It’s the end of the month, and while Hongchang isn't asking for anything, he still needs those recommendation votes.

For a snooker player, offense, defense, awareness, and endurance are all hard indicators of true skill.

As this frame wore on, Wang Zhuo had already analyzed the power balance between Anqi and her opponent; they were neck-and-neck in many aspects, but Anqi held an absolute, hidden advantage in endurance.

Snooker isn't like football where one game decides the winner; it’s played frame by frame. On the surface, it appears to be a leisurely sport, but in reality, the physical and psychological toll it exacts on a player is a massive test.

As mentioned before, even Go players can suffer from exhaustion, let alone snooker, which demands pinpoint accuracy with every shot. Furthermore, if a Go player is physically drained, they only need to be able to hold the stones to continue, but if a snooker player lacks stamina, they face missed shots and, subsequently, the loss of the entire match!

So, even though Anqi appeared to be at a disadvantage in this frame, Wang Zhuo was brimming with confidence in her eventual victory.

“Wang Zhuo, how about we make a bet?” Jing Yunquan proposed provocatively.

“Sure,” Wang Zhuo smiled faintly. “Are we betting on the best-of-three, or the result of this current frame?”

“The best-of-three, of course,” Jing Yunquan was self-assured. “Miss An is already behind in this frame; betting against her now would hardly be a fair fight.”

“What are you wagering?” Wang Zhuo tilted his head slightly, glancing at him.

“A small bet to spice things up,” Jing Yunquan’s demeanor was relaxed, yet the wager he proposed wasn't light at all: “I just bought a new Jaguar Panoramic Luxury. What car did you drive here in today?”

Hearing this, nearby spectators immediately turned their heads, surprised that these two young men, chatting like friends, were suddenly engaging in such a high-stakes gamble.

“A Jaguar Panoramic Luxury?” Wang Zhuo was slightly taken aback. Jing Yunquan’s father, Jing Tianhui, had served as the Vice President of the Jiangzhou Emerald Collectors’ Association, so he should have some means, but there was no indication they owned any booming businesses. Waging a luxury car worth two million seemed rather extravagant!

“Well, do you dare to bet?” Jing Yunquan deliberately raised his voice a few decibels.

Wang Zhuo narrowed his eyes, quickly scanning Anqi, her opponent, the table, and the referee. He analyzed the odds of this gamble in his mind, then nodded firmly.

“Done, I’ll bet you!”

Jing Yunquan flipped his right hand, revealing the key fob for the Jaguar, ready beforehand, and asked with a composed smile, “Here’s my car key; you still haven't told me what you drove.”

“An Audi B3, fully loaded. You don’t need to make up the difference in price,” Wang Zhuo signaled, and Guan Yingying produced the key from her purse and handed it to him.

The Audi B3? The surrounding crowd, whose attention had been drawn from the tense match by the thrilling bet, became even more excited upon hearing Wang Zhuo’s stake was an Audi B3, and a top-tier model at that!

The Audi B3—it was renowned as the most suitable car in the world for car intimacy. People looked at Guan Yingying, who produced the key, and Wang Zhuo, who lightly tossed the key in his palm, with a hint of flirtatiousness—what a delightful prospect it would be to engage in some automotive fun with this beautiful woman or handsome man in an Audi B3?

Snapping his fingers, Wang Zhuo summoned a waiter, quietly explained his intention, and within minutes, the waiter returned with a small, white steel high-legged table on four wheels. The two sets of exquisitely crafted car keys clattered onto the surface.

The total value of the stakes was over four million! This sent the audience into a frenzy; whoever won those two sets of keys would take them!

Anqi couldn’t help but sweat over the wager. She knew Wang Zhuo wasn’t short of cash, but staking a luxury car worth over two million on her sister’s match—what immense pressure that was! They couldn't afford to lose!

Guan Yingying also felt Wang Zhuo was making a mountain out of a molehill. She was quite fond of that car, and it was a limited edition; wouldn't it sting to lose it? However, she had long harbored deep resentment toward Jing Yunquan because Jing Tianhui had repeatedly obstructed the marketing strategy for Shengshi Wangchao, thereby infringing upon her interests!

With the stakes placed near the edge of the playing area, the two bettors fell silent, and the audience gradually shifted their focus back to the table.

Just as Anqi made a brilliant shot to regain control of the match, Wang Zhuo’s X-ray vision, constantly monitoring the entire scene, suddenly noticed Jing Yunquan giving a subtle hand signal to Anqi’s opponent.

Seeing the player nod almost imperceptibly, Wang Zhuo’s brow immediately furrowed. Could this be a setup orchestrated by Jing Yunquan long ago?!

Indeed, just as he suspected, after receiving Jing Yunquan’s instruction, the player named Shen Kai suddenly erupted with a different kind of momentum. Before taking a shot, he stopped acting rashly, instead engaging in deep consideration and patient preparation before executing a steady stroke, immediately reclaiming the upper hand!

Murmurs quickly spread through the audience; everyone could see that Shen Kai had been holding back. His true skill was at least three levels higher than what he had displayed earlier, indicating he possessed the caliber to win this entire tournament!

“It looks like you walked into a trap,” Guan Yingying whispered to Wang Zhuo with a wry smile.

Wang Zhuo scratched his head awkwardly. He truly hadn’t expected Jing Yunquan and that guy Shen Kai to be working together. It seemed they had prepared this scheme in advance. Shen Kai must have already known Anqi’s strength, which is why he was so confident he could beat her.

The Audi B3 just handed over like that? Wang Zhuo felt incredibly unwilling at that moment! They say a car is a man’s most intimate lover; blast it, betting away his lover—what was that all about?!

Smack!

At that instant, Anqi suddenly executed a clean, sharp long shot. The audience erupted in applause because this shot not only potted the table’s only red ball but also left the cue ball in a "textbook position"!

The so-called textbook position refers to a crucial spot drilled into every snooker player during their beginner lessons. As is widely known, in the endgame of snooker, players must pot the colors in ascending order of their point values. When striking the first yellow ball, there is a particular area that offers the best leverage for potting and controlling the cue ball—this is commonly referred to as the textbook spot.

For a player ranked in the top eighteen of the Jiangzhou amateur level, clearing the remaining colors in one go, barring a major mistake, is almost guaranteed. Therefore, Anqi’s shot was tantamount to declaring the end of this frame.

Jing Yunquan’s smug expression instantly froze over, having been pleased for only a few minutes. Although Shen Kai currently held the lead in score, Anqi still had the 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-point colors remaining, plus the 7-point black. With those six colors totaling 27 points, Anqi was actually ahead by 7 points and poised to claim the final victory of the frame.

Shen Kai sat on his rest chair and helplessly shrugged toward Jing Yunquan across the table. He hadn't anticipated Anqi’s long shot playing out so flawlessly, as if divinely inspired. It seemed the first frame was essentially lost.

However, he didn’t feel nervous or worried, because the difference in inherent skill was still there. The little woman was indeed tricky, but he was confident he could win the next two frames without issue.

As expected, under the breathless gaze of the spectators, Anqi steadily cleared the table, ultimately winning the frame by a narrow margin of seven points. The first round of the Jaguar versus the Audi B3 concluded with the explosive performance of the female player, met with thunderous applause.

“Half-hour rest,” the referee announced loudly, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

“Half-hour rest,” the same announcement sounded from another table not far away. Some interested spectators turned to look; that table had already finished two frames…

“Jeez, playing for over an hour is longer than watching an NBA game.”

“Shen Kai seemed to be hiding his strength. The beauty played well at the last second, but she’ll probably lose the next two.”

“A Jaguar, over two million—whose sons are those betting?”

“The Jaguar isn’t worth as much as the Audi B3, but I bet the Audi B3 will be changing owners today.”

“Wait, someone already lost two-nil? Who’s that awesome?”

Amidst the scattered chatter, Wang Zhuo walked onto the playing area and lightly patted Anqi’s slightly flushed face as encouragement after her excitement.

“Master, the next two frames are going to be tough. That Shen Kai was playing some trickery, hiding his real skill.”

Wang Zhuo’s intimate gesture involuntarily reminded Anqi of the mutual understanding they shared during their private coaching sessions, but her entire focus was now on this match; the greater the challenge, the more she craved victory.

“Of course, he had to hide his strength, or how else could he trick the Master and his accomplice into making a bet?” Anqi stood to the side, adding with a wry smile.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Anqi looked surprised.

Anqi was about to explain when Wang Zhuo raised his hand, interrupting her: “Talking about this now is pointless. Anqi, you only need to remember one thing: you must win these next matches, no losing. If you lose, you’ll get spanked when we get back!”

Anqi stuck out her tongue and made a face. Guan Yingying smiled and said, “If you win, I’ll gift you the best cue stick available.”

Anqi thanked her with a cheerful smile, thinking to herself that the cue stick her Master gave her was already enough, and his own felt quite good too…

At the other end of the rest area, Jing Yunquan stopped avoiding contact and stood speaking with Shen Kai.

“Don’t worry about it; she just got lucky. We’ll show her what’s what in the next two frames!” Jing Yunquan encouraged Shen Kai with a smile.

“Little E,” Shen Kai smiled calmly, “That last frame took an hour and a half. I estimate her stamina and willpower won’t last much longer. In the second frame, I’m going to slow the pace down, wear her out, and then completely destroy her fighting spirit.”

A lewd smile immediately spread across Jing Yunquan’s face: “Exactly, conquer her body first, then conquer the match!”

Meanwhile, Wang Zhuo was imparting his strategy to Anqi: “There’s only one tactic: drag it out! Drag it out until he gets impatient, until he makes mistakes, until he can’t perform at his normal level—then find an opening and finish him in one move!”

Guan Yingying was baffled by Wang Zhuo’s chosen tactic. Matching Anqi’s tall, slender frame against an adult man for sheer endurance felt like pitting her weakness against his strength!

Anqi also had reservations about this strategy. She knew a little about her sister’s stamina, but certainly not as “deeply” as Wang Zhuo seemed to…