Chapter 24: Give Me Your QQ

In the first round, eight bombs had been played, and although the stakes had started at just fifty cents per hand, this particular round had escalated to a total of 128 yuan. The real kicker was that Zhang Ziqi, as the landlord, lost to all three of the other players, owing a total of 384 yuan.

Feeling flustered, Zhang Ziqi angrily glared at Chen Yuchen, "With such good cards, why didn't you call the landlord?"

Chen Yuchen responded calmly, "I didn't even have a joker. What's the point of calling if there's no fun?"

"Enough with the excuses, Zhang Jie," Zhang Ben interrupted excitedly. "It's 128 yuan each, time to pay up! What's the matter? You're not going to stiff us, are you? Are all people from Beijing this stingy?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Zhang Ziqi snapped back, glaring at Zhang Ben. "It's only a hundred or so yuan. Why are you making such a fuss?"

She placed her purse on her lap and began digging through it to find the money. After a moment of searching, she paused and turned to Zhang Yi, saying, "I didn't bring that much cash. Zhang Yi, pay for me."

"Huh?" Zhang Yi was caught off guard.

"Huh, what? You threw out all those bombs too! You three ganged up on me, a poor girl! Zhang Yi, now I know what kind of person you are!" Zhang Ziqi huffed, clearly upset.

"I… I didn't mean to! I thought I was helping you…" Zhang Yi stammered, frantically trying to explain. He had intended to assist Zhang Ziqi, but his efforts had clearly backfired.

Despite feeling conflicted, Zhang Yi quickly paid up. Fortunately, he came from a well-off family, with a monthly allowance of 1,500 yuan, and he was no stranger to playing such card games with friends. The amount didn't bother him too much.

While Zhang Yi handed over the cash, Chen Yuchen quietly shuffled the cards for the next round. Once the money was settled, the group prepared for another game. Chen Yuchen remarked, "That's enough, don't you think? Even though we're playing for small stakes, a single round can still cost over a hundred yuan."

Zhang Ziqi wasn't having it. "Oh, so now that you're winning, you want to stop? I see through you! You've been the sneakiest of them all, pretending to be weak just to beat me!"

Chen Yuchen shrugged and smiled, "Just luck."

"Another round!" Zhang Ziqi demanded, unwilling to give up. She had lost all her previous winnings and was now the biggest loser. She wasn't about to back down so easily.

Zhang Ben, eager to test his luck again after recovering some of his losses, quickly agreed to continue. "Come on, Chen, let's not let her intimidate us!"

Chen Yuchen didn't mind, as long as they wanted to keep playing, he would join them.

The next two rounds saw fluctuating results. Zhang Ziqi won one round, leaving Zhang Ben looking pale, but in the following round, Zhang Ben won back his money and was in high spirits once again.

At around five o'clock, Chen Yuchen won another round, though the overall winnings and losses were relatively balanced. Checking the time, he said, "That's enough for now. We've got a class meeting later, and if we keep playing, we'll be late."

Zhang Yi also glanced at his watch and nodded. "Yeah, it's getting late. Let's call it a day."

Zhang Ziqi, still feeling bitter, shot a glare at Chen Yuchen. She had been closely observing him and realized that while the others fluctuated between winning and losing, Chen Yuchen had been steadily winning more than he lost. His stack of bills had quietly grown into a small pile.

Zhang Ben, counting his own money, suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa! Chen, when did you win so much?"

Zhang Ziqi, clearly frustrated, pouted and said, "I knew it! Chen Yuchen, you've been playing us this whole time, pretending to be weak just to win! You've been tricking me!"

Chen Yuchen simply smiled and remained calm, "No, I wasn't."

Unwilling to let it go, Zhang Ziqi huffed, "I don't care! You've won so much from me, you owe me a meal!"

"Yeah, Chen! If you win, you've got to treat us to dinner!" Zhang Ben chimed in, joining the fun.

Laughing, Chen Yuchen agreed, "Fine, we'll sort it out after the class meeting. Right now, we've got to get going."

As Zhang Yi packed up the cards, everyone prepared to leave. Zhang Ben, now following closely behind Chen Yuchen like a loyal fan, exclaimed with admiration, "Chen, I had no idea you were such a card shark! You've got to teach me sometime."

Just as they were about to walk out of the cafeteria, Zhang Ziqi, still standing with her arms crossed, suddenly called out, "Chen Yuchen, wait a minute!"

"What is it?" Chen Yuchen turned to face her.

"Give me your QQ number!" Zhang Ziqi demanded, her tone authoritative.

Chen Yuchen chuckled, "You can just ask Zhang Yi for it."

With that, Chen Yuchen and Zhang Ben walked out of the cafeteria. Zhang Yi, still tidying up, overheard the conversation and couldn't help but ask, "Why do you need his QQ?"

Zhang Ziqi pouted and replied, "That guy is so infuriating! I'm getting his QQ so I can give him a piece of my mind."

Zhang Yi laughed helplessly. He found Zhang Ziqi's frustration endearing. Who would have guessed that this girl would get so worked up over losing a few rounds of cards and insist on adding someone on QQ just to scold them?

"Alright, I'll add him and send it to you later," Zhang Yi said, amused.

"Hurry up!" Zhang Ziqi demanded, still pouting and clearly not ready to let the matter rest.