Perhaps it was the heat, but Duan Yiheng unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt. He looked slightly different from his usual formal and serious self. An antique, expensive crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, its light falling from his hair to his high, straight nose.
His features were strikingly deep, his lines sharply defined. Lin Xi had never seen a more handsome man in real life than Duan Yiheng. His confident aura was the confidence built on wealth. His already deep-set eyes gave Lin Xi a strange sense of aggression when he stared at her.
Lin Xi thought the cards had been dealt incorrectly and silently looked down to examine them closely. Duan Yiheng saw through her thoughts and said, "No, there wasn't a mistake."
Lin Xi: "..." Then why are you looking at me like that? Mu Zhao held his hole cards of the same suit, his gaze distant.
Mu Shuo was a novice. Seeing the scattered points and different suits, he scoffed and folded immediately. The others called in turn. Lin Xi carefully flipped over the three community cards. The moment the cards were revealed, the room fell even quieter.
Lin Xi: "..." Weren't we just playing casually? Why is everyone so serious? Zhou Li sighed regretfully; the situation wasn't favorable for his hand, and he folded again to cut his losses.
Tan Qi, as always, calmly raised the bet, as did Duan Yiheng and Mu Zhao.
Lin Xi flipped over another community card, and the game entered a new round of psychological warfare. Actually, Lin Xi could generally catch a glimpse of everyone's expression. Only Duan Yiheng remained a mystery, his hand completely unreadable.
The situation remained unchanged. With the last community card revealed, the outcome would be decided, and Lin Xi couldn't help but feel tense. Tan Qi glanced at the newly added row of drinks and voluntarily folded her three of a kind. She couldn't outdrink this group.
Besides, she couldn't stay overnight; she had to leave as soon as the game ended. After several rounds of betting, Mu Zhao, Meng Huaishan, and Duan Yiheng still hadn't folded, leading to the showdown.
Mu Zhao, holding his breath, slammed his fist on the table and arrogantly pointed at Duan Yiheng, shouting, "Drink up! I got a straight flush of hearts!"
Meng Huaishan cursed, "So you beat me to it."
Lin Xi was stunned. A standard deck of cards has four suits, each with ten possible combinations, a very low probability.
He actually had such luck in the very first hand. Mu Zhao was so overjoyed he reached out to hug Lin Xi, who shrank back in fright.
Duan Yiheng pointed at him, and Mu Zhao immediately withdrew his hand, feeling a little guilty.
Duan Yiheng was never one to cheat. He casually picked up a glass of wine and drank five glasses in a row. Lin Xi frowned, looking at him. "Is it alright for him to drink like this?"
Meng Huaishan: "I feel sorry for your brother. Deal the cards properly next round."
Lin Xi: "..." Duan Yiheng leaned back in his chair, looking at Lin Xi, and said, "It's okay, you deal yours."
Lin Xi felt that Mu Zhao's luck couldn't be that bad, and continued dealing the cards for the second round. But luck is such an elusive thing that it's hard to explain.
Perhaps today it's Mu's turn to win. After Mu Zhao won again, his laughter almost lifted the roof off. However, it wasn't just Duan Yiheng drinking alone; with Meng Huaishan and Zhou Li sharing the cost, it wasn't too bad.
Tan Qi was very smart; she knew when to pursue profit and when to give up. Mu Shuo was drunk and subconsciously leaned against Liang Yutong, who pushed him away, causing him to slip and fall to the ground.
Everyone laughed at this scene. Mu Zhao, even more heartless, had the club's security carry the drunk Mu Shuo away. After the game was over, the card table dispersed, and Tan Qi went to the restroom.
Lin Xi tidied her long hair and was about to leave when Tan Qi called her back.
"May I ask where Miss Lin works?" Lin Xi politely replied, "At Yin Fan, currently the president's secretary at Yin Fan Technology."
Tan Qi nodded and asked with a smile, "May I have your contact information?" Lin Xi naturally agreed.
Coming out of the restroom, Tan Qi said goodbye. Duan Yiheng immediately summoned the butler to arrange for someone to escort Tan Qi.
Meng Huaishan patted Duan Yiheng on the shoulder: "Come with me, I have something to tell you."
Duan Yiheng nodded, then turned to Lin Xi and whispered, "It's getting late, take your friend upstairs to rest, the butler will take you there."
"Okay," Lin Xi replied. Zhou Li and Mu Zhao, understanding the situation, didn't interrupt the two brothers' conversation.
Meng Huaishan lit cigarettes for himself and Duan Yiheng, asking, "What do you think of Tan Qi?"
The smoke filled the air. Duan Yiheng exhaled a few breaths, remained silent for a while, and then spoke, "I haven't settled accounts with you yet."
Meng Huaishan raised his hand: "I'm so innocent! Wasn't this your grandfather's idea?"
The crimson cigarette butt dimly outlined the corner of Duan Yiheng's lips. He only glanced at Meng Huaishan, who understood his meaning.
"So you had Lin Xi help you reject her at the dinner table?" Duan Yiheng chuckled. "Unfortunately, she misunderstood."
She was still hoping that he and Tan Qi would develop feelings for each other over time. Meng Huaishan: "...Why not just refuse?"
Duan Yiheng: "You brought her, so I have to give you face. Besides, our families have business dealings, so it's natural to be more polite in private."
"Tan Qi graduated from the same school as you, you're a good match, and most importantly, she's beautiful. Why aren't you in a hurry?"
"You mean me?" Duan Yiheng was speechless. "Don't forget, you're three years older than me and the only son of the Meng family."
Meng Huaishan was speechless for a moment, then said, "The Meng family's company isn't as big as Yin's..." "Fan's enormous size... I heard from Mr. Duan that once you're married, Yin Fan will be a piece of cake."
Duan Yiheng interrupted him: "I can't sleep with someone I have no feelings for."
Meng Huaishan was completely speechless: "Why are you being so blunt?"
Duan Yiheng chuckled: "It works."
"I'm truly impressed by you." Meng Huaishan stubbed out his cigarette. "If it were anyone else, like your cheap younger brother, they probably would have pounced on him long ago."
Mentioning Duan Mingxuan, Duan Yiheng visibly darkened. Meng Huaishan noticed something amiss and frowned, asking, "What's wrong? Did they talk back to you again?"
Duan Yiheng glanced upstairs, "They bullied Lin Xi, smashing the birthday present she gave me."
Meng Huaishan smiled sarcastically, "...That's all the temper he'll ever have. It's just a birthday present, not worth getting angry over."
Duan Yiheng scoffed. Duan Mingxuan was unknowingly in love; beneath his domineering exterior lay a hint of cowardice towards Lin Xi. As for what he was cowardly about, Meng Huaishan truly didn't know. Meng Huaishan felt sorry for Tan Qi for a while and then let Duan Yiheng rest.
Duan Yiheng instructed the butler to arrange the guests' seating and asked, "Did Lin Xi instruct you on anything?"
The butler thought he was amazing and said, "Miss Lin asked me to prepare a cake for her."
"Take the cake to the rooftop garden," the butler quickly replied.
Duan Yiheng went upstairs and gently knocked on Lin Xi's door. She wasn't staying with Liang Yutong because there was one last ceremony to complete. After explaining to Liang Yutong, the two went back to their respective rooms.
Now, someone was knocking on the door; the cake must be ready.
Lin Xi opened the door, her eyes widening slightly in surprise: "It's you?"
Duan Yiheng's eyes flashed with a dark light as he said, "Today isn't over yet. I wonder if you can still have a piece of cake with me."