Chapter 68: That’s Not How You Act Spoiled
Just as they finished the round and were about to start another, Jiang Qing’s phone suddenly began to ring.
[Why↗ is the result of me↗ thinking of you↗ so agonizingly heartbroken!!!]
[You↗ say why↗ after all? It’s↗ all↗ my↗ fault~~~]
[It’s↗ all↗ because our love~ was thought to be too beautiful↗ but reality was too seductive~~~]
Jiang Qing answered the phone expressionlessly.
First, a burst of noise came from the other end, which then gradually quieted down.
Jiang Qing waited for three seconds. Seeing that no one spoke, he checked the caller ID in confusion.
It was indeed Jiang Linmu.
“Jiang Linmu, you better have something to say. If you don’t, believe me when I say that when I get home tonight, I’ll beat you until you literally can’t say a word. I’ll make you realize that a mouth is meant for someone who knows how to use it…”
Before Jiang Qing could finish, he heard a deep breath from the other side. Then, a voice that was clearly trembling, yet forced into a saccharine, winding tone, stammered through the speaker:
“Ge… Gege… I… I miss you~~~~~”
The final “you” was dragged out so long it floated, the end of the note even hitting a suspicious crack.
“……”
Sitting across from him, Lin Siyu and Lin Siwu both looked up simultaneously, their expressions varied.
In the background of the call, several muffled laughs and cheers that people were trying to suppress leaked through, confirming Jiang Qing’s suspicions.
Jiang Qing gripped his phone and remained silent for five seconds.
“Jiang Linmu, just thinking isn’t enough. Do you have any other, more practical actions?”
Silence like death fell over the private booth on the other end.
The crowd that had been snickering and cheering just a moment ago were now all like chickens being squeezed by the neck. Their eyes went wide as they stared in disbelief at the phone in Jiang Linmu’s hand, then at Jiang Linmu himself, whose face was so red it looked like it was about to leak blood.
What????
Qing… Qing-ge said what?!
Practical actions?!!
Is… is this something they’re allowed to hear?!!
“Jiang Linmu. Be more serious when playing games. Since when did acting like that count as being spoiled?”
“I… I…” His lips trembled, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time.
The crowd of onlookers was also completely stunned.
This development was completely different from what they had anticipated! Wasn’t Jiang Qing-ge supposed to hang up with a cold face or just storm over to beat him up?
They were already prepared to stand by and shout “Enough, enough, Qing-ge, that’s enough!”
As it turned out, there was no need for a disciplinary officer at all??!!
Ruan Qinjing pinched his own thigh hard. It hurt so much his face twisted, but only then was he sure he wasn’t dreaming. He looked at Jiang Linmu’s “about to die of shame” appearance and then thought of Jiang Qing’s abnormal tone.
Oh.
He suddenly realized.
It must be because Jiang Linmu had given him face for his birthday by not punching him in the forehead earlier. He must not be awake yet.
Listening to Jiang Linmu’s stammering over the phone, Jiang Qing let out a light chuckle and hung up.
Beep… beep… beep…
He looked up, about to ask why the cards hadn’t been dealt yet, when he saw two pairs of eyes staring straight at him.
“……”
Meanwhile, on the other side, more than a dozen pairs of eyes were glued to the phone before snapping toward Jiang Linmu in unison. They were witnessing Jiang Linmu’s “steaming” process once again.
He wasn’t a disciplinary officer anymore; he was a prosecutor.
4:32:13 PM.
Outside, heavy dark clouds pressed down over the Lin manor. The curtains were half-drawn, a corner being whipped up by the whistling wind, intermittently revealing the courtyard outside, soaked in a dull grey.
The indoor light was oppressively dim. At this moment, the Lin manor was abnormally quiet.
Everything seemed pinned in place by this heavy atmosphere.
Suddenly, the door was opened with a bang!
Jiang Qing, wearing a black trench coat, stepped through the entrance. He swept his gaze casually around the room. Entering along with him was…
[Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng~ deng~ deng-deng-deng-deng-deng—!!!]
(Reminder: This is the “God of Gamblers” entrance BGM…)
Lin Siyu sat on the opposite side of a long table, his back to him.
Jiang Qing gave his trench coat a stylish flick, braced his hand against the edge of the table, and pulled out a chair to sit opposite him.
“Young Master Lin.”
Lin Siyu didn’t turn around, only slightly tilting his head.
Jiang Qing didn’t rush him, just sat there quietly. Then, his crossed hands loosened slightly. He raised his right hand, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the ring on his left thumb.
Finally, Lin Siyu turned around, his gaze meeting Jiang Qing’s across the long table.
Neither spoke.
[Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng~ deng~ deng-deng-deng-deng-deng—!!!]
[Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng~ deng~ deng-deng-deng-deng-deng—!!!]
“……” Wait, what was the next line of dialogue?
A second before the fourth “deng-deng-deng” was about to sound, Lin Siyu’s lips moved. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly:
“Twenty years…”
“…This is the day I’ve been waiting for.”
A silence followed.
[Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng~ deng~ deng-deng-deng-deng-deng—!!!]
[Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng~ deng~ deng-deng-deng-deng-deng—!!!]
[Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng~ deng~ deng-deng-deng-deng-deng—!!!]
…….
Jiang Qing toyed with his ring.
Even when the fifth “deng-deng-deng” sounded, he still couldn’t remember the lines.
Slowly, he exhaled.
“A good wait. You’re the first person I know who has waited for me this long.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s only right.”
“……”
[Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng-deng~ deng-deng-deng! Deng~ deng~ deng-deng-deng-deng-deng—!!!]
Jiang Qing raised a hand.
The music cut off abruptly.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong?” Lin Siwu came jogging over, pushing a speaker box.
“We both forgot the lines. Let’s just start the next part.”
“…….Okay.”
A few minutes later.
Lin Siwu stood at the table shuffling cards. His shuffling technique was clean and practiced; the cards flew like a fan, their edges occasionally clinking with a crisp sound.
“Cards are shuffled.” Lin Siwu tapped the deck gently onto the center of the long table, then fanned them out in a smooth line. “Rules are the same: one round to decide the winner. Draw your cards, gentlemen.”
He took half a step back.
Outside, the rain seemed to have lightened slightly, but the dark clouds remained thick.
Jiang Qing didn’t move immediately; he rubbed that jade ring.
“Please,” Lin Siyu finally spoke, breaking the brief stalemate.
The smile at the corner of Jiang Qing’s mouth deepened. He reached out and drew a card from the top of the deck. Feeling the texture of the card back with his fingertips, he placed it face down on the table before him.
It was Lin Siyu’s turn. His movements were slightly slower. He reached out and drew a card from near the center of the deck. He also didn’t flip it, keeping it face down.
The two cards lay quietly on the table.
Jiang Qing looked up at Lin Siyu. “Flip them?”
Lin Siyu met his gaze, his eyes bottomless. “Flip.”
Both hands pressed onto their respective card backs almost simultaneously.
The moment they were about to flip, Jiang Qing caught a glimpse and froze completely.
The card he had drawn was—
The Empress, upright.
“……”
Lin Siyu saw the sudden change in Jiang Qing’s expression. Thinking he had the win in hand, he also flipped his card.
Skip.
“……”
Both of them looked at Lin Siwu simultaneously.
“Do you even know what you brought out? Am I supposed to shout ‘UNO!’ now?” Lin Siyu pointed at the “Skip” card in his hand, looking like he was one second away from slamming it onto Lin Siwu’s head.
A few minutes later:
“Pair of fours.”
“Knight of Swords.”
“Skip.”
Jiang Qing took a look and nodded. “Mm, the logic holds. I play a number card, you play a character action card, and he plays a function card to skip the turn. Very reasonable.”
Lin Siyu finally lifted his eyes to look at Jiang Qing, his gaze dead. “…Where exactly is the ‘reasonable’ part?”
“Under the premise that ‘we’ve all gone mad’.” Jiang Qing reached out and drew another card. This time he took a look—it was a “Reverse” card from UNO.
“Reverse.” Jiang Qing put the card down. “The turn order now switches from counter-clockwise to clockwise.”
Lin Siyu stared at the “Reverse” card, silent for a few seconds. Then he also drew a card from the deck. It was a Joker.
“Small King.”
“King of Pentacles. I am a King; I’m higher than you.”
“……”
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