Chapter 29 Bright Season, Grand Tournaments (Part 2)

but clearly distracted.The TV reported news from Xihaikou City and also announced that the hotline for exam results inquiries would be open after 7 PM.It was believed that countless parents of studen...Chapter 29: Bright Season, All-Out Battle Against Rivals (Part 2)

Su Cen noticed something amiss about Xue Yiyang and when he saw Li Ai standing up with a smug look as if she had encountered some pleasant surprise, he began to understand the situation.

There were at least two or three dozen students from Class 1 on site. Their numbers equaled half of their class's population. After Li Ai's introduction, everyone sitting around the large table turned to look in their direction, and it was evident that many recognized Xue Yiyang and greeted him amiably while inviting them over. However, Li Ai and her clique of students from Class 1, though still smiling, seemed somewhat sinister in their demeanor towards Su Cen and Liu Rui.

Xue Yiyang didn't want to refuse but given that he knew a few people here who were on friendly terms with him, he dragged Su Cen and Liu Rui along and joined them.

"Xue Yiyang" A girl from the table beside them called out Xue Yiyang's name.

Su Cen and Liu Rui looked over and their hearts inexplicably skipped a beat. Beside this table were several girls, with one in particular standing out. She wore a light pink tight-fitting vest, slim-fitting sports pants, and red Nike sneakers; her hair was styled into two ponytails that cascaded smoothly down her shoulders. Her face was delicate and pretty, her eyes perfectly curved. Facing the sunlight directly, she held a straw to her drink in one hand and smiled as she watched Xue Yiyang, also casting glances at Su Cen and Liu Rui.

Su Cen vaguely recognized this girl but could not pinpoint her identity precisely since it was from long ago. However, recalling those memories made him feel nostalgic and now seeing her caused an inexplicable quickening of his heartbeat.

"Oh, Ling Shan, you're here too!" Xue Yiyang seemed to have found a reason to avoid Li Ai's table by joining these girls at their table, somewhat embarrassedly scratching the back of his head. He and Chen Lingshan were acquaintances, and meeting her now immediately alleviated the gloomy mood he had felt due to encountering Li Ai.

Chen Lingshan nodded at Xue Yiyang from in front of him. The girl sitting beside her then started teasing Xue Yiyang with some remarks.

Xue Yiyang didn't seem to intend on introducing Su Cen and Liu Rui to the girls before him, which led to Liu Rui frequently showing signs of annoyance. Ignoring this, Xue Yiyang looked toward the barbecue stand, saying, "What do you guys want to eat I'll go get it."

One girl smiled and said, "No need. We've pooled our money collectively. Just take what you want and cook it yourselves, we’ll manage on our own."

Xue Yiyang felt somewhat disgruntled as if he were an outsider who didn't belong with them. Someone patted his shoulder, and the class monitor Wang Xuebing, who had organized this gathering, quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "What Xue Yiyang, you brought your friends here for a gathering, right If it’s not inconvenient for you guys, why don’t you join us Everyone pays an initial amount first and then we'll settle up later with any extra refunded or missing added on. It's all up to you whether it works out or not."

Li Aite felt somewhat depressed. Originally, everyone in their circle was present, but as he watched Xue Yiyang, who he had never liked, it made him feel uncomfortable when looking at Su Can and Liu Rui too. He wanted to find some trouble to make things awkward, but there were quite a few people on the scene who knew Xue Yiyang. Especially Ji Hua’s Chen Lingshan seemed to get along well with him. The class monitor Wang Xuebing also seemed to be on good terms with Xue Yiyang.

This circle in No.1 High School was rather realistic. To gain others' recognition and respect, if your family didn't have power, you at least had to have money; if not, your grades needed to be decent so that people would look up to you as someone very capable. Only then would they show respect to you, especially for students like Li Aite who were notorious troublemakers in No.1 High School. Now, with Wang Xuebing and Chen Lingshan backing him up, if he tried anything against Xue Yiyang, it might entangle him.

Although he couldn't openly cause a stir, he did chuckle from the side, saying, "Xuebing, you're too unfair. We've already eaten and played halfway through; why are they still paying full share Do you think their parents are like Zhang Xi's family with resources Just calculate twenty yuan as a token of appreciation! If it's not enough, we'll cover the difference!"

Zhang Xi was the leading figure in this circle. His family ran businesses, and his grandfather was reportedly some kind of leader in the city who could resolve any disputes with just one phone call. He wasn't as domineering or intimidating as Li Aite usually was, but those who provoked him often met a miserable fate. Li Aite's words were quite clear about Xue Yiyang’s family background being merely working-class and how they couldn’t match their circle in resources. His words seemed like he genuinely wanted to help Xue Yiyang, but the underlying tone carried much disdain and insult towards Xue Yiyang; those who knew of the conflict between them wouldn't miss this subtle implication.

A few girls watched Schuyang with interest, while Chen Lingshan glanced at Li Aite disapprovingly.

Wang Xuebing slapped his head. "Right! I should have explained earlier. Well, everyone has already started playing..."

Su Can looked up and saw Li Aite’s smug face, then turned to Wang Xuebing with a smile, asking, "How much was the cost per person originally"

"Originally, it was fifty yuan each. Since you joined, let's make it twenty yuan per head."

Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui exchanged glances; Su Can could see both of them visibly relax. They had only brought thirty yuan with them, a substantial sum for middle school students back then. If someone had thirty yuan at that time, they could entertain themselves for quite some time. Paying fifty yuan per person felt too steep to them.

Although Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui wanted to show off in front of Li Aite, their funds were limited; the money they brought wasn't enough. When going out together to play, Su Can always had the least amount of money. Sometimes the other two wouldn’t even ask Su Can for any money, so they didn’t expect much from him now.

Surprisingly, however, Su Can took out his wallet first; when he opened it, Li Aite, Wang Xuebing, and a few girls in front of Su Can were stunned. Inside was a neat stack of blue-hued hundred-yuan bills along with some fifty-yuan notes – quite a thick wad of money, likely representing two months’ wages for an adult!

Then Su Can took out one hundred yuan and fifty yuan from his wallet and handed them to Wang Xuebing. "We should just go with the flow. We can't be special cases; let’s join in and pay our share."

Just as Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui's eyes were locked onto Su Can's wallet, he quickly slipped it back into his pocket.

The two boys' throats visibly tensed up at the sight of Su Can’s seemingly overnight transformation – they were astounded.

In this era, the general wage in Xia Hai City was around four to five hundred yuan. Even a civil servant like his uncle's level would earn between nine hundred to one thousand yuan. So for Su Cen, the one thousand yuan in his wallet was already a huge sum of money that ordinary middle school students couldn't usually come into contact with. They might only receive such an amount during holidays.

Wang Xuebing took the money and noted it down on his notebook. He was smart enough to realize that Su Cen's demeanor was extraordinary, so he didn't show any arrogance.

Lee Ai felt embarrassed after being outsmarted by Su Cen with a Tai Chi move and wasn't pleased at all. When she saw the money in Su Cen's bag, she became even more jealous of him and glared fiercely at him. However, Su Cen didn't get upset; he simply gave her a faint smile without intending to make things difficult for these middle school students.

The attitude of several girls sitting opposite them immediately changed toward the boys. Chen Ling珊顯然注意到了蘇燦麵對李艾時那種不屑一顧的態度，眨了眨眼，對蘇燦更加留心起來。

“Play landlord, if you're a man, you should play landlord. My cousin is already crazy about it in Chengdu. During class, the teacher lectures from up front while they form circles around him to play enthusiastically. At the end of the semester, he scores above average.”

To be a man means playing landlord What does this mean Despite their reluctance, Su Cen and his friends were still forced onto the table by these students.

Lee Ai immediately started discussing with her circle about how to deal with Su Cen. They had already treated him like a lamb to be slaughtered. Unlike later on when playing landlord was a must-play card game online, this game had just been introduced from Chengdu and spread to Xia Hai. These students were keenly aware of trends and began playing early, giving them technical superiority in today's gathering where they won more than lost.

Most participants were hearing about this card game for the first time and started playing right away with a higher chance of losing, not knowing how to calculate cards or hide cards, small techniques that people in later generations would all know. Therefore, Lee Ai and her group easily beat them.

Su Cen and his friends ate some barbecued food. Liu Rui and Xue Yiyang couldn't resist the temptation from others and eventually joined the landlord table, finding this card game interesting and fun. Only Su Cen noticed that Lee Ai's two close buddies, Sun Zhiyi and Wang Xing, were explaining the rules with a sinister smile on their faces, while Zhang Xi, known as an official's son, smoked casually by the side without paying any attention to them.

Turns out you guys really do think I'm an easy target. Su Cen thought silently, planning to teach these No. 1 Middle School students a lesson. They seemed to think they could easily bully his group of three friends. Besides, given the look on Xue Yiyang's face, he had probably been bullied at school too and now was the chance for him to get even.

With that thought in mind, Su Cen nodded and smiled at Sun Zhiyi and Wang Xing who were eagerly awaiting their game. "I understand how to play roughly; it's a fascinating thing. They might need some time to digest it, but why don't we start playing"

"Sure, just remember this is for real money now, one card equals one yuan. Are you brave enough to take on the challenge" Sun Zhiyi announced loudly while others looked surprised. Previously, they had only bet half a dollar per card and won nearly forty yuan; now doubling it made them hesitant.

"Is this a bit too much..." Xue Yiyang felt his heart jump at one yuan per card despite not knowing how Su Cen got so wealthy. Losing money to Lee Ai's group would hurt him deeply, especially since he was close friends with Su Cen.

“One yuan” Su Cen frowned, “Usually we play five yuan per card in 'Run Fast'. Let’s just stick to five yuan today; it doesn’t matter if I'm playing for the first time. If we're going to play, let's do it happily…"

Sun Ziyi and Wang Xing were startled. Although they had confidence, playing with a stake of five yuan per card was quite significant. They knew that sometimes in mahjong, one could lose every single round, which made holding onto thirteen cards daunting.

Li Ai pushed Sun Ziyi and Wang Xing while smiling, "Alright, no problem. Since you want to play, we usually bet about this amount anyway. Let's get started."

The two gritted their teeth; if they couldn't even beat a novice who only knew how to play "Run Fast," then it was time for them to quit.

Then, Su Can played mahjong with Sun Ziyi and Wang Xing under the astonished gazes of Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui.

The atmosphere was tense, and more people gathered around as a five-yuan-per-card bet was quite tempting.

"One hundred ten, one hundred fifteen, one hundred twenty... one hundred sixty-five!" Counting the money, Xue Yiyang slammed the table in excitement. After several rounds of play, Su Can had won one hundred and sixty-five yuan, which meant that all their pooled money was now his!

Looking at Sun Ziyi, Wang Xing, and Li Ai's side, they seemed to be suffering a painful defeat.

Their side took turns playing; even Zhang Xi couldn't resist joining in, smoking one cigarette after another during the game.

Finally, he threw down his cards in frustration, "Damn it! Losing all the time!"

Everyone around them watched Su Can with disbelief. The stakes were high, and Li Ai and Zhang Xi had been sweating profusely throughout the game, while Su Can remained calm. He didn't flinch even when he lost occasionally. Seeing him remain composed even in front of their dreamy idol, Zhang Xi, who was losing his cool, the girls admired Su Can more deeply and couldn't help but hope that he wouldn't lose.

Finally, everyone was amazed by Su Can's performance except for Li Ai, Zhang Xi, Sun Ziyi, etc., whose faces were grim. No one knew what kind of sour feeling they had.

Su Can sat back at Chen Lingshan’s table, and Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui draped their arms around him while the girls smiled and probed about his background for the first time, even asking his name.

Xue Yiyang pointed a thumb at Su Can to Chen Lingshan proudly, "That's Su Can—the guy I often talked about, who secretly liked you back in elementary school!"

Su Can couldn't hold back and choked on the Coke he was drinking., a season marked by desolation.At twenty, one feels that time flies too quickly. At thirty, you find there isn't enough time. By forty, you hope for time to move more slowly and be more fulfilling. W...