Qi Xu only dealt for two rounds. The first round was a golden hand for Xie Huai; the second was a regular deal, with Jiang Zimu’s luck apparently boosted by the birthday boy’s aura—he hit a straight flush.
After two rounds, Qi Xu tossed the cards aside, refusing to continue—his laziness had taken over and nothing could convince him otherwise.
He wasn’t cut out to serve others; he only joined on a whim, and even when urged to stay, he declined.
He handed the dealer’s position back to the real dealer and curled up comfortably next to Xie Huai to watch the game.
Maybe Xie Huai’s luck had been blessed—his following hands were all impressive. Qi Xu toyed with the agarwood beads, occasionally glancing over.
As always, if this were for real, Xie Huai would have gotten rich overnight, becoming a casino regular and generously buying all the snacks and drinks in the lounge.
Well, maybe not so generous—there were no pearls in his bubble tea, fitting Xie Huai’s style.
The young masters got addicted. In the final round, there was even a jackpot—Macallan whisky, sponsored exclusively by Xu Yichen.
At this moment, Xu Yichen came down from the upper deck with Fang Qian and the others. As the sponsor, he joined in on the fun.
Chardonnay, Macallan—Qi Xu couldn’t help but wonder if Xu Yichen had just raided his father’s wine cellar.
Clearly, all these rare bottles had come from the elders’ private collection.
A group gathered around the sofa; those without seats leaned on its edges, determined to join the fun.
Qi Xu put on his bracelet and handed out seats to those who wanted to play. Just as he was about to stand up, Xie Huai grabbed the back of his jacket, pulling him down again, so that Qi Xu almost sat with one leg on top of Xie Huai’s.
Qi Xu glanced at him, “Heard that in business, forced buying is common—but forced watching too? That’s new.”
Xie Huai didn’t answer but asked, “Like Macallan?”
Qi Xu shook his head, “I prefer chardonnay. But if Macallan were cash, I’d like that too.”
Xie Huai smiled, “I’ll have Xu Yichen cash that in later.”
Qi Xu caught the certainty in his tone—seems like the jackpot was already his.
He asked skeptically, “Are you really that lucky to win?”
Qi Xu didn’t mind being Xie Huai’s “black knight” again—the lingering taste of chardonnay on his lips made him want to drink more.
Xie Huai adjusted the pillow behind Qi Xu’s waist with a slow, deliberate motion and said, “You’ve got the luck. Help me hold the cards later, and if I win, I’ll split the winnings with you.”
Perfect—that simple promise was enough to make Qi Xu agree wholeheartedly. He reached out his hand enthusiastically, sealing the deal.
But Xie Huai didn’t shake his hand—instead, he casually bumped the back of Qi Xu’s hand with his own, then tapped his fingers lightly, as if feeling his partner’s warmth. It was an unspoken pact only they understood.
Of course, Xu Yichen noticed immediately and shouted, “You two just finished your shared drink and now you’re secretly conspiring to steal my liquor again?”
After some time, Xu Yichen’s Chinese had improved dramatically—so much so it was impressive.
Qi Xu joked, “Your jackpot isn’t enough to make us plot together; just put out more prizes, Xu Shao. It’s rare to get together like this—can you be a little more generous?”
They were blatantly scheming to get his liquor—Xu Yichen had never met a more open robber.
Xu Yichen then pulled out the bottom-shelf stuff, “Adding one bottle of Château Cheval Blanc.”
Now Qi Xu was sure Xu Yichen had completely emptied his father’s wine cellar.
“After today, you’re done, right? Aren’t you afraid your dad will come after you? Tonight, it’s cane-wielded pork stew for dinner.”
Xu Yichen heard the teasing tone and was a little annoyed. “It hasn’t even started and you’re already sure we’re gonna win? Maybe I’ll win it all back and sneak it right back into the cellar without anyone noticing.”
Experienced—clearly not his first time doing this.
If Xu’s dad checked the cellar, he might find a giant rat—or open a bottle of red wine only to find it filled with plain water.
With Xu Yichen’s raise, the other young masters started betting as well.
From Macallan whisky and Château Cheval Blanc converted into nearly a million yuan, to watches, lighters, jewelry, and so on—totaling almost two million.
For ordinary people, this kind of entertainment gambling could mean a sudden fortune—if they were lucky enough to get invited aboard.
Even Fang Qian tossed a pair of earrings into the prize pool, but Xu Yichen quickly snatched them back, “Aren’t those your favorite earrings? How can you just give them away like that?”
Fang Qian rolled her eyes at him and threw a ring onto the pile—but Xu Yichen caught that too.
Qi Xu laughed at the scene. He didn’t have anything valuable, so he fished out two pieces of candied fruit—also scavenged from Xie Huai—and threw them in.
The others immediately called him out.
“Hey hey hey, what’s this? Qi Xu’s trying to fish in troubled waters!”
“Qi Xu’s just worried we’ll get tired playing cards and need some snacks.”
“Those two little things? Who do you think that’s gonna feed? No value at all.”
Qi Xu explained the origin of the candied fruit: “These are hand-made by our Huai-ge, haven’t you tried them? They’re way better than your Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, or Van Cleef & Arpels.”
His words shocked the crowd. They asked Xie Huai if this was true.
Xie Huai, rarely seeing Qi Xu so generous, seemed in a great mood today. So everyone decided to let this good mood get even better.
“Yeah, I made them.”
Xu Yichen insisted on making Xie Huai bleed big today: “What about you?”
Xie Huai pulled out a black card from his wallet and placed it on the table. “One-day usage.”
The room went crazy—cheers and whistles filled the yacht cabin, almost like a wild frenzy.
That was an unlimited spending black card, able to buy anything—houses, cars, even private helicopters and yachts.
As long as you were the final winner, you could use the card however you wanted.
Xu Yichen laughed and cursed, “This is f***ing insane.”
The black card made the last round the center of attention—who would be the final champion?
There were six players at the table, and all of them paired off like Qi Xu and Xie Huai, forming teams of two.
The dealer dealt cards face up, then gestured for players to reveal theirs.
Qi Xu leaned forward, flipped over two cards, and a second later laid them down as if untouched.
Xu Yichen secretly watched Qi Xu’s expression, unable to read it, and boldly met his gaze.
Xu Yichen asked, “So who’s the real player between you two?”
Qi Xu smiled faintly, “He is.”
Xu Yichen asked, “And you?”
Qi Xu said, “He’s the one flipping the cards for the player.”
The whole room burst out laughing—Qi Xu’s bluntness was hilarious. This guy really said whatever came to mind.
Xu Yichen, blushing, glanced at the card girl beside him, then was firmly nudged by Fang Qian on the back. She commanded, “Go check your cards, I’ll take over.”
Xu Yichen was speechless.
He had no choice but to obediently go check his cards.
Everyone started copying the routine—one person would check their cards and then whisper the details to their partner.
Most of the time, it was whispered ear-to-ear—fastest way to communicate.
Leaning back against the pillow, Qi Xu naturally grabbed Xie Huai’s hand, palm up, and placed his hand on top.
Then with his index finger, he carefully traced the type of hand shown by the two cards on the table.
His fingertip was soft and smooth, the curved nail scratching slightly against the palm—it was a little ticklish. The fingers connected heart to heart, and Xie Huai felt like his own heart was itching a little too.
Every time Qi Xu finished writing a number, he’d subconsciously tap once on Xie Huai’s palm to indicate he was moving on to the next digit.
That pause made Xie Huai’s heart skip a beat.
The four hand rankings were arranged from highest to lowest as 1, 2, 3, 4, followed by the card values.
It was clear and easy to understand, but Xie Huai didn’t quite get what Qi Xu meant. He just stared at him, signaling for a second try.
Qi Xu patiently wrote the whole thing again on his palm, this time slower and more deliberately so Xie Huai could see it clearly.
Xu Yichen, sitting right across from them, watched their back-and-forth and scratched his head.
He thought to himself, “Talking about cards like this almost feels like flirting.”
Since they were a team, some friction was bound to happen. But no one expected the first round to spark such a blatant internal dispute.
Just as Qi Xu was impatiently drawing on Xie Huai’s palm a third time, irritation got the better of him and he flipped Xie Huai off with his middle finger: “Can you even read this or what?”
Qi Xu was about to lose it—top of his class in science, and yet he couldn’t even read cards.
Their team’s internal clash was obvious, but the others quietly enjoyed the show.
Xie Huai clasped Qi Xu’s hand, covering his middle finger, soothingly saying, “I can read it.”
Qi Xu pulled back his hand and stopped caring. That black card wasn’t his anyway—if they lost, he’d only lose two pieces of candied fruit.
The dealer flipped the first three community cards, and Xie Huai tapped the table to raise the bet. Qi Xu skillfully pushed the highest chips into the pot.
The dealer flipped the fourth card.
Fang Qian boldly matched Xie Huai’s bet, while Zhang Xinping hesitated, double-checking his cards.
Jiang Zi cautiously added the smallest chip—his hand wasn’t good.
The other two just threw in the minimum to stay in the game.
The dealer flipped the fifth card.
Xie Huai tapped Qi Xu’s thigh twice. Qi Xu turned to look at him, catching the signal, and pushed all his chips in—going all-in.
Fang Qian wanted to follow but was half-stopped by Xu Yichen, who only let her put in half the chips.
When the players finally revealed their hands, Xie Huai won by a hair, nearly getting blocked by Fang Qian.
Qi Xu thought Xie Huai was really daring—if the last community card had been just a bit different, Fang Qian would have had a straight.
He leaned in to whisper to Xie Huai, “What were you thinking? Taking such a big risk.”
Xie Huai lowered his voice, “The card table isn’t just about the cards; it’s about the players.”
Qi Xu shrugged, rubbing his tingling ear awkwardly.
He quipped, “You’re ruthless, betting against friends like that.”
The last round used a points system—three games total.
Qi Xu and Xie Huai were like card table assassins—one calling the shots, the other betting. They didn’t speak, just exchanged looks and gestures, perfectly in sync.
Though it was supposed to be just for fun, watching them you’d think it was a high-stakes casino. Without the sound of the ocean waves, no one would guess they were on a yacht.
After three games, Xie Huai’s team won with the highest score.
Fang Qian came in second, winning back the bottle of Red Pearl Macallan Xu Yichen had bet, so he wouldn’t get scolded by his dad.
Some of the prize pool quietly made its way into Qi Xu and Xie Huai’s pockets—including the two pieces of candied fruit, returned to their rightful owner.
Qi Xu accepted it with relief, but told Xie Huai to cash it all out.
Someone asked Qi Xu if they could try Xie Huai’s candied fruit, but he politely declined, saying it was against the game rules.
The card games were mentally draining, so the young masters went off to find other fun.
Fishing was good for the mind and body—the butler thoughtfully prepared fishing rods outside.
Qi Xu yawned, feeling low on energy and not in the mood to fish. He asked Xu Yichen where the rooms were—he wanted to take a nap.
Xu Yichen scolded him for being unsociable, saying, “Is sleep more important than hanging out with friends?”
Qi Xu sincerely replied, “Sleep is more important to me than a date.”
Xu Yichen was speechless—his title of “insensitive” was about to be taken away.
He pointed, “Second room. The first room is the girls’ lounge.”
Qi Xu waved his hand dismissively, “Call me when it’s time to cut the cake.”
They didn’t stay out overnight just for the sunset. Jiang Zimu didn’t care about when to cut the cake—he only cared that his friends were all around him.
After Qi Xu entered the room, he didn’t get on the bed but curled up on the sofa with his eyes closed to rest.
He thought he wouldn’t fall asleep, but feeling the gentle rocking of the boat like a cradle soon lulled him to sleep.
After some unknown amount of time, Qi Xu was awakened by the orange sunset light spilling through the window sill. Opening his eyes, he was captivated by the afterglow.
After staring for a while, he suddenly realized a small blanket had somehow been placed on him.
He instinctively picked it up and sniffed—no familiar scent, probably the butler came in to cover him.
Qi Xu folded the blanket neatly on the sofa and just as he stepped out of the room, he met Xu Yichen.
“I was just about to come wake you.”
Qi Xu asked, “Is it time to cut the cake?”
Xu Yichen replied, “Waiting for you.”
Emphasizing the words, the birthday boy Jiang Zimu had gotten hooked on fishing, still swinging his fishing rod in hand.
Qi Xu checked his catch — if Jiang Zimu was supposed to feed a whole boat, they’d probably starve.
Totally inexperienced but hooked.
Fang Qian stepped in and told Jiang Zimu to put away the fishing rod and get ready for the cake cutting.
The cake-cutting ceremony took place on the deck, right facing the sunset. The natural scenery was even more stunning than any decoration.
The servers brought out a two-tiered cake, colorful and vibrant—just like Jiang Zimu’s favorite colors.
Xu Yichen took care of inserting and lighting the candles.
Everyone gathered around Jiang Zimu singing “Happy Birthday,” both in English and Chinese, welcoming the sunset glow.
The sunset and the waves bore witness to this birthday party.
Jiang Zimu smiled widely, having looked forward to this day for a long time. He closed his eyes reverently and made a wish to the candles.
When he opened his eyes to blow out the candles, he couldn’t extinguish them all in one breath, prompting jokes about how many wishes he had made.
Jiang Zimu said, “I hope everyone catches a fish today.”
That confirmed it—his wish was heavy, as none of them had caught a single fish all afternoon.
Jiang Zimu started cutting the cake, giving the first slice to his cousin, Fang Qian.
Fang Qian petted his head like a puppy: “Finally grown up, now you know to show me some respect.”
After slicing the cake, it was time for gifts. Jiang Zimu wasn’t used to opening presents in public, so he thanked everyone and saved them to open at home.
Qi Xu took his slice of cake and walked to the back of the boat to quietly admire the sunset on the horizon.
Just as he was about to take a bite, someone took away the slice in his hand — it was plain with little filling — and handed him a bigger slice, loaded with cream.
Qi Xu scooped up a bite full of cream. Not many people knew he liked sweet and sour flavors.
Xie Huai was one of the few who did.
It was something neither of them ever expected—Xie Huai actually knew his tastes.
Swallowing the bite, Qi Xu said, “Weren’t they all asking what gift you brought? You gave it away so fast?”
Xie Huai put down his cake, resting his elbows on the railing. “They were noisy, so I shut them up.”
Qi Xu asked, fork in mouth, “What did you actually give?”
Xie Huai said, “A little something.”
Qi Xu replied, “I’m a little something too.”
So what exactly was this little something?
The salty yolk of the setting sun was halfway dipped below the sea line. Both of them blurted out in unison: “EDC.”
Qi Xu was momentarily stunned, his heart inexplicably racing with a bit of excitement.
He guessed, “We didn’t bring the same thing, did we?”
Xie Huai didn’t care at all. “If it’s the same, it’s the same. If he breaks it, there’s a spare.”
Qi Xu chuckled, agreeing. “That’s a fair point.”
Seeing him staring intently at the golden sea, Xie Huai asked, “Do you really like being out at sea?”
Qi Xu nodded. Somehow, he suddenly felt like talking to Xie Huai—maybe the beautiful view gave him the courage to speak.
“I actually like water quite a lot. When I was little, before leaving Qi family village, I liked watching the small river there. When I grew up and went to school in the county seat, I’d often run over to people’s docks to watch the river. We’re not by the sea, so this is my first time seeing the ocean.”
“If the temperature were right, I’d want to go diving too. I’m curious what the ocean floor looks like that makes it so hard for them to catch a fish.”
Qi Xu rarely, if ever, said this much to anyone—except when snapping at people. In both his lifetimes, this was the first time he’d opened up like this.
He didn’t find it strange; maybe he’d finally fully accepted Xie Huai as a friend.
Xie Huai listened quietly as Qi Xu spoke. When he finished, there was a two-second pause before Xie Huai’s expression softened.
“Next time, we can try snorkeling. It’ll be my yacht’s maiden voyage—you pick a day you like, and we’ll set off.”
Qi Xu thought about the yacht’s maiden voyage date he never knew in his past life—and now it was his turn to choose.
Was this a kind of closure?
The sea breeze made Qi Xu’s jacket flap loudly. He turned his head to look at Xie Huai—both their hair was a little messy.
Qi Xu smiled brightly. “Really? You’re trusting me with such an important day?”
Probably more than that—Qi Xu was the first person invited onto the yacht, after all, and Xie Huai’s massive ship wasn’t even fully underway yet.
Xie Huai rubbed his index finger, feeling a little distracted by Qi Xu’s smile—and strangely, a sudden urge to smoke.
“Really. I’m not lying.”
Getting the clear answer, Qi Xu said, “Now I really want a cigarette.”
Xie Huai thought, how come even what we want to do is the same?
Just as Qi Xu was about to ask if Xie Huai wanted to break his habit and share one, Xu Yichen’s loud voice rang out from the bow of the ship.
“Seafood’s ready! Where are you guys? Ah Huai, Qi Xu!”
Qi Xu’s first smoke of the night got intercepted again—still didn’t happen.
The two of them returned to the deck. Xu Yichen held a crab leg in one hand.
“Were you two off on another little date?”
Qi Xu chucked a plastic fork at him. “Eat your food.”
The seafood on the boat had been pre-caught at the dock—if they’d relied on this bunch of clueless rich kids, they’d be starving by now.
After downing a big slice of cake, something savory hit just right.
As they ate, the yacht began its return trip. On the way back, Xu Yichen suggested they take a group photo.
The girls offered up their phones, and the butler took charge of the camera.
Everyone was crowded on deck eating seafood, hands full of crab and shrimp, not caring about how they looked. When it was time to say “cheese,” they said it without hesitation. Right as the butler hit the shutter, Qi Xu happened to lift his head from the seafood plate.
The instant photo captured that moment of carefree laughter among young people. In the shot, one guy stared expressionlessly at the camera, while the boy next to him smiled faintly—and quietly placed a peeled shrimp into the cool guy’s bowl.
They only realized this after someone shared the photo in the group chat. Xu Yichen immediately joked that the two were secretly hooking up behind everyone’s backs.
