Chapter 68: Change the Game

It is a cool, moonless night in late autumn.

The suburban inn was completely silent, with no lights on.

Only a few dim candles were lit in the master bedroom, swaying in the wind, illuminating the long and narrow interlaced shadows of people, creating a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

Hua Jue sat expressionless, while Buyan leaned slightly to the side, ready to strike.

Xun Xun looked at Yun Chen nervously and winked at him secretly.

Yun Chen did not receive Xun Yan's gaze. Her palms were sweating a little, and she was hesitant. She couldn't help but turn her head to look at Huo Gannian who was lying on the couch behind her.

Huo Gannian was about to speak, but was interrupted by Hua Jue ruthlessly:

"Young Master, there's no need for that!"

Without saying anything, he smiled wryly, "Yes, young master, Achen is now able to stand on his own feet, and he can make his own decisions."

Huo Gannian had no choice but to keep silent.

Yun Chen hesitated for a while, then tentatively reached out and placed a square ox bone tile, saying softly:

"Thirty thousand?"

"Hu!" Hua Jue shouted, slammed the table, and smiled widely.

Xun Jian sighed repeatedly, "Achen, I've been hinting at him like crazy with my eyes, why are you still betting on 30,000? If I bet on 30,000, he's bound to win!"

Bu Yan pushed down Hua Jue's card and said gloatingly:

"You're done, Achen! He still has one more card in his hand. You're going to lose eight times! Pay up!"

"Oh... why did I lose again?" Yun Chen curled his lips in frustration. He touched his wallet and found it was empty.

At this time, a bulging indigo purse was handed to him from the side, which made Huo Gannian's fingers look slender and white.

"If you lose, it's mine." Huo Gannian said calmly, "I'm not afraid of fighting."

Yun Chen took the purse and sighed bitterly.

Hua Jue and Buyan on the side rolled up their sleeves and clapped their hands on the table happily:

"Great! With the young master hosting, Ah Chen is the God of Wealth today! Come on, come on! Open the next round!"

After another four rounds of fighting, Yun Chen made every shot and ate his enemies. Xun Yan wanted to scratch his scalp speechlessly, but the scalp that was cut off a few days ago had not grown back yet. It hurt when touched, and he couldn't scratch it.

In less than an hour, Yun Chen had emptied Huo Gannian's wallet.

"I haven't won a single game. I don't want to play anymore!" Yun Chen lay on the table in frustration, wailing continuously.

Huo Gannian couldn't bear it any longer and reached out to Yun Chen, "Help me up."

Seeing Huo Gannian about to go into battle, Bu Yan was horrified, "Be on guard! The young master is here to avenge little Achen!"

But Huo Gannian did not sit at the table, but just sat next to Yun Chen. Yun Chen was still the one who drew the cards and played them, and he only gave some pointers at key points.

When playing cards, Huo Gannian and Yun Chen would occasionally pick up the same card.

His fingers brushed lightly across the back of her hand, intentionally or unintentionally. The movement was very natural and normal, but it made her heart skip a beat.

"Hit seven tubes." Huo Gannian reminded and called back the dazed Yun Chen.

Yun Chen hurriedly tried to pick up the "Seven of Bamboos", but because he was confused and panicked, he knocked over several cards at once.

"Oh my, there are three nine-tube cards! They are cheating cards! Young master, you are so cunning!" Hua Jue started to make fun of it.

Yun Chen hurried to support the fallen cards, and Huo Gannian also leaned over and stretched out his hand to help support the cards, and his arms suddenly pressed against her shoulders.

She only felt a warm breath on her neck, and his magnetic voice leaned against her ear:

"What are you thinking about? Concentrate on playing cards."

She blushed like a child whose thoughts were discovered.

With Huo Gannian's guidance, Yun Chen quickly won back most of the money he had lost.

Seeing that tonight's work was going to be in vain, Hua Jue hurriedly called it a day, pushed the cards aside, and said:

"It's already Yinshi, stop fighting! Achen's injuries haven't healed yet. Although they are just flesh wounds and no internal organs are damaged, he's bleeding too much. We can't stay up all night like this!"

Bu Yan won a lot, and quickly agreed:

"Yes, it's a rare opportunity to have the princess's guards here to protect us. Let's heal our wounds and get some sleep!"

Yun Chen won more than ten rounds in a row in the second half of the game and was the banker the entire time. Now he was reluctant to end the game, "No! One more round! Let me play for a while longer!"

"It's okay, let them go, I'll play with you." Huo Gannian said.

Hua Jue and Buyan immediately took the money and ran away quickly.

Xun Jian was supposed to be on night watch, but Huo Gannian said to him:

"You should go and rest too. The Princess's guards are outside, and Ye Yan is on patrol. It won't be a problem."

Xun Xuan glanced at Yun Chen secretly, feeling a little worried, like an old father who was about to entrust the little white rabbit to a cunning fox fairy.

Huo Gannian's face turned slightly cold. "Xun Yan, you've done your job very well. Don't worry about anything else."

Xun Jian was startled and looked at Huo Gannian.

He saw the ill intention in those cold eyes, and knew that Huo Gannian had noticed his secret spying and was reminding him not to meddle.

Xun Xuan was so busy worrying about Yun Chen that he almost forgot how ruthless and scheming Huo Gannian was, the young master of the Huo Gang.

There was no need to say much or act like a master. Just a stern look was enough to make Xun Xun sweat on his forehead.

Xun Xuan had no choice but to retreat obediently and close the door.

As soon as the room was empty, the slightly cold look on Huo Gannian's face immediately disappeared.

He looked at Yun Chen and said with a smile:

"Pick thirteen cards and I'll teach you a new way to play." He then pointed to the bed and said, "Help me up first. The chair is uncomfortable."

She did as she was told, first placing him on the couch, then picking out thirteen cards and bringing them to the bedside.

"Shall I bring a small table over so we can play on it?"

He patted the empty space in front of him and said, "It's okay, you can play on the bed."

She was in a playful mood and didn't think much about it. She quickly took the cards and went to bed, not forgetting to move a candle beside the couch.

The two of them sat opposite each other on the bed, very close to each other.

He patiently taught her the new way to play, played cards with her, and won two or three out of ten, but lost seven or eight, making her happy and grinning:

"Young Master! Let's play this with Hua Jue and the others next time. I feel like I have a talent for this kind of game! Haha!"

He couldn't help laughing. "Okay, if you win, it's yours. If you lose, it's mine. You know where the purse is."

"Hehe, young master, you are so generous!"

"There's another way to play, do you want to try it?"

"OK!"

He said, "You pick up any card from the thirteen, and I can guess which card it is."

She was surprised. "So amazing? What if I guess wrong?"

"If you guess correctly, you lose a penalty to me; if you guess incorrectly, I lose a penalty to you."

"What's the punishment?"

There was a hint of smile on the corner of his lips. "Slap the palm of your hand."

"OK!"

She quickly arranged the cards, carefully pulled out one and hid it behind her.

He didn't even look at the cards and said casually, "One?"

She covered her mouth and laughed, "Wrong, hold out your palm!"

He held out his palm, and she slapped it mercilessly.

"Again, guess what?"

"One?"

"Wrong again! Show me your palms!"

He repeated this seven or eight times, but he never guessed correctly, and her slaps on his palms turned red.

Knowing that his shoulder injury had not healed, she was afraid that if she hit him too hard, it would hurt his shoulder, so when she punished him again, she reduced her strength and hit him gently.

When her hand fell into his palm, he suddenly grasped it, and with his other hand covered the candle beside the couch and extinguished the flame.

The room was plunged into darkness in an instant.

Before she could react, he leaned forward slightly, exerted force with his hands, and pulled her closer to him.

Completely caught off guard, she was so frightened that she held her breath and almost closed her eyes subconsciously.

In the moonlight, she could only see his starry eyes shining, and a smile seemed to be raised at the corners of his beautiful lips.

She heard her heart beating wildly and blood rushed to her head.

He slowly approached, tilted his head slightly, and looked her face up and down with a gaze as deep as the dark night. His eyes were full of aggression and possession, and even a little bit of frivolous playfulness.

Seeing this, she blushed and felt inexplicably nervous.

He kept getting closer and closer until the scent of pear wood on his body was close to her lips and teeth. He stopped, breathed orchid-like towards her, and whispered softly:

"It's late, go to bed."

Before she could respond, he suddenly let go of her hand, leaned back, and put some distance between them. His expression returned to normal.

This sudden closeness and then distance made her feel a sense of inexplicable loss in her heart.

Her mind was dazed and she frantically picked up the scattered cards on the bed.