In the fifth round, Qian Dailan, who had been paired with Ye Xijing, was exasperated and said:
“What were you thinking with that move? Three twos and two aces? You just threw them out like that?”
Ye Xijing said, “I was trying to make a big move to outplay my brother. How was I supposed to know he still had a bomb? If I had stopped him and fed you a card, wouldn’t you have won?”
“Remember the cards! We’ve played this far, and no one has played a three. What does that tell you? It means all the threes are in your brother’s hand-he’s got four of them,” Qian Dailan said.
“Even a fool could tell he had a bomb-how could you be so clueless?”
Somehow, Ye Xiyan coughed twice.
He picked up his glass and took a sip.
Ye Xijing slammed his cards down on the table.
With a sudden snap, the neatly stacked cards on the table were jolted by his movement, causing a few to flutter up and then fall face down.
“Yes, I’m just confused,” Ye Xijing said. “I can’t figure out how to play cards, and I can’t figure out how to handle relationships either.”
Qian Dailan comforted him, “It’s okay. As long as you can understand your studies, that’s something at least.”
“I’d rather be bad at studying,” Ye Xijing glanced at Ye Xiyan.
“Brother, can you give us some privacy?”
“No,” Ye Xiyan replied, sipping his tea.
Without looking at them, he casually picked up a magazine, slowly sipping his drink as he read.
“The teapot…”
“Alright, thank you,” Ye Xijing turned back to Qian Dailan and asked,
“I don’t know where I went wrong. Normally, when couples fight and break up, you’d point out my mistakes, tell me what’s wrong with me-no one’s perfect, right? Just tell me, and I’ll change. Isn’t that possible?”
“It’s not that,” Qian Dailan said. “When it comes to breaking up, it’s not necessarily about who’s at fault. I admit, the way things have turned out, we both share some responsibility.”
“But think about it—if the house is on fire, is it really necessary to stay and figure out whose fault it is? Shouldn’t you just run out first?”
Ye Xijing stared at the cards on the table.
Truth be told, his hand was excellent this round.
The King, three twos, two aces, two kings, two queens, two jacks, two tens, and two nines.
It was a hand he could win with his eyes closed, especially with Qian Dailan firmly by his side as his ally.
But… how did he end up losing?
How did it come to this?
Should he blame it on Qian Dailan’s terrible hand?
But her cards had been bad every round, and she had still won four games in a row before this if it weren’t for him, she might not have lost this round even playing solo.
She had the intelligence and skill to turn a bad hand into a victory.
Unfortunately, Ye Xijing realized this too late.
“I don’t want to break up,” Ye Xijing looked at her. “I’ll change.”
“Look, it’s not about who’s right or wrong,” Qian Dailan sighed.
“It’s just that we’re not compatible right now, really not. You’re still in school, your mindset is still that of a student, but I can’t afford that anymore. I have to think about food, clothes, and how to pay next month’s rent-I don’t have the time or energy to indulge in romantic fantasies with you.”
“I have to work and support myself. You’re stuck on this one point, going back and forth, like chewing on something that won’t break down. It’s exhausting.”
Ye Xijing’s voice was low. “Don’t break up with me, please. Just wait two more years. I’ll give you everything you want.”
“Ah, you…” Qian Dailan was tired of sighing.
Sighing too much would drive away wealth and good luck, she believed. “Let’s not talk about this anymore.”
From the side, Ye Xiyan, who had been reading the magazine, shifted his gaze to Qian Dailan.
Her hair was disheveled, her lipstick completely gone.
She had been drinking fruit wine, and her cheeks were flushed, her lips like roses, her words sharp yet elegant.
“Xijing, let’s discuss something,” Qian Dailan said.
“You haven’t even gone abroad yet, don’t think so far ahead. Don’t rush to bring the dog before you’ve even finished your business in the bathroom.”
Ye Xijing frowned, doubting his ears. “Can you speak in plain language? I’m not sure I understand.”
Ye Xiyan raised the magazine slightly, tilting his body to look at Qian Dailan from the right side of the magazine.
She was indeed drunk, but her expression was lively, her cheeks flushed with the warmth of alcohol.
“Alright, alright, let’s stick to Mandarin,” Qian Dailan said. “But can we not think so optimistically about the future? Most people take one step at a time, ensuring each step is steady. But you? You haven’t even taken a step yet, and you’re already looking far ahead.”
“It’s not that looking ahead is bad, but shouldn’t you at least check where you’re standing first? Try taking a step, won’t you?”
“Small?”
Ye Xijing said, “Your ‘try taking a step’ means breaking up with me.”
“Right, what else?” Qian Dailan softened her tone. “Let me be direct. You’re still too young, too naive.”
“Who says I’m small? I’m not small at all. How would you know if you haven’t tried?” Ye Xijing retorted.
“I’m 18.56 centimeters, isn’t that enough?”
Snap.
The magazine closed with a loud thud as it was tossed onto the table.
Ye Xiyan said, “Xijing, you’re drunk. Go to bed.”
Ye Xijing stood up. “You can’t leave.”
“Alright, alright, of course, I’m not leaving this late. The taxi fare is ridiculously expensive,” Qian Dailan said, rubbing her temples.
“Can we talk tomorrow?”
Ye Xijing stared at her intently and said, “And we can’t break up either.”
Ye Xiyan couldn’t bear to listen any longer and pushed him out.
Watching Ye Xijing return to his bedroom, Ye Xiyan was about to turn back when the housekeeper came up with a bag, whispering that it was sent by Yang Quan earlier.
Inside were Qian Dailan’s belongings.
Ye Xiyan glanced inside.
There were Qian Dailan’s changed clothes, a pair of brand-new slippers she had prepared but hadn’t worn, and a knitted jasmine flower made from fine, fluffy yarn.
The stem was a tender green, the flowers pure white, two in full bloom with one small bud, clean and beautiful.
She wasn’t just quick-witted but also skilled with her hands.
Ye Xiyan examined the knitted jasmine flower carefully.
The yarn she chose was very fine, the stitches tight, making the jasmine flower small and delicate.
Between the narrow petals, tiny yellow and white threads peeked out, forming the stamens.
It was so intricate, he wondered how much effort and care she had put into it.
“This little liar.”
He smiled, placing the items neatly back in Qian Dailan’s room before returning to her.
At this moment, Qian Dailan was drinking with a troubled expression.
Truly a girl from the Northeast.
In the blink of an eye, she had already finished two bottles.
Ye Xiyan called her name.
“Dailan.”
Qian Dailan looked up at him, her eyes still clear. “Xiyan.”
“Yeah,” Ye Xiyan glanced at the bottles on the floor.
“How much more do you want to drink? I’ll have someone bring it for you.”
“No more,” Qian Dailan said gloomily, suddenly asking,
“Xiyan, were those shoes I wore really that tacky?”
“What?”
“The sneakers I wore this evening,” Qian Dailan asked. “Do you think they were really tacky?”
After a moment of silence, he walked over and sat down beside Qian Dailan.
“Rather than discussing whether those shoes were tacky,” he pondered for a moment, “I’d rather talk about whether it’s necessary to continue a relationship with someone who criticizes your taste.”
Qian Dailan looked up at him.
Her eyes, cheeks, and chin were all flushed with the redness of alcohol.
Although I am Xijing’s brother, and until today, I had hoped you would continue with him because you are smart and perceptive,” Ye Xiyan said, “but you’re right today, you two really aren’t suitable right now.”
Qian Dailan turned her face and saw the huge world map hanging on the wall.
China and the UK are so far apart.
“Right,” Qian Dailan said, “there’s no such thing as taste being outdated or not, it’s just a matter of personal preference. He doesn’t like me that much he refuses to like the whole me, not because I’m not good enough, nor because he’s not good.”
“It’s just like some people prefer spicy food, while others prefer sweet; I’m both sweet and spicy, and I just don’t suit his taste.”
Ye Xiyan poured her a glass of wine: “Exactly.”
“No, completely wrong,” Qian Dailan grabbed the glass from his hand, downed it in one gulp, and looked at him and added,
“Completely wrong, he doesn’t like the whole me, that’s because he’s not good enough, just because he has no taste, can’t appreciate someone as good as me!”
Ye Xiyan couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yes,” he said, “it’s indeed that he has no taste.”
He realized Qian Dailan was drunk.
“Is Ye Xijing asleep?” Qian Dailan asked sluggishly, “Already asleep?”
“Mm, by now he should be walking in England in his dreams.”
“Yeah,” Qian Dailan sighed, “He walks his England tightrope, I’ll forge my path on Beijing’s Sanlitun Avenue.”
“I won’t drink anymore, thank you, very, very much,” she swayed as she pushed the glass away, clumsily bowing to Ye Xiyan by saying,
“Thank you, very, very, very much. For such a great favor from a brother, I should bow six times, but, hic, but, brother, I’m too drunk now, can’t bow that many times, I need to go to sleep first.”
Ye Xiyan watched her stagger, bumping into tables and chairs along the way;
If no one helped her, she might crash into everything and shatter her mushroom umbrella spores before even leaving the door, as she would say, “completely shattered.”
So he helped Qian Dailan back to her room.
It was already past midnight, and except for rushing project deadlines, Ye Xiyan rarely rested at this hour.
The housekeeper had also gone to bed, and everything was quiet.
He had just laid the drunken Qian Dailan on the bed and hadn’t yet stood up when she grabbed his collar, pulling him down forcefully.
Ye Xiyan looked down and found Qian Dailan face buried in his shirt, silently sobbing.