Chapter 14 The Dealer is Divine

Chapter 14 The Dealer is Divine

With Tan Youming involved, the sea trip plans were quickly finalized.

Being the social butterfly that he is, he invited many people who would be useful in the future.

Tan Youming had long thought that Zhao Shengge's way of doing business was not feasible. Even if he were Zhao Shengge, it wouldn't work. This isn't abroad; when you return, you have to engage in networking and forming alliances.

When Zhuo Zhixuan informed Chen Wan, Chen Wan specifically asked him whose gathering it was.

"..."

Zhuo Zhixuan gazed at him with dark eyes, silent.

At typical gatherings, Chen Wan stuck to one rule: he would attend gatherings hosted by Tan Youming or Shen Zongnian, but not those nominally hosted by Zhao Shengge.

In Chen Wan's eyes, Tan Youming was half a friend. It was a stroke of luck to bump into Zhao Shengge at a friend's gathering.

But Zhao Shengge was not a friend. Without an explicit, direct invitation from him, it was not the same to crash the party on the coattails of Tan Youming and Zhuo Zhixuan.

Zhuo Zhixuan lied to him without hesitation or a hint of guilt: "Tan Youming wanted to go out to sea for fun, borrowed a boat from Zhao Shengge, and it was Tan Youming who called the people." Strictly speaking, this was indeed the case.

Chen Wan finally agreed.

He had been laying low for a while, and Tan Youming had called quite a few people this time. Zhuo Zhixuan ran into him at the bathroom sink and subtly paved the way for Chen Wan in their chat.

He told Tan Youming that he knew about the police station matter. Chen Wan wanted to come but was swamped. This time, there were many new faces who didn't know Chen Wan and might not understand the nuances. He hoped Tan Youming could smooth things over or at least make sure Chen Wan wasn't disrespected or bullied.

Zhuo Zhixuan knew the crowd—they were all either wealthy or influential. Whether good or bad, there were always some who were hard to get along with.

Zhuo Zhixuan wasn't like Tan Youming. Although both were from wealthy families, he was truly an ineffectual playboy, which was why Chen Wan had to endure so much hardship and frustration. But Tan Youming actually wielded significant power. He might come off as unreliable, but as the Tan family's eldest son with ties to Zhao and Shen, who in the city would dare cross him?

Tan Youming had a sharp edge—easy with his inner circle but harsh with outsiders. Zhuo Zhixuan had been close to him since childhood and still was, but growing up in such families, many things lost their innocence once they grasped the stakes and interests. Zhuo Zhixuan still felt closer to Chen Wan.

Having one true friend and confidant is rare enough.

Tan Youming said of course, Chen Wan was also his friend.

Put at ease by his words, Zhuo Zhixuan's expression softened, and he casually buttered him up: "Chen Wan's been so swamped lately he hasn't had a moment to sleep, but when I told him it was you inviting everyone out to sea, he jumped at the chance and even offered to help."

Tan Youming was moved, thinking Chen Wan was thoughtful. While everyone was quick to join the fun, none offered to help, not even Shen Zongnian, who'd been too busy to spare him a moment.

The two were deep in conversation when a warm, deep voice interrupted from behind: "Excuse me, may I pass?"

Zhuo Zhixuan turned around: "..."

He was certain the inner room had been empty earlier; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken to Tan Youming about these things. He hadn't noticed someone had come in, too engrossed in their conversation.

Fortunately, it wasn't someone else.

Zhao Shengge pumped out some soap, washed his hands, and dried them with a paper towel. As he looked up, he glanced at Zhuo Zhixuan in the mirror.

Tan Youming, unaware, asked Zhao Shengge: "Where's Nianzai?" Only he in the entire city dared to address Shen Zongnian so familiarly.

Zhao Shengge still looked at Zhuo Zhixuan, his gaze calm, brushing off Tan Youming's hand that tried to reach out: "I don't know."

The voyage was for two days and one night, and the captain chose a route with beautiful scenery.

Setting sail from White Shell Sand Harbor, they passed through a coral sea. It was midsummer, the sea was azure and shallow, and in the evening, the sky's vast sunset spilled into the sea. In the deep sea area, pink dolphins followed the ship.

Zhuo Zhixuan was worrying too much; Chen Wan didn’t need Tan Youming’s help at all—it seemed like an innate talent. Once everyone got to know each other, they quickly turned to Chen Wan, asking about the wine cellar’s selection, when the outdoor swimming pool would open... Before you knew it, the whole scene revolved around him, as if the ship belonged to Chen Wan.

In this circle, there are plenty of smooth operators. A little too much comes off as sucking up, and a little too little seems clueless.

Chen Wan, neither too humble nor too pushy, won trust effortlessly.

Once they hit international waters, everyone started playing cards. Although the gambling industry in Haishi is also developed, it operates under strict rules, and the betting odds are limited, which doesn’t cut it for these big-spending rich kids.

Here, they make their own rules, and they play as they please. Otherwise, why bother coming out to sea?

In the first few rounds, Chen Wan acted as the dealer.

He’d been running around lately and wasn’t feeling great, losing some weight. Today, he wore a very understated linen shirt and black suit pants. The sea breeze caught his white shirt, highlighting his slender waist, especially when he leaned over to deal the cards.

As they waited for the cards, someone brought up the White Crane Hall case involving Zhao Shengge. Chen Wan played dumb, focusing seriously on dealing the cards, not joining in the chatter.

However, thanks to Tan Youming, word got around that Chen Wan had been questioned. He smiled and responded to everyone, not mentioning Zhao Shengge at all. His words were so polished and his lips so sealed it was impressive.

In this round, Zhao Shengge called the cards to be the banker, and Chen Wan didn’t cut him any slack, sticking strictly to the rules.

Sitting to Zhao Shengge’s left was Qin Zhaoting, whose dad’s a stock market big shot, known as the stock god of Haishi. He was great at counting cards and sneaking in a few cheats—that was fair game.

Being out at sea was all about ditching the rules, playing however one wanted, doing whatever it took to win.

Chen, the dealer, was scrupulously fair, smoothly shutting down his cheating—this was also allowed. Players could play however they wanted, and the dealer could judge however they wanted. Their power far beyond the robotic dealers in casinos.

This precisely increased the fun and unpredictability of the game—players had to contend not just with each other but with dealers who could be saviors or saboteurs. The bigger the bet, the more important the dealer became.

Some dealers are beloved, seen as bringers of fortune, while others are loathed, treated as curses.

They can shuffle and deal in ways you’d never expect; you never know if they’re dealing poison or gold.

In the gambling paradise of the Belize Strait, there’s a saying, "The dealer is God, the dealer is the master."

Those in the dealer’s good graces might not rule the world, but they’ll get a good chunk of it. They can make you win big or lose everything.

After several rounds, everyone designated Chen Wan to be the dealer.

Unlike others who might capriciously toy with people when dealing, he tried to maintain a relatively fair gaming environment on this three-inch gambling table.

Thus, everyone felt the illusion that he was biased towards them.

Even in purely recreational activities like shuffling and dealing cards, Chen Wan was very serious. The gambling table was set up on the open deck, the sunset’s glow lit up the sea, casting a dazzling light on him that was impossible to ignore.

The playing cards flipped and folded between his fingers, his eyes sharp and calm, his demeanor gentle and respectful, yet it felt like a lord bestowing favors, manipulating the divine cards in his hands, controlling wins and losses, wealth, and the fates of the players.

Zhao Shengge looked at the cards dealt to him by the other party.

Two Spade Kings and a Club Jack.

How interesting.

Qin Zhaoting, sitting beside him, looked up at the dealer and inexplicably smiled.

For a moment, the expressions of several people at the table became subtle.

Zhao Shengge leaned back in his chair, his expression indifferent.

Author’s note:

The descent of the god of beauty, that is to say

Wan: A high-EQ workplace person