1RomanceEB Chapter 16 The Winner is the Master
Chapter 16 The Winner is the Master
I don't know him, I've never seen him before, he's just a passerby.
Reciting the incantation in his mind, Gu Zhibei took a step to the left.
"Hmm."
The girl persisted and took a step forward as well.
She tilted her head back, her gaze clear yet intense.
It's like staring at a dragon that has stolen a princess.
Gu Zhibei narrowed his eyes and took another step to the right.
However, Pei Qingning, like his shadow, clung to him relentlessly.
Do you think you have me figured out?
Their eyes met, the atmosphere like that of gunmen waiting for the other to make a mistake, ready to explode at any moment.
The brave wins when we meet on a narrow road.
Only those with true magnanimity can subdue others.
"Pei, is there something you need?" Gu Zhibei asked.
The girl did not respond immediately.
Instead, he looked up.
Then, she met the boy's gaze and said softly:
"game."
"game?"
"Losers pay the price; winners are the masters."
Pei Qingning's tone was clearly indifferent, as if a gentle breeze could dispel it.
However, Gu Zhibei's exceptionally keen sixth sense was giving him a frantic warning.
This is their natural enemy, their predator, their ravenous beast.
He paused for two seconds:
"Slavery is illegal."
"..."
Pei Qingning remained silent.
However, the girl's eyes had lost their usual calmness; they were clear and bright, neither dodging nor avoiding, and her cool and aloof expression revealed a stubborn determination.
If we were to move forward hundreds or thousands of years, back to an era when human life was cheap, this would inevitably be a declaration of war that would determine whether we live or die.
Avoiding war means losing face completely.
To accept the challenge might mean losing one's life.
Of course, reality isn't that extreme; it's simply a game that determines who gets crushed.
Even now, Gu Zhibei still doesn't know her purpose, let alone why she would make such a bizarre and childish bet.
But all of that is irrelevant now.
A wound to the back is a disgrace to a swordsman.
To be subservient to others is a disgrace to a man!
Gu Zhibei has lived for so many years, receiving love essays of tens of thousands of words and even seeing girls confessing their love to him over the school radio. But he has never experienced a beautiful, wealthy young lady of his age saying to his face that she wants to be his master.
This is beyond just being abnormal.
"I can take it, but I refuse this bet," Gu Zhibei said.
Although having a cool and beautiful young lady dress up as a maid and address me as her master is an extremely tempting condition, it carries the risk of turning me into a lapdog, wagging my tail and begging for mercy.
I can't do it, I shouldn't do it.
Perhaps this is a reward for some people.
But his ambitions lay elsewhere.
Pei Qingning frowned slightly:
"One request."
"A request you can't refuse?" Gu Zhibei asked.
The girl nodded, as if there was no problem with the bet in her eyes.
But can someone really be that "natural"?
Gu Zhibei didn't believe it.
Even though her cold and aloof little face looks very easy to fool.
Jiangzhong, where he studied, was not an ordinary school, but a well-known key high school in the province.
The top students in Class 1 and Class 2 mostly aim for top universities in the country and even the world.
How could she possibly be a stupid person, given that she consistently ranked first in the humanities at such a school?
Gu Zhibei was more inclined to believe that she was deliberately using her natural disguise to lower his guard.
Imagine a beautiful, innocent girl facing you with complete trust, as if she has absolute confidence in everything you say and do...
Now she seems to have inadvertently bound her own hands and feet, and given you the key to unlock those shackles... How many people could resist such a temptation?
"Does she think she's bound to win?" Gu Zhibei deduced this conclusion.
She would only make such a bet without hesitation if she had a 100% chance of winning.
Or perhaps Pei Qingning never even considered fulfilling her promise?
This possibility is not uncommon.
Even with a written agreement, such outrageous bets that exceed the scope of legal regulations will only be treated as worthless pieces of paper.
If he said it to my face, he would only be seen as a pervert.
No matter how you look at it, you're not going to gain anything by winning or losing.
However, if we can win this game, we can stand firm on the moral high ground and at least not be at a disadvantage in the confrontation.
Gu Zhibei continued, "What game? Rock-paper-scissors, or something else?"
"Draw the Joker card."
Pei Qingning provided the answer.
This left Gu Zhibei somewhat puzzled.
Because drawing the Joker card requires very little skill; luck plays a very high role.
The basic rule is to remove one of the two Jokers, and use the other as the Joker. In the end, everyone gets a point.
During the game, players take turns drawing one card from each other, and discard the card once they make a pair.
The first person to play all their cards wins.
The Joker must remain in the loser's hand because it cannot be played.
There is indeed a bit of psychological game involved, but as long as you completely ignore the other person's facial expressions, drawing the Joker becomes a pure game of luck.
What makes Pei Qingning so confident of her victory? Is it because of her almost expressionless face?
That was indeed a formidable weapon.
Suppose she used her pretty little face to pitifully beg her master to be lenient and faithfully offered her cafeteria meal card, then perhaps he would soften his heart after winning.
"To prevent you from cheating, you must use the playing cards I provide, and I will also shuffle the cards," Gu Zhibei said righteously.
Pei Qingning seemed completely unsuspecting and nodded.
"I'll look for you at noon," she said.
After saying that, the girl left, satisfied.
Gu Zhibei stood there, feeling that there was something he didn't know about, but he had no clues to deduce it.
The game I chose was entirely based on luck, and the conditions I agreed to afterwards eliminated any possibility of cheating.
How could she be so confident of winning against herself?
Could it be that this agreed-upon game was just part of her plan?
Gu Zhibei returned to the classroom, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became, so he simply borrowed a deck of cards.
Things like playing cards and cell phones, which are explicitly prohibited by the school, are bound to be brought along by students.
Wang Lei has one.
"Want to play a round?" Wang Lei asked excitedly.
Gu Zhibei had no such intention. Although he didn't mind slacking off during morning reading, playing cards would inevitably disturb those around him who were studying diligently.
He took out the playing cards and then removed the two Jokers.
Turn it over and then gently rub off some of the ink from the pattern on the back with your fingernail.
It's a tiny white dot that's almost invisible unless you look closely.
Then Gu Zhibei stretched the two cards a little wider to make them easier to distinguish when shuffling.
After doing all this, he put the cards back into the box.
Cheating? No.
Only cheating that can be detected is considered cheating.
Cheating that goes undetected is called the formula for victory.
Ultimately, the winner is the master.