Tang Family Estate, in a small courtyard.
Ian Song was playing cards with Chloe Snow, Lena Wei, Flora Thrall, Yanna Zhou, and Rosie Ning.
Having just learned the game, the girls were all highly enthusiastic. They were playing "Dou Niu" (Bullfight), which allows any number of players, and the stakes were sticky notes.
After just half an hour, Yanna Zhou's face was already covered in sticky notes, while Ian Song's face didn't have a single one.
As a result, Yanna was quite indignant and kept trying to stick a few notes on Ian's face.
This round, it was Yanna's turn to be the banker.
"Place your bets! Place your bets!"
Yanna called out as she dealt the cards.
Chloe said cautiously, "I'll bet one note!"
"I'll bet one note too!" said Rosie Ning.
Flora bet two notes, Lena bet three.
"Young Master, how about you? How many notes will you bet?" Yanna asked, staring at Ian.
The rules for Dou Niu are very simple: Bull Eight and Bull Nine pay double, Bull Bull pays triple, and Five-Flower Bull pays five times.
Ian and the others weren't playing for money—just sticky notes. If you lost, you had to stick notes on your face; if you won, you could take them off.
"No rush!"
Ian smiled and said, "Let me see how many more notes can fit on your face before I decide!"
Hearing this, Yanna was so exasperated she almost exploded, grumbling, "Hmph, now that I'm the banker, I'm definitely going to cover all your faces with notes!"
"Then I'll bet five notes!"
Ian said.
Once the cards were dealt, Yanna couldn't wait to check her hand. One look, and she was overjoyed—she actually had Bull Bull!
Bull Bull pays triple, so if you win against everyone, you can pretty much clear all the notes off your face.
Grinning from ear to ear, Yanna urged, "Hurry up and show your hands!"
Chloe, a little worried, flipped her cards onto the table. "I've got Bull Five."
Rosie said calmly, "Bull Seven."
Lena: "No Bull."
"Me neither!" Flora said, a little frustrated.
"Hahaha, I've got Bull Bull—total victory!"
Yanna laughed triumphantly, flipping her cards over with pride, then looked at Ian and said, "Young Master, why haven't you shown your hand? You bet five notes—at triple payout, you'll have to stick fifteen notes on your face!"
Yanna was so happy—just beating Chloe, Lena, Rosie, and Flora meant she could take all the notes off her face.
"Ever heard of 'joy turns to sorrow'?"
Ian glanced at Yanna's cards as he spoke.
"Oh, stop bluffing. Are you saying you've got Bull Bull too? Even if you do, it might not beat mine!" Yanna scoffed.
"But what if I do have Bull Bull?" Ian teased. If both players have Bull Bull, the points decide the winner.
"I don't believe it!"
Yanna said, absolutely certain.
"Is that so?"
Ian flipped his cards over. "Sorry, I've got Five-Flower Bull—five times payout. After deducting the twenty-one notes from the others, you need to stick four more notes on your face."
For a moment, Yanna's eyes went wide as saucers, staring at Ian's cards in disbelief, muttering, "No way, how could he have Five-Flower Bull!"
Chloe giggled, "Sister Yanna, need me to help you stick the notes?"
"Hmph! I'll do it myself!"
After sticking four more notes to her face, Yanna continued shuffling and dealing the cards.
In the second round, Yanna won a little and managed to peel off two notes.
In the third round, Yanna lost—she not only had to put those two notes back, but also added three more.
Fourth round—another loss.
By the fifth round, every inch of Yanna's face was covered in sticky notes—there was no room for more.
"Let's call it here!"
Ian said.
"No way, let's keep playing!"
Yanna was unwilling to quit—getting to put sticky notes on Ian's face had become her obsession. But she had no idea that Ian, with his godlike gambling skills, was impossible for a newbie like her to beat, even without cheating.
"Someone's coming!"
Ian smiled and looked up at the sky. Sure enough, in the next moment, two golden beams shot down, landing in the courtyard and transforming into two towering warriors clad in golden armor.
"Who are you?"
Flora asked coldly, already preparing to use poison.
But the two golden-armored warriors ignored her, fixing their gaze on Ian. "Are you Chu Fan?"
"That's right, I am. What do you want?" Ian replied coolly.
"By order of the Third Prince, we've come to take your head!"
One of the golden-armored warriors spoke, his tone utterly calm, as if killing Ian was the most routine thing in the world.
"Courting death!"
Hearing that these two had come to kill Ian, Flora grew furious and silently unleashed her poison arts.
"Ssssss!"