26: Drinking and playing cards

"Come on,"

Jiang Yuan said, pouring red wine into Zhang Xueya's glass until it was full, then filled his own glass as well.

Afterwards, he brought out a deck of playing cards, and the two prepared to play Teen Patti.

Right from the start, Jiang Yuan used an imposing "three Kings" to crush Zhang Xueya's "three Queens." The latter's face flushed red instantly, as if she had "overheated," and it was hard not to suspect that something fishy was going on.

"Brother Jiang, did you use some kind of trick?! I have three Queens! Three Queens! And you actually beat me! This is just not scientific!"

Zhang Xueya widened her eyes in disbelief, her tone filled with shock and refusal to accept the result.

"Hahaha, it must be luck, how else can you explain it?"

Jiang Yuan grinned, a hint of smugness on his face.

He handed the deck to the quiet Liu Zhuoyun nearby and suggested, "Why don't we let Sister Yun deal the cards? You won't worry about me cheating then, right?"

In reality, Jiang Yuan hadn't used any tricks; he had just dealt the cards randomly and hadn't expected to get such a high hand.

It seemed that his luck attribute of "6" really had some substance to it, playing an unexpected role at critical moments.

Hearing Jiang Yuan also call her Sister Yun, Liu Zhuoyun's cheeks flushed slightly, but she obediently picked up the cards and began to deal.

Her movements were gentle and appeared a bit clumsy, yet she possessed a unique sense of seriousness.

"I'm definitely going to win this time! The loser drinks a whole glass!"

After looking at her hand, Zhang Xueya's confidence exploded instantly, and she declared triumphantly to Jiang Yuan, as if victory was already in her pocket.

"Fine, then I'll call you."

Jiang Yuan curled his lips, unhurriedly revealing his cards—J, Q, K, a Straight Flush!

"Holy crap!"

Seeing Jiang Yuan's cards, Zhang Xueya exclaimed, her eyes filled with shock and despair.

She quickly flipped over her cards, which were merely a pair of Aces with a K.

In reality, her hand was already quite strong; as long as she didn't encounter a Straight Flush, a set, or other top-tier hands, her hand could sweep almost everything in Teen Patti and was one of the best.

But as luck would have it, Jiang Yuan was holding a Straight Flush, completely crushing her.

So, she tilted her head back and heroically downed the entire glass of red wine.

"I don't believe it, Brother Jiang, is your luck really that heaven-defying?!"

The cards were dealt again. After looking at her hand, Zhang Xueya shook her head in frustration, folded immediately, and took a small penalty sip.

Jiang Yuan slowly revealed his cards, which were an imposing set of three Aces.

Several times in a row, Jiang Yuan's hand was always bigger than hers. Although it wasn't always a Straight Flush or a set, it was always a big hand that topped hers, like a pair of Kings or a pair of Queens.

This made Zhang Xueya nearly go crazy, yet she was helpless.

"This time, let's see what you have to beat me! I'm betting all the remaining wine!"

Zhang Xueya's eyes suddenly lit up, her confidence surging again.

In truth, there wasn't much red wine left. Liu Zhuoyun had drunk one glass, Jiang Yuan had drunk one glass, and she had drunk over a bottle of the rest. Adding it all up, out of the thirty-thousand-plus worth of wine, she had consumed at least thirty thousand yuan's worth.

"Fine, then I'll call you."

Seeing his own hand was 2, 3, 5, combined with Zhang Xueya's feigned arrogance and the corners of her mouth that she tried hard to suppress but still couldn't keep down, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, knowing she had truly gotten a great hand this time.

"Three Aces! Brother Jiang, you lost! What do you have to beat me!"

Zhang Xueya slapped her cards onto the table, her voice instantly rising several notches. She was triumphant, the joy of a winner written all over her face.

And indeed, if this were a game played for real money, these three Aces would have been enough to win back double what she had lost before.

"Perhaps, I actually do have one."

Jiang Yuan smiled mysteriously, and amidst Zhang Xueya's anticipation and Liu Zhuoyun's curious gaze, he slowly flipped over his cards.

"2, 3, 5!"

"How is that possible?! Sister Yun, did you and Brother Jiang collude?!"

Seeing Jiang Yuan's cards, Zhang Xueya felt a wave of collapse.

She stared in disbelief at the three Aces in her hand, then looked at Jiang Yuan's 2, 3, 5. How could this be? She had gotten three Aces, and she still lost?

"No, no! Brother Jiang, you're cheating! We aren't playing by the rule where 2, 3, 5 beats a set! This doesn't count! In this game, three Aces are the highest. We don't have the rule in the Northeast where 2, 3, 5 beats a set. This round doesn't count, no, it doesn't!"

Zhang Xueya started to act shamelessly and throw a tantrum, trying to renege on this round.

"Alright, alright, fine, I lost. I'll finish it."

Jiang Yuan waved his hand helplessly, looking at Zhang Xueya's cute, shameless behavior, and couldn't help but laugh.

He picked up the red wine bottle and poured the remaining little bit of wine into his glass.

"I'll help you share some!"

Seeing this, Zhang Xueya quickly reached out with her glass, appearing as if she wanted to "help." In reality, she still hadn't had enough; after all, she wouldn't be willing to buy such expensive red wine for herself to drink.

Finally, after drinking some more beer, Zhang Xueya was finally defeated.

With a satisfied flush on her face, she wobbled back to her room to sleep. She had indeed drunk quite a lot today, even more than most people who could handle their liquor.

Jiang Yuan estimated to himself that she could probably drink several jin of high-proof baijiu without getting drunk; her tolerance for alcohol was simply unfathomable.

"Zhuoyun, don't you have classes these days? I reckon you guys are only freshmen, right?"

Jiang Yuan looked at Liu Zhuoyun and asked curiously.

He hadn't attended college. After dropping out of high school, he had been working, eventually opening his own small shop. He had already found time to call and transfer the shop, so he didn't know much about things in university.

"Summer vacation is coming soon, so there aren't many classes. We've basically finished learning what we needed to."

Liu Zhuoyun explained softly, her voice gentle.

"I see. So, are you going back to Sichuan for the summer vacation?"

Jiang Yuan asked again, his tone carrying a hint of probing.

If Liu Zhuoyun went back to Sichuan, perhaps he could find a way to visit Sichuan and hang out with her during that time.

"Maybe. I told my family I want to go traveling this summer vacation."

Liu Zhuoyun's eyes dimmed slightly, her tone revealing a subtle, imperceptible hesitation.

"That's perfect! We can travel together, I'll take you around!"

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, his tone filled with anticipation. "My main plan right now is to travel around the country, and this is my first stop."

"My parents haven't agreed yet. They aren't very comfortable with me traveling alone."

Liu Zhuoyun sighed softly, a flash of helplessness crossing her eyes.

"I'm studying here, and they require me to report to them every day about where I'm going and who I'm with."

She had been strictly controlled by her parents since childhood, which was the reason she originally chose a university far away from home, hoping it would make her feel more at ease.

Because of this, her parents had even had an argument, but ultimately, due to her persistence, she chose this place.

In reality, her parents were very good to her; they gave her a generous monthly allowance and doted on her.

But the only drawback was that their control over her was extremely strict, as if the outside world was full of bad people, and they desperately wanted to protect her completely.

Before college, she had never lived in a dormitory; she was picked up and dropped off by a chauffeur every day.

This had created her somewhat introverted personality, much like the sheltered young ladies of the past who never stepped outside; she had almost no social circle.

"Well, alright. If there's an opportunity, we can certainly travel together."

Jiang Yuan felt a bit disappointed, but he said it with some expectation. He knew Liu Zhuoyun's situation and couldn't force it, but the wish in his heart to travel together had not been extinguished.