Volume 1, Chapter 24: Addiction

Ning Yu paused for two seconds. Facing the various gazes of those present, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk over. She felt fortunate that only Cheng Xiuming in this private room knew her identity; otherwise, the sky would have collapsed. She truly did not want to show her face alongside Li Shiyan, as the more she revealed herself, the higher the risk. Especially here at the Zhuyu Club, appearing with Li Shiyan was no different from officially announcing that there was something intimate between them.

The young socialites, led by Zhou Yunming, exchanged glances, their expressions filled with ambiguous interest. Fifth Master Li was notorious in their circle for his discerning taste and sharp eye. It wasn’t that he didn’t play, but he had yet to meet anyone who completely suited his appetite, which was why he kept women at arm's length. Mostly, he simply looked down on the average stock. The person he was closest to on a daily basis was his friend, Cheng Xiuming, and they had often secretly asked Cheng about him. Cheng Xiuming would always say the same thing: once someone is used to the best, they cannot tolerate the inferior; Fifth Master Li just wasn't impressed.

This time, having actually seen a woman, and one brought by Li Shiyan himself, they couldn't help but size her up. Her appearance was of the cool, innocent variety—one look and you knew she was an unreachable flower on a high peak—but that figure... tsk, just looking at it was intoxicating. It was an extreme contrast. The more cold and untouchable a woman appeared, the more it tended to stir a man’s desire to conquer, making them curious about the contrast behind closed doors. If Ning Yu hadn't been brought by Li Shiyan, they would have certainly had some ideas of their own.

Cheng Xiuming spun the playing cards in his hand. "Not knowing how to play cards is fine; it's a good chance to let the Fifth Master lose some money." Zhou Yunming and the others laughed and cheered.

Ning Yu took a deep breath and walked to Li Shiyan's side, intending to pull over a chair for herself. She couldn't very well kick Li Shiyan off his seat to make him sit, could she? Before she could even move a chair, she was stopped by Zhou Yunming at the side: "That’s not allowed by our rules."

"What isn't?" Ning Yu paused, looking at the chair in her hand, then at the empty space beside Li Shiyan. She couldn't just stand there and play, could she? There were no empty seats left.

Cheng Xiuming took in Ning Yu’s expression and Li Shiyan’s reaction, smiling as he played the good guy: "Look, isn’t there still space on the Fifth Master’s lap?"

Ning Yu: "..."

The other female companions laughed when they saw Ning Yu’s hesitation, and Zhou Yunming and his friends teased their own partners about it. In the room, Ning Yu felt incredibly awkward. She looked down at Li Shiyan, only to see him acting as if he saw nothing, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table, looking completely detached. He had the air of a man enjoying the show.

Ning Yu’s temper flared instantly. She grabbed his arm, sat right down on his thigh, and forced a smile. "Then I’ll take that as the Fifth Master’s permission. I just hope I don’t end up losing your money." In reality, she gripped his wrist tightly, silently cursing him as a scoundrel. If he hadn't dragged her into this, would she have needed to deal with this trouble? He sowed the seeds, so he had to reap the harvest!

Li Shiyan raised an eyebrow, his large hand naturally wrapping around her waist. He only said two words: "Be my guest."

"Hahaha... The Fifth Master is right. With a beauty in your arms, isn't it worth whatever you win or lose?" Zhou Yunming laughed, pinching his own treasure's waist. "Money, we're all bored of playing for that. Why not change it to something else?"

Cheng Xiuming observed everything with a detached eye. He knew the nature of this group too well. It was rare for Doctor Li to bring a woman, so of course, they would rack their brains to tease him. What seemed like casual conversation was actually planned from the moment Ning Yu stepped into the room. They wouldn't stop until they stripped away Doctor Li’s scholarly facade.

Soon, Zhou Yunming suggested, "How about we play Truth or Dare? If the beauty loses, we accept the penalty. It might be old-fashioned, but with a beauty in your arms, isn't it part of the charm?"

As expected, the other two young men immediately agreed. Li Shiyan and Cheng Xiuming had no objections, and while Ning Yu was still regretting not being able to swindle some money out of Li Shiyan, the game began.

They started to draw cards.

***

Perhaps out of consideration for the women who weren't familiar with complex games, Zhou Yunming and the others unanimously agreed to switch to the most basic game—Fight the Landlord. On their usual tables, this game was considered boring. Clearly, their interest now lay in the women in their arms and the duo of Li Shiyan and Ning Yu. According to the rules, they weren't allowed to offer tips; it was all up to the women to play.

Unfortunately, none of the people present were sticklers for rules. Especially the girl beside Cheng Xiuming; she looked young and soft-natured, and her face was flushed red from nerves. Cheng Xiuming kept his hands to himself, occasionally comforting and guiding her. The only one who truly didn't offer any help was Li Shiyan.

Zhou Yunming’s companion threw down a card: "A three."

Ning Yu, sitting next, didn't blink as she pulled out a card: "Big Joker."

The room went silent for a moment. Ning Yu feigned panic and looked at Li Shiyan: "Fifth Master, did I play that wrong?"

Everyone’s gaze turned to Li Shiyan. Li Shiyan’s eyes flickered, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table. "Continue."

Everyone thought he meant for the game to continue. Only Ning Yu knew he was waiting to see how far she would go to sabotage him. She curled her lips—well, she wouldn't hold back then.

Ning Yu used her trump card to take the three. Naturally, no one could beat it, so she followed up by throwing down a pair of twos. When no one could beat that, she threw down a pair of Aces. The other women looked at their respective partners in surprise. Zhou Yunming and his friends exchanged glances; this was getting interesting. They seemed to be at odds, but Zhou Yunming and the others were all shrewd; they knew that whether men and women were truly at odds wasn't something you could tell in front of others. Perhaps this was a special kind of chemistry. However, they were happy to see Li Shiyan lose, so they acted as if they noticed nothing.

Ning Yu played her highest cards all the way down, and by the end, she couldn't beat anything, losing as expected. Li Shiyan had to accept the Truth or Dare from the four of them.

"Finally, a time for us to interrogate the Fifth Master?" Zhou Yunming laughed teasingly. "What will it be, Fifth Master? Truth or Dare?"

Li Shiyan crushed his cigarette. "Ask away."

The four of them perked up. Zhou Yunming asked, "It’s well known that the Fifth Master has high standards. When was the last time you 'opened your appetite'?"

Ning Yu couldn't help but look at him. Li Shiyan’s gaze fell lazily on Ning Yu’s face. "Two days ago."

The group erupted in cheers and jeers. A second man followed up: "Where was it?"

Li Shiyan raised an eyebrow and calmly dropped the bomb: "The old Lin family residence."

Those four words were like water hitting a hot wok, sizzling and exploding—"Opening your appetite at the old Lin residence... as expected of the Fifth Master!" No one in the Beijing circle didn't know what kind of place that was.

Another winked and asked, "How many times?"

Ning Yu gripped the man’s trousers, her face turning slightly red, though it wasn't obvious in the dim light. He chuckled and answered readily: "Three times."

The men laughed even more ambiguously: "What kind of marvelous person could satisfy the picky Fifth Master?"

Cheng Xiuming, pretending to know nothing, followed their lead and asked: "How... did it feel?"

***

Ning Yu turned to look at him. The man clearly noticed her gaze and said flippantly: "Addictive."

The surrounding jeers were unbearable, loud enough to make Ning Yu’s ears ache. Her face instantly heated up, and her hand, which had been gripping his shirt, pinched his waist hard.

The next second, the man’s large hand snuck into her qipao, intentionally using his calloused fingertips to rub the soft flesh of her waist. As his cool palm brushed over her, goosebumps rose all over her body. Ning Yu gripped his wrist harder and gritted her teeth: "Don't worry, Fifth Master, I won't let you lose again!"

The man, as if teasing a kitten, rubbed her waist a few more times until Ning Yu finally settled down, at which point he withdrew his hand.

After the four questions were over, no one dared to ask more. It was an unspoken rule in the circle: don't ask for names, don't ask for identities; leave it at that. After that incident, Ning Yu was still shaken, fearing that his loose lips would reveal everything, so she played seriously and didn't lose much after that.

Seeing that the two of them had stopped bickering so quickly, Zhou Yunming and the others felt it was boring and changed the game back. Li Shiyan never lost at cards. Ning Yu watched for two or three hours, witnessing him dominate the table without losing a single hand, winning a massive sum from the other four.

Ning Yu looked at his profile, watching him track and calculate the cards, his demeanor calm and detached the entire time. She couldn't describe what she felt. The Li Shiyan of the past didn't play these games, nor did he like to. All his money and savings went toward buying her food, clothes, and art supplies. He didn't earn much back then, and after her eyes failed, it was even less. How was this at all like the man who now treated money like dirt and squandered it at will?

The card game lasted all night. Ning Yu forgot when she fell asleep; the other women didn't have the privilege of sleeping, but she was different. If it were anyone else, Ning Yu wouldn't have been able to let her guard down enough to sleep, but sitting beside her was Li Shiyan—the man who, in her heart, had once held a level of trust and importance far exceeding that of her own father.

When they dispersed in the morning, Li Shiyan looked at the person sleeping in the passenger seat. She had always been on the thin side. It just so happened that he had been by her side during her formative years, and it had taken quite some effort to feed her until she was plump. Eight years later, she was thin again, as if nothing had changed.

"Knock, knock."

The car window was tapped. He rolled it down and found it was Cheng Xiuming. Cheng Xiuming played the fool: "Doctor Li, you're not leaving yet? Are you waiting to drop me off on your way home?"

Li Shiyan glanced at him sideways: "Drive yourself."

With that, he pressed the accelerator and drove away.

...

The night was dreamless. Ning Yu had a rare, peaceful sleep. When she opened her eyes, she found the room completely unfamiliar. The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and a blurred figure moved behind the door. Ning Yu quickly put on her clothes, wanting to run before the ancestor came out.

Just as she exited the bedroom into the living room, she heard the doorbell ring, accompanied by a man’s shout:

"Uncle!! It’s me, Haoyu!"

Ning Yu stiffened, instinctively wanting to find a place to hide. As she turned, she saw Li Shiyan standing at the bedroom door.