Chapter 22: Two Girls, Two Attitudes

Chen Yuchen, Zhang Yi, Zhang Ben, and Zhang Yi's "almost girlfriend," Zhang Ziqi, sat around a table in the cafeteria playing cards. Zhang Yi had bought four cups of Coke, and everyone sipped their drinks as they played. Zhang Ziqi took a delicate sip of her Coke, looking unimpressed. "Playing without stakes is pretty boring," she remarked nonchalantly.

Zhang Ben immediately perked up. "Don't worry, sister-in-law! With stakes, I'll have even more motivation. You'll see my true skills."

Zhang Ziqi shot him a glance and smirked. "Just don't let me win too easily."

The game heated up quickly. Zhang Ben, who had started with a strong hand, made a few careless mistakes and soon found himself in a losing position. Zhang Ziqi, on the other hand, remained calm and steadily took control of the game, winning round after round. She looked at her opponents with a soft smile. "Ready for another round?"

Zhang Yi grinned and shook his head. "You're definitely the best at this."

Chen Yuchen, however, wasn't particularly invested in the card game. He played half-heartedly while responding to a couple of text messages on his phone. One of them was from Lin Siyen, who seemed a bit anxious based on her tone. Her message read: "Are you at school already? Let's have dinner tonight. My mom sent you some things, and I need help picking up a package."

Chen Yuchen glanced at the message, feeling a bit annoyed, and simply replied with two short words: "No time."

Almost immediately, Lin Siyen responded: "Are you deliberately ignoring me now?"

Chen Yuchen felt even more irritation rising. After his rebirth, his attitude toward Lin Siyen had grown increasingly indifferent. Her requests seemed unreasonable to him now, and he didn't feel like engaging. He closed their chat and switched to a message from Chen Siqi.

"Hey, uncle! What college are you in?"

"Computer Science," he replied.

Chen Siqi responded almost instantly with a playful emoji. "Oh~ Can I come visit you?"

"You just want to read more of my free dirty stories?" Chen Yuchen teased.

"No way! I'm bringing you bubble tea, okay?" She sent a blushing emoji, which made Chen Yuchen chuckle.

Meanwhile, back at the card game, Zhang Ben thought he had a winning hand, confidently holding a bomb card, sure that this round would finally be his. However, Zhang Ziqi had been calmly preparing her counterattack all along. With a well-timed play, she unleashed her own bomb card, leaving Zhang Ben utterly defeated.

"I win again! Time to pay up," Zhang Ziqi said triumphantly, waving her winning cards in the air.

Zhang Ben scratched his head in frustration and smiled awkwardly. "You're too good. I can't beat you."

Zhang Yi shook his head with a laugh. "That's what you get for being overconfident. My girl's not someone to underestimate."

Chen Yuchen watched the scene unfold, finding it amusing. Even though he had lost the game, he didn't mind. He actually enjoyed the easygoing atmosphere among his roommates.

As the game wrapped up, Zhang Yi suggested, "I think we've had enough cards for now. How about we go grab something to eat?"

Zhang Ziqi set down her cards and smiled sweetly. "Since I won the most, you guys better treat me to dinner."

Chen Yuchen, Zhang Yi, Zhang Ben, and Zhang Yi's friend Zhang Ziqi were in the middle of an intense card game. The stakes were small, just fifty cents, but the game had escalated quickly with six bombs, and the final pot had grown to a surprising 32 yuan. Zhang Ben's face turned pale as he exclaimed, "Thirty-two? How did it get so high?"

Zhang Ziqi smiled innocently. "Yup, six bombs. You're not thinking of backing out, are you?"

Zhang Ben's face flushed with embarrassment. "Who said I was backing out? I just didn't expect it to add up so fast."

Zhang Ziqi playfully shook her hand, fingers wiggling. "On the card table, you pay what you owe. Hand over the cash!"

Zhang Yi laughed and pulled out some money to give to Zhang Ziqi. Chen Yuchen also handed over 50 yuan for her to make change. Zhang Ziqi, clearly enjoying her victory, cheerfully returned 18 yuan to him, grinning with satisfaction. Zhang Ben, though reluctant, forked over the 32 yuan, grumbling, "You're too good at this."

Zhang Ziqi feigned innocence. "Just lucky, I guess."

Zhang Ben muttered under his breath, "Next round, I'm not going easy on you."

"Great! I'm looking forward to it," Zhang Ziqi replied with a mischievous smile.

As the next round started, Zhang Ziqi's attention subtly shifted toward Chen Yuchen. She was intrigued by how calm he remained, even while losing money. He didn't hesitate when it came to paying up, which piqued her curiosity. Moving closer, she noticed his phone and her eyes lit up. "Is that the latest iPhone?"

Chen Yuchen had been responding to Chen Siqi's messages when Zhang Ziqi suddenly moved in close. Startled, he quickly locked his phone and shifted away slightly.

Zhang Ziqi pouted playfully. "What's the matter? Got something to hide?"

Chen Yuchen chuckled softly. Zhang Ziqi was now close enough for him to catch the faint scent of her hair. She wore denim shorts that showcased her long, pale legs, and the sunlight filtering through the window illuminated her skin, making it even more striking.

"Let me play with your phone," she teased, almost pouting like a child. "I've wanted an iPhone since college, but my mom never let me get one."

"Why don't you ask Zhang Yi to buy you one?" Chen Yuchen replied casually.

Zhang Yi, sitting nearby, gave a nervous laugh while Zhang Ziqi shot back, "Him? No way. Besides, I don't have a boyfriend."

Chen Yuchen smirked. "So when you asked if I had a girlfriend, were you planning on being mine?"

"Ha! Maybe," Zhang Ziqi joked, her tone light and teasing.

Zhang Yi, feeling the conversation get a bit too awkward, quickly interjected, "Hey, Chen Yuchen, don't mind her. Ziqi loves to joke around."

Chen Yuchen shrugged. "No problem."

But Zhang Ziqi wasn't done. "Come on, let me check out your phone. I just want to see what's so special about it."

"How about we finish the game first?" Chen Yuchen deflected her again, picking up his cards.

Zhang Ben, clearly frustrated from his previous losses, grumbled, "Yeah, hurry up. I need to win my money back."

Zhang Ziqi giggled and playfully hummed in agreement. Despite sitting closer and closer to Chen Yuchen, she didn't seem awkward or embarrassed at all. Instead, she became more animated as the game continued.

Chen Yuchen couldn't help but smile inwardly. This northern girl was certainly bold and carefree, completely unbothered by social conventions. Her teasing had lightened the atmosphere, and soon enough, everyone was focused once more on the intense card game ahead.