Chapter 73 "Why do you want to be hit twice more?"
The ski resort's new bar is called "Aurora" and is hidden in a glass building behind the East Cable Car.
Lin Che followed Jiang Jinjin through the corridor decorated with ice crystals, and could already hear the faint sound of music.
"This place is really great!" Jiang Jinjin turned around excitedly, her light yellow coat even more dazzling under the light. "It's only been open for a week, it's a members-only place, so ordinary people can't get in."
"I...I'm not really good at drinking." Lin Che looked around and took off the scarf from around her neck.
"Don't worry!" Jiang Jinjin smiled and pushed open the door, "I'm here!"
The warm wind blowing in his face was mixed with the scent of alcohol and perfume. Lin Che blinked uncomfortably.
The bar's interior is dominated by an icy blue hue, with countless tiny lights hanging from the ceiling, flowing and changing like the aurora borealis. The central bar counter is carved from a single block of ice, shimmering in a dreamy blue under the lights.
"Miss Jiang!" the bartender greeted familiarly. "Usual seat?"
"Of course!" Jiang Jinjin pulled Lin Che towards a semicircular booth in the corner, offering a great view while maintaining a degree of privacy. She swiftly removed her coat, revealing a silver sequined dress that shimmered under the light.
Lin Che sat stiffly on the velvet sofa, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of his scarf. The guests around him were dressed in twos and threes, toasting and chatting, while he, wearing only a simple cream-colored sweater, looked out of place.
"What would you like to drink?" Jiang Jinjin asked while flipping through the wine list.
"I can't drink much," Lin Che answered honestly, "Just give me a glass of juice."
Jiang Jinjin chuckled. "Come to the bar for juice? Teacher Lin, you're so cute!" She closed the drink menu and said to the waiter, "Two glasses of Northern Lights, thank you."
"I really can't—"
"Just take a small sip," Jiang Jinjin clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling, "If it doesn't taste good, I won't drink it, I promise!"
Lin Che nodded hesitantly. He looked around and suddenly noticed a few men and women not far away looking over their shoulder, whispering to each other.
"Oh, Miss Jiang," a young man with dyed silver hair came over and put his arm naturally on Jiang Jinjin's shoulder, "Is this your new boyfriend?"
Jiang Jinjin rolled her eyes. "No, this is my friend." She slapped the other person's hand away. "Teacher Lin, this is Xu Ziang, the second young master of the Xu family. He's a playboy. Don't pay attention to him."
Xu Ziang didn't take it seriously. Instead, he looked at Lin Che with interest. "This little brother looks familiar..." He suddenly realized, "Oh! You're the one who came with Mr. Lu today!"
The eyes of the people at the surrounding tables all turned to him, and the scrutiny made Lin Che feel uncomfortable.
"Since we are all friends, let's play together!" Xu Ziang called his companions over without hesitation, and in a blink of an eye, the booths were packed with people.
Lin Che was squeezed in the middle, and suddenly there were five or six brightly colored cocktails on the table in front of him.
"Hey, he can't drink too much." Jiang Jinjin anxiously stopped the action of adding more wine.
"Don't worry, they're all low-alcohol, no problem." Xu Ziang interrupted, pushing a glass of blue-glowing wine in front of Lin Che. "Come on, have a drink first!"
Lin Che quickly waved her hands: "I really can't drink..."
"You're not giving me face, are you?" Xu Ziang pretended to be displeased. "Is it so difficult to hire Mr. Lu's people?"
The people around him started to make noises, leaving Lin Che in a difficult position. He could only take a cautious sip. The sweet and spicy taste made him frown, and his throat burned.
"That's right!" Xu Ziang laughed and pushed another pink cup over. "This is Polar Rose, girls love it. Try it."
"No need. I'll drink when I want to." Lin Che refused the second glass of wine offered by Xu Ziang.
Rejected, Xu Ziang glanced at Lin Che's face and poked his cheek with his tongue in displeasure.
"Play dice?" Lin Che took the dice cup from Xu Ziang and rubbed the frosted wall with his fingertips.
The five dice shone coldly on the black velvet background, reminding him of the nights when he worked part-time in a bar during college.
Jiang Jinjin was being dragged along by her bestie to watch a video on her phone. She turned around and saw Lin Che surrounded in the middle of the booth. She hurriedly tried to get up, but Xu Ziang raised his hand to stop her. "Don't be nervous, Miss Jiang. Just play a couple of dice. The loser drinks."
"Teacher Lin, are you okay?" Jiang Jinjin asked across the crowd.
Lin Che gently shook the dice cup, her wrist movements so deft that Xu Ziang raised an eyebrow. "I played it in college."
He smiled gently, his eyelashes casting a fine shadow on his cheek. "But I really can't drink much. If I lose, can I drink half a glass?"
"Since Mr. Lu's people have spoken, of course you can." Xu Ziang grinned and turned to gesture to the bartender.
In an instant, twelve glasses of special drinks of different colors were placed on the ice crystal bar.
The dice clashed with a crisp sound in the confined space. As Lin Che closed the dice cup, he caught a glimpse of Xu Ziang exchanging glances with the girl in the blue skirt on his right.
He calmly lifted a corner of the cup lid - two fours, one six, and two ones.
"Five fours." Xu Ziang was the first to count, tapping the wall of the cup with his fingertips.
Lin Che glanced at the five people present and chuckled, "Open."
Everyone showed their cups, and the total number of bets was only three or four. Xu Ziang stared at Lin Che's half-smile, suddenly realizing that he had calculated the probability accurately. He tilted his head back and drank half a cup of amber liquid.
"Again." Xu Ziang wiped his lips. This time he'd learned his lesson, cautiously calling "eight sixes" for the third round.
Lin Che's fingertips rested on the edge of the dice cup, and the sleeves of his cream-colored sweater slipped down, revealing a section of his fair wrist. "Ten sixes." His voice was soft, but it made everyone at the table gasp.
"Are you crazy? The odds—" Before the girl in the blue dress could finish her words, Lin Che had already flipped open the dice cup. Four sixes were facing up, meaning the other four players only needed to make six sixes to win.
Xu Ziang's dice cup was empty; he hadn't known when all five dice had turned into fives. Amidst the laughter of the entire table, he downed another drink with a grim expression.
"Teacher Lin is a hidden talent!" Jiang Jinjin squeezed back to Lin Che without knowing when, and her light yellow coat rubbed against his arm.
Lin Che was about to respond when Xu Ziang suddenly grabbed her wrist and said, "One last round, big one."
The other person's eyes were bloodshot from the alcohol. "The loser has to answer the truth or take off a piece of clothing."
The booth was instantly bustling with activity.
Lin Che felt someone's gaze glued to the collar of his sweater. He slowly but firmly withdrew his hand: "I choose to drink."
"Are you scared?" Xu Ziang sneered, "Mr. Lu's canary is really..."
"Xu Ziang——" Jiang Jinjin's expression suddenly changed. The three words "canary" irritated her nerves. She felt her eyebrows twitch and a bad premonition spread in her heart.
"Let's go, Teacher Lin." Jiang Jinjin pulled Lin Che's wrist with a dark face. She no longer cared about continuing to play. If she continued like this, Lu Yu would tear her in half.
As soon as Jiang Jinjin's hand touched Lin Che's wrist, Xu Ziang suddenly stood up and blocked her way.
"Miss Jiang, what's the rush?" He said with a sarcastic smile, his eyes cold. "The game isn't over yet."
Lin Che sat still, tapping the dice cup lightly with his fingertips. He looked up at Xu Ziang and asked, "How do you want to play?"
His tone was calm, but his eyes had turned cold.
Xu Ziang scoffed, leaning over the edge of the table in front of Lin Che. The scent of alcohol and perfume filled his face. "It's simple. The loser either answers the truth, or..."
He glanced at Lin Che, and said pointedly, "Take off one piece of clothing."
The people around immediately started to make a noise, some whistled, some slammed the table, and the atmosphere instantly became ambiguous and dangerous.
Jiang Jinjin's face turned completely black: "Xu Ziang, are you looking for death?"
Xu Ziang turned a deaf ear to him and just stared at Lin Che: "Why, you don't dare?"
Lin Che said nothing. His fingers gently flicked the dice in the dice cup, and suddenly smiled: "Okay."
Jiang Jinjin turned around and looked at him: "Teacher Lin!"
Lin Che shook her head at her, a soothing look in her eyes, then looked at Xu Ziang: "However, since it's a bet, it has to be fair."
"How do you want to be fair?" Xu Ziang raised his eyebrows.
Lin Che tapped the table with his fingertips. "I lost, so I'll follow your rules. But you lost..." He paused, his eyes slightly cold. "You have to apologize to me in front of everyone."
The air froze instantly.
Xu Ziang's expression froze for a moment, then he sneered: "Okay, I want to see if you can beat me?"
Lin Che didn't respond, but simply raised his hand and shook the dice cup. The crisp sound of the dice colliding was particularly clear in the booth.
"One move decides the outcome." He raised his eyes. "Call for points, do you dare?"
Xu Ziang narrowed his eyes and then grabbed his dice cup: "Here."
Two people roll the dice at the same time and knock on the cup.
Xu Ziang stared at Lin Che and spoke first: "Eight fives."
Lin Che tapped the rim of the cup with her fingertips: "Open."
Xu Ziang's expression changed: "Are you sure?"
Lin Che didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly.
Xu Ziang gritted his teeth and opened the dice cup - three fives.
The people around him immediately held their breath, their eyes all turning to Lin Che.
Lin Che slowly opened his dice cup—four fives.
Including Xu Ziang’s three, there are a total of seven fives, one short of eight.
Xu Ziang lost.
"Apologize." Lin Che's voice was not loud, but every word was clear.
Xu Ziang's face turned ashen, and his fists were clenched tightly. The people around him looked at each other in confusion, and no one dared to speak.
Jiang Jinjin sneered: "Second Master Xu, you must accept the loss."
Xu Ziang stared at Lin Che intently, then suddenly broke into a sinister smile. "Alright, I apologize."
He suddenly grabbed the wine glass on the table and slammed it to the ground, "I'm going to fucking say—"
The sound of shattering glass exploded and the music in the bar stopped abruptly.
Everyone's attention was drawn to it.
Lin Che stood up and calmly pulled Jiang Jinjin behind him.
Shards of glass flew to Lin Che's feet, gleaming sharply in the light. Xu Ziang kicked the low table in front of him, sending bottles and glasses shattering to the floor.
"Apologize?" He ripped open his collar, revealing his red neck. "Who do you think you are? You're just a canary raised by Lu Yu. Do you really think you're such a big shot?"
The air in the bar froze instantly. Behind Lin Che, Jiang Jinjin gasped, her fingertips unconsciously clutching the hem of his sweater.
Lin Che stood motionless, his milky white sweater shimmering softly under the shifting aurora lights. He looked at Xu Ziang calmly, "Young Master Xu has had too much to drink."
"I'm so fucking sober!" Xu Ziang suddenly approached, his drunken breath blasting at Lin Che's face. "Why are you pretending to be so high and mighty? How much does Lu Yu pay you per month? I'll pay double!"
As he spoke, he actually reached out to touch Lin Che's face, but his wrist was grabbed the moment he was about to touch her.
"Xu Ziang." Lin Che's voice remained gentle, but the force in her hand caused Xu Ziang's expression to change instantly. "I suggest you stop."
"Fuck!" Xu Ziang pulled his hand back suddenly, but it didn't move at all.
—— "Second Young Master Xu can't even handle a pretty boy?"
——"Look, his wrists are all blue..."
——"Who is this Lin Che?"
Xu Ziang was embarrassed and suddenly picked up the broken bottle and pointed it at Lin Che: "You're shameless, aren't you? You really think that with Lu Yu's protection, you can—"
"So what?" Lin Che patted the slightly trembling Jiang Jinjin behind him soothingly, and slowly interrupted Xu Ziang's next words.
"Heh, Diao Luyu must have put a lot of thought into it. He plays dice better than anyone in the casino. If you didn't know him, you'd think he'd practiced."
Every word he said was full of sarcasm.
The light cast a shadow beneath Lin Che's long eyelashes. He slowly adjusted the cuffs of his sweater, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "Young Master Xu, you're joking."
His voice was gentle, but it silenced the noisy discussions around them. "I did work part-time as a bartender while I was in medical school."
Jiang Jinjin's eyes widened. This was the first time she heard Lin Che mention the past.
Xu Ziang rubbed his red wrist and said sarcastically: "Oh, a top student? Then how did you end up like this-"
"Xu Ziang!" Jiang Jinjin finally couldn't help but burst out, "Watch your mouth!"
Lin Che raised her hand to stop her and looked at Xu Ziang calmly: "Rather than worrying about my personal affairs, Mr. Xu should think about how to explain this."
He suddenly bent down and fished out three dice from the crack in the sofa. "They fell out of your sleeve when we were playing the game just now."
The crowd erupted in an uproar. The three dice had clearly been rigged; each side showed a five.
"You are slandering me!" Xu Ziang's face suddenly changed and he reached out to grab it.
Lin Che nimbly took a half step back, then somehow managed to twist around and twist Xu Ziang's arms behind his back. This beautiful grappling move stunned everyone present.
"I rotated in the emergency department for two years," Lin Che whispered in his ear. "I know how to inflict pain without leaving a mark. Want to try it?"
Xu Ziang's forehead was sweating from the pain, but he couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried.
As soon as Lin Che let go, Xu Ziang almost fell down in the mess of glass that had just been shattered. Lin Che kicked him to the side.
Xu Ziang crawled a few steps on the ground with his hands on his back before he staggered to his feet in a panic. His face flushed red from the alcohol.
He was about to explode when he saw Lin Che leaning over to pick up the three cheating dice and twirling them nimbly between his fingers.
"Mr. Xu—" Lin Che's voice remained gentle. He suddenly slammed the dice on the table. "Look at the essence of things."
The dice rolled on the ice crystal bar, and every side facing up showed a five.
A round of boos erupted from the surroundings. Several of the wealthy second-generations who had originally stood on Xu Ziang's side quietly took a half step back.
"You——!" Xu Ziang was so angry that he suddenly picked up the half-broken wine bottle.
"Why do you want to be hit twice more?" Lin Che's face turned completely cold, and his tone became less friendly.
Xu Ziang looked at Lin Che's harmless face, which had remained calm from beginning to end, but at this moment, there was a hint of anger. Such a beautiful face made his blood boil.
A hint of madness flashed in his eyes. He licked his cracked lips and slammed the bottle on the bar: "Lin Che, do you dare to play big?"
The air in the bar seemed to freeze. Jiang Jinjin hurriedly grabbed Lin Che's sleeve and said, "Ignore him. Let's go."
Lin Che gently brushed her hand away and looked at Xu Ziang calmly: "How do you want to play, Mr. Xu?"
"Let's play the dice we just played. One roll will decide the outcome." Xu Ziang ripped off his tie, revealing a sinister grin. "If I lose, you'll take off all your clothes and sleep in the snow for an hour. If you lose..."
He deliberately dragged out his tone, his eyes wandering over Lin Che: "I want you to call Lu Yu and break up with him in front of everyone—"
As he spoke, his eyes continued to linger on Lin Che's face, his tongue rolling across his teeth as he continued, "Then stay with me for a month."
The whole bar was instantly boiling. Jiang Jinjin gasped: "Xu Ziang, are you crazy?"
Lin Che's fingertips tapped lightly on the dice cup, making a crisp sound. He suddenly smiled, "Okay."
"Teacher Lin!" Jiang Jinjin stamped her feet anxiously.
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