335: I swear, I'll never touch it again.

"Atapong..." Lei Jun weighed the stack of cards in her hand. "Don't talk about five Aces. If you want, I can 'change' all fifty-four of these cards into Aces for you."

This sentence was like a thunderclap, striking Atapong's already overwhelmed nerves and the hearts of everyone around him.

Fifty-four cards, all Aces? Are those still playing cards? What are they? This had completely departed from the realm of "gambling" and entered a domain they could not comprehend.

Lei Jun put the cards down and stopped looking at them.

"You see..."

She looked at Atapong, whose eyes were unfocused, still reeling from the shock of "fifty-four Aces."

"This is Sleight of Hand. It's ever-changing and pervasive. And beyond the skilled, there are always those who are even more skilled. What you think is luck or skill might just be the tip of the iceberg that someone wants you to see."

Her gaze sharpened slightly.

"Holding onto hope, thinking you can get rich at the gambling table with a little cleverness or so-called 'luck,' usually ends with you meeting a true master and dying without even knowing how. Sometimes, the 'luck' you encounter is itself a trap designed by others."

Atapong listened blankly. Lei Jun's words poured over his feverish mind like ice water.

Gamble? What the hell is there to gamble?

This was the only thought in his mind right now.

There is always someone better, and the sky is limitless! He finally understood the meaning of this phrase today.

He had previously secretly thought his card skills were decent, but compared to Lei Jun's godlike methods, what was he?

He was worse than trash!

A strong sense of dread and shame surged through him. He recalled how he had smugly slammed down his cards earlier, and the foolish words he had said about "following through even if it meant losing everything," causing his face to flush alternately red and pale.

In front of an existence like Lei Jun, his pitiful card skills and self-important vigilance were nothing but a joke.

Lei Jun shifted her gaze from the disheartened Atapong to Su Cha, sweeping over Songphong, Nala, and everyone else around them who had openly or secretly entertained thoughts of or experience with gambling.

"I'm telling you all this not to show off..."

"But to make everyone present understand a principle."

"When you sit at the card table, staring red-eyed at the chips, thinking about winning back your losses or getting rich overnight..."

Lei Jun's voice gradually deepened.

"Have you ever considered that your parents might be worried sick about you, unable to sleep at night? That your wife or husband might be crying alone, bearing the heavy burden of life? That your children, in their innocence, might be silently praying for you, hoping Daddy or Mommy comes home soon?"

Atapong trembled violently.

"Gambling has never been a shortcut to wealth."

Lei Jun's tone was decisive and firm.

"It is the fastest, one-way road to hell! Behind those seemingly tempting chips are countless traps, deception, an overdrawn future, accumulated debt, and countless shattered families!"

Every word was like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of the crowd.

Even Su Ya, who had only been curious, grew serious.

Su Qing nodded silently; she had seen too many news reports of families being ruined by gambling.

To deepen this impression, Lei Jun picked up the deck of playing cards again.

This time, she didn't show off her skills. Instead, she dealt three cards face down to Atapong, just as she had done when dealing normally.

"Take a look," she told Atapong.

Atapong now revered Lei Jun like a deity. Hearing her words, he cautiously used his trembling hand to slowly peel back the corners of the three cards.

The first card was the Queen of Spades.

The second card was the Queen of Diamonds.

The third card was the Jack of Clubs.

His movement suddenly stopped, and his eyes widened instantly, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

He quickly flipped all three cards over... Two Queens and one Jack!

It was exactly the same as the last hand he had played when he lost all his money last night!

Not a single card was different!

"Th-These are the cards I had yesterday!" Atapong cried out, his voice filled with shock.

"Two Queens and a Jack! This was the hand! I... I used this hand to follow through until the end, and then I lost everything!"

He looked up at Lei Jun. His eyes held no trace of doubt or resentment, only complete and utter admiration, along with a profound fear.

She could control the previous game, conjure Aces out of thin air, and now accurately recreate the hand he lost with yesterday... What did this mean?

It meant that in the eyes of someone like Lei Jun, ordinary gamblers like them held no secrets whatsoever. From the moment they sat down at the table, their fate might have already been written on the cards.

"I... I surrender! Ms. Lei, I truly surrender!"

Atapong trembled, filled with dread and realization.

"No more gambling! I swear, I will never touch it again! If I touch it again... I'm not a human being!"

He was truly scared, and he truly understood. Fighting against this kind of power? He wasn't even an ant.

Nala quickly followed suit: "Yes, no more gambling! Atapong, let's live a good life!"

Her jealousy and hatred toward Lei Jun had vanished entirely, leaving only gratitude that Lei Jun had enlightened Atapong in this manner.

Songphong sighed deeply and patted his son's shoulder: "Listen to Ms. Lei, quit! That is the right path!"

Su Cha and Pinya nodded vigorously, feeling the same way.

Lei Jun saw the genuine remorse and fear in Atapong's eyes and knew she had made her point.

The severity on her face softened slightly, and she nodded gently.

"Congratulations, Atapong."

"You have found the only, and the true, 'winning strategy' for gambling."

Winning strategy? Everyone was stunned. There's a winning strategy for gambling?

Lei Jun stated clearly, word by word:

"Not gambling is winning."

These four words echoed throughout the room like a great bell.

"If you don't gamble, you will never lose. If you don't gamble, you avoid all traps and deception. If you don't gamble, you can protect what you already have and strive for what you deserve."

Lei Jun's gaze swept over every person.

"I offer this phrase to you, and to everyone present. I hope you all remember it."

She stood up, her aura naturally encompassing the entire room.

"Never let temporary greed blind your eyes. What is true wealth?"

She answered her own question, her tone deep and sincere.

"It is a healthy body, a warm family, and every day lived honestly and with a clear conscience. It is the reward earned by sweat, the laughter of family reunions, and the small bits of happiness in everyday life."

"Stay away from gambling, and cherish the people right in front of you. Cherish those who truly care about you and love you, and cherish every day you are safe and healthy. Those are life's most valuable chips—the chips you can never afford to lose."