Chapter 42: Trade My Life for His

“Dong, he came here with Miss Su!” someone nearby whispered to him.

“So he’s someone Miss Su brought along, but do you know him?” The man in the suit, Li Dong, asked me.

“I don’t know him, but I’d like to know what he lost,” I pretended to be calm, though in truth, it was my first time in such a place and I was quite nervous.

“What did he lose? Well, Ma Tianyang, why don’t you tell this young man yourself what you lost?” Li Dong turned to Ma Tianyang with a smile.

“Li Dong, you’re a cheat! Even if I die, I’ll haunt you!” Ma Tianyang shouted defiantly.

“You heard him? Even as a ghost, he won’t let me go. So what he lost was his life!” Li Dong said with a sinister smile.

Seeing how arrogant he was, Lin Chuan clenched his fists. If he didn’t know he couldn’t afford to cause trouble now, he would have punched Li Dong right then.

But what did they want with Ma Tianyang’s life? Just to kill someone? It didn’t seem likely. Perhaps Ma Tianyang was useful to them in some way.

I thought for a moment and said to Li Dong, “Why don’t we play a round? If I win, you let him go.”

“And if you lose?” Li Dong asked.

“If I lose, my life replaces his,” I glanced at Ma Tianyang as I spoke.

Li Dong seemed puzzled by my words and asked, “Young man, what is he to you that you’d risk your life for him?”

“I don’t know him, but I want to try. Besides, I might not lose, right?” I smiled at him.

Li Dong chuckled quietly, then said, “Very well, you seem confident in yourself. If you win, not only does Ma Tianyang go free, but all the chips on this table are yours.”

“It seems you’re quite confident yourself,” I replied.

“Not particularly, but why should I agree to play with you? Judging by your attire, you don’t seem any more valuable than Ma Tianyang,” Li Dong said disdainfully.

“Value isn’t determined by appearance. It’s no loss to exchange myself for him,” I retorted with a cold smile.

Seeing I was so insistent, Li Dong made a dismissive gesture, “Alright, enough talk. Sit down. Best two out of three.”

Lin Chuan looked worried and asked me, “Xiao Bei, are you sure about this?”

I smiled and patted him lightly, signaling him to relax.

To be honest, I wasn’t truly confident, but even if I lost, I wouldn’t die, so trading myself for Ma Tianyang wasn’t a bad deal.

“Deal the cards!” Li Dong said to the attractive dealer.

She brought out a fresh deck, shuffled, and dealt three cards to each of us.

Since they had been playing Golden Flower earlier, I assumed we were playing the same game. I glanced at my cards: A-2-3, the lowest straight.

After checking his cards, Xiao Yuan came over to tell me Li Dong had K-K-8. In Golden Flower, a straight beats a pair, so I was sure to win this round.

I revealed my cards and said, “Let’s keep it simple. Just compare hands directly, no need to bet.”

Li Dong nodded, but after I revealed my hand, he said, “Young man, you lost. You only have six points.”

“Six points? But mine is a straight!” I looked at him.

“I know, but we’re comparing points,” he said slyly.

---

“Didn’t you just play Golden Flower? Why switch to points against me?” I protested.

“Fine, since you want to play Golden Flower, we’ll play Golden Flower. This round doesn’t count.”

“Li Dong, you’re shameless! You cheat, you lose, and now you want to start over? How can you face anyone!” Ma Tianyang shouted from the side.

Li Dong’s face darkened. He signaled the men holding Ma Tianyang, and Ma Tianyang was beaten, “Shut up!”

Li Dong really had wanted a restart, but with everyone watching, if he did, he’d be shamed. So he put on a nonchalant face, “Alright, this round counts as your win.”

His expression was ugly, but he endured.

When the cards were dealt again, I didn’t rush to reveal mine. Instead, I asked Li Dong, “We’re playing Golden Flower this round, right?”

“Yes,” he replied, looking at his cards. Xiao Yuan came over and told me he had 10-J-Q. I checked mine: 5-6-7. This round, I’d lose.

After revealing the cards, Li Dong’s mood improved, but there was still one round left. He looked at me confidently, “You played well, but this last round is your chance—if you miss it, your life is forfeit!”

I nodded and turned to the dealer, “Please deal.”

Li Dong checked his cards first. Xiao Yuan came to me again, “Sir, you should win this round. He’s got 6-10-Q, different suits, two black, one red.”

I glanced at my cards: 3-4-5 straight. I looked at Li Dong, “Show your cards.”

He sneered, combined his cards, rubbed them together, and revealed 6-10-Q, all black—a Golden Flower.

I was stunned. Xiao Yuan said it was two black, one red; how could it be three black? I looked at Xiao Yuan in disbelief.

She was shocked too, ran over to check, and said, “Impossible, I saw it clearly—two black, one red. Sir, he’s cheating!”

But I hadn’t seen him do anything. Was it when he rubbed the cards? I stared at his hand, unable to reveal mine.

Li Dong urged me, “Young man, it’s your turn to show your cards.”

I sighed and tossed my cards onto the table.

At that moment, Lin Chuan cheered, “Xiao Bei, you won! You won!”

“I—I won?” I was bewildered, thinking he must have made a mistake. I looked at the cards and saw my 3-4-5 was actually a suited straight!

What was going on? Had I misread my cards? Possibly—since all three were red, I could have missed it.

Li Dong was dumbfounded, “How is this possible? Were you cheating?”

“With so many people watching, how could I cheat?” Seeing his panic, I felt much more relaxed.

“No, check the surveillance!” This time Li Dong demanded to check the cameras himself.

I nodded; I hadn’t cheated, so I had nothing to fear.

Sure enough, Li Dong found no evidence against me. Instead, when he rubbed his cards, there was a subtle move I noticed. I smiled at him meaningfully, “Dong, why did you rub your cards?”

He quickly switched the footage, afraid I’d catch onto something.

“Haha, Li Dong, you lost! Didn’t expect it, huh? This young man is better than you, don’t even think about welching!” Ma Tianyang laughed heartily.

“...I, Li Dong, always keep my word,” Li Dong said, looking at me.

---

I turned to Ma Tianyang, “Then please have your men let him go.”

“Set him free!” Li Dong, though unwilling, released Ma Tianyang under everyone’s watchful eyes.

“Where have you played before, young man?” Li Dong asked me.

“I’ve never played in a place like this before—this is my first time,” I answered truthfully.

“So you’re saying you’re just lucky?” he questioned.

I smiled, “Of course. But are you saying you don’t rely on luck to win?”

“...Of course I do!” He glared at me, then turned and walked away.

Knowing more conversation might expose me, Li Dong chose to leave.

Just then, Ma Tianyang came over and hugged me tightly, startling me. I tried to push him off.

“Uncle, uncle—let go, I can’t breathe!” I turned away in annoyance, fearing he might try to kiss me in his excitement.

“Haha, you’re amazing! You helped me beat that nobody Li Dong. How should I thank you?” Ma Tianyang held on, refusing to let go.

Lin Chuan came over and pulled him away, “Uncle, let’s talk properly. There are so many people watching.”

“Alright, alright. What’s your name?” Ma Tianyang asked, gripping my hand and stroking it.

I was speechless—two grown men acting so affectionate made me regret saving him.

“Uncle, my name is Zhang Xiaobei,” I answered with a wry smile, pulling my hand back.

“Zhang Xiaobei, Zhang Xiaobei?” He was excited at first, but as he repeated my name, he seemed to remember something and began to scrutinize me.

Feeling uncomfortable, I said, “Uncle, if you’re done, maybe you should go now?”

He didn’t answer, but started counting on his fingers. After a while, he looked at me as if suddenly enlightened, “Ha, I know who you are!”

“Sir, did you just save a lunatic?” Xiao Yuan was baffled by Ma Tianyang.

I sighed, “Uncle, whether you know me or not, please just go back first.”

“Alright, I’ll do whatever you say, sir!” This time he addressed me respectfully.

From his words, I knew he really did know who I was. He seemed to have some skill, figuring it out just by counting on his fingers.

After Ma Tianyang left, Lin Chuan and I continued to look around, but soon someone came and told me to go to the second floor—a boss wanted to see me.

Lin Chuan wanted to follow, but the man said only I could go, so I had to go alone.

I entered a lavishly decorated room upstairs, unsure of what was expected. The man told me to sit and poured me some tea.