Chapter 521: Jiang Yixia and Lu Fan Take a Late-Night Stroll and Confide in Each Other!

Jiang Ming returned to his rented apartment, tossed his wallet onto the bed, and collapsed into a chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Over eight hundred yuan, just gone like that.

He moved to the bed, rolled over, and buried his face in his pillow, his mind a jumbled mess.

Liu Wei had said they would win it back next time, but Jiang Ming knew clearly that he hadn’t won a single time recently.

His phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a message from Liu Wei.

Liu Wei: [Usual place tomorrow afternoon. We’re one short. You in?]

Jiang Ming stared at the message, his fingers hovering over the screen, hesitating for a long time. He typed a few words, deleted them, typed a few more, and deleted them again.

Finally, he replied: [I have something to do tomorrow. Can’t make it.]

Liu Wei: [Alright, some other time then.]

Jiang Ming tossed his phone aside and closed his eyes. He thought to himself that he wouldn’t go anymore; he would just consider the money he lost as paying tuition for a hard lesson.

But the next afternoon, Liu Wei sent another message.

Liu Wei: [We’re playing something different today. Golden Flower. Simple and exciting. You coming?]

Jiang Ming replied with a simple “Not going.”

Liu Wei: [Come on, we’re just missing you. If you lose, it’s on me.]

Jiang Ming rejected him again.

Liu Wei: [Are you scared? Chickening out after losing that little bit of money last time?]

Jiang Ming looked at the message, feeling a prick of annoyance. He hesitated, then typed out a line: “Who’s scared?”

After a moment of thought, he deleted it.

Liu Wei sent another message: [We can’t get enough people today. Do us a favor, just play for a little while.]

Jiang Ming sighed and replied, “Fine.”

He got on his electric scooter and headed to the chess and card room. Pushing the door open, he saw Liu Wei, Chen Haopeng, and Wang Leihai already seated. A deck of playing cards and a pile of small change were spread out on the table.

“Here he is, we were just waiting for you,” Liu Wei said with a smile, gesturing for him to sit.

Jiang Ming took the empty seat. Looking at the deck of cards, his heart pounded with a hint of apprehension.

“Golden Flower, know how to play?” Liu Wei asked.

“Never played it,” Jiang Ming shook his head.

“It’s very simple. Everyone gets three cards, and we compare who has the highest hand,” Liu Wei explained while shuffling the deck. “Three of a kind is the highest, followed by a straight flush, then a flush, a straight, a pair, and lastly, a high card. The rules are simple. You’ll get the hang of it after a couple of rounds.”

Jiang Ming nodded.

In the first round, he was dealt three cards. He flipped them over—all hearts.

Liu Wei leaned over to take a look, his eyes lighting up. “A flush! That’s a huge hand!”

A jolt of excitement hit Jiang Ming, and he placed his bet. After a few rounds of betting, a small pile of cash had accumulated in the center of the table.

When it was time to reveal their hands, his flush took the pot.

“Beautiful!” Liu Wei slapped him on the shoulder. “Your luck is here.”

Jiang Ming smiled and gathered his winnings. Over two hundred yuan—it was much faster than winning at mahjong.

Over the next few rounds, he won a few more times. As the pile of money in front of him grew higher and higher, the lingering apprehension in his heart slowly dissipated.

But gradually, the winds of fortune shifted.

He started losing.

First, he lost over a hundred yuan in one hand. Then over three hundred in the next, followed by over five hundred. It was as if his luck had been siphoned away; no matter what he drew, it was always a low hand.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. You’ll win it back next round,” Liu Wei consoled him from the side.

Jiang Ming gritted his teeth and continued to bet.

One hand. Two hands. Three hands.

The cash in front of him flowed out like water. He checked his watch. Only two hours had passed, and he had already lost nearly three thousand yuan.

“Liu Wei, I’m done playing,” he said, standing up.

“Don’t go, the night is still young.” Liu Wei grabbed his arm. “You’ve lost two or three thousand, don’t you want to win it back?”

“My luck is bad today. Let’s do it another time,” Jiang Ming shook his head.

“It’s exactly because your luck is bad that you need to win it back,” Liu Wei said with a smile. “If you leave now, that money is truly gone for good. Play a few more hands, and you might just break even.”

Jiang Ming hesitated, then sat back down.

Over the next hour, he lost even faster.

One thousand. Two thousand. Three thousand.

His hands began to tremble, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. He did a quick mental calculation. In just one afternoon, he had lost nearly ten thousand yuan.

“Liu Wei, I’m really done,” he stood up, his voice cracking slightly.

“Just one more hand. The last hand,” Liu Wei smiled. “If you win this one, everything you lost earlier will come right back.”

Jiang Ming stared at the money on the table. A voice in his head was screaming that he couldn’t play anymore, but another voice whispered that if he played just one more hand, maybe he would win it all back.

He sat down.

For the final hand, he was dealt his first card. He flipped it over—an Ace.

His heart rate picked up. The second card—another Ace.

His palms were slick with sweat. He slowly revealed the third card. Yet another Ace.

Three of a kind.

His hands were shaking, but he tried desperately to force himself to calm down. He didn’t show any outward reaction, simply placing the three cards face-down on the table.

Liu Wei glanced at his own cards, smiled, and placed a bet.

Chen Haopeng called.

Wang Leihai also called.

When it was Jiang Ming’s turn, he thought for a moment before pushing all the remaining money in front of him into the center.

“All in.”

Liu Wei froze for a second. He looked at Jiang Ming, then at his own cards. After a moment of hesitation, he called.

Chen Haopeng called too.

Wang Leihai also called.

Time to reveal.

Liu Wei flipped his cards over. A flush.

Chen Haopeng flipped his. A straight.

Wang Leihai flipped his. A straight flush.

Jiang Ming took a deep breath and flipped over his three Aces.

The table fell silent for a brief moment.

“Three of a kind!” Wang Leihai yelled. “Holy shit, it’s actually three of a kind!”

The money in front of Jiang Ming instantly surged back. Not only did he recoup everything he had lost, but he also won several thousand extra. He counted it. There was nearly twenty thousand yuan piled up in front of him.

“When your luck arrives, there’s no stopping it,” Liu Wei encouraged him. “Let’s go again, come on.”

Having won the money, the tense string in Jiang Ming’s heart finally loosened. He looked at the pile of cash in front of him, thinking that he should play a few more hands to win a little more.