Chapter 7: Reckless and Unruly
In the entire Sijiucheng, who wouldn’t want to build a connection with the Second Young Master Jin?
Lian Li didn’t, her voice calm as she said, “If a title can express respect, perhaps calling you ‘Master’ would be better.”
Jin Shi Yue clearly disdained the idea of knowing when to stop and accepting a helping hand.
His eyebrows lightly lifted, “You’re so eloquent, call me that first and let me hear it.”
Seeing that this scoundrel of a master was about to scare his younger sister away, Zhong Yang felt a pang of sympathy, “Master Yue, even if Li Mei called you her ancestor, she’s not part of your family.”
The spotlight in the private room flickered, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across Jin Shi Yue’s strikingly handsome face.
Lian Li’s eyes darted around, and when she looked back, she saw a devil-may-care smile curve his lips.
Zhong Yang finished washing the cards and began dealing, giving the first card to Lian Li, “Li Mei, your cards.”
Lian Li calmly collected her gaze and said with composure, “Thank you.”
The brother who came to drag the ‘singer’ Xue Shufan to sing saw this and exclaimed, “Zhong Yang, you’re too enthusiastic today, even dealing the cards yourself!”
“Enough already, back then when that group of people got together, even playing a game, they dressed up so prim and proper, like effeminate boys.”
Zhong Yang pointed at Jin Shi Yue and Pei Qingji, “These two masters are back, it’s rare to see them together, so we have to make the most of it.”
“Oh! Listen to that, so wronged. If people didn’t know, they’d think you were Wang Baochuan, waiting in a cold kiln for eighteen years!” the brothers teased with laughter.
Zhong Yang stretched out his leg and kicked someone during the card dealing, who dodged with a laugh and stopped playing, then gestured to Xue Shufan, “Xue Shufan, come sing.”
“Lili, I’m going over there first.” Xue Shufan was enthusiastic about karaoke.
“Mm, okay.”
Lian Li glanced at the northeast corner of the private room, separated by a landscape painting screen, a specially designated entertainment area. The ceiling shimmered with colorful lights, and seven or eight men and women were drinking, singing, and playing games, creating a lively atmosphere.
In comparison, the area where they were was quieter.
Pei Qingji and Jin Shi Yue were discussing the overseas mergers and acquisitions of Hollywood’s century-old film production studios, talking about complex and trivial acquisition matters, and the extravagant behavior of spending money to promote actors, covering both serious and unserious topics.
Lian Li seemed to hear nothing, occasionally looking at the cards in front of her. She held the glass wine glass gently, water droplets on the rim sliding down, landing on her palm and gradually evaporating.
As the bubbles disappeared, only a lifeless pool of amber liquid remained in the glass.
Lian Li took a slow sip and, as she put down the wine glass, noticed the English letters engraved on its side.
Riedel.
Austria’s top and most professional wine glass brand, hailed as the ‘Rolls-Royce of wine glasses’.
To her surprise, Jin Shi Yue hadn’t called over his usual entourage to play cards with them.
The Second Young Master plays cards himself?
More magical than Pokémon.
Zhong Yang played a pair of fives and looked at Jin Shi Yue, “Brother, give me a straight answer, are you considering Zhao’s investment?”
Lian Li unhurriedly played two eights.
Jin Shi Yue casually threw out a pair of nines, not even bothering to lift his eyelids, “What’s between your ears, a watermelon? What’s there to consider?”
His long fingers holding the cards were cold and hard, blue veins bulging on the back of his hand, exuding a wild sense of strength. The bones snaked upwards, disappearing into the cuffs of his luxurious clothes.
Hearing this, Zhong Yang turned his head and asked Pei Qingji, “What about you, are you in or out?”
Pei Qingji said seriously, “It’s outside of work hours, no official business.”
“So arrogant.” Zhong Yang leaned back in his chair and laughed, “Heh, I actually quite like that ill-fated project.”
Jin Shi Yue glanced at him sideways, a lazy smile playing on his lips, “With your judgment, you’ll lose so much you won’t even have socks left in two days.”
Of Zhong Yang’s 206 bones, 205 were rebellious. He got fired up, “What if I get a sudden impulse and decide to try it!”
“Try it?” Jin Shi Yue fiddled with the lighter in his hand, a half-smile on his face, “You can try gnawing on the Persian carpet the Old Master just laid down.”
Lian Li subtly twitched the corner of her mouth.
This man’s words were like poisoned darts.
Zhong Yang had clearly developed immunity to poison long ago and said nonchalantly, “If the investment fails, my Old Master will at most scold me a few times. Eating carpet would be truly fatal; my Old Master would kill me.”
Zhong Yang changed the subject, his chatter like a leaky sieve, “Li Mei, where do you work?”
“I haven’t graduated yet, I’m a senior at Jingbei University.”
Lian Li’s fingertips held the cards, and after a moment of silence, as if after brief deliberation, she helplessly played an Ace of Hearts.
A faint fragrance wafted over with her slow, deliberate movements.
It smelled like herbs.
Jin Shi Yue raised his eyelids, his gaze catching her slender white fingers as they extended, like a white magnolia flower spinning in the wind.
The bracelet with bright red, translucent cherries and jade pendants, set against her fair skin, looked even more exquisitely vibrant.
Pei Qingji observed Lian Li playing cards with a calm demeanor. Her card skills were unpolished, yet she always managed to turn the tide at critical moments.
This unconventional playing style felt strangely familiar.
“Junior Sister, what’s your major?”
When asked, Lian Li replied, looking at him, “Mathematics.”
Pei Qingji, “Do you have to do an internship in your senior year in China?”
Lian Li said, “Yes, graduation internship.”
Pei Qingji asked, “Have you thought about where you want to go?”
Jin Shi Yue casually threw out a card. Lian Li raised her eyelashes to glance at him and said nonchalantly, “Not yet.”
For graduation internships, many people would casually get a stamp, fabricate a reflection, and then performatively take a few work photos, submitting both paper and electronic copies.
This crown prince of the Pei family from Zhongtai Bank seemed to be a practical person.
How did he end up associating with a dissolute young master like Jin Shi Yue?
Zhong Yang looked at the cards in his hand and grumbled with disdain, “What rotten luck.”
Soon after, he exclaimed with renewed excitement, “Li Mei only has two cards left!”
He hoped Lian Li would win. He had been thoroughly beaten by Jin Shi Yue too many times before and wanted someone else to beat Jin Shi Yue for a change.
Pei Qingji heard this, looked at the two cards Jin Shi Yue had placed on the table, and then at the two cards Lian Li held in her hand.
He wasn’t very interested in playing cards, but now he was intrigued.
Lian Li also glanced at Jin Shi Yue’s cards.
Jin Shi Yue noticed her gaze, moved his hand from the sofa armrest to the ashtray, extinguished his cigarette, and said lazily, “If you want to see, just say so, I’m not going to stop you. What’s with the peeking?”
Lian Li was speechless: “…”
Peeking? She was clearly looking openly!
Pei Qingji watched from the sidelines, playing his card with a composed expression.
Zhong Yang: “Pass.”
This meant he wasn’t taking the card.
Lian Li’s fingertips lightly tapped the cards in her hand, her almond-shaped eyes rippling with subtle waves, gazing thoughtfully at the messy pile of playing cards on the table.
The light from above shone down, covering her clear and delicate face, as if it were draped in a soft, lustrous veil of white jade.
Jin Shi Yue’s dark eyes watched her, saying with interest, “Junior Sister, play your card.”
