rules for a typical dice game：

Bet Type Description Payout Example Single Number Bet Bet on a specific number (e.g., rolling a 2). 1:1 Bet on 2, if 2 is rolled, win 1:1 Double Number Bet Bet on a specific double (e.g., two 3s). 2:1 Bet on 3-3, if 3-3 is rolled, win 2:1 Triple Number Bet Bet on a specific triple (e.g., three 6s). 100:1 Bet on 6-6-6, if rolled, win 100:1 Any Triple Bet Bet on any triple (e.g., 1-1-1, 2-2-2, etc.). 30:1 Bet on any triple, if a triple is rolled, win 30:1 Small Bet (Low Roll) Bet on the total roll being between 3 and 10 (inclusive). 1:1 Bet that the total of the dice is between 3-10, if true, win 1:1 Big Bet (High Roll) Bet on the total roll being between 11 and 18 (inclusive). 1:1 Bet that the total of the dice is between 11-18, if true, win 1:1 Even/Odd Bet Bet on the sum of the dice being even or odd. 1:1 Bet on "odd" sum, if true, win 1:1 Sum of Dice Bet Bet on a specific sum of the dice (e.g., total equals 7). Varies (e.g., 6:1 for 7) Bet on sum 7, if rolled, win 6:1 Total Bet (Exact Sum) Bet on a specific sum of all the dice (e.g., 12, 15). Varies (higher for rarer sums) Bet on sum 12, if true, payout depends on rarity (may be 12:1, etc.)

I still wore a face of indifference.

"My meaning is simple," I said. "If you take her now, you're breaking the rules. Even if you take her, it should be after midnight, right?"

The two men exchanged looks.

After a while, one of them spoke.

"Fine, we’ll follow the rules. Mei Jie, I'll give you a few more hours. After midnight, if you still haven't paid, don't blame us brothers..."

Mei Jie’s face remained filled with despair.

We both sat in the car. She gently caressed the steering wheel, her voice filled with reluctance as she said, "I’ve had this car for less than a year, and now it’s about to be gone. Sigh... Chu Liu, you really shouldn’t have asked for these extra hours. To me, these few hours are just torture. Whether they’re given or not, the result will be the same."

I opened a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and stared out the window, replying calmly, "It’s not the same."

"What’s different?" she asked.

"Maybe we still have a chance to turn things around."

"We?" she asked, her expression one of confusion.

"Yes, we."

Upon hearing that, Mei Jie stared at me, her gaze filled with complexity—expectation, worry, and surprise. After a long pause, she spoke again.

"But I don’t have a single penny left. How can we turn things around?"

I pulled out a wad of cash from my pocket. It was the money Mei Jie had given me as a gift before.

"This is the ten thousand you gave me. We can try with this..."

My calm tone only shocked Mei Jie further.

"Ten thousand isn’t enough."

I flicked the cigarette butt out of the window, turned to Mei Jie, and said flatly, "How do we know unless we try?"

Since that summer when I was six, no one has been kind to me except for the Liu Ye.

Mei Jie, though not overly kind, had shown me some warmth with the ten thousand, and with the cigarettes and tea she gave me today. Beneath my indifferent exterior, there’s actually a heart full of gratitude.

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So, I decided to help her.

The casino Mei Jie took me to was located in an industrial warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It wasn’t large, and there weren’t many gamblers—only a few dozen people.

If it weren’t for the gambling tables, I would have thought I walked into a storage warehouse. The room was cluttered with tables and chairs, and there was a musty smell in the air.

But there were plenty of gambling tables—Baccarat, roulette, blackjack, dice, and more. I exchanged ten thousand in chips and casually wandered from table to table. Mei Jie remained silent, following behind me.

After a while, I quietly asked her, "Are you sure we’ll be able to walk out with the money if we win?"

Many underground casinos operate like one-time deals. They don’t intend to run long-term businesses. If they get money from customers, they’ll squeeze it out, no matter how wealthy or modest the customer is. And if a gambler wins, they’ll try every trick to get that money back—cheating, framing, anything goes. If that doesn’t work, they might even use force to take it.

Hearing my question, Mei Jie quickly responded, "Don’t worry, the money will definitely be safe to take. This casino is pretty fair."

Fair?

I sneered inwardly. If fairness existed, casinos wouldn’t even exist in the first place. Of course, there wouldn’t be someone like me—an expert cheat.

"What are you playing? What did you lose money on?"

"Dice."

I asked Mei Jie because I wanted to understand how she managed to lose nearly three million.

At the dice table, there were only four or five players. The dealer was shaking the dice in the cup. Mei Jie chose a spot and sat down.

But I shook my head.

I’ve set a rule for myself—whether it's a big or small game, I never rush to participate. I first watch, to see if I can spot anything suspicious, or figure out how the dealer might be cheating. Only then will I make my move.

That’s the only way to ensure I won’t be cheated back. After all, "In the world of cheats, there are experts everywhere. Only by being cautious can you navigate these dangerous waters and stay ahead."

The rules for this dice game were the same as any other casino. You could bet on big or small, odd or even, or a specific number or sum. You could even bet on a straight or a triple. The minimum bet was two hundred, and the maximum was fifty thousand.

I stood by the side for a while, observing. The gamblers didn’t bet much—mostly one or two thousand in chips. But it was these small bets that allowed me to detect the trickery.

To be precise, the casino was cheating.

There are many ways to cheat at dice—mercury dice, oil-filled dice, coded dice, fixed-point dice. There are even remote-controlled dice, chip dice, and cobalt dice.

From the outside, these dice look like normal dice. But they all have one thing in common: they allow the gambler to roll the number they desire.

This casino was using remote-controlled dice.

After every roll, the dealer would secretly manipulate the dice based on the amount bet. If more chips were placed on "Big," he would remotely adjust the dice to show smaller numbers. Of course, not every roll was fixed—sometimes, the dealer would "let water" (a slang term for letting the gambler win a small amount to keep them engaged).

The remote control for the dice was beneath the table. Though the dealer’s hands were resting on the table, he could use his legs to press the remote control button.

I was able to detect this cheating because of the dealer's leg movements. And, more importantly, I could hear it.

When the dealer pressed the button, the dice inside the cup made a slight noise as they tumbled. This sound was almost inaudible, something that a normal person wouldn’t catch. But I could hear it.

In the world of cheaters, "hearing the dice" is considered a myth—a story told in films. But there are real people who can do it.

In the 1970s, in South Guangdong, a group of "hearing dice" experts emerged. They had extremely acute hearing and could identify the position of dice even in a noisy environment.

In an instant, these hearing dice experts shook up the casinos of South Guangdong and Macau, creating chaos and revolutionizing the gambling world. This also led to the rise of a legendary figure—Ye Han, the King of the High Seas.

At the time, Ye Han was just a dealer, not yet the king of the seas. But his unparalleled skill in cheating earned him a place at South Guangdong's casinos, and eventually, he became a legend in the gambling world.

But even a king of gamblers like Ye Han knew the dangers of gambling. His dying words were simple: "If you gamble, you will lose."

Seeing that I had not made a move, Mei Jie thought I wasn’t interested in the dice table and whispered, "Do you want to try another table?"

I shook my head. "No, this one’s fine."

I chose this spot because it was closest to the remote control. I could easily touch it with my foot.

But I still didn’t bet. I was just watching.

The dealer, seeing that I wasn’t placing any bets, shot me a few unfriendly glances. I didn’t care.

I was waiting—for the right moment.

The dealer shook the cup again.

My ears twitched, and I could immediately picture the dice inside the cup.

The dealer slammed the cup down on the table and said, "Place your bets!"

The gamblers quickly placed their chips.

This time, I made my move.

I placed a ten-thousand-chip bet on the "Triple 2" spot.

When the others saw this, they couldn’t help but look at me.

After all, betting on a specific triple pays 100 times the odds.