Su Zhinian had no intention of acknowledging Tang Nuo's glance at him. He leaned against the back of his chair elegantly. His own hand reached for the tile and added it into his wall. His tapered finger glided over his wall and discarded a 'two dot' tile.
Song Qingchun unconsciously raised her eyes to look at Su Zhinian, who was seated to her left. She reached for the tile from the board. The words that reached her mouth were swallowed down her throat.
That was her winning tile… He was feeding her another win…
Tang Nuo commented in a weird and meaningful tone, "Su Zhinian, what is up with you today? Your mah-jongg skills are not this bad normally."
Su Zhinian really did look like he was having the worst luck that day. Ever since Song Qingchun had sat at the table, he had not won one round and kept discarding tiles that caused her win… Before Song Qingchun could recover, Su Zhinian tossed out yet another "two dot". Then, he even turned to look at her. However, noticing her lack of reaction, he turned his gaze away. He picked up a tile and toyed with it in his palm. Occasionally, he would use it to knock on the table, creating a crisp sound.It was Tang Nuo's turn. While he reached for his tile, his mouth was kept busy. He added another snide comment directed at Su Zhinian. "Su Zhinian, you're not going to lose so much that you'll have to leave this place in only your underwear, are you?"
Su Zhinian had lost ten consecutive rounds, but there was no trace of anger or sadness on his face. Even when facing Tang Nuo's snide comments, he merely raised his brow. After the Student Council President and Song Qingchun had discarded their tiles, he once again discarded a 'two dot'.
In this one round, he had discarded three 'two dot' tiles in a row, if Song Qingchun did not announce her win then, she would not be able to win already… Song Qingchun bit on her lips, and after a short moment of hesitation, pushed over her wall and whispered, "I've won again."
Tang Nuo extended his neck to look at Song Qingchun's tiles. Then he purposely used his elbow to knock Su Zhinian. "Su Zhinian, do you have enough money on you? A word of advice, turn left after you go down the stairs, walk 300 meters, and you'll find an ATM…"
Before Tang Nuo even finished, Su Zhinian pulled out a stack of money from his wallet and placed it in front of Song Qingchun. Then he said the first word to her since the incident a few days prior. "Count that, is it enough?"
Even though Song Qingchun had been winning, their bet was small. The stack of money Su Zhinian had dropped on the table was more than enough to cover her winnings. When Song Qingchun prepared to give back the rest, Su Zhinian replied, "Keep it with you for now…"
Song Qingchun froze with the stack of money in her hands. Then she heard him say softly, "We'll settle the accounts when the entire game's over."…
Tang Nuo was rather thirsty after a long game, so he called the waiter to bring them several bottles of RIO cocktails.
The Student Council President grabbed one without asking.
Tang Nuo took another, popped the cap, and passed it to Song Qingchun. She accepted it and softly said, "Thank you."
Tang Nuo grabbed another and passed it to Su Zhinian, who shook his head.
"Not even these? Su Zhinian, I know you're trying to stay off alcohol, but isn't this a bit too much? This is not much different from a fizzy drink; the alcohol content is barely discernible; it's not going to get you drunk…"
Tang Nuo grumbled for some time, but realizing he was not going to change Su Zhinian's mind, he sighed and gulped down the bottle himself. Then he turned to face Song Qingchun opposite him. "Little junior, you've won so much today. According to tradition, you should treat us to supper, don't you agree?"
