Wei Yi had slept wonderfully. When he woke, his phone screen showed 10:31.
He lay sprawled on the bed, squinting, for a few seconds before reaching for his phone to unlock it.
WeChat popped up. Chen Xinyi’s message had come two hours ago: “Are you awake yet? I’ll have your Sister Siyan bring you lunch when she comes back. Remember to go back to sleep after you eat.”
Wei Yi replied, “Just woke up,” then threw off the covers and got out of bed.
As he washed up, wiping the water droplets from his face, he opened the Zhifubao app and went straight to tonight’s matches.
Mexico versus Cameroon, Spain versus the Netherlands, Chile versus Australia.
Three matches.
Wei Yi’s gaze lingered for a long time on the Spain versus the Netherlands match.
He remembered that game from his past life all too well.
When defending champions Spain entered the field in their red jerseys, plenty of people thought another slaughter was coming.
But Robin van Persie’s flying header etched “the Flying Dutchman” into World Cup history.
5–1. Who would’ve believed it?
Wei Yi considered it for a while, tapping at the screen until he quickly settled on a betting strategy.
For Mexico versus Cameroon, he planned to bet 100,000 on a 1–2 score.
Of course, he knew the actual score was 1–0.
For Chile versus Australia, he bet 100,000 on 0–0.
He knew the actual score was 3–1, so he’d lose again.
That was his strategy: deliberately lose big on the matches, then win even bigger on a small upset!
Those two matches would cost him 200,000 altogether. It hurt to see, but compared to the next match, it was nothing.
For Spain versus the Netherlands, he stared at the odds for “1–5.”
Odds of 256 to 1!
Twenty thousand.
He’d bet just 20,000.
That way, he’d lose 200,000 in total, but the 20,000 bet on 5–1 would bring him more than five million in winnings!
After closing the app, he changed into his workout clothes and practiced his punches twice in the bedroom.
The space was small, so he couldn’t extend his movements fully, but his sense of qi was actually clearer than it had been in the garden downstairs.
The warm energy in his Dantian felt like a little stove tucked inside him, slowly climbing up along his spine.
By the second round, he could clearly feel that the energy was denser than it had been that morning.
At this rate, by the time he “fought” the Great Demon King, he should be able to reach another level.
Heh heh, then it wouldn’t be his older sister landing a few hits on him and leaving him drained anymore.
Instead, he’d be the one making his older sister cry and beg!
At the thought, Wei Yi’s lips curled into a smirk, and he lowered his fists.
He’d only been resting for a little while when the doorbell rang, not long after noon.
Wei Yi opened the door. Lin Siyan stood outside, carrying several takeout containers.
Two other girls, both strangers to him, were behind her.
“These are Xinyi’s and my roommates, and they’re in our department, too.” Lin Siyan stepped aside to introduce them. “Zhao Min—same name as the one in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Liu Yang—Yang, with the water radical.”
Zhao Min wore black-rimmed glasses. She had a round, slightly plump face, and when she smiled, a pair of dimples appeared, making her seem very approachable.
Liu Yang was tall and slim, with monolid eyes and sun-kissed, wheat-colored skin. She had a sharp, capable air about her.
Both their gazes landed on Wei Yi at once, as if he were some rare curiosity.
Wei Yi stepped aside to let them in.
Lin Siyan laid out the takeout containers on the dining table: sweet-and-sour pork, fish-fragrant shredded pork, dry-fried green beans, and a tub of pork rib soup.
Steam billowed up, and the aroma instantly filled the living room.
The four of them sat down. Zhao Min and Liu Yang sat on either side of Wei Yi, neatly sandwiching him between them.
“Xinyi’s been going on about her precious little Wei Yi for three years. I finally get to meet the real deal today.” Zhao Min picked up a piece of pork and looked him over with a beaming smile. “You’re even more handsome in person than in the photos.”
Liu Yang was more direct. “How tall are you?”
Wei Yi swallowed his mouthful of rice. “One meter eighty-two.”
“You’re in pretty good shape, too.” Liu Yang nodded, her tone like she was appraising a shipment of goods. “No wonder Xinyi talks about you like a lovesick fool in the dorm every day. But honestly, handsome or not, we always thought that the man who could make someone like Xinyi pine for him would have to be some heaven-chosen being who glowed from head to toe. We didn’t expect you to be…”
Before she could finish, Zhao Min hurriedly cut in. “All right, all right. He’s still young.”
Wei Yi wasn’t offended. He took his time eating.
He’d seen plenty of scenes like this in his past life, and some people had said far worse.
What could he do? His older sister shone too brightly, while he really was quite ordinary aside from his looks and height.
Zhao Min added, “Besides, Xinyi’s known you since you were little, so it’s normal that we outsiders might not see what she does. Honestly, when you sit there, you really do have a different air from an ordinary high school graduate. I can’t quite put my finger on it—you’re just especially composed.”
Lin Siyan had been quietly drinking her soup. Now she suddenly spoke. “He is good at keeping his composure.” Her voice was calm, impossible to read.
Wei Yi looked up at her, but Lin Siyan’s gaze had already returned to her soup bowl.
The mood at the table turned a little strange.
Wei Yi knew Liu Yang was no ordinary person. She was an investor in Chen Xinyi’s restaurant, having put in 100,000 for a 20 percent stake.
Her aunt worked at the Chaoyang District Administration for Industry and Commerce. She’d handled everything for the restaurant, from the business license and fire inspections to food and drug supervision.
“When I invested in Xinyi’s restaurant, it was purely because I trusted her as a person.” Liu Yang set down her chopsticks and looked straight at Wei Yi. “In the second semester of freshman year, no one in our class thought she could run a restaurant while going to school. But she still managed to make it one of the top three Korean restaurants in Haidian District. I respect her judgment and ability.”
She paused, then changed tack. “But I can’t judge her taste in men yet. You seem decent enough, but only decent. I really can’t understand why she’s so obsessed with you.”
Zhao Min cut in. “Liu Yang, that’s enough. He’s still a kid.”
“A kid?” Liu Yang rolled her eyes. “We’re only three or four years older than him! Look at his build, look at his eyes—what about him looks like a kid?”
Zhao Min also came from an influential family.
Her father worked at the municipal education commission, and her mother was vice principal at a key middle school in Haidian.
She’d come today purely out of curiosity.
Everyone in the dorm knew Chen Xinyi was the department belle, perhaps even the Campus Belle.
The boys pursuing her could line up from Renmin University all the way to Peking University, but Chen Xinyi had never given any of them a second glance. She was always saying, “My little brother,” “My Wei Yi,” or “I have a childhood betrothed husband.”
“We always thought you’d be Nezha, with three heads and six arms.” Zhao Min sighed. “But you’re just an ordinary good-looking guy. How should I put it? I’m a little disappointed, but also… relieved? At least Xinyi hasn’t been put under a love spell.”
When Lin Siyan heard the words “love spell,” the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
Wei Yi lowered his head and drank his soup, pretending he hadn’t heard.
Halfway through the meal, Lin Siyan’s phone rang. The caller ID read: Chen Xinyi.
The video call connected, revealing Chen Xinyi’s beautiful face. Behind her was the red-brick wall of Mingde Building at Renmin University.
Her first question was, “Did those two women bully my little brother?”
Zhao Min leaned closer to the phone and said with a grin, “As if we’d dare bully your precious darling. But seriously, Xinyi, are you sure you haven’t misjudged him?”
Chen Xinyi smiled so sweetly on the screen it was almost sickening. “Misjudged him? Hmph! He couldn’t even walk when he was one, and I was the one carrying him. When it comes to a Husband, of course it’s more reassuring to raise and feed one yourself!”
“……”
The other end of the video call went quiet for a second. Liu Yang and Zhao Min looked as if they’d been struck by lightning.
Chen Xinyi hadn’t expected them to reply. Her gaze shifted to Wei Yi. “After lunch, go back to sleep and catch up on your rest. Tonight, your older sister will take you to Wangfujing. Make sure you’re well-rested.”
After the call ended, Zhao Min and Liu Yang exchanged a look that said, “She’s beyond saving.”
Wei Yi shoved the last bite of rice into his mouth, but he was already calculating in his head.
Tonight’s Spain versus the Netherlands match had odds of 256 to 1.
Twenty thousand would become 5.12 million.
He could feel his backbone growing stronger by the day.