Chapter 672: Chapter 669: I’m the First One to Go Down Chapter 672: Chapter 669: I’m the First One to Go Down With only a few minutes left before the competition, Ye Rongbin and the Xiang Brothers’ associates were seated on the other side of the auditorium, everyone tensely awaiting the seven o’clock chimes to ring out.

Just after Huo Sining took her seat, she felt that someone opposite seemed to be watching her.

Huo Sining instinctively turned around and saw two Caucasians among Ye Rongbin’s entourage blatantly sizing her up.

After watching for roughly half a minute, and seemingly concluding that Huo Sining was not their competition, Carlos and Danio both sneered dismissively and averted their gazes.

Seeing Huo Sining looking towards Ye Rongbin’s group, Song Chaoying followed her line of sight and caught a glimpse of the two Caucasians in the crowd, causing her pupils to abruptly contract.

“That fat one is Carlos, an Englishman, a real tight player–he only calls if it’s a big card and seldom raises his bets. He ranks seventh among the sharks in Las Vegas.”

“The skinny one is Danio, and you should be particularly wary of him. This man has been in Las Vegas for seven years and made a name for himself as a professional card player through sheer skill. He calls bets very quickly, almost leaving no time for others to think, earning him the nickname Quick-Hand Fish, and he’s ranked within the top three among Las Vegas sharks.”

“If Carlos is about secure, calculated moves, then Danio’s style is aggressive and unpredictable–his gameplay is hard to grasp. With Carlos’s conservatism and Danio’s pressing, watch out for them coordinating an attack on you.”

After briefing Huo Sining about the two, Song Chaoying’s eyes also showed signs of nervousness and fear, knowing that the cooperation of these two experts by the Ye and Xiang Families made the upcoming showdown look dire for Song Group.

Soon, the seven o’clock chimes rang out, and the host, notary, croupiers, and reception ladies successively took the stage, while the major shareholders drew lots to determine their opponents for the first three matches.

Representatives from the various parties quickly took their seats at the six gambling tables.

Whether by design or coincidence, in the first match at table four where Huo Sining was seated, the other four players were smaller shareholders. Carlos and Danio were also split up, not set to immediately face off against each other.

After the host finished reading the rules, the notary remained seated in the audience.

Croupiers were assigned to the six gambling tables, where each representative received five million in chips for betting at this event, while others were asked to leave and watch the competition on a big screen in the surveillance center.

At this time, the spectators in the cabin below were as if injected with adrenaline; at the casino’s entrance, there was a dedicated betting point, where these onlookers could place their bets on who would win before the cards were dealt.

“Strange, why hasn’t the Seventh Young Master of Song Family come out?”

“Right, why did Song Family’s Miss bring a Mainland girl to compete? Who is this woman?”

“Never heard of her, probably not very famous. So young, even if she’s tough, could she really stand a chance against the big shots from Las Vegas?”

“I snooped around a bit; the Seventh Young Master of Song Family has gone to the United States for treatment. Apparently, there’s an issue with his hearing, and he might become deaf in the future!”

“Oh my, that sounds serious, doesn’t that mean the Gambling King can’t find an heir to his legacy?”

“How can he not find one–he has so many granddaughters, right? I heard the girl born to the Fourth Lady, Ninth Miss, is quite capable.”

“What can a woman achieve? The Gambling King’s days of glory are over it seems. Bringing in such a person for the match, it looks like the Ye and Xiang families have clinched the win this time!”

…

Huo Sining was unaware that her odds had surged dramatically within a short few minutes, having reached a seven-to-one payout ratio.

Although the tycoons couldn’t fathom why Song’s had chosen Huo Sining this time, in their eyes, no matter how skilled a woman might be, great achievements were seen as unlikely; and with the Ye and Xiang families going so far as to bring in big sharks from Las Vegas, it seemed difficult for Song’s to pull off a miracle.

The first game began, and the three individuals sitting across from Huo Sining were representatives of minor shareholders.

Two men and one woman, one was a Portuguese man named Ball, and the other a Huaxia person named Lei Dongcheng.

It was said that Lei Dongcheng usually stayed on the high-seas gambling ships and was quite a famous gambler from the Mainland in Ao City;
The last one, however, came as a surprise to Huo Sining. This person’s name was Ru Yan, known as Madam Ruyan, and she was the only female gambler in this betting event besides Huo Sining.

Madam Ruyan, around thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, lived up to her name. The lady, with her heavy smoky makeup, still retained her mature charm; draped in a dark-patterned cheongsam, she took her seat at the gambling table, immediately causing the other two opponents to become more solemn.

After sitting down, Madam Ruyan took the cigarette from her mouth and held it in her hand, casually blowing a few smoke rings.

She was seated to Huo Sining’s left, and as the smoke rings dispersed into the air, Huo Sining almost imperceptibly furrowed her brows, prompting Madam Ruyan to immediately catch on and stub out her cigarette with a deft motion.

“Sorry, little sister, I can’t control myself when the craving hits,” she said.

She smiled apologetically at Huo Sining, her demeanor more approachable than the indifference her features might suggest.

Huo Sining had never encountered someone like this; although Madam Ruyan could not be considered beautiful, her every frown and smile exuded a charm all her own.

Especially the way she drew on her cigarette, there was a particular flair to it, which instantly reminded Huo Sining of Zhang Ailing.

This Madam Ruyan was truly something else.

The croupier and the representatives from various parties took their places, and within a quarter of an hour of starting, those monitoring from the control center and the cabins sensed that something was amiss.

The Song Group’s representative at table four, that young Mainland woman, had won over a dozen games in succession.

A cold sweat began to form on Lei Dongcheng’s forehead; he had underestimated this Mainland woman, who although appeared languid in her seat, took each step with the utmost steadiness.

Since the game started, she hadn’t made a single mistake; it seemed as though she had everything under her control.

Having been stationed on the high seas for so many years, many knew Lei Dongcheng as a Mainland gambler, but no one knew that he actually came from a hereditary family of gamblers.

All of Lei Dongcheng’s gambling skills were inherited from his grandfather, who learned ******** during his time at Cambridge due to his exceptional talent and managed to amass a fortune within a few short years with his skillful play before passing down his life’s techniques to his grandson.

Over the years, Lei Dongcheng had a smooth sailing career in the gambling world, hence he naturally held a sense of superiority over others.

But today, he suddenly lost his usual composure.

Today his luck with the cards was actually quite good; every hand he was dealt was decent, yet he couldn’t find that effortless flow any longer.

The woman with the surname Huo kept forcing him to fold every time, like an unsheathed sharp sword pressing close.

“Perhaps, I’ll be the first one to leave,” he thought.

A foreboding sensation flickered through Lei Dongcheng’s mind.