Zhang Yong's playing cards were rather worn but the deck was complete. Yang Yi stretched his hand out and asked Zhang Yong, "Can you let me check the cards?"
"What are you thinking? Are you suspecting I will cheat or that the cards are problematic?"
"Er, it's actually none of those reasons. I might not be a professional gambler but I do know all gamblers are very careful. Checking the cards is part of the routine. So, can you let me check them out?"
Zhang Yong shook his head as he passed the cards to Yang Yi. He then waved his hand and said, "Do what you want. We're just having fun here. However, I'll be very angry if you dare to cheat. I have very keen eyesight."
Yang Yi just chuckled as he checked the playing cards. Rather quickly, he checked out both the front and back of the cards.
Zhang Yong's tone was rather dissatisfied when he said, "What are you checking? Is there a need to look at each card?"
"I can't help it. Just a small mark on any of the key cards could affect the entire game. I'm not doubting you, Brother Yong but this is a gambling prerequisite."
Zhang Yong disdainfully replied, "Come on, I've been playing for years now and I've never encountered anyone who insisted on checking the cards. Stop with your lies."
"Of course, no one would need to do so in the casino. However, we're not in a casino right now. Ok, I'm done checking the cards. You can deal."
Zhang Yong shrugged and took back the cards. He then casually shuffled the cards. At the same time, Yang Yi asked in hurried anxiety, "Wait a moment, Brother Yong, where's your part of the wager?"
Zhang Yong laughed it off with another shrug and said, "I overlooked this problem. I don't carry cigarettes with me since I don't smoke. You're new, it wouldn't be good for me to owe you."
Zhang Yong turned his head and yelled, "Marvin! Marvin! Hey, do you have cigarettes with you right now?"
A Black man who was happily chatting with a few other Black men turned when he heard Zhang Yong yell. He yelled back, "Are you calling me?"
Zhang Yong waved his hand as he said, "That's right, I'm calling you. Bro, do you have any cigarettes with you? Lend me two packs of cigarettes. I will return them to you later."
Marvin patted his body and took out an open pack of cigarettes. He then spoke to someone next to him and received another two open packs of cigarettes from that person.
"Why would you need cigarettes? These are for you. You don't have to return it," Marvin said in a very polite manner.
Zhang Yong laughed as he received the cigarettes and said, "I just need it for a wager. I'll return it to you later."
Zhang Yong took out a cigarette and placed it on the bench and laughed, "I don't have that many cigarettes with me. So, let's make it a stick per hand. We can start now.'
Yang Yi opened a pack of cigarettes and took out a stick. Zhang Yong then started dealing the cards. The exposed card Yang Yi received was a 9 while the hidden card was a Q. He had nineteen points. The exposed card Zhang Yong had was an A.
When Yang Yi saw Zhang Yong's exposed card, he chuckled and said, "Hit me."
Zhang Yong shrugged and dealt another card to Yang Yi. It was a 2.
"Stand," Yang Yi said.
Zhang Yong laughed as he flipped his concealed card over. It was a 9. In total, Zhang Yong had twenty points, "I got twenty points. Reveal your card."
Zhang Yong was full of confidence. Yang Yi smiled as he revealed his cards, "I'm sorry. I have twenty-one points. I won a stick."
Zhang Yong was rather surprised when he saw Yang Yi's cards. He inclined his head and said in astonishment, "You had nineteen points yet you still continued until you obtained twenty-one points?"
"As a matter of fact, I'm very lucky."
Anyone who didn't understand Blackjack would have no idea how risky Yang Yi's action was. To put it plainly, Yang Yi had at least a 60% chance of winning if he had stood firm with his 19 points. When he asked for another card, his hand would have busted if he received any card larger than a 2. He wouldn't have even had a single point then, but an absolute lost.
Nonetheless, Yang Yi had dared to take another card. His victory made Zhang Yong speechless. Shaking his head, Zhang Yong's expression turned heavy as he said, "You're amazing. Let's continue."
Yang Yi's exposed card was an 8 while the covered card was a 3. He grinned, "Hit me."
The additional card he received was a 4 for a total of 15 points. Yang Yi smiled again after giving it some thought and said, "Hit me again."
Yang Yi received a 2 and his hand now had a value of 17 points. However, his hand wasn't the crucial element. Zhang Yong's current hand was a 9 and a 6. If he were to take another card, it would be a K and his hand would go bust.
"Stand."
Zhang Yong picked up a card and soon after he gloomily tossed his cards.
After the black man who had delivered the cigarettes watched the first two hands of the game, he said in amazement, "This kid sure is lucky. Hey Landmine, can I join?"
Zhang Yong shook his head and said, "Not yet, dude. We're having a contest right now. There's no rush, you can come back later."
Yang Yi ended up losing one hand and winning seventeen hands.
The lost Yang Yi suffered was unavoidable. He had 18 points when Zhang Yong had 20 points. He would lose if he didn't take another card but even if he took another card, he would end up with a busted hand. There was no way Yang Yi could remedy such a situation.
The wager was a stick each time and increasing the wager wasn't allowed. Even still, Zhang Yong had lost all his cigarettes. Yang Yi was grinning as he asked, "Do you want to continue?"
Zhang Yong had already started to sweat and resentfully said, "I haven't admitted defeat even after losing millions in casinos, what do you think this counts as?" He then turned his head towards a group of Mexicans and yelled, "Carlos, can you come over here dude?"
A Mexican came over with a few of his friends following right behind him. He bumped fists with Zhang Yong before taking a look at the Black man called Marvin. He then softly said, "What's up, dude?"
Zhang Yong let out a sigh as he said, "Lend me some cigarettes. I've been swept clean. Help me out so I can bet more."
Carlos curled his lips and glared at Yang Yi after hearing what Zhang Yong said. Zhang Yong quickly added, "Please don't misunderstand me. This is legitimate gambling. I just need some more betting power to continue gambling."
Carlos immediately turned to his underling and loudly said, "Quickly, take out all the cigarettes you have. Be quick!"
Very quickly, a pile of cigarettes was placed in front of Zhang Yong. There was only a single pack that was unopened. Most of the cigarettes in the pile were loose sticks with a few open packs mixed in.
Looking at the stack of cigarettes, Zhang Yong laughed as he said, "I'm now full of confidence with this pile of cigarettes. Let's increase the wager for each hand to ten sticks. How about it?"
"Sure, let's start."
Yang Yi's smile was still on his face while Zhang Yong was sweating profusely. At that moment, Marvin couldn't help shouting in anger, "You're cheating! You're definitely cheating!"
When his collar was grabbed, Yang Yi immediately raised both his hands and loudly declared, "Hey bro, the cards aren't mine."
Zhang Yong let out a breath and said, "Marvin, stop. We're having a fair game here."
Most of Zhang Yong's stack of cigarettes were now all in front of Yang Yi. It was no wonder Marvin was agitated.
Zhang Yong then took a cigarette from his stack and placed it in his mouth. The person standing next to him immediately helped him light it.
After removing the cigarette, Zhang Yong who had lost until his face had turned ashen picked up the remainder of the cigarettes and distributed it to those around him. He then looked at Yang Yi and nodded, "You're really good. Don't worry, no one here will touch you. We'll continue this tomorrow."
Yang Yi chuckled as he replied, "Sure, let's continue again tomorrow."