King’s Game
The first day of the National Day holiday is full of anticipation in every sense of the word.
Qiao Yu arrived at the destination about fifteen minutes before the appointed time and was escorted into the private room reserved by Mi Yi by the waiter.
“You’re really early.”
Inside, only Mi Yi was present; she was lounging on the sofa, engrossed in her phone, and casually greeted Qiao Yu.
“I thought you’d be late.”
“I left early because in the group chat yesterday, didn’t we say that the last one to arrive has to treat everyone to food?”
“It’s always said before we go out, and then you end up treating every time.”
What a simpleton son of the landlord’s family we have here.
Feeling the need to rectify her image, Qiao Yu set down her bag and took a seat next to Mi Yi, speaking in a tone that hinted at a past she’d rather not revisit.
“…It won’t be like that anymore, I decided to turn over a new leaf last summer vacation.”
Hearing this, Mi Yi looked up, eyeing Qiao Yu with interest.
“Indeed, looking at how you’ve been lately, I can tell you’ve changed quite a bit.”
Her eyes seemed to see right through everything, and with a guilty conscience, Qiao Yu didn’t dare to meet her gaze, letting out a forced chuckle. She hastily grabbed some food from the table to stuff her mouth. Mi Yi quickly lost interest and returned her attention to her phone.
The awkward silence didn’t last long as the door to the private room was soon pushed open.
“Hihi, we’re here—Qiao Yu, you’re so early!”
Before Cong Ye could finish his greeting, he was startled by Qiao Yu, but he quickly revealed an expression of sudden realization, grinning from ear to ear as he squeezed his way next to her, the bag on his back jabbing into her, causing her to wince in pain.
“Hehe, looking forward to it, right? I get it, I get it.”
…Although she was indeed looking forward to something, Qiao Yu felt it wasn’t the same thing he was implying. She didn’t want to bother with him, her gaze fixated on the person who had followed him in.
Lin Qing, who came in with him, was still standing at the doorway. She was wearing a light blue cardigan over a white T-shirt today, and her jeans accentuated her long, straight legs.
She seemed a bit uncomfortable, obviously not very familiar with such settings. When she saw Qiao Yu looking over, she gave a shy smile. Compared to her clean, student-like appearance in a school uniform, the Lin Qing of this moment looked softer, the whole person seemed gentle and mellow.
It’s Lin Qing in casual clothes! Adorable!
Qiao Yu’s fondness was fully triggered, and she immediately sprang up to take Lin Qing by the hand and led her towards the sofa, heaping praises on how pretty she looked. Lin Qing blushed with bashfulness, and through the clothes, she playfully pinched Qiao Yu’s hand, a soft pinch that was as gentle as a kitten’s pat with its paw.
By the time she had brought Lin Qing over, Cong Ye had already consciously taken a spot at the very edge of the sofa, courteously gesturing for them to sit towards the middle. For some reason, his expression seemed particularly serene.
Finally, it was Lu Yao who arrived right on time, a massive bag slung over his shoulder, thumping it down on the table like a bag of bricks.
Curiously, Qiao Yu untied the bag to peek inside—wow, a whole sack full of all sorts of chips, a complete assortment of brands and flavors galore.
Cong Ye, with his careless and laid-back attitude, blurted out, “Did you guess you’d come last?” He reached for one consciously but he was swiftly shooed away by Lu Yao with a smack on his hand.
“You can’t eat it!”
The emphasis on “you” made Cong Ye, singled out for different treatment, immediately get riled up. Rolling up his sleeves, he was about to seek justice from Lu Yao, but in a flash of insight—like a spark meeting gunpowder—when their eyes met, he understood the implication of Lu Yao’s words.
…These chips were not just simple snacks; they were Lu Yao’s stake in a bet!
Indeed, when yesterday Mi Yi had changed the group chat name, they all grasped the real purpose of today’s gathering—it was to reveal the outcome of this wager! The two most enthusiastic about the bet had been gearing up since yesterday, rubbing their hands with glee, fully prepared to welcome victory.
Now, Lu Yao’s action was tantamount to a glaring declaration of war. Cong Ye, not one to back down easily or ‘lose face over a steamed bun’, quickly retracted his hand and leaned back on the sofa, putting on an air of disdain that befitted his ‘young master’ status, as if to say such junk food was beneath him.
In reality, he was already regretting why he had wagered money that day, feeling that he had already been put at a disadvantage in terms of momentum. After all, he couldn’t just whip out a stack of hundreds and slap them on the table, could he? That might lead the staff to suspect they were up to no good in the private room.
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But taking this minor loss was nothing! After all, he was the one in possession of the truth! He had made other preparations, and when Lu Yao lost, all these chips would become his spoils of victory!
Cong Ye patted his backpack and revealed a smile full of determined conviction.
Qiao Yu, the only one in the dark about the tension filled ‘standoff’ among them, did not notice their intense atmosphere. Tentatively, she reached out for the bag and turned to ask Lu Yao, “Can I have some then?”
“…Ah, just help yourself.”
Lu Yao’s expression suddenly took on a sad and ashamed turn, making a complete 180-degree change from his earlier demeanor toward Cong Ye. He took the initiative to pull out several bags of chips and stuffed them into Qiao Yu’s arms. “Consider this compensation for my failing to bring Song Wawan along.”
Qiao Yu: …?
Without catching any logic in the preceding and following remarks, Qiao Yu, with her arms full of chips, went into a freeze. Her thoughts raced fiercely, but she couldn’t make head or tail of why Song Wawan’s absence required compensation for her.
“No, actually, I’m not really concerned—”
“Stop, I get it all.”
… What exactly did he understand this time? Why does it seem like everyone knows so much today?
Her bewildered look, through the tenfold filter of Lu Yao’s perception, appeared profoundly sorrowful. He was now utterly convinced of the depth of their relationship and heaved a long sigh, patting her shoulder.
“It’s okay, there will be plenty of opportunities after today.”
What opportunities? Chances to eat chips?
Qiao Yu felt her brain was about to short-circuit, so she decisively gave up on thinking and silently started eating the cucumber-flavored chips.
“Alright, alright.”
Miyi, who was also in the bet, played fair and square, not touching the chips. She clapped her hands to capture everyone’s attention.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s get started.”
She leaned back on the couch and lazily lifted her hand.
“——King’s Game.”
Among those present, only Lin Qing revealed a puzzled expression. Qiao Yu, who had studied well with the help of the system yesterday, leaned in to explain to her.
“Every time we come to karaoke, we decide who sings by playing the King’s Game. Do you know how to play the King’s Game?”
Seeing Lin Qing nod, she continued: “Basically, the person who draws the king has to sing a song after completing their command.”
“The king has to sing…?” Lin Qing blinked in confusion, “I thought the king would designate someone else with a number to sing.”
“No, if that were the case, then drawing the king would be all perks and no penalties. To ensure the game’s fairness, the person who gets the king has more power, but they must also give something in return. That’s the rule of our karaoke sessions.”
Qiao Yu solemnly finished explaining, then looked around at the several faces that were equally serious and added a sentence.
“……After all, no one here really wants to sing.”
Lin Qing nodded, half-understanding, as a thought crossed her mind.
Then wouldn’t it be better just not to go to a karaoke bar at all?
But she decided to go with the flow, smoothly accepting their local version of the rules. Seeing that Lin Qing no longer had any questions, Qiao Yu pretended to be casual as she reached into her backpack, searching around and said with a laugh, “I packed the King’s Game board into my bag yesterday—”
“I brought a deck of cards—”
The young man’s voice overlapped with hers, as Qiao Yu paused in her movements and looked to the side.
Cong Ye also paused, holding something he was taking out of his bag, looking at her with a puzzled face.
…What’s with this guy? Was he the type who would prepare this kind of thing before?
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The diligent system, which only shines during such times, checked the memories of the original owner and stated with certainty: “When you used to hang out together in the past, the male lead never brought cards. It’s more like no one would bring them, and then every time you played, you’d have to tear a piece of paper and write numbers on the spot.”
So what’s the deal now! How come this low-probability event occurred precisely when she brought cards!
Qiao Yu gripped the deck of cards she had prepared all night, inwardly groaning.
…Could it be that Cong Ye had predicted she would secretly mark the cards?
Now, Cong Ye was also caught in a panic.
Miscalculated! I didn’t expect Qiao Yu to be so excited about today that she would preemptively prepare her own deck of cards! I underestimated Qiao Yu’s commitment!
But, but I’m sorry Qiao Yu, I cannot yield!
Cong Ye slowly took out his deck of cards, which he had meticulously marked, and poured his resolute will into his gaze as he looked at Qiao Yu, hoping to successfully convey the message to her.
Trust me, Qiao Yu! I’m here to help you! I will surely make your wishes come true!
For some reason, feeling the unusually fervent gaze from Cong Ye, Qiao Yu shivered and couldn’t help but retreat slightly, seeking refuge behind Lin Qing.
But her deck must not suffer the fate of ‘a general defeated before the battle has even begun’; she’s relying on this King’s Game to bring Cong Ye and Lin Qing closer together!
Qiao Yu held on to her plan as tenaciously as one clings to their green hills, attempting to persuade Cong Ye, “No, let’s use mine, my cards were just bought yesterday.”
“No no, my deck is a limited-edition set I brought back from abroad. Let’s use mine.”
“No no no, whether it’s limited edition or not doesn’t affect the King’s Game, and besides, a limited edition should be cherished, not used. Let’s use mine, mine.”
“No no no no—”
“Alright, that’s enough, stop the bickering.”
As it seemed this tug-of-war was poised to continue indefinitely, Mi Yi crisply cut through the two’s conversation, pulled open the private room’s table drawer, and fetched a small box.
“—This karaoke place, they provide the cards.”
Due to the overly conspicuous dejection of two participants, the usually joyous commencement of the King’s Game wasn’t off to a very merry start. As Mi Yi spread the cards face down on the table, Qiao Yu was still wallowing in discontent, inwardly lamenting her specially-patterned playing cards—she had spent the entire night familiarizing herself with which pattern corresponded to which number, confident there could be no mistake, and now all that effort was in vain. She was as wilted as can be, randomly pulling the card closest to her, seeing it was number three, and continued to droop there; her whole persona was boneless as she leaned on Lin Qing’s shoulder.
“I am the king, oh.”
Mi Yi flipped the card in her hand for everyone to see and pondered for a moment before speaking out.
“Let’s not start off too harshly, something simpler would be better.”
“Number three and number four, exchange a secret with each other, no need to let anyone else know.”
Caught off guard, Qiao Yu reluctantly flipped over her card to see who the other unlucky number four was, only to meet eyes with Cong Ye, who also had a sullen face.
…This must be fate. Now, forced to share a secret with Cong Ye, the only thing that comes to her mind is one matter.
Anyway, since things have come this far, it doesn’t seem to make much difference whether the truth is told or not.
The two of them dawdled and reluctantly stood up to walk aside while Mi Yi’s chosen song started playing, then began their exchange of secrets. Qiao Yu was the first to break the silence.
“…The cards I brought had marks on them that I had made.”
She braced herself, ready for Cong Ye’s reproach, but silence hung in the air for an eternity. Finally, Cong Ye, with a face as unreadable as wood, spoke in a tone tinged with a melancholy that seemed to see through the vicissitudes of life.
“The cards I brought were also marked.”
“”…””
Qiao Yu felt a blend of agony and joy, not expecting that Cong Ye had finally seen the light and realized she was earnestly trying for him to fall in love. Why was she just now making such a fuss?
Cong Ye was annoyed and guilt-ridden, realizing he should have known that Qiao Yu, being so fond of Lin Qing, would naturally come well-prepared. His actions were completely unnecessary!
Their eyes met, different paths leading to the same destination, both filled with the lonely sentiment that “being too clever by half, they had outwitted themselves out of Qingqing’s life.”
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Afterward, the King’s Game progressed smoothly for two rounds. Lu Yao and Lin Qing each took a turn as the king. Lu Yao pointed to Mi Yi to accompany him in another song, while Lin Qing opted to open a pack of bizarre-flavored beans, making everyone try one.
Unfortunately, having drawn the garlic-flavored bean, Cong Ye felt that today was just not his day, as he observed his friends keeping their distance from him. He forlornly took his turn at the cards.
King!
Brimming with a newfound vigor, Cong Ye stood up as he flipped over his card, emanating an astonishing aura of command.
Although his attempt at cheating to give Qiao Yu a leg up had failed, it didn’t mean he had achieved nothing today. After all, the king has the power to command, and the card in his hand was hope!
He fixated his glare on the backs of Qiao Yu’s and Lin Qing’s cards—cursing himself for not having marked them with a scratch or something when they were drawn, now finding it utterly impossible to distinguish their numbers.
But Cong Ye would not give up! He believed in the saying that extreme adversity leads to prosperity, and this card of fate—the King—must be the one to choose the right person!
“One, number one…”
He heard a familiar gasp and swiftly turned his head towards Qiao Yu, who, caught red-handed, quickly covered her mouth and protested too much, insisting, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t make a sound,” revealing the truth as plainly as silver pieces left out in the open, sparking joy in Cong Ye’s heart.
There! Caught one!
The scales of fate tipped in his favor—or should he say, in favor of Qiao Yu?
Ignoring Qiao Yu’s loud complaints beside him, “Damn, now I’m completely exposed, how annoying,” he meticulously assessed the remaining three numbers, and finally, with a do-or-die determination, slapped the table.