Chapter 28

Chapter 29: A bright season, a showdown with the best (part two)

Su Can keenly noticed something was off about Xue Yiyang. Then he saw Li Ai standing there with a smug expression, looking as though running into them had been a delightful surprise, and roughly understood what was going on.

At least twenty or thirty students from No. 1 High School were there, enough for half a class. At Li Ai's words, everyone at one large table looked over. Quite a few clearly knew Xue Yiyang, and some greeted him warmly, inviting the three of them over. Li Ai and the few No. 1 High School boys in his little circle were still smiling, but there was something sinister about the way they faced them.

Xue Yiyang could hardly refuse, and he got along well with several of the people he knew there, so he pulled Su Can and Liu Rui over to join their group.

"Xue Yiyang?" one of the girls at a table to the side called out.

Su Can and Liu Rui looked over, their hearts suddenly skipping a beat for no clear reason. Several girls sat at the neighboring table. The most eye-catching wore a fitted pale pink tank top, slim-cut track pants, and red Nike sneakers. Her hair was tied into two bunches that fell smoothly beside her head. Her face was lovely, the curves of her eyes perfectly shaped. Facing the sunlight, she had a drink straw between her lips and was smiling at Xue Yiyang while looking Su Can and Liu Rui over.

Su Can had a vague idea who this girl was, though for the moment it remained hazy. After all, those memories were from a very long time ago. Yet they were beautiful when he recalled them, and seeing her again now, his heart inexplicably began beating faster.

"Oh, Lingshan, you're here too!" Xue Yiyang seemed to have found a reason to avoid Li Ai's table. The three of them, including Su Can, went over and sat down at the girls' table, and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He and Chen Lingshan could be considered friends. Running into her here now instantly dispelled the gloom of encountering Li Ai's group.

The girl before him was actually Chen Lingshan. Su Can smiled wryly. She was the girl he had secretly liked in elementary school.

She was also the person Xue Yiyang had mistakenly believed Su Can was still pining for when he planned to apply to No. 1 High School. She could count as his first love. What a coincidence. Even back then, Chen Lingshan had been a budding beauty. Su Can believed countless boys had crushes on her. He had been no more than a drop in the ocean, nowhere near making the list. Later, he had heard she was very popular at No. 1 High School and had gone on to Beijing Foreign Studies University. He did not know whether she had eventually become a model or an actress, but she had not been particularly famous.

Chen Lingshan nodded at Xue Yiyang, and the girls beside her began teasing him with the occasional remark.

Xue Yiyang did not seem to have any intention of introducing him and Liu Rui to the girls at the table. This drew repeated looks of annoyance from Liu Rui, but Xue Yiyang pretended not to notice and looked toward the barbecue stand. "What would you like to eat? I'll go grill something."

One girl smiled. "No need. We've all pooled our money and paid a share. Just grill whatever you want to eat. We'll get our own."

Xue Yiyang felt rather unhappy at that. Why did she make it sound as though he were an outsider who did not fit in? Just then, someone patted his shoulder. Wang Xuebing, Xue Yiyang's class monitor and the organizer of the gathering, hurried over to smooth things out. "Hey, Xue Yiyang, you brought your friends along? If you don't mind, why not join us? Everyone puts in some money first, then we split the costs evenly afterward and refund or collect the difference. How does that sound? It's up to you, really. Either way is fine."

Li Ai was somewhat frustrated. He had thought that with everyone from his circle present, he could stir up some trouble. He had never liked the sight of Xue Yiyang, and by extension, Su Can and Liu Rui rubbed him the wrong way too. But quite a few people here knew Xue Yiyang, particularly Chen Lingshan, the prettiest girl in their year, who seemed to be on good terms with him. The class monitor, Wang Xuebing, also usually got along well with Xue Yiyang.

This circle at No. 1 High School was rather pragmatic. To gain others' acceptance and respect, if your family had no power, it at least needed money. If it had no money, then your grades at least had to be good enough to make you seem impressive and outstanding before people would respect you, especially students like Li Ai, who threw their weight around at No. 1 High School. Now that Xue Yiyang had two powerful backers in Wang Xuebing and Chen Lingshan, one careless move against him could land Li Ai himself in trouble.

Though he could not openly pick a fight, he chuckled from the side. "Xuebing, that's hardly fair of you. We're already halfway through eating, drinking, and having fun, and you're still making all three of them pay a full share? Do you think everyone's parents come from families like Zhang Xi's crowd? Twenty yuan each as a token contribution should do. If it's not enough, we guys will cover the rest! It's nothing."

Zhang Xi was the leading figure in their circle. His family was in business, and his grandfather was supposedly some city official who could settle any dispute with a single phone call. He did not usually bully people through borrowed influence or act as overbearing as Li Ai, but anyone who provoked him often came to a miserable end. The implication in Li Ai's words was quite obvious: Xue Yiyang's family were merely wage earners, so how could he possibly split the bill on equal terms with them? On the surface, he seemed to be looking out for Xue Yiyang. His apparently casual words actually carried considerable contempt and insult. Anyone who knew about their conflict could hardly miss the insinuation.

Several girls watched Xue Yiyang with pointed interest. Chen Lingshan glanced at Li Ai, looking distinctly displeased.

Wang Xuebing slapped his forehead. "Right! That's my fault. I didn't make it clear. Yes, we're already halfway through..."

Su Can looked up at Li Ai, whose face showed he was waiting to enjoy their embarrassment, then glanced at Wang Xuebing and smiled. "How much was the original contribution per person?"

"It was fifty yuan, but since you're joining now, let's make it twenty each!"

Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui exchanged a glance. Su Can could clearly see both of them relax in relief. They each had only thirty yuan on them, already a substantial sum for middle school students at the time. Back then, thirty yuan could keep someone entertained for quite a while. An outing that cost fifty yuan per person was inevitably a little too expensive for them.

Though both wanted to put on a show in front of Li Ai, their means were limited, and they simply had not brought enough money. Whenever the three went out together, Su Can always had the least. Sometimes the other two did not even ask him to pay, so they were not counting on him now either.

To their surprise, Su Can took out his wallet first and opened it a crack. Li Ai, Wang Xuebing, and the girls sitting in front of Su Can all stared. Inside was a neat stack of blue-green hundred-yuan bills, along with some smaller fifty-yuan notes, making the wallet bulge. Even for an adult, that was probably two months' wages!

Then Su Can drew out a hundred-yuan note and a fifty and handed them to Wang Xuebing. "Let's do it by the usual rules. We shouldn't get special treatment. Count us in for splitting the costs and settling the difference afterward."

Then, while Xue Yiyang's and Liu Rui's eyes were firmly fixed on the wallet in his hand, he drew it back and slipped it into his trouser pocket.

Both boys swallowed, plainly astonished, as though Su Can had suddenly been plated in gold.

In those days, the average salary in Xiahai City was around four or five hundred yuan. Even a civil servant at his eldest uncle's level earned only nine hundred to a thousand yuan. Thus, the thousand yuan in Su Can's wallet was an enormous sum that ordinary middle school kids like them normally had no access to. They might only receive that much during the holidays.

Wang Xuebing took the money and pulled out a notebook to record it. He was smart enough to see that there was something unusual about Su Can's manner. Perhaps he was somebody of note too, so Wang Xuebing showed no trace of arrogance.

Li Ai had suffered a setback. Su Can had deflected his attempt to make things difficult as smoothly as a tai chi move, leaving him with a bitter taste. Seeing the bulging wallet made him all the more jealous, and he glared fiercely at Su Can. Su Can was not angered at all and merely gave him a faint smile. He had no intention of stooping to the level of these middle schoolers.

The girls sitting opposite them immediately treated them very differently. Chen Lingshan had clearly noticed the poise with which Su Can disregarded Li Ai. She blinked and began paying much closer attention to him.

"Dou Dizhu! A real man has to play Dou Dizhu. My cousin over in Rongcheng is already hooked. In his high school classes, the teacher lectures up front while they sit in a circle below, playing like mad. They still score above the cutoff for top schools on their finals."

A real man has to play Dou Dizhu? What kind of logic was that? Though reluctant, Su Can and his two friends were still pushed to the card table by the No. 1 High School crowd.

Afterward, Li Ai discussed Su Can with his circle. They were already treating him like a lamb ready for slaughter. Dou Dizhu was not yet the staple of online card games it would become in later years. It had only recently spread from the provincial capital, Rongcheng, to Xiahai. These trend-sensitive members of the No. 1 High School circle had been the first to take it up. Having started earlier, they were certainly ahead in skill and had won more than they lost at today's gathering.

Most of the participants were hearing about this card game for the first time. They started playing as soon as they learned the rules and lost more often than not. They knew nothing of counting or memorizing cards, simple techniques that everyone would know in later years, so Li Ai and the others had thoroughly cleaned them out.

The three ate some barbecue. Unable to resist the coaxing from those around them, Liu Rui and Xue Yiyang finally joined the Dou Dizhu table, finding the game novel and entertaining. Only Su Can noticed the sinister smiles on the faces of Li Ai's two close friends, Sun Ziyi and Wang Xing, as they explained the rules. Meanwhile, Zhang Xi, the well-known official's son, sat with a cigarette between his lips, playing cards with another group and completely ignoring the three of them.

So they've taken me for a fat sheep, Su Can murmured inwardly. He also intended to teach these City First Middle School boys a lesson. They kept coming at them, one thing after another. Did they really think the three friends were easy targets? Besides, judging by Xue Yiyang's manner, he had endured plenty of aggravation at No. 1 High School. Su Can's paying earlier had already made his two friends look good. Teaching the other side a lesson now and helping Xue Yiyang vent some resentment would be good too.

At that thought, Su Can nodded and smiled at Sun Ziyi and Wang Xing, who were waiting expectantly for them to start. "I understand the basic rules. It really is something new. Those two may need a while to take it in. How about we play first?"

"Sure, but this time we're betting for real. One yuan per card. Dare to play?" Sun Ziyi announced loudly. The people around them were surprised. Earlier, they had played with everyone else at only fifty cents per card and had won nearly forty yuan. Now the stakes had suddenly doubled. Though those who had lost earlier were surprised, none dared say much in front of Li Ai and his friends.

"Isn't that betting a little too much..." At the mention of one yuan per card, Xue Yiyang's heart gave an involuntary jump. He did not know how Su Can had become so rich, but Su Can was his close friend, after all. It would hurt him too if Su Can lost that money, especially to Li Ai's group.

"One yuan?" Su Can frowned. "We usually play Run Fast for five yuan a card. Let's do five today. It's my first time playing anyway. If we're going to play, we might as well enjoy ourselves..."

Sun Ziyi's and Wang Xing's hearts jolted. Confident though they were, five yuan a card was seriously high stakes. After all, in Dou Dizhu, it was sometimes possible to prevent an opponent from playing a single hand. If someone was left holding thirteen cards, the bill would be terrifying.

As they hesitated, Li Ai gave Sun Ziyi and Wang Xing a shove and smiled. "Sure, no problem. If that's what you want, it's about what we usually play for anyway. Come on."

The two gritted their teeth. If they could not even beat a novice who had only played Run Fast, they might as well give up!

And so, under Xue Yiyang's and Liu Rui's awestruck gazes, Su Can began playing Dou Dizhu against Sun Ziyi and Wang Xing for five yuan a card.

It was a nerve-racking scene, and more and more people gathered around. After all, five yuan a card was a stake that set hearts racing.

"One hundred ten, one hundred fifteen, one hundred twenty... one hundred sixty-five!" Counting the money, Xue Yiyang slapped the table, so excited he nearly jumped up. Over a dozen or so rounds, Su Can had won a total of 165 yuan. Did that not mean Li Ai and his friends had effectively paid their contributions for them?

Looking over at Sun Ziyi, Wang Xing, and Li Ai, their losses were plainly devastating.

Their side took turns coming to the table. In the end, even Zhang Xi could not resist throwing away his cigarette butt and joining in, smoking one cigarette after another as he played.

Finally, he flung down his cigarette butt and tossed his cards aside. "Fuck this! What's the point of playing? Nothing but losses!"

Everyone around them stared in disbelief at Su Can, who was on a winning streak. The stakes were enormous, after all. Li Ai, Zhang Xi, and the others had sweated buckets as they played, while he remained calm and composed, showing no apprehension even when he occasionally lost. Several girls saw that Su Can's expression did not change even when facing Zhang Xi, the boy of their dreams. Coupled with Zhang Xi's complete loss of composure and grace, this made them admire Su Can even more. Despite themselves, they found they did not want him to lose.

By the end, everyone around them was in an uproar. Only Li Ai, Zhang Xi, Sun Ziyi, and the others wore dark expressions, their particular brand of sour feelings impossible to tell.

When Su Can returned to Chen Lingshan's table, Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui had their arms draped around his shoulders. The girls were smiling too, all indirectly probing his background and, for the first time, asking his name.

Xue Yiyang raised his thumb and told Chen Lingshan proudly, "Here, he's the Su Can I always tell you about, the one who had a crush on you back in elementary school!"

Pfft! Unable to hold back the mouthful of cola, Su Can choked and sprayed it out.