Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Shi Ran, carrying the teapot, turned and walked to Huo Xiaohua's side. "I... know a little."
"My luck is bad, play a couple of rounds for me."
Huo Xiaohua got up. A blonde beauty beside him shot Shi Ran a glare and obediently stood up to give Huo Xiaohua her seat.
Shi Ran placed down the teapot and sat nervously in Huo Xiaohua's spot, while Huo Xiaohua sat next to her.
"Lancheng Mahjong, or Tuidaohu?" she asked.
"Tuidaohu."
Huo Xiaohua sat beside her, took out a cigarette, and placed it in his mouth. Shi Ran, with quick hands, lit it for him with a lighter.
But as she handed him the lighter, Huo Xiaohua's cold eyes shot towards her.
He didn't speak, just a look was enough to frighten Shi Ran. She immediately put down the lighter and watched the mahjong tiles before her obediently.
"Three of bamboos. Sis, it's your turn." The man with short chestnut hair from the upper seat reminded her.
Shi Ran looked at the tiles in front of her and picked out one. "Seven of wan."
"Mahjong, hahaha." The man opposite pushed over his tiles and laughed heartily.
Shi Ran's mouth twitched. She instinctively looked back at Huo Xiaohua.
"Sis, you did that on purpose, didn't you? With these tiles, there's no reason to discard the seven of wan." The blonde beauty standing beside Huo Xiaohua pointed at the tiles in front of her and scoffed, "Do you know how much we're losing this round? Playing so carelessly, you'd never be able to afford to lose a single round in your life."
Shi Ran, who was already nervous, became even more so at the blonde beauty's words. She looked back at the tiles in front of her – all 'wan'. No matter how she arranged them, it truly wasn't her turn to discard the seven of wan.
She grinned and drew a sharp breath.
The people around them all leaned in to look and began to discuss.
"Hahaha, it really is."
"Old Gao, is this girl your mole?"
"What's going on? I had a pair of seven of wan, one seven of wan on the table, Old Gao wins with a seven of wan. You let him win with a single isolated tile."
"What kind of nonsense is this."
...
Everyone cast strange glances at her. Various looks made Shi Ran feel guilty, her palms sweating from nervousness.
But just then, the door opened, and someone walked in. "So lively. What are you all playing?"
A familiar voice made everyone turn to look. They saw Tang Si, dressed in a white shirt, enter with a short-haired beauty in a long red dress.
"Little Si, you're finally here. If you didn't come soon, your Brother Huo would have lost his underwear."
"Hahaha, hurry, hurry, our Brother Huo found someone amazing. Come and take a look."
"Changed girlfriends again today? Where's your fiancée?"
"Bringing a girl so openly, aren't you afraid Zhao Wuyan will beat you up?"
...
These people seemed very familiar with Tang Si, knowing his situation inside out.
Only...
Shi Ran never expected to encounter Tang Si here.
She looked at Tang Si, then at the short-haired beauty beside him, biting her lip. For some reason, she felt a chill spreading through her chest.
Shi Ran noticed Tang Si, and Tang Si naturally saw her.
Almost instinctively, he let go of his hand. But the beauty beside him grabbed his arm and greeted everyone with a radiant smile, "Hello, brothers. My name is Qianqian, nice to meet you all."
"Brother Si, come, sit down and play mahjong." The man with short chestnut hair sitting opposite Shi Ran stood up and politely said to Tang Si.
Tang Si's expression tightened. He asked Shi Ran, "Why are you here?"
She was wearing a server's uniform. When did she become so down and out that she had to work as a waitress?
Thinking of Tang Si's flirtatiousness, Shi Ran felt inexplicably annoyed. "If you can be here, why can't I?"