Chapter 34

Half an hour later...

"You, you all..." Having lost seven rounds in a row, Jiji gripped a hand of cards he couldn't play, staring at the empty-handed man and woman before him, unable to speak.

"Ah!" He Lele suddenly let out a soft cry, as if she had remembered something important.

The two men looked at her with different expressions; Qin Zhixiu wore a faint smile, while Jiji looked as if he wanted to tear her apart.

"Has it been half an hour yet? I don't think I've cried yet..."

"Pfft..." Qin Zhixiu burst into laughter.

"He, Le, Le!" Jiji roared through gritted teeth!

☆, Chapter 34: Don't Provoke Seeing Mu Wei

After Jiji flew into a rage from shame, Qin Zhixiu smiled and picked up the music score book to start composing. Jiji immediately fell silent, signaling He Lele to clear away the cards.

After He Lele finished tidying up and went downstairs carrying the empty coffee cup, Qin Zhixiu stopped his pen, his beautiful eyes looking at Jiji with traces of a smile hidden within.

"Something you want to say?"

"Don't tell me you didn't help her."

Qin Zhixiu shook his head, "I truly did not help her."

"Hmph... then her luck tonight is truly very strong."

Qin Zhixiu chuckled, "Yes, but it's not just luck. You didn't lose unjustly; at the very least, when it comes to poker, you really can't beat her right now."

"... Why?"

"She can count cards."

"What?"

Yes, after each person had played two rounds, she roughly knew what cards Qin Zhixiu and Jiji still held. She could count, not because her IQ was particularly high or her memory was especially good, but because... in the fifth grade of elementary school, she developed gaze phobia. For the first year, she was afraid to look at anyone and afraid of anyone looking at her; she wouldn't cry, laugh, or speak, and would even tremble in fear at the sound of voices outside. Her parents quit their jobs and moved house for her, staying home with her for a whole year. To distract her and gradually eliminate her fear, her parents kept playing various card and board games with her. When she was alone, she would count the poker cards one by one.

Later, her parents taught her to imagine everyone else as poker cards, without eyes, so she wouldn't be afraid. Frankly, the effect of this method... was terrible, because she always wanted to group them into sets of four, and when the number of people was odd, she always wanted to find someone to fill the gap, which instead made her more anxious.

It was precisely because she seemed relatively sensitive to numbers and had decent luck when playing games related to them that her parents suggested she study accounting—if her parents knew that after finishing accounting she came to do this kind of work...

Better not think about it.

She was still young and could start over. Everything still had a chance.

At two in the morning, she was finally able to fall asleep, with the second volume of "Bodyguards Can Be Oppressed but Not Humiliated," which Seeing Mu Wei had given her that afternoon, pressed under her pillow, along with a thank-you note from Sun Xiaozhuang. The girl's handwriting was very delicate; she clearly had her phone number but wrote a note by hand instead of sending a text... If the handwriting reflected the person, the girl must be a kind-hearted, good girl. But encountering Seeing Mu Wei, she would get hurt, right... Should she tell Sun Xiaozhuang something? But, snitching behind someone's back... she couldn't do it.

The next morning, Jiji and Qin Zhixiu hadn't come downstairs yet. Seeing Mu Wei had finished breakfast and was just about to leave when He Lele hesitated for a long time before speaking up.

"Are you serious about Miss Sun?"

"What?" Seeing Mu Wei stopped.

"If you're just looking for someone to play with, Miss Sun will get hurt."

"You mean you're telling me to find someone else to pursue?" Seeing Mu Wei looked at He Lele in surprise, feeling it was utterly ridiculous. Who did this woman think she was? She had only lain under him once, and he hadn't even touched her yet, yet she dared to interfere in his affairs? Who gave her the nerve?

"I'm sorry, I know I have no right to say anything, but... if Miss Sun gets hurt because of you, I also have a responsibility. So, if possible..."

Jiji happened to be coming out of the elevator. Hearing He Lele's words, he amusedly pulled over a chair, lit a cigarette, and wore an expression of watching a show.

Feeling Jiji's gaze, Seeing Mu Wei glared over in annoyance. Jiji spread his hands, puffed on his cigarette, pursed his lips, and made an expression that said, "It has nothing to do with me, I'm just watching the show."

Looking at He Lele impatiently, Seeing Mu Wei's tone was somewhat unkind, "Miss He, please clarify your own status. Don't say things you shouldn't, and it's best to stand further away from things you shouldn't manage." She was just a prostitute provided for people to vent their desires; what right did she have to talk to him like that?

Status... she certainly knew her status, but work was work; she couldn't break her bottom line as a human being just because of work. "If you insist, I can only tell Miss Sun what she should know." She wouldn't talk too much, but she wouldn't say nothing either, watching Sun Xiaozhuang jump into this fire pit of his.

Seeing Mu Wei sneered, pinched He Lele's chin, and lifted her head, "Are you threatening me?"

"..." He Lele lowered her eyes and said nothing.

"Fine, let me see what you can do?" With a slight force, he flung He Lele's face to the side, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

Not until she saw Seeing Mu Wei's SUV drive out of the outer courtyard did He Lele turn and walk toward the dining table.

"Good morning, Mr. Ji, what would you like to eat for breakfast?"

"Hehe..." Jiji puffed on his cigarette and smiled as brightly as peach blossoms. He raised his hand and clapped, making a loud "pop-pop" sound, then took the cigarette down, licked his lips, flicked the ash, and praised: "You have courage."

"What's wrong?" Qin Zhixiu, who had just come out of the elevator, seemed still a bit drowsy, his fair, tender little face exuding a full "dull and cute" aura, looking just like a beautiful boy who had walked out of an anime.

"This woman," Jiji pointed at He Lele with his cigarette, then put it back in his mouth, "is fearlessly provoking Seeing Mu Wei. It's been several years since we've seen anyone with such guts, right? Don't you think we should applaud and encourage her? Is the demo for the first song done?"

"... Mm."

"Good morning, Mr. Qin."