The air was thick with a laced, intoxicating perfume, clinging and sweet, like a snake slowly coiling around a ripe, vivid pitaya.
Ye Siyu held the card in her hand. The sharp edge of the Four of Spades was pressing so hard against her thumb that it left a deep indentation.
“What do you mean, ‘give her a name’?”
The loud, grating voice of the flat top tomboy yanked Ye Siyu back from her thoughts.
Without turning around, Ye Siyu heard the obnoxious voice carry across the room again. “Isn’t it supposed to be highest card point wins, and whoever puts up the chips takes the prize?”
Visibly annoyed and emboldened by alcohol, the tomboy kept muttering, eventually irking the friend hosting the party.
The host stepped in to defuse it. “Well, we can’t base it on just a single drawn card, right? Let’s make a little wager and play Baccarat. It’s just a private gathering, so we don’t need to be super strict about the rules. Whoever wins takes her home.”
The flat top tomboy, carrying an air of streetwise swagger, pushed away her female companion. She leaned forward, glaring at the black haired beauty while the thick gold chain around her neck clanked softly. “Fine by me. Play it however you want. Either way, I’m taking this one tonight.”
The black haired woman’s eyes were glistening, her long eyelashes dusted with what looked like mist.
She looked up at Ye Siyu, her lashes fluttering like a wounded fawn. Those breathtaking eyes seemed to speak for her.
Like a mountain spring gushing through a forest, that single glance made wet, wild moss sprout rapidly inside Ye Siyu’s chest.
“Deal.”
Without a second of hesitation, Ye Siyu slapped her card onto the table. She raised her eyes, her bright gaze flashing as brilliantly as the diamond earring dangling beside her neck. “Come home with me. Sister will give you a name.”
The gloves were off.
Because of this black haired woman, the atmosphere at the venue instantly turned electric.
“Damn, they’re actually going head to head.”
“This is what I live for. Absolutely thrilling.”
“If my card weren’t so small, I’d jump in too.”
“What does a small card matter? Look at Miss Ye, she pulled a Four of Spades and still went all-in. Besides, it’s Baccarat anyway, you just don’t have Miss Ye’s nerve.”
The crowd of onlookers grew, and naturally, quite a few wanted to join the fray.
In the end, it wasn’t just the flat top tomboy at the table, two other wealthy playboys joined the match.
Accustomed to high-stakes games, they joked around casually. Meanwhile, the black haired woman, the prize of the wager, sat quietly behind Ye Siyu, letting silence say everything.
“Heh,” the pink haired friend chuckled, leaning in close. “Not gonna lie, the two of you sitting together look like a match made in heaven. Straight out of a painting. You’re bringing down the house on my little boat.”
Ye Siyu was well used to this kind of playful banter. She cast a sideways glance at her friend with a flirtatious spark that made the host blush on the spot.
“Tsk, you really are a lesbian magnet. That single look almost made my heart skip a beat. So, President Ye, did you actually catch feelings this time? How about considering taking me in instead of that little beauty?”
“Give it a rest. Cut the smooth talk.”
It was obvious Ye Siyu was accustomed to compliments and confessions, she neither entertained them nor took them seriously.
“Tsk, the tension between you two is thick enough to pull threads. You’re a stubborn Capricorn, I’ve never seen you act like this with anyone before,” the friend shrugged, her tone shifting slightly. “Though, I should warn you, I don’t really know this little beauty’s background.”
“Oh?”
Under the neon glare, the cards had already been shuffled and arranged on the table.
Ye Siyu’s Four of Spades lay face-up in front of her, a known variable, yet her friend’s vague words made little sense.
“What, was that amnesia talk earlier just role play for my benefit?”
“Tsk, hard to say. Truth is, I went to check just now on where they found such a gorgeous college girl. The manager said she didn’t recruit her, she was fished out of the sea.”
“???”
Ye Siyu turned halfway around to look at her friend, giving her a look reserved for absolute idiots.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that! I’m telling the truth,” her friend explained frantically. “Let alone you, even I found it hard to believe. She was pulled out of the water three hours before you boarded. The clothes she’s wearing were just given to her. The manager saw how stunning she was and brought her along. It’s not too late to back out now.”
Ye Siyu remained half-turned. The vessel’s ambient light traced a soft glow along her silhouette, accentuating her sleek, elegant curves.
She stared at her friend for a moment, rested her chin on her palm, and let out a light laugh. “Mm, I’ve made up my mind.”
“I’m taking this one home.”
“Tsk tsk,” her friend shook her head repeatedly. “Watch out. Don’t go home with a man eating mermaid.”
Ye Siyu smiled as though wearing a polite mask. “A mermaid? Never had one before. Wonder if she tastes good.”
“Alright everyone, the rules are simple. We each reveal one whole card, the ones you just drew, and then build up the total Baccarat points. Whoever has the highest single digit total wins.”
It was a simple format. These partygoers had frequented spots like Las Vegas, so the basic mechanics needed no explanation.
The flat-top tomboy barely listened to two sentences before impatiently urging the game to start, clearly confident in her hand.
The host sighed helplessly. “Since there are so many of you, I’ll be the dealer this round.”
Cards were dealt face down in front of everyone, their backs patterned with intricate red designs.
Ye Siyu placed her fingers on her card, tapping the back lightly with her manicured fingernails.
Her index finger, tipped with a manicured crystal nail, tapped against the card with soft, crisp clicks.
The others checked their cards one by one, each revealing subtle shifts in expression.
Ye Siyu remained unbothered, her eyes fixed on her friend dealing the cards across the table.
The flat-top tomboy glanced at her dealt card, the King of Diamonds she drew earlier didn’t count toward the total, but this new card was an Eight of Hearts, giving her an 8. A triumphant grin broke across her face.
She cast a glance at Ye Siyu. “So, Miss Ye, how do you plan to win this?”
Ye Siyu used the Four of Spades as a base, picking up the new card delicately.
Framed by her crystal nails, the gesture was captivating.
“Blow on it.”
She held the card up to the black haired beauty’s lips, lips as red and lush as fresh cherries.
The beauty glanced at Ye Siyu with glistening eyes, then leaned in slightly, blowing a soft breath onto the card in Ye Siyu’s hand.
As she leaned forward, strands of black hair brushed against Ye Siyu’s wrist.
The touch was light as gossamer, cool as jade, and laced with a subtle, delicate fragrance. It gently tugged at the softest place in Ye Siyu’s heart, sending ripples through her chest.
After blowing on the card, the black haired beauty looked up, her long eyelashes still moist, fixing her gaze on Ye Siyu.
Her eyes were remarkably deep, it was hard to tell what lay within them. When Ye Siyu met her gaze, her first instinct was that she was looking into an abyss.
As their eyes locked, the air between them seemed to vibrate with charged pheromones.
“Hmph, what is this nonsense?”
As a direct competitor, watching this extraordinarily romantic scene lit a jealous fire in the tomboy’s chest. “Stop dragging this out. Are you done yet?”
With the atmosphere abruptly shattered, Ye Siyu offered the black haired beauty a faint smile and laid her card back onto the table.
She slid it open slightly to check, it was the Five of Spades. Combined with her previous card, her total was now 9.
She could call it right now, but it wasn’t a guaranteed win. If her opponent also had a 9, it would end in a tie.
A tie meant she couldn’t take the girl home either. And if someone else hit a 9…
It was too risky to rely on luck, it was better to wait and draw.
Ye Siyu smiled smoothly. “Not bad at all. Looks like you really are my good luck charm.”
Though she didn’t state her hand outright, her calm confidence pricked at the pride of everyone watching.
The other wealthy playboys at the table were just playing along for fun and had no intention of pushing further. The only one truly invested was the flat top tomboy who had lusted after the beauty from the start.
Frowning, the tomboy pushed aside the cocktail handed to her by her female companion, her irritation rising.
“Tsk, guess your hand isn’t big enough after all. Draw another card, let’s see you lose.”
Ye Siyu’s mind worked rapidly, yet not a single emotion registered on her face. “I’ll draw.”
Her opponent was visibly provoked. “You dare hit with a trash hand like that?”
Ye Siyu didn’t even look her way. She simply tilted her chin slightly. “Dealer, hit me.”
Flipping her pink hair, the friend immediately played the role of a seductive dealer. Resting her hands on her waist, she leaned over the table, blew Ye Siyu a flirtatious kiss, and slid a card over.
She was obviously teasing Ye Siyu, but the black-haired woman behind her reacted.
She reached out, gently pinching a tiny fold of fabric at the side of Ye Siyu’s waist. “Sister…”
The movement was cautious, soft, and timid.
Ye Siyu turned her head, catching the girl’s aggrieved, vulnerable expression.
“What’s wrong?”
She paused, her fingers still shyly tugging at the fabric. “I’m scared.”
In that split second, an unfamiliar emotion stirred inside Ye Siyu’s chest.
“Don’t be.”
Ye Siyu raised a hand, making a gentle squeezing motion in the air. “Didn’t you give me your good luck?”
She offered her a reassuring smile. When she turned back to her friend, she saw the host standing straight again, looking thoroughly defeated.
The surrounding players checked their cards one after another, and Ye Siyu picked up hers as well.
Before she could speak, the flat top tomboy burst into arrogant laughter. “Hahaha, show ’em!”
Ye Siyu’s lips curled slightly. “Are you sure?”
The tomboy was brash, coming from a wealthy family involved in shady businesses. Her family favored sons over daughters, making her act overly aggressive and easily ignited, a stark contrast to Ye Siyu, who navigated cutthroat corporate boardrooms and maneuvered around old foxes for a living.
The moment Ye Siyu smiled, the tomboy lost her composure and slammed her cards face-up onto the table.
“King of Diamonds, Eight of Hearts, Jack of Hearts! Even with that, I’ve got an 8! Are you gonna tell me you actually hit a 9?”
Ye Siyu had been waiting for this exact moment. She reached out and flipped her cards.
With a flick of her eyes. “9 points.”
Four of Spades, Five of Spades, King of Spades.
An absolute showdown victory.
Outside, a speedboat was approaching the three deck yacht, its engine emitting a loud, deep roar.
It had been arranged to pick Ye Siyu up, but now it served a brand-new purpose.
Ye Siyu stood up, her thin stiletto heels stepping onto the floor once more.
The rhinestone embellished heels framed her slender, elegant calves perfectly. “I’ll be taking her now.”
Her friend tried to hold her back, calling out quickly. “Hey, don’t rush off! You’re in no hurry, stay and play a bit longer!”
“No,” Ye Siyu turned around, running her fingers through the girl’s silk like black hair. “I’m in a hurry.”
“What are you in such a hurry for?”
“I’m in a hurry to eat fish, a mermaid.”