Chapter 76: The Mad Gamble (Part Two)

The boss from Rizhao was feeling extremely frustrated. He had steeled himself to play big, exchanging a billion in chips. Yet, in the blink of an eye, each of the others had exchanged two billion apiece, leaving him instantly behind.

“One billion! I’m in!” Holding the freshly poured wine, he pushed his stack of chips forward with a flourish. His face, perhaps flushed from the alcohol or perhaps from other causes, bore an expression of unwavering resolve.

“Brother Yun, two billion! I want two billion!” he declared next.

“As you wish!” Yun snapped his fingers, and soon two billion in chips were stacked neatly before the Rizhao boss—this time, all high-value chips, twenty of them in total.

Sitting back in his chair, satisfied, wine glass in hand, he prepared to watch the others’ choices and performances. Whether from excitement or nerves, it was clear his arm trembled ever so slightly. Perhaps he had never played a game of this magnitude before? Quite likely—after all, such a wild, extravagant gamble required the convergence of so many factors: timing, place, people. It was a rare occasion indeed.

The boss from Yantai puffed on his cigar, his eyes growing a touch hazy. “Two billion!” he announced, pushing all his chips forward and raising the stakes yet again. Swathed in smoke, his face was hard to read.

“Two billion!” The boss from Weihai was decisive this round, immediately shoving his own two billion into the center as soon as Yantai spoke.

At this moment, the game seemed to ascend to a new pinnacle. The word “madness” naturally circled in everyone’s mind.

“Excellent!” He Tian shouted, pushing all his two billion in chips forward without hesitation. “I’m going in with two billion… ha! This is exhilarating!” He broke out in hearty laughter.

Cao Xiaobin was stunned. He Tian hadn’t even looked at his cards, yet just like that, he was in for another two billion. Only now did Cao Xiaobin truly feel the gulf between himself and He Tian. As for Cao Xiaomin—she was so nervous she could hardly describe her state.

“Mr. He is truly bold! Two billion sight unseen! I’m in as well!” The portly boss from Qingdao laughed heartily, as if two billion meant nothing to him, and shoved his chips into the middle of the round table.

Yun was excited—almost to the point of losing control. The thrill was overwhelming, incredible. Such a wild game, such madness—this would be considered utterly insane even in Macau, let alone in Qingdao. Yun felt genuinely fortunate to witness such a spectacle.

But unlike Yun’s excitement, the Rizhao boss was again in a bind. He Tian and the fat boss had each gone in for two billion; to follow would require four billion. He had only just received two billion more in chips.

“Damn it!” the Rizhao boss cursed inwardly. But having come this far, how could he possibly back out? To fold now would mean his losses were for nothing, not to mention the blow to his pride.

“Yun!” the Rizhao boss called out. Soon, four billion in chips were pushed to the center. “Yun!” “Yun!” The bosses from Yantai and Weihai, without exception, called for more chips from Yun as well.

Each of them threw in four billion. No one folded. At this point, not a single person chose to back out.

Now it was He Tian’s turn, but he was out of chips.

“Yun, bring me four billion,” He Tian said with a faint smile, betraying not the slightest hint of retreat. As Yun brought the chips over, He Tian reached out to look at his cards, hesitated, and finally decided against it.

“Four billion!” He pushed the chips forward. Laughing, he announced, “I’m going in blind for four billion! Let’s play big!”

To follow now meant eight billion—a whole new level for the game.

Yun was so excited he broke out in a sweat.

“Gentlemen… shall we stop here?” Yun said with a forced grin. “As you can see, it’s impossible for anyone to fold now. If we keep going in this endless cycle… that wouldn’t do any good. Why don’t we call it here? Everyone shows their cards, and we settle it once and for all.”

“In that case, I don’t need to go in for four billion. Two billion is enough for me!” He Tian reached out to pull back two billion in chips.

“Hold on… Once chips are in the pot, there’s no taking them back! Let’s do this: one last round, starting with me. Then, everyone must reveal their cards. How about it?” The fat boss from Qingdao stopped He Tian’s hand with a cheerful grin.

“Haha, no objections here!” He Tian eyed the fat Qingdao boss, then burst into laughter and sat back, making no further attempt to retrieve his chips.

“Gentlemen… one last round! No matter how much, everyone must show their cards,” Yun declared solemnly.

Everyone nodded. Yun was right—who would surrender in such a wild game? Yet if they continued indefinitely, even bottomless fortunes would be drained.

So, the final round—everyone could accept that. Each thought, the winnings from this round would be enough.

The fat boss from Qingdao smiled at Yun. “Bring me five billion.”

Sitting beside him, the Rizhao boss shuddered. Five billion! And apparently, the fat boss didn’t plan to look at his cards—clearly going in blind for five billion. To follow, Rizhao would need to put in ten billion. Ten billion!

Damn it! The Rizhao boss was starting to regret his choices. The bosses from Yantai and Weihai looked grim as well—the game had spiraled far beyond anyone’s expectations. This was madness.

Yun was now trembling—not from excitement, but from nerves. He wasn’t sure he could keep the game running safely. For money, men will risk anything; for food, birds will die. The current stakes could drive anyone insane.

“Give him five billion!” The VIP room door swung open. A man in his thirties, wearing glasses and more refined than even the Jinan boss, walked in.

“Young Master Qing!” Yun greeted him respectfully—Qingdao’s number one heir, Yun’s own boss.

With Young Master Qing present, Yun finally relaxed. No one would dare disrupt the game now; this wild gamble could continue without a hitch.

“Hahaha, Young Master Qing!” The fat Qingdao boss was clearly well acquainted with him.

“Boss Liu!” Young Master Qing smiled mildly. “I’ve heard tonight’s game is rather large. One last round—no objections, I hope?” As he spoke, he glanced naturally at the others and at He Tian.

The bosses from Rizhao, Yantai, and Weihai nodded to him amiably. He Tian smiled as well, showing agreement, though inwardly he mused, Another princeling… A powerful, dominant young master—he’d met another one.

With Young Master Qing presiding, the fat boss’s chips were immediately delivered.

“Five billion! Going in blind! It’s the last round, so it doesn’t matter whether I look at the cards or not!” He pushed all five billion in.

The Rizhao boss hesitated. But—he could not back down now. He’d already thrown in billions; to quit at the final moment was unthinkable. So, he could only request ten billion in chips from Young Master Qing.

Drinking as he went, he pushed the ten billion into the pot.

Young Master Qing smiled faintly, as if such a sum meant nothing to him. Yet, no one knew that in his heart, he too was calling it madness. Never had he expected such a grand game in his own casino. Even he was impressed.

The bosses from Yantai and Weihai, like Rizhao, could not possibly fold now. Each pushed in ten billion.

Finally, it was He Tian’s turn.

“Young Master Qing, it seems I’ll need five billion in chips,” He Tian said with a slight smile. Previously, he had borrowed six billion from Yun. Now, with another five, he’d borrowed eleven billion in total—still the least among them. The other four bosses, after all, had each put in more. The reason was that He Tian hadn’t looked at his cards, so his stakes were halved.

“Give Mr. He five billion in chips,” Young Master Qing ordered with another gentle smile. “Mr. He and Boss Liu are truly bold—holding out this long, playing so wildly, all without looking at their cards!”

“You flatter me, Young Master Qing. It’s a game, after all—one should play to the fullest!” He Tian replied, smiling.

Soon, the five billion in chips were sent over, and He Tian pushed them in.

At this point, the total pot had reached the staggering sum of 6.992 billion.

A mad game—utterly mad.

6.992 billion! This was a fortune none could ignore. Even a tycoon like the fat boss from Qingdao, with a net worth of fifty billion, could not overlook nearly seven billion in cash.

As for Cao Xiaobin—he was utterly dumbfounded. Cao Xiaomin, meanwhile, was wracked with nerves. The moment of revelation had arrived. Who would walk away with those 6.992 billion?

Cao Xiaomin realized her palms were drenched in sweat. The tension was overwhelming—at this moment, it was simply too much. The pot had already surpassed the total assets of Mengrou Garment Group.