Time slipped by quietly. The allotted time for the second round of poetry and composition had long since passed, yet not a single person in the vast competition grounds spoke up to urge things along.
Everyone's attention was firmly captured by the staggering gamble sweeping through the venue. All they could think about was staking more and making a fortune, and none of them wanted trivial matters interrupting this once-in-a-lifetime chance to rake in wealth.
If anyone failed to read the room and jumped out now to urge Zhou Duoduo to compose her poem, delaying everyone's bets, they would instantly become the target of every arrow. Countless venomous, furious gazes would pin them down, followed by merciless rebukes and ostracism. They might even be driven straight out of the area.
And so time hurried on. Before anyone knew it, a good while had passed, yet the stream of bettors showed no sign of stopping.
Many were still counting their fortunes over and over, weighing their stakes, and had yet to place their final bets. Almost every prodigy of any standing present had joined this frenzied feast. Some staked half their wealth, while others poured in all their savings, wishing they could throw in every resource on their person that could be turned into money.
Of course, a tiny handful of meticulous, cautious people in the crowd sensed that something was amiss-the odds were abnormally high, and Zhou Duoduo was far too certain of herself. This hardly seemed like an ordinary clash of pride.
In the end, they dared not stake everything in one go and entered the game with only half their assets.
That way, even if they lost, the damage would remain bearable, and they would still have enough left to rise again.
But if they won, their