Reservoir Dogs chapter 46
Bet
Xiao Zhou scanned the scene, as Chen Jin said, this was a small casino, four crowded gambling tables in about a hundred square meters of space, each with a dealer, mostly women, glamorous makeup, hot figure, and the central gambling table was the most popular. From time to time, there came the sound of silver bells, the bargaining, lamenting, cursing, and knocking on the table was endless.
However, he did not see Xiao Ping. Earlier at the entrance, Xiao Zhou had not taken any action. Firstly, he knew he was outnumbered, and rashly confronting anyone could drag him into trouble. Secondly, Xiao Ping had brought this upon himself, and Xiao Zhou wasn’t sure if Xiao Ping had realized his mistakes.
Chen Jin spoke on his behalf, “Let’s start with 20,000. Let him watch first.”
Many experienced gamblers would wait until they clearly understood the situation before jumping in. Zhang Qiang had no objections and asked the receptionist to bring out 20,000 yuan in chips. Xiao Zhou took the chips and asked while swiping his card, “I just saw you catch someone at the door. Did they escape from here? Is it safe here? I don’t want to end in prison again.”
Zhang Qiang thought for a moment and then understood, “You mean that blonde kid? Don’t worry, he’s a regular here. He’s very unlucky, owing over a million in bits and pieces. He tried to escape his debts by reporting us and got caught. He’ll definitely learn his lesson.”
Zhang Qiang pointed around, “This place is surrounded by cameras, and all the people outside are our own. Not even a fly can escape, it’s definitely safe.”
“He’s not here?”
Zhang Qiang gave a sleazy, ambiguous smile.
Xiao Zhou played with a small plastic piece in his hand, “Where is he now? You guys wouldn’t go as far as killing, right?”
Zhang Qiang replied, “You’re overthinking. The kid is dirt poor, lost everything he had. If it weren’t for his decent looks, even selling him piece by piece wouldn’t be enough.”.”
As they spoke, the back door of the casino opened, and Xiao Ping was brought in, limping, by two tattooed men. His face was bruised and swollen, and he looked dejected, clearly beaten.
Xiao Zhou glanced at him, then took his chips and sat at a table with fewer people.
Xiao Ping noticed him, hesitated for a moment, then limped over. Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Zhou ignored him and, like the other three gamblers at the table, pushed his chips forward and told the dealer, “Deal the cards.”
The game was the common baccarat. Xiao Zhou bet on the banker, and after two cards were revealed, the banker won. The other three at the table lost and sighed in disappointment. Xiao Zhou collected his chips without even glancing at Xiao Ping, as if he didn’t know him.
Chen Jin saw Xiao Zhou sit at the table and squeezed through the crowd to whisper in his ear, “Are you crazy? You don’t think you can win back your brother’s debt at the table, do you?”
Xiao Zhou’s eyes were fixed on the screen behind the dealer, showing the results of the previous rounds, “No, I’m not that stupid.”
“Then what are you doing?”
Xiao Zhou remained silent, his eyes still on the screen, his brow furrowed, focused and tense like all the gamblers there, as if the symbols on the screen were a hidden gold mine he could uncover with his gaze.
After a few more rounds without betting, Xiao Zhou waited until a deck was finished before placing a bet when the next deck began.
Chen Jin straightened up, watching Xiao Zhou push out his original 20,000 yuan and the 10,000 yuan he just won, still betting on the banker. The screen showed the banker had already won four rounds in a row. The other gamblers at the table shook their heads, disapproving and amazed at his big bet, thinking he was a fool with money. Chen Jin cursed quietly and turned away, unable to watch him lose everything.
Unexpectedly, there was a burst of excitement and congratulations.
Chen Jin turned back to see Xiao Zhou sitting upright, calmly, with someone helping him collect his chips, which had doubled. Luck seemed to be on his side, as he won the previous round.
He then won three more consecutive rounds, his chips piling up like a small mountain. Many gamblers gathered around, drawn by his luck.
As his luck continued, others followed his bets. In ten rounds, he only lost once, each bet starting at thousands.
The winning gamblers were ecstatic, their hands shaking with excitement as they held the plastic chips, looking at Xiao Zhou as if he were a savior. Despite his incredible luck, he remained calm and expressionless.
After another win, Xiao Zhou’s chips had grown from 20,000 to over 500,000 yuan. Xiao Ping stood behind him, eyes glued to the chips, his hand clenched into a fist, breathing heavily, overwhelmed by the sudden fortune.
Unable to contain his excitement, Xiao Ping let out a cheer.
Xiao Zhou suddenly turned slightly towards him and, for the first time that evening, spoke to him, “Are you happy?”
Xiao Ping looked at Xiao Zhou. His brother was calm, he was the focus of the night’s gambling, yet more composed than any spectator. Xiao Ping glanced at the chips on the table, “I didn’t know you could play this.”
Xiao Zhou said lightly, “I don’t know how to play. I just got lucky. There are already 700,000 here now.”
Xiao Ping couldn’t hide his joy, swallowed hard, and nodded heavily.
Xiao Zhou said, “You owe a million, right? Play two more rounds, and maybe you’ll break even. Choose the next round—banker or player?”
Xiao Ping looked at Xiao Zhou in shock, finding that he wasn’t joking. He shook his head repeatedly, “No, I’m not lucky with this.”
Xiao Zhou didn’t mind. A nearby gambler handed him a plate of sliced fruit, and he picked a piece of starfruit to eat, saying, “It’s okay. Just choose one. Consider this money yours.”
Xiao Ping hesitated, looking at the chips on the table, feeling both anxious and tempted. He wanted to try his luck and see if money could come easily again, yet he was afraid he might lose everything again.
The people at the table were already urging him. Xiao Ping gritted his teeth, glanced at the situation on the electronic screen, and couldn’t resist his inner desire. Watching others win wasn’t satisfying enough; he wanted to try his own hand.
He divided some chips and placed a bet. Seeing him bet, some gamblers hesitated and didn’t follow. Luck is fickle; sometimes it changes with a different person. Maybe Xiao Zhou had great luck, but it could vanish with someone else.
Xiao Ping was very nervous, his hands shaking as he placed the bet. He put down 300,000, hesitated, then took back 200,000.
In the end, he won.
His heart was pounding.
Xiao Zhou smiled, “Good luck, good bet.” He counted the chips on the table, a bit regretful, “Just too small a bet. If you’d been bolder, you’d have reached your goal by now.”
Xiao Ping was exhausted, his legs weak. That round was too thrilling. He almost collapsed, drenched in sweat as if he’d just come out of water.
Xiao Zhou gathered all the chips and said, “It seems your luck is good today. How do you want to play the next round?”
Xiao Ping stood up straight, his eyes shining with excitement. The success of the first round gave him confidence. He thought of Xiao Zhou’s words—if he had been bolder and not taken back that 200,000, he would have not only reached the amount he owed but also made a profit. He decided to take a big gamble, believing luck was on his side.
He didn’t hesitate to push out 300,000 for the next round. The surrounding gamblers also increased their bets.
The dealer turned over the last card, and he won again.
The gambling hall erupted in cheers, while some in the casino cursed.
Now, the chips in front of them formed a small mountain. Xiao Zhou turned and asked, “It looks like it’s enough now. Do you want to cash out?”
“No!” Xiao Ping was bloodthirsty, his chest heaving. He felt his luck was strong, and he could bet all night, turning this million into two million, ten million…
He didn’t care about the bet amount anymore and pushed all the chips forward, like a warrior charging with his head on the line.
Xiao Zhou still didn’t stop him.
Chen Jin watched from afar, his face growing darker, seemingly understanding what Xiao Zhou was doing.
Holding their breath, this time Lady Luck didn’t favor Xiao Ping.
He lost everything in one go.
“I shouldn’t have made that mistake… I should’ve…” Xiao Ping stared at the table, in disbelief, murmuring to himself. He swayed, his eyes bloodshot, watching the mountain of chips turn into nothing.
After a while, he turned to Xiao Zhou, lips trembling, looking worse than crying, “Ge, I’m sorry.”
Xiao Zhou didn’t blame him, just shook his head indifferently, “It’s okay. You’re not out of luck yet. As long as the game isn’t over, there’s still a chance to turn it around.”
Xiao Ping widened his eyes in confusion, not understanding what Xiao Zhou meant.
He watched Xiao Zhou speak a few words to the person who brought them in. That person seemed hesitant but then said, “I need to ask first.”
After a while, a tall, thin man with high cheekbones and tattooed arms stood up from the corner. His sharp eyes had a coldness from seeing too much of life’s ups and downs. He had clearly been watching for a long time.
He walked towards Xiao Zhou, “How much do you want to borrow?”