"What?"
"Please don't misunderstand, the winery is providing you with free dresses. Today's theme is a masquerade ball, please follow me."
Chuanliu looked at his comfortable hoodie and reluctantly followed him inside.
The elegant piano music was captivating, with notes dancing on fingertips and surrounding the guests.
Everyone was wearing the same style of mask, adorned with black goose feathers and silver sequins.
Chuanliu leaned against the bar, wearing a black evening gown with a long train that covered her feet and sleeves that went past her hands; her slender neck was exposed.
Like a black swan.
Mysterious, it invites exploration.
Beneath the mask, the girl scanned her surroundings with seemingly casual eyes, constantly paying attention to the environment and the crowd entering the venue.
The invitation from "Cube 9" states that it is inviting official residents of the Cube City.
Based on the number of people holding identity cards, there should be at least 13 people, from A to K.
Hopefully, she will indeed meet the legendary person with a number above 10, just as she wishes.
Hey beautiful, all alone?
A man in a plaid suit approached, deliberately standing in front of Chuanliu in an attempt to attract her attention.
Using his magician's keen intuition, Kawakami focused his gaze on the man's hands.
Most of their faces were covered by masks, but the guests' hands were exposed.
A person's hands can sometimes reveal a lot of information.
For example, the man in front of me, although he was a bit overweight, was still quite strong; his hands were very tanned and rough, his nails were cut very short, and his palms were covered with calluses from years of hard work.
It was probably left behind by someone who did outdoor manual labor, such as a rock climber or a factory worker.
Chuanliu withdrew his gaze, a smile playing on his red lips. "How should I address you, Big Brother?"
The man straightened his collar. "Li Si, also '4 of Diamonds.' What about you, beautiful lady?"
Chuanliu's phoenix eyes flickered. "Zhang San, also '3 of Diamonds,' what a coincidence!"
Having failed to strike up a conversation, Li Si gave an awkward laugh, naturally taking the woman's words as made up. He could only continue the awkward conversation by saying, "The invitation says to bring a male dance partner. If you don't have a partner, would you mind coming with me?"
Dance partner?
Chuanliu felt embarrassed; she had been so focused on the other contents of the invitation that she had completely forgotten about it.
Despite thinking this way, he didn't reveal the slightest flaw in his expression.
"What invitation?"
The girl asked in a puzzled voice.
Li Si thought to himself, "They don't even know about the invitation; someone else probably brought it in." He shook his head in disappointment and left.
It wasn't that he didn't have thieving intentions; it was mainly because most of the official residents present had a higher status than him.
If you offend someone you shouldn't by striking up a conversation, then it's definitely not worth it.
At this moment, Li Si's dance partner found him, walked through the crowd, and took his arm.
The woman looked at Chuanliu warily, fearing that her sugar daddy would be lured away by someone else.
"Fourth Brother~ Who is she? Why were you talking to her just now?"
Li Si comforted the beautiful woman in his arms, "Baby, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I don't know her. I guess someone brought her here?"
The woman glared at Chuanliu, then grabbed Li Si and walked away without looking back.
Li Si turned his head twice, though.
"It's not easy for a homeless person to find a generous benefactor."
The sound of money ringing in Chuanliu's ears.
The close proximity between them caused Chuanliu to instinctively take two steps back.
The girl frowned slightly, looking at the man with displeasure. "I don't like getting too close to others."
Qian Chuan smiled helplessly, "You're too lazy to even pretend with me anymore?"
The river flowed silently, continuing to observe its surroundings.
Ignoring the girl's warning, Qian Chuan leaned against the bar with her and said nonchalantly, "How am I someone else? Aren't I your brother?"
Chuanliu stared into Qianchuan's eyes through the mask, "If he's my brother, he'll give me back the 80,000 yuan."
The latter immediately avoided eye contact and changed the subject, "Ahem, that Li Si, '4 of Diamonds,' used to be a foreman at the mine. He ran away with public funds, and his carefree life didn't last long before he was caught. Apart from being a bit greedy and lecherous, he didn't like to cause trouble."
That hairy girl is Aunt Wang Wu, nicknamed "5 of Diamonds." She was bewitched and joined a pyramid scheme, selling fake insurance in the neighborhood and swindling money from many elderly people. The worst part is that she is unrepentant and is said to have received a heavy sentence.
The one with the white hair, "Seven of Diamonds," was convicted of stealing a car and reportedly sold it for eight figures.
That skinny, short guy with the "8 of Diamonds" is a heartless boss who makes and sells counterfeit goods...
Qian Chuan kindly offered his explanation from the side.
Chuanliu listened quietly, taking the information to heart.
Just as he was getting into the story, Qian Chuan suddenly stopped talking and looked at the girl with a smug look on his face, saying, "Well, isn't this information enough to cover the 80,000 yuan?"
Chuanliu glanced at him indifferently, not wanting to keep him in suspense any longer. "What about '9 of Diamonds'?"
Qian Chuan smiled. "He sent you an invitation, so I thought you two already knew each other... Do you know the purpose of today's ball?"
"What?"
Qian Chuan didn't say anything more.
Chuanliu did not fulfill his mischievous goal of keeping people in suspense.
You only want to say half of what you mean? Then you might as well bottling it up.
A spotlight shone on the entrance, where a well-dressed couple walked gracefully in.
The man was tall, and even through the mask, his handsome features were still visible. The woman following behind him, judging from her figure and appearance, was the one who had delivered the invitation to Chuanliu that morning.
After the man appeared, everyone's eyes were drawn to him.
He slowly raised his glass, and as the piano music faded, an elegant voice emanated from his lips, "Welcome to the ball in the City of Blocks. It's a pleasure to see old friends and new friends."
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
He continued, "Let me introduce myself to my new friends. I'm 'Square 9'—Xu Zhi, and my profession is—'Liar.'"
After saying that, Xu Zhi raised his wine glass and drank the red liquid in one gulp.
After finishing his drink, he walked over to the girl behind him and handed her the empty cup.
The girl seemed to have gotten used to being treated like a puppet, and apart from obediently waiting for his instructions, she didn't show any other expression.
Not seeing the upper levels of the cube, Chuanliu couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
But she quickly began to observe Xu Zhi under the spotlight, trying to figure out how he had managed to sit in the "Nine of Diamonds" position at such a young age.
Xu Zhi moved among the crowd, exchanging toasts with everyone Qian Chuan had just introduced.
At this moment, Qian Chuan spoke up, "See the drinks they're drinking? 1,000 yuan a glass!"
Xu Zhi toasted the people one by one, and the people being toasted felt embarrassed to refuse him, so they reluctantly picked up a glass.
Chuanliu looked in Xu Zhi's direction, "His businesses?"
Qian Chuan: "Smart."
Chuanliu: "Are you implying that he's holding the dance party just to generate revenue?"
Qian Chuan: "I didn't say that."
As they were talking, Xu Zhi and his female companion walked towards them.
"Brother Qian Liu, long time no see. I heard you lost your ID card?"
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