The girl frowned, remaining deathly quiet, as if Yang Yi and the others were mere air. Her hand wasn't over yet; Gold Tooth had just raised, and it was her turn to act.
Yang Yi sat obediently between the two of them, feeling a bit restless. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through it absentmindedly.
"It's yours! Take it!" The girl suddenly leaped up like an arrow released from a bow. She held her cards high in the air before slamming them into the muck pile. "Top pair, right? I don't want my pocket pair anymore!"
The two-meter-long table actually shifted an inch from the force of her movement.
Gold Tooth chuckled as he raked in the chips; the two of them looked exactly like a wife nagging her husband.
"You jerk! What do you mean by 'I brought him for you'?" The girl turned and reached out to pinch Zhen Zhen's neck. The two of them began to tussle, with a completely bewildered Yang Yi caught right in the middle.
Cold Ice Queen? Forget I ever said that.
"Yi, save me!"
Yang Yi didn't dare interfere. Finally, Mazi barked from the side, "What are you doing? In a minute, someone's going to call the cops again."
Xiao Lin explained to Yang Yi, "Last night, Yao Mei was the loudest. We played until midnight, and someone reported us for disturbing the peace. The police came but didn't enter the inner room; they thought we were just playing board games and told us to keep it down."
"You two were shouting too!" Yao Mei yelled back defiantly, her voice even louder than Zhen Zhen's had been.
The first and second floors here were commercial spaces, but directly behind them were residential buildings. The soundproofing was poor, and with the smoking and the occasional need to open windows for air, it was no wonder the neighbors complained.
Wait... Yao Mei?
"You're Yao Mei?" Yang Yi asked the girl.
"Don't recognize me with makeup on?" Zhen Zhen adjusted her rumpled collar and looked at Yang Yi provocatively. "Her name is Yao Mei. She's my younger sister."
Yang Yi tried hard to recall the Yao Mei from yesterday—the one with sagging sleeves and hair messily piled on her head—and then looked at the girl before him. This wasn't just makeup; this was a total transformation.
However, looking closely, the sisters did share a resemblance. Yang Yi had thought before that if Zhen Zhen lost weight, she would definitely be quite a beauty.
"Is Yao Mei pretty?" Zhen Zhen asked playfully.
"Yes, very," Yang Yi lowered his head, hating these kinds of questions.
"Hmph, only Xiao Bai is truly pretty," Xiao Lin muttered under his breath, sounding unconvinced. Usually a tough guy, he turned soft as mush in front of Yao Mei.
"Where's your Xiao Bai? Ten thousand miles away," Zhen Zhen snapped back. "Yi, Yao Mei has a beautiful name, too. Do you want to know what it is?"
"What is it?"
"Diwu Yao. Pretty, right?"
"Which 'Di'?" Yang Yi was genuinely interested. He wondered how someone could have the surname 'Di' (meaning 'Number' or 'Order'), if he had heard correctly.
"The 'Di' as in one, two, three, four, five," Zhen Zhen said, syllable by syllable, as if with great effort. "Ugh, what am I saying? Her surname is Diwu."
"Diwu is a compound surname, and Yao is her given name," Xiao Lin added. "The 'Yao' as in 'Yao Mei' (youngest sister), not 'Yao' as in 'Yao Jing' (demon/seductress). Hahaha!"
"Screw you! You're the demon!" Yao Mei grabbed a handful of chips and pelted them at Xiao Lin, laughing as she did. After throwing them, she didn't forget to make Xiao Lin help her pick them back up.
"Three-character names always sound better. I actually want to change mine," Yang Yi admitted. A three-character name at least had a rhythmic cadence when spoken.
"Then change it to Yang Tai'er (Yang Too-Stupid), or you two can pair up and name your kid Er-San-Si (Two-Three-Four)." Xiao Lin's mouth was truly relentless; he didn't learn his lesson even after getting pelted.
Yao Mei was about to flare up again when she saw Xiao Lin dealing her a hand. She instantly turned dead serious and focused on the game.
The change was too fast; how did she manage to switch expressions so seamlessly? Yao Mei didn't bother hiding her cards. Yang Yi caught a glimpse: pocket 8s. She raised to 20, and both Brother Hei and Zhen Zhen called.
The flop came 8, 7, 7. Yao Mei hit a full house—eights full of sevens.
Acting first, she immediately bet 50.
The usually steady Brother Hei and Zhen Zhen folded instantly. Yao Mei had no choice but to fold her monster hand as well, raking in a pitifully small pot.
As a new round was about to begin, Yang Yi checked his texts again. Still no notification of a deposit.
Did HR forget because I resigned?
"Next round. Entry fee is 200 per person," Mazi said while collecting the cash.
"The price went up after midnight yesterday. A hundred isn't even enough to keep your fingers busy," Xiao Lin explained to Yang Yi while shuffling.
Yao Mei held her entry fee in both hands, reluctantly handing it over to Mazi, her pout even deeper than before.
Higher investment meant higher returns. Two hundred it was. Worst case scenario, if he lost, he'd just pull another vanishing act like yesterday.
"Hurts, doesn't it? Haven't won a single hand," Mazi teased.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Yao Mei nodded so fast she left an afterimage.
"It's fine. Let Yang Yi win it back for you," Zhen Zhen patted Yang Yi's shoulder.
Since when did I become the one to win it back for her? But this felt like a hint. Yang Yi could read a sentence in Zhen Zhen's eyes: "Young man, I've helped you this far. Whether you take the hint is up to you."
"Win it back for me, too," the usually quiet Brother Hei spoke up. That heavy, familiar voice etched itself onto Yang Yi's eardrums.
"You've been taking money every hand today; that's all my money!" Yao Mei sat right after Brother Hei. She casually picked up the cash Brother Hei had stacked on the table, waved it in his face, and tossed it back.
The neatly stacked cash was now a mess.
Brother Hei, naturally, wouldn't get upset with a girl. What Yang Yi admired wasn't Yao Mei's guts to provoke Brother Hei, but her ability to act so familiar. If he wasn't mistaken, Yao Mei had also met Brother Hei for the first time just yesterday.
Seven players, total pot 1,400. First place 700, second 420, third 140, and Xiao Lin took 140.
The turn order clockwise was Zhen Zhen, Yang Yi, Yao Mei, Brother Hei, Brother Hei's friend, Gold Tooth, and Mazi.
Today, first place was 700—the equivalent of two first-place wins in the past. The temptation was enormous.
"Oh, right. This is Tian Ci, Brother Hei's friend. And this is Yang Yi, our local fish," Xiao Lin suddenly stopped shuffling, realizing he'd forgotten to introduce the newcomer.
The two exchanged nods, and the game began.
A few hands later, Yang Yi was dealt the Jack of Clubs and Jack of Spades. After everyone before him folded, Yang Yi bet 30. Tian Ci then re-raised to 60. The others folded.
It was Yang Yi's turn to act again.
Between Tian Ci and Brother Hei sat Xiao Lin, the dealer.
Yang Yi looked at Tian Ci across from him. He was thin, wearing a black T-shirt and a silver necklace. A silver bracelet and a green ring were visible on his left wrist and hand; on his right hand were two more rings, one gold and one silver. A designer bag sat in front of him.
Rich guy. That was Yang Yi's first impression.
A rich guy raising didn't necessarily mean a big hand, especially since Xiao Lin had said this guy played like a fish. He decided to observe first. Yang Yi called the 60.
The flop came Heart J, Club 2, Club 3.
Yang Yi held his breath. Check. Tian Ci bet 100. Yang Yi called.
The turn was the Heart 3.
Yang Yi now had a full house—Jacks full of threes. He wasn't even afraid of Tian Ci chasing a flush anymore. Yang Yi checked again. Tian Ci bet another 100. Yang Yi called.
The river was the Club 4.
Yang Yi had 200 in chips left. Seeing that Tian Ci had less than 200 remaining, he announced, "All-in."
Tian Ci called the all-in. Yang Yi showed his pocket Jacks. Tian Ci looked at his own hand and tossed the cards into the muck.
"What did you have? Calling an all-in like that," Brother Hei said, sounding exasperated.
Tian Ci retrieved his cards and flipped them onto the table. "AJ, suited."
The cards shown were the Ace of Diamonds and Jack of Diamonds.
"It's called 'Suited,' not 'Suited-Drawer'!" Brother Hei looked helplessly at Xiao Lin. "Shuffle, shuffle."
(Note: In Chinese slang, "Suited" is often mispronounced as "Choudi," meaning drawer. Brother Hei was correcting Tian Ci's terminology.)
Tian Ci wanted to say something more, but he looked at Brother Hei and bit his tongue, lowering his head to play with his phone.
Betting twice and calling an all-in with just top pair on a board with both straight and flush possibilities? A total fish, Yang Yi thought.
Yang Yi glanced at Xiao Lin, who returned a knowing look.
Midway through the game, Mazi checked the time. "Blinds are doubling. Small/Big blinds are 10/20."
"Speeding up the game. Blinds increase every hour," Mazi added, looking at Yang Yi. Clearly, this was another new rule they'd cooked up after Yang Yi left last night.
In the final hand of the first round, two pair ran into two pair. Yang Yi lost to Mazi and took second place. He got his buy-in back plus an extra two hundred.
The next few rounds were basically a tug-of-war for first and second place between Yang Yi and Brother Hei. After several games, both had won nearly two thousand yuan.
Brother Hei stacked his money neatly on the table. Yang Yi, however, stuffed his cash into his pockets, which grew bulkier and heavier by the minute.
Yang Yi got more and more excited. At this rate, he could pay off Brother Hei tonight without even waiting for his salary to arrive.
In a new round, after Yao Mei was knocked out, she pulled at Yang Yi. "Let's go grab some late-night snacks."
Zhen Zhen chuckled when she heard this, and Xiao Lin joined in. But Yang Yi was on a winning streak and remained unmoved.
"You go ahead, I'm not really hungry."
"Oh." Yao Mei got up nonchalantly, said her goodbyes, and left.
After Tian Ci bet 60, Zhen Zhen called. The others folded.
The flop was Heart A, Club 10, Diamond 8.
Tian Ci checked; Zhen Zhen checked.
The turn was the Spade 7.
Tian Ci checked; Zhen Zhen checked.
Everyone was waiting for them to check the river and show their hands for a showdown. Yang Yi held his phone, checking his texts. According to their agreement, today was the day to pay Brother Hei back. If his salary hadn't arrived, he'd find a chance to pay at least a portion of it later.
The river was the Spade J.
Tian Ci unexpectedly bet 80. Zhen Zhen let out a crisp, "All-in!"
Everyone perked up. Tian Ci called without a second thought and showed pocket Aces.
Three Aces—a monstrously strong hand.
Zhen Zhen happily threw down her Q-K. "Straight."
"The fish finally bit back, haha," Brother Hei laughed.
Mazi looked regretful. "If you hit something, you've got to bet at least a little. You let her see the river for free."
Tian Ci helplessly pushed his chips over to Zhen Zhen. He hadn't won once tonight.
Tomorrow was a day off. For the first time, Yang Yi played at Wufang until 3:00 AM. His bulging pockets consistently held about two thousand yuan. Yao Mei came back from her walk and bought snacks for everyone.
Brother Hei got up to go to the bathroom. Yang Yi seized the opportunity and followed him out.
"Brother Hei, I can pay back 1,500 of the debt today."
"Sure, but I don't have the IOU with me; it's at the office." Brother Hei slowed his pace when he saw Yang Yi following.
"That's fine. We'll settle that later. Give me your account info again; I'll transfer the rest in a few days."
Yang Yi pulled the money from his pocket, counted out 1,500, and pressed it into Brother Hei's hand. He then turned back to the inner room and said his goodbyes.
On the way back, the breeze was cool and refreshing. Yang Yi's steps felt much lighter.