Hong Kong variety show: From being bitten by a cockroach to becoming a legend

Chapter 135 Xiao Dao's skills are amazing.

Chapter 135 Xiao Dao's skills are amazing.

Song Zhaowen smiled and cut to the chase: "Mr. Chen, I'm sure Ah Xiao has already given you a general overview of the situation. Our Galaxy is hosting a God of Gamblers tournament in Macau in a week, with a prize of HK$100 million—a truly top-tier event in Hong Kong and Macau. We're not afraid of our customers winning, but we absolutely will not tolerate anyone cheating, breaking the rules, or ruining our reputation. Therefore, we'd like to ask you, our 'Gambling Knight,' to step in and help us oversee the process."

Chen Xiaodao put down his coffee cup, leaned forward slightly, and said seriously, "Mr. Song, Mr. Xiao has already told me about the scale of the competition and the challenges we face; a prize of one hundred million is indeed a huge sum, and it will inevitably attract top experts, or even—top con artists. Chen Jincheng, Nie Wanlong, and the like are no pushovers. They've been in the gambling world for decades, their methods are ever-changing, and they're incredibly experienced. Ordinary monitoring and rules might be full of loopholes in their eyes."

"That's why I need an expert like you." Song Zhaowen looked directly into Chen Xiaodao's eyes. "I've heard that your master, the God of Gamblers Gao Jin, swept through the gambling world back then with his superb gambling skills and keen eye. I wonder how much of the God of Gamblers' skill you possess?"

Mentioning his master, a hint of respect flashed in Chen Xiaodao's eyes: "I naturally cannot reach Master's level. However, thanks to Master's teachings, and with my own years of experience in casinos and the underworld, I do have some experience in dealing with con artists of Chen Jincheng and Nie Wanlong's caliber."

Song Zhaowen nodded: "Mr. Chen, your asking price of a million-dollar annual salary plus a 3% bonus is quite an appetite."

But when I, Song Zhaowen, do things, I'm not afraid of my subordinates making money; I can give you money, even a bonus plus an extra percentage, but I need to see your value.

After saying that, Limei clapped her hands and placed several decks of cards on the table, swaying her large, fat buttocks.

When Chen Xiaodao heard the word "add one more point", his eyes lit up slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. If he wanted to earn this money, he had to show his true skills.

"Mr. Song, all talk and no action is useless. Why don't I show you a couple of tricks first, and let you see why I, Chen Xiaodao, am worth this price?"

Song Zhaowen raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He leaned back on the sofa and gestured for Song Zhaowen to enter: "Alright, I'd like to see the Gambler's prowess too."

Chen Xiaodao smiled slightly, picked up the playing cards, and gracefully tore open the plastic seal, taking out a brand new deck. His fingers were long and steady, with distinct knuckles, clearly the hands of someone who dealt with playing cards year-round.

Instead of showing off his skills with fancy shuffling like a street performer, he used the most standard and fluid motion to divide the cards into two piles and then began shuffling.

"Song Sheng, just pick a card," Chen Xiaodao said casually as he shuffled the cards.

Song Zhaowen casually replied, "The Ace of Spades."

Chen Xiaodao nodded, continuing to shuffle the cards at a steady pace. A few seconds later, he stopped shuffling and spread the entire deck out in a fan shape on his left palm, face down.

"Mr. Song, please draw a card at random." Chen Xiaodao handed the card fan to Song Zhaowen.

Song Zhaowen glanced at Xiao Zhuoxiao and casually drew a card from the middle of the card fan.

"Let's open it and take a look," Chen Xiaodao said with a smile.

Song Zhaowen turned over the card, and it was the Ace of Spades!

"Interesting." Song Zhaowen nodded and put the Ace of Spades back into the deck.

However, many experts can achieve this level of skill.

Chen Xiaodao put away his card fan, and with a flick of his fingers, the entire deck of cards seemed to come alive, fluttering between his fingers! This time it wasn't a simple shuffling, but a dazzling display of skill!

Cutting the cards with one hand, shuffling with both hands in a staggered motion, a pigeon-tail shuffle, a waterfall-like drop—each playing card seemed to become an extension of his fingers, tracing dazzling trajectories in the air, yet always firmly held in his hand, not a single one falling. His speed was sometimes as fast as lightning, sometimes as slow as flowing water, his rhythm masterful.

What's even more amazing is that during the high-speed shuffling process, he can casually flick a few cards into the air and catch them with his other hand, seamlessly blending into the shuffling process with fluid and graceful movements that are a feast for the eyes.

"Many professional gamblers and card cheats practice this fancy shuffling technique to train their finger dexterity and card control," Chen Xiaodao explained as he demonstrated, his voice steady and unaffected by the complex movements of his hands. "But the key is that, even with such fast movements, one can still clearly know the position of each card, and even—switch cards."

Before he finished speaking, his shuffling motion suddenly changed. He abruptly spread his hands to the sides, instantly turning one deck into two piles, one in each hand. With a flick of his wrists, he flipped the two piles face up, showing them to Song Zhaowen and Xiao Zhuoxiao.

The stack on the left was entirely red (hearts and diamonds); the stack on the right was entirely black (spades and clubs)! And the order of the cards was exactly the same.

This "color separation" move is completed instantly after a high-speed shuffle, making it extremely difficult.

Song Zhaowen finally revealed genuine appreciation in his eyes; even with his extremely keen eyesight, he could only catch a glimpse of it.

"It's not over yet." Chen Xiaodao put the two stacks of cards together and shuffled them again. This time, his movements were even more unpredictable, his hands moving so fast that they almost left afterimages, and the sound of cards colliding with each other was as dense as rain.

Suddenly, he slammed both hands on the table!

Snapped!

The entire deck of cards was laid flat on the table, still face down.

"Mr. Song, Mr. Xiao, please check." Chen Xiaodao took half a step back and gestured.

Song Zhaowen and Xiao Zhuoxiao leaned closer to take a look. The deck of cards, though spread out, seemed unremarkable. Xiao Zhuoxiao reached out and casually flipped over a card near the center—a 3 of clubs. He then flipped over a few more cards: a Jack of hearts, an 8 of diamonds, and a King of spades—it looked like an ordinary deck of cards with the order shuffled.

Chen Xiaodao smiled, said nothing, but simply extended his right index finger and lightly traced a line on the table.

Something amazing happened!

As he swiped his finger across the table, the cards that had been turned over seemed to be drawn back by an invisible force, automatically turning them back face down! Even more strangely, when all the cards were turned back, the arrangement of the playing cards on the table clearly formed four Chinese characters: "Song", "Zhao", "Wen", and "Sheng"!

Using the patterns on the back of playing cards, Song Zhaowen's name and the character "胜" (sheng, meaning victory) were accurately spelled out!

Even the well-informed Song Zhaowen couldn't help but gasp, and Xiao Zhuoxiao's eyes widened in astonishment.

This is no longer just a simple gambling technique or cheating trick; it's practically an art! It requires precise knowledge of the number and position of the cards...

It requires an incredible control over angles, as well as extremely strong spatial composition skills and precise technique.

"I've made a fool of myself." Chen Xiaodao waved his hand, and the cards on the table seemed to lose their restraint, instantly returning to their chaotic state. He casually gathered them all together, restoring them to a neat stack, and placed them back in the card box. The whole process was effortless, as if the miraculous skill he had just displayed was merely an illusion.

"Mr. Chen, excellent craftsmanship!" Song Zhaowen couldn't help but praise. "With just this skill, a million-dollar annual salary wouldn't be a bad deal."

.

Chen Xiaodao shook his head, his expression serious. "Song Sheng, what you just did was merely technique," he said, referring to basic skills and methods. It might be useful against ordinary con artists, but against the likes of Chen Jincheng and Nie Wanlong, technique alone isn't enough. They've been immersed in gambling for decades; their methods might not be inferior to mine, and their experience far surpasses mine."

"Then what do we rely on?" Song Zhaowen asked.

"Rely on the Way." Chen Xiaodao's eyes sharpened. "Rely on eyesight, judgment, psychological warfare, control of the entire game, and—rely on this." He pointed to his head. "My master taught me that at the gambling table, the most important thing isn't technique, but mind and composure. You have to be able to see through your opponent's thinking, predict their actions, seize the weakness the moment they cheat, or deliver a fatal blow when they think they've succeeded."

He paused, looking at Song Zhaowen: "Mr. Song, whether I'm worth this price isn't about how many tricks I can pull, but about whether I can hold my own in a real gambling game, catch the cheaters, and protect the reputation of the 'Star River' ship. The competition in a week will be the best proof. If I disappoint you, Mr. Song, you don't need to say a word; I'll pack my bags and leave without taking a penny."

Song Zhaowen stared at Chen Xiaodao for several seconds before bursting into laughter.

"Good, well said!" Song Zhaowen slapped the sofa armrest: "Chen Xiaodao, I believe you! A million-dollar annual salary, plus a 4% annual bonus! During the competition, you'll be fully responsible for everything. If you need any equipment or manpower, just tell Ah Xiao! I only have one request: make this God of Gamblers competition a resounding success, so that the name 'Galaxy' will resound throughout Hong Kong and Macau!"

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Song!" Chen Xiaodao bowed slightly.

"Ah-Xiao, take Director Chen to the ship and give him all the authority. Also, notify Tony and Ah-Yong to fully cooperate with Director Chen," Song Zhaowen instructed.

"Yes, Brother Wen."

The phone rang.

Song Zhaowen picked up the phone casually.

"Ah Wen, it's Jia Ying~"

"Honey, what's wrong? Missing me? I'll come find you?"

"Get lost, why do you think about this all the time? I have something important to tell you. I received a tip that your gambling ship may be being targeted by a group of terrorists."

Song Zhaowen's smile froze instantly, and his eyes suddenly became sharp as knives.

"Jiaying, explain yourself clearly. What terrorists? Where did you get this intelligence?"

On the other end of the phone, Chen Jiaqi's voice was low and his speech was fast: "The intelligence was vague. It was forwarded from Interpol. I asked my friend in Macau to check recent entry records and surveillance of suspicious persons. We found that several groups of people with fake Southeast Asian passports entered the country in batches, acting suspiciously. Some of them were suspected of carrying professional explosives."

"Ah Wen, the Galaxy is docked in Macau to host a gambling competition, attracting celebrities from Hong Kong and Macau and a huge amount of money—it's the perfect target! I'm worried—"

"I understand, Jiaying. Thank you. This news is very important."

"They act without considering the consequences. Should you consider postponing or canceling the competition?" Chen Jiaqi asked worriedly.

"Postponed? Cancelled?" Song Zhaowen sneered, his eyes flashing with cold light. "I, Song Zhaowen, have already sent out invitations. Everyone of any standing in Hong Kong and Macau knows that 'Star River' is going to hold a God of Gamblers competition in Macau. Now you're scared off because of a few scoundrels? How am I supposed to survive in the underworld after this? My Star River!"

Are you still going to open or not?

""