Lu Xinyi's expression was somewhat grim because, as Lin Sizhi had said, she and Lv Mingxuan were kidnapped.
As long as Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao kept raising the stakes against each other, each spending a minute thinking in every round, they could easily run out the remaining time of the game.
This held no meaning for Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao, but it ensured that Lu Xinyi and Lv Mingxuan couldn't leave the poker table, hence they couldn't investigate the Chips Exchange Machine's loophole.
"What do you want?" Lu Xinyi finally showed some vulnerability at this moment.
Lin Sizhi replied unhurriedly, "You're right, there is indeed a loophole in the Chips Exchange Machine.
"And this loophole is quite easy to verify.
"But now, I don't want you to leave this poker table."
Lu Xinyi frowned, "What do you want?"
Lin Sizhi toyed with his chips, "You two, bet all your chips and fold, that's the ransom."
Lu Xinyi almost laughed out of anger, "You're dreaming."
At this moment, she had 37,000 chips, and Lv Mingxuan had more than 40,000 chips.
Together, nearly 80,000 chips, not a small amount.
"Is that so? Think again.
"At the Chips Exchange Machine, with good luck, in just two minutes, you could earn far more than 80,000.
"With bad luck, ten minutes would be enough."
Saying this, Lin Sizhi reached into his suit pocket, pulled out some chips, and opened his palm to show Lu Xinyi.
Lu Xinyi's expression froze, because in there were chips with denominations of 5,000 and even 10,000, and not just one.
This handful of chips, roughly estimated, was worth at least over fifty thousand.
Now Lu Xinyi understood where Lin Sizhi's confidence came from; it turned out that from the start, their chip stacks were not on the same level at all.
She had always thought Lin Sizhi was bluffing, pretending to have at least double the chip pool.
Only now did she realize it wasn't bluffing.
No wonder Lin Sizhi didn't care how much he lost.
"Don't you want to give it a try?
"A game that almost equates to a free visa time, such a chance might not come again." Lin Sizhi smiled as he spoke.
Lu Xinyi looked into Lin Sizhi's eyes, "But how can I be sure you won't back out?"
Lin Sizhi spread his hands, "You can't be sure, but you're not completely without a chance to resist either.
"In this game, I will deliberately lose to Qin Yao, letting her be the dealer in the next round.
"We all don't look at the cards and directly bet.
"In the first round, you raise by 1,000, and then Lv Mingxuan goes all-in.
"Qin Yao and I will choose to call.
"In the second round, you go all-in and Lv Mingxuan folds.
"After that, I will raise, and Qin Yao will call.
"At this point, you can fold, because with only one person raising, the system will automatically reveal the cards, after which you can leave.
"Of course, during this time, both you and us might choose to back out at any moment.
"If Lv Mingxuan doesn't fold in the second round, it means you backed out, and Qin Yao and I will keep raising until the time runs out;
"If I and Qin Yao both choose to raise in the second round, it means we backed out, and you can choose not to fold and go all the way with us.
"Or in the third round, if you don't fold, then Qin Yao and I will continue to raise until time runs out.
"In any of these situations, as long as any side backs out, just wait until the time runs out, and the system will automatically settle who wins or loses entirely based on luck.
"That's my offer. Whether to accept it is up to you."
Lu Xinyi thought for a moment, "Okay, I accept.
"However, I hope you can answer one last question for me."
Lin Sizhi nodded, "Go ahead, I'll consider whether to answer."
Lu Xinyi stared into his eyes, "What was your hand in the last game?"
Lin Sizhi was silent for a moment, then smiled, "Would you believe me if I told you?"
Lu Xinyi nodded, "I would."
"Alright." Lin Sizhi shrugged, "A king-high flush."
Lu Xinyi's eyes flashed, and it was unclear if she believed him, but she just nodded, "Thank you."
...
The final game played out just as Lin Sizhi had planned.
The four followed the order to raise and fold.
After Qin Yao folded, Lin Sizhi took all the chips in the last round.
Lu Xinyi didn't say much, just used the last ten minutes or so to enter the chips exchange area.
Before leaving the poker table, she gave Lin Sizhi a meaningful look.
"Lin Sizhi, is it... I'll remember you."
...
After Lu Xinyi and Lv Mingxuan lost all their chips and left, only one game remained out of ten.
In this game, only Lin Sizhi and Qin Yao remained; they still needed to balance the chips.
Before the seventh game, Lin Sizhi had a net loss of 42,000, while Qin Yao had a net profit of 23,000. In the seventh game, Lin Sizhi won all 90,000 chips on the table, and Qin Yao lost 45,000.
After negotiating the ransom with Lu Xinyi in the eighth game, Lin Sizhi deliberately lost 40,000 to Qin Yao to maintain Qin Yao's chip pool.
In the ninth game, Lin Sizhi won all the 124,000 chips on the table, while Qin Yao lost 44,000 chips.
In the final game, Lin Sizhi deliberately lost 60,000 to Qin Yao.
Thus, in this gambling session, Lin Sizhi ended with a net gain of 72,000 chips, while Qin Yao had a net gain of 34,000.
Including the large-denomination chips hidden in her pocket, Qin Yao found it hard to keep track of the count.
"Lawyer Lin, I thought that after Lv Mingxuan folded in the final round, with us two against one, you might back out," Qin Yao said.
Lin Sizhi raised an eyebrow, "Hmm? Do I seem like someone who doesn't keep my promises?"
Qin Yao shook her head, "Not at all.
"It's just that we probably won't have another chance to match up with Community 3, so breaking promises wouldn't cost anything.
"After Lv Mingxuan folded, it was two against one, giving us a 66% chance of winning."
Lin Sizhi shook his head, "Doesn't that mean there's still a 33% chance of losing?
"I'm not a gambler; if possible, I'd prefer to win money that's 100% guaranteed."
Qin Yao thought for a moment, "Lawyer Lin, I have another question.
"Why did Lu Xinyi decide so decisively to give up all her chips?
"At that time, she didn't know for sure about the hidden rule that the 'Chips Exchange Machine won't fold'; what if she didn't figure it out, or if she didn't get good cards, then she'd lose everything?
"If it were me, I'd just let it go, pocket the remaining eighty thousand chips."
Lin Sizhi replied indifferently, "Because she's smart, so I used a smart person's method to deal with her, and she would certainly buy into it.
"If she thought like you, I would have used another method from the start."
Qin Yao nodded slightly, "Hmm...
"Wait, Lawyer Lin, are you saying I'm stupid?"
She widened her eyes in disbelief.
The countdown on the big screen hit zero.
[Game Over]