, you clearly want to go back on your word again. This is simply too much! Hu Fei, if you don't give me and everyone else an explanation today, we'll trash this place!"

Cao Xiao acted as if he had suffered a great humiliation. His face turned livid, and he rolled up his sleeves in a fit of rage, pointing at Hu Fei and shouting, looking ready to start a fight at the slightest provocation.

"Manager Hu, you know what kind of person I am. This shouldn't have happened. The only possibility for this result is that he cheated! And he's very skilled at it!" the middle-aged dealer said to Hu Fei solemnly.

Hu Fei frowned deeply, studying Cao Xiao intensely with a gaze full of doubt, as if he were seeing him for the first time. He didn't doubt the middle-aged dealer's words at all. At the same time, he never expected Cao Xiao to be a gambling expert, and apparently even more skilled than the middle-aged dealer. This shocked him greatly; he feared today's events weren't a coincidence and that he might have invited a wolf into his house! He hadn't checked Cao Xiao's background before, assuming he was just an ordinary coal company employee. Now, he couldn't grasp Cao Xiao's methods or the reason behind them, and for a moment, he didn't know how to handle it.

Without waiting for Hu Fei to speak, Cao Xiao said mockingly, "Hehe! From what you're saying, it sounds like you're certain I cheated, right? Then where's the evidence? I'm curious myself how I did it. From such a distance, changing the dice through the dice cup out of thin air—am I an immortal? How come I didn't know that? Please, tell me!"

"Uh!" To catch a thief, one needs the stolen goods. He was one hundred percent sure the other party had cheated, but that was based on his prior knowledge of the dice numbers. It was just his speculation. Although that was the truth, he had to provide evidence that made sense. Yet, he couldn't even see a hint of the other party's cheating methods, so how could he explain it?

"Oh! I get it. You must have been the one cheating, knowing the situation inside the dice cup beforehand. But you haven't mastered your craft, and after making an operational error, you got angry and used me as a shield. By slandering me for cheating, you can escape responsibility and cover up the fact that you're a hack!" The middle-aged dealer was speechless, and Cao Xiao grew even more spirited. He pretended to have a sudden realization, excitedly stating his guess, and then said to Hu Fei, "Class Monitor Hu, you've been tricked. This guy is just a hack pretending to be an expert. He actually dared to scam you. Do you want me to help you beat him up?"

Veins popped on Hu Fei's forehead, his face turned dark, and he clenched his fists. Gritting his teeth, he said word by word, "Cao Xiao, I don't care who you are. We are former classmates after all. Let's end this here today. Stop being so difficult. Exchange your chips and leave immediately. I'll act as if nothing happened today!"

Cao Xiao looked at Hu Fei in disbelief, then with a face full of sadness, he said seriously, "Hu Fei, why don't you recognize a good person's intentions! I'm helping you expose a scammer's true face, yet you want to drive me away. Has your brain been replaced with bean dregs by this scammer?"

"You bastard!" Hearing Cao Xiao's words, the middle-aged dealer almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Relying on his superior skills, this guy toyed with him at will, actually calling him a hack who hadn't mastered his craft, was escaping responsibility, and covering up facts. This was simply outrageous! Unforgivable! "Sir, you have such talent at a young age, there's no need to be so aggressive! I apprenticed under the Southeast Asia Gambling King at the age of sixteen and have been at this for thirty years. I wouldn't dare say I'm number one or two in the country, but I believe I have some real skill. I'm not someone a brat like you can humiliate at will. Since you're so capable, do you dare to gamble one more round with me! We'll bet all the chips on your table!"

Cao Xiao laughed inwardly, but said dismissively, "Tsk! Why should I gamble with a scammer like you? There's no benefit at all! If you cheat and then refuse to admit it, wouldn't I lose all my money and be looked at like a fool? I'm not doing it!"

"Then what will it take for you to gamble?" the middle-aged dealer asked through gritted teeth.

Cao Xiao's eyes darted around, and then his eyes lit up as he said, "How about this: we'll still bet on the dice cup. To prevent you from cheating, we'll randomly find someone on the scene to shake the dice. Both sides will place bets with no limit. No matter how much is bet, the losing side must pay the other according to the odds of the betting area. Do you dare to gamble?"

Cao Xiao had won Triple Six three times in total, which was forty-five million in chips. Adding his previous twenty-some million, he had nearly seventy million. If he hit the highest-paying Triple Six again this time, the other party would have to pay out 10.5 billion. Even if he only hit "Big" or "Small" with the lowest odds, it would be 140 million. Since such a large stake was involved, the middle-aged dealer didn't dare to make the decision himself and turned his inquiring gaze toward Hu Fei.

Hearing that Cao Xiao wanted to gamble this way, Hu Fei was secretly delighted. Since Cao Xiao wanted to seek death himself, he would fulfill his wish. He had seen the middle-aged dealer's "Dice Listening" technique; from several meters away, he could tell the numbers of the dice in the cup through the faint sounds he heard, and it worked every single time without fail! Originally, he had some reservations, thinking Cao Xiao might have been sent by another casino to cause trouble and that it wouldn't be good to use underhanded methods. But if Cao Xiao lost, he could be detained legitimately. Then, Cao Xiao would be at his mercy! The situation had reversed and become very favorable for him. Therefore, he nodded to the middle-aged dealer without any hesitation.

The middle-aged dealer felt a weight lift off his shoulders and immediately became full of confidence. He slowly exhaled before saying calmly to Cao Xiao, "Fine, I'll gamble with you! I'll even let you choose the person to shake the dice."

"Then I won't be polite. Class Monitor Hu, I'll trouble you to shake them!" Cao Xiao smiled brightly. He extended his finger and circled it around before pointing at Hu Fei.

"Ah!" Hu Fei instinctively scratched his head and pointed at himself, asking in confusion, "Me?"

"Yes, you. I believe my old classmate won't cheat me. Right, Class Monitor Hu?" Cao Xiao confirmed.

"Hahaha! Then thank you for your trust!" Hu Fei laughed mockingly. This was a laugh from the heart, no longer gloomy like before. Regardless of whether Cao Xiao was truly a gambling expert, at this moment, he was acting like a fool by handing the initiative over to him, completely eliminating any possibility of the other party cheating. Even if he didn't know any gambling techniques, Cao Xiao's move had secured their victory.

"Are you both ready?"

Seeing the two nod, Hu Fei picked up the dice cup and shook it randomly.

*Thud!*

The dice cup was pressed heavily onto the table.

"Place your bets!"

Hu Fei shouted loudly.

"Hehe! You first!"

The middle-aged dealer didn't move and made a "please" gesture to Cao Xiao with a smile.

"Then I won't be polite! Sixes for luck, I'm still betting on Triple Six!"

Cao Xiao said without hesitation.

"Are you sure?"

The middle-aged dealer doubted if he had guessed wrong. Maybe Cao Xiao was just a blockhead who didn't understand gambling at all.

"Of course I'm sure. Hurry up and bet! I'm sleepy. I'll go back to sleep after I win!"

Cao Xiao yawned and said nonchalantly.

"I hope you don't regret it. I'll bet on four points! Manager Hu, open the dice! Hahaha!"

The middle-aged dealer seemed sure of his victory and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Cao Xiao! This will be the most regrettable thing you've ever done in your life."

Hu Fei couldn't help but laugh as well, as if he already knew the outcome. His words were laden with hidden meaning.

"Open!" Hu Fei didn't even look at the dice cup; his eyes were fixed on Cao Xiao, fearing he might miss something.

"Four points, fifty to one odds. You have a bit over seventy million in chips, so I'll give you a 'friendship price' and count it as seventy million. You can't blame your old classmate for not looking out for you! Fifty times seventy million is 3.5 billion. Do you want to pay by card? Hahahaha!"

Hu Fei laughed so hard that tears came out.

"Hahahaha, I'll also give you a 'friendship price.' One hundred and fifty times seventy million is 10.5 billion. Class Monitor Hu, does your family have that much money?"

There wasn't a hint of frustration on Cao Xiao's face; he also laughed along.

The other gamblers also noticed something, and for a moment, laughter filled the air, but it was laughter of mockery.

"How exactly did you do it? You didn't even touch the dice cup, yet you quietly changed the dice, and I didn't even notice a thing. Do you have the legendary Supernatural Powers?!"

Looking at those three dice, the middle-aged man was as terrified as if he had seen the King of Hell. Shaking all over, he pointed one finger at Cao Xiao and clutched his heart with the other hand.

"Haha! You guessed right! I really do have Supernatural Powers, but they were given to me by you guys! 10.5 billion! Money makes the world go round. My Supernatural Power is having lots of money, hahaha! It's simply unstoppable! Hahaha!" It turned out that showing off every now and then felt pretty good. Cao Xiao fully enjoyed the sensation.

"Class Monitor Hu, Young Master Hu, have you come to your senses yet? Well? Was it a surprise? Was it a shock? Do you want another round? But first, you'll have to ask your family to prepare the money to pay me back."

"Hahaha! Cao Xiao, so what if you won? Have you forgotten where this is? This is our turf! No matter what your identity is, since you dared to come and cause trouble at my place, you must be prepared to leave horizontally. Over ten billion... is my money that easy to take? You can have it if you want. After you go down to the afterlife, I'll have someone burn several hundred billion for you as your funeral money! Men! Clear the room!"

Hu Fei looked frantic at this moment, his face twisted in a hideous grin that was incredibly chilling.