The once unattainable high-mountain flower had lost its composure due to drunkenness, appearing as a powerless puppet at anyone's disposal, yet still striving to maintain a self-deceiving composure.
So fake… and so likable.
Making one eager to possess it.
A thought simultaneously arose in the minds of several people present: He Chengxiao, that poor kid, is truly lucky.
"Mr. Bai, does a behemoth like Huanya also need to put in so much effort?"
"Isn't it said to be fair competition? Naturally… I must abide by the rules." The beauty gently rubbed the corner of his eye with his palm, tears welling up with a small yawn, "This cooperation is just too attractive, that's why everyone is persisting to this point, isn't it?"
A new round began, with the Joker returning to the small group.
The person holding the Joker directly designated two other lone individuals to drink against each other, with one of them being the first to fall.
"I can't take it anymore, I can't take it anymore, you all have fun, I…"
He covered his head and tried to stand up, but because he had drunk too much, he had to cover his stomach with his hand, and ran out in a flustered manner following the waiter's guidance.
The other person also felt a bit intimidated: "I…"
"It seems like the game is coming to an end soon. Mr. Li, will you continue?"
Mr. Li gritted his teeth: "I'm not playing anymore, Mr. Qian, this game of yours is too uncivilized, purely torturous. Astray is here in China to find manufacturers, right? Even if we can drink our way through today, does Mr. Randy really want to cooperate with us?"
"One possibility, and a good drunk." Qian Jin spread his hands, "Personal choice, there's no reward without risk."
"Yes, our Li family is still too small, I'm afraid we can't swallow this cake."
"We greatly respect Mr. Li's choice. A Qing, see him out."
A Qing made a gesture of invitation: "Since that's the case, then please, Mr. Li, follow me out of the venue."
The number of people in the venue decreased again, and the other three suits were directly thrown into the discard pile, with the Joker being reshuffled blindly.
The piano music on the stage slowed down, and the overall rhythm of drawing cards also slowed down.
By the time it reached the last few people, everyone had drunk their fill, and the competition was about who could last the longest.
Those little marks jumped around before their eyes, and without a doubt, the Joker's whereabouts were completely controlled by Qian Jin.
"Mr. Qian, don't you think it's less interesting when there are too few people playing?"
A clear voice interjected, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound. It turned out that the rabbit-masked pianist had stopped playing at some point. He sat upright on the piano bench, looking no different from them, like a young master from a wealthy family.
"Oh? Do you have a suggestion?"
The rabbit mask calmly suggested: "Why not add another stake?"
The audience was in an uproar, and Qian Jin narrowed his eyes slightly: "Interesting… what kind of stake do you want to add?"
The pianist, facing the gazes, said unhurriedly, "The person who draws the Joker… has to answer two questions from the person who draws them, how about that?"
"That's too…"
He tilted his head: "Purely drinking is also quite boring, isn't it?"
"Since you proposed it, then what is your chip?"
The pianist walked down the side stage and whispered a few words in Qian Jin's ear. Qian Jin's expression changed several times, settling on a bigger smile: "Okay… what audacity."
"With such a big collaboration, isn't Mr. Qian curious whether the other party is human or a ghost?"
This person… isn't he afraid of offending certain people and being blacklisted in the industry?
Bai Yi couldn't help but become a little more curious about him.
It seems that he has to ask Qin Sheng for this person's information when he gets back. He probably wouldn't dare to attract Randy's attention in public at a bar without such courage.
The few people present looked at each other, at this point, victory was close at hand, but should they exchange it for an even greater price…
"Then what do you want to get from this game of ours?"
The rabbit mask thought for a while: "Those collaborations you mentioned, I, an ordinary person, definitely can't get involved in. However, the pure white tulip that Mr. Qian mentioned sounds interesting. I wonder if I could be lucky enough to get one?"
"Mr. Bai, what do you say?"
"Of course, you can."
"That's very good." Qian Jin clapped his hands, "Everyone who continues to stay here is probably sincere about cooperating, so next, I, Qian, would like to see everyone's sincerity."
-
The rabbit-masked pianist naturally took over the task of dealing the cards.
He bent his fingers against his jaw, a pair of eyes staring straight at the newly selected person through the holes in the mask.
His hands, trained from playing the piano for many years, were well-proportioned and beautiful. The fan-like shuffling was pleasing to the eye, and the next "lucky" person selected was none other than Qian Jin. Qian Jin asked with interest: "Speaking of which, the Sun family only developed under Mr. Sun's hands, right? What do you think is the most important factor in that?"
Sun Zhao smiled: "There are many… the most important, of course, is that I have a good wife."
Sun Zhao's marriage was a step up the social ladder. People in the circle said that he lived off his wife's inheritance, exhausting his father-in-law while still young, monopolizing power, and transforming into a true phoenix. As a result, a few years after his father-in-law's death, the company collapsed, and his wife was forced to start from scratch with him. Later, they regrouped, returned to the upper class, and their marriage was loving, which was considered a beautiful story in the circle.
Another bottle of Bordeaux was opened, and Bai Yi supported his forehead with his hand, the numbers on the playing cards spinning wildly before his eyes.
"Mr. Bai, I heard that Mr. Sun started his business with the help of a benefactor. Aren't you curious who the benefactor is?"
Wh… what?
Sun Zhao's expression changed slightly, and he said with an embarrassed smile, "This question is a bit presumptuous, isn't it?"
The rabbit mask clasped his hands on the table: "To get benefits, you can't just try to get something for nothing."
"You're just a pianist, yet you have such a big mouth. Is it your turn to speak here—"
Someone who was friendly with Sun Zhao quickly tugged at the corner of his clothes, reminding him in a low voice: "He was recommended by Mr. Randy."
Sun Zhao swallowed the words of reprimand, turned to Qian Jin, and cupped his fist: "Mr. Qian, the benefactor doesn't want to reveal his name, I can't repay kindness with enmity. Please, Mr. Bai, change the question."
Qian Jin smiled: "It's just a sum of money, what's so embarrassing about it? Or… is Mr. Sun not sincere about the cooperation?"
"Mr. Qian, you can't say that…"
"The benefactor or the cooperation, Mr. Sun can weigh it himself."
The scene fell silent, and a silent exploration passed among the rest of the people. What is the origin of this "benefactor"? Able to help a person start a business from scratch, yet also make him wary of the cooperation at hand?
If he gives the answer, it might just stop with the mouths of those present. If he can't give an answer, there's no guarantee what kind of malicious prying will be spawned.
Sun Zhao stared at the card pile and suddenly asked: "Is this an admission ticket?"
"This is a stepping stone."
Sun Zhao's hand holding the card trembled slightly, and he gritted his teeth and said: "It's… my father-in-law's inheritance."
Bai Yi's eyes widened.
"I suppose your wife doesn't know about the existence of this inheritance?"
"Yes, she doesn't know."
Sun Zhao's wife used to be one of them in the circle, stubbornly falling in love with the poor boy Sun Zhao. Later, when her family fell into disrepair, no one helped… He thought that Sun Zhao was not bad, and after he became successful, he did not forget his original wife.
He never thought that he had embezzled the inheritance and deliberately created the bankruptcy.
"Brother Sun, you're being unkind. Your sister-in-law is wholeheartedly devoted to you. She insisted on marrying you back then, how could you…"
"She's not good at management, and the family's power was divided up by relatives and friends. I'm protecting her wealth! If it weren't for me, my father-in-law's inheritance would have been taken away long ago."
The atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy, and Sun Zhao's behavior made them feel suspicious, and the gazes cast at him were more estranged.
"Okay, this sincerity is heavy enough." The smile on Qian Jin's lips became more genuine, and he raised a glass full of wine to Bai Yi for a toast, "It's our turn to drink."
He gulped it down in one go, tasteless, but because he drank too quickly, he choked a little. Bai Yi covered his face with the back of his hand and turned his head away. The muscles in his waist were sore and painful, and after being shaken by the cough, it became even more unbearable.
The playing cards were collected, and the rabbit mask shuffled a dove's tail and redistributed them.
Bai Yi's head was dizzy, relying entirely on his usual demeanor to support himself upright, especially prominent among the drunkards. In the midst of his chaotic consciousness, he felt his calf being rubbed, and a small current climbed upwards.
"Mr. Bai, would you like to go and rest?"
Bai Yi felt that his body's reaction was a little strange, and it didn't seem like the reaction of being drunk. However, he had never drunk mixed alcohol like this before, and he couldn't quite grasp the extent.
He cooled his hands with the glass and pressed them lightly on his cheeks to lower the temperature.
"No need."
One of the small group drew the Joker, and he hesitated and chose his original "ally".