PNB Chapter 18, Phase 2: An Absolutely Fair Game of Luck
Chapter 18, Phase 2: An Absolutely Fair Game of Luck
Gu Zhibei sincerely thanked himself for changing his mind at the last minute.
If a best-of-three rule hadn't been proposed...
He's already the young lady's lackey.
Who knows, when the young lady gets in the car, she might even have to lie down and become a footrest.
A man should never be insulted like this unless she is willing to take off her shoes while stepping on him.
It's a pity the school uniform isn't a sailor suit; otherwise, we could take the opportunity to look up and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Gu Zhibei rearranged the cards, washed them, and placed them in the center of the coffee table:
"Should I go first?"
Pei Qingning gently raised her eyes, then quickly lowered them again.
Her thick, long eyelashes trembled slightly, concealing the thoughtful glint in her eyes.
She didn't answer, but instead extended her left hand.
Draw a card and reveal it.
The girl's breath hitched.
The clown's mocking smile was clearly visible.
The first card... is the Joker!
The tabby cat, who had been looking tense, finally revealed a triumphant smile.
"..."
Even though the situation had become unfavorable, Pei Qingning maintained her usual expressionless face.
Only a faint shadow in her eyes betrayed the girl's displeasure.
The hunter's unhurried pace reflects his composure and confidence in the hunt.
Instead of giving the prey the confidence and opportunity to resist.
In the quiet of their thoughts, the second round of the game began again.
Unlike before, the two people's situations were reversed in an extremely "coincidental" way.
Even more coincidentally, the two didn't even manage to get a single pair at the start.
In other words, Gu Zhibei and Pei Qingning each hold ten and eleven cards respectively.
However, this has no impact on the outcome of the game.
For players who know where the Joker is, whoever draws the Joker is destined to lose.
Soon, with the two players constantly drawing and playing cards, the second round of the game was nearing its end.
Gu Zhibei remained calm and composed.
With a casual snap, he laid the last card in his hand on the table.
He looked at the girl opposite him.
Pei Qingning clutched two cards.
He slightly clenched his fingers, causing the card to deform somewhat.
She still refused to let anyone see any emotion on her face.
Perhaps it was the cat's instinct at work that stirred up the boy's already strong sense of mischievousness.
Gu Zhibei stretched out his hand, his fingertips resting on the first card.
He stared at the other person's slightly trembling eyelashes and said in an extremely slow and deliberate tone:
Is this the one?
Pei Qingning's fingertips suddenly stiffened, and she subconsciously tightened her knuckles, then quickly relaxed them as if nothing had happened.
She pressed her lips together tightly, deliberately looking away, her pupils revealing a pitiful panic like that of a fawn.
"I won't tell you," she said.
However, the girl's unnatural tone was like that of a little monster whose true form had been exposed. No matter how hard she tried to cover it up, she couldn't hide the fox's tail behind her.
Gu Zhibei narrowed his eyes.
He has always had excellent eyesight.
The card that Pei Qingning was extremely reluctant to have drawn...
It's clearly a joker.
At this moment, Gu Zhibei finally came to a definite conclusion.
This seemingly aloof and naive young lady is actually quite cunning.
She is not only aware of her cold and aloof image in the eyes of others, but she is also very good at using this stereotype as a protective shield.
Once someone is captivated by her innocent and naive face, they will become a plaything in the girl's hands.
interesting.
As the boy felt increasingly threatened, a strange itch, like a cat's claws scratching at his heart, arose within him.
I want to find out why she keeps pressing me.
I wanted to figure out all those strange and unusual traits about her.
think……
In short, Gu Zhibei developed an obvious interest in Pei Qingning.
For cats, the secret is the finest catnip.
"You seem to really don't want me to draw this card?"
Gu Zhibei loosely clenched his left hand, lazily resting his face against the fist, while the tip of his right index finger lingered above the Joker.
He seemed to be hesitating, or perhaps testing the girl's true intentions:
"Your acting is quite good, Pei Qingning. You're clearly incredibly nervous inside, yet you manage to maintain such a calm expression on your face."
The girl lowered her eyes and remained silent.
A puppet that refuses to speak will not inform on others.
Gu Zhibei smiled with great interest.
Under the girl's gaze, his slender fingers suddenly rested on the Joker card.
Two fingers gradually twisted together, as if deliberately teasing her patience, the movements as slow as a close-up shot in slow motion, slowed down ten times.
Raise, lift
The grinning clown, like a holy angel returning to heaven, had already detached half of himself from the girl's palm.
suddenly.
The clown's ascension ceremony got stuck.
Just like a scene from a movie, the talented director begins to perform an art full of twists and turns.
With a gentle press of God's hand, the poor clown was sent back to hell.
The Joker card was returned to Pei Qingning's hand.
"Since you don't want me to draw this card, then so be it."
Gu Zhibei casually drew another card.
She was as efficient as Pei Qingning from the previous round.
Pei Qingning stared at the Joker card in her hand, an unprecedented sense of frustration welling up inside her.
At this moment, she was like a kitten that had just discovered that its companion could actually speak human language; bewildered, confused, and at a loss, she paced back and forth.
The girl's cheeks puffed out slightly, and a clear hint of resentment shone in her eyes.
"Again," she said sullenly.
...
Push the shuffled deck of cards to the center of the coffee table.
The Joker, which was like a time bomb, was placed on top of the deck again.
Gu Zhibei calmly looked at the girl opposite him, secretly launching a psychological offensive:
"You go first, or me?"
In psychology, there is a term called the "hot-hand fallacy," which can be simply defined as "the mentality of getting carried away."
If you lose a game of rock-paper-scissors, you must keep throwing your fist in the next round, believing that the previous loss is a sign that you are about to turn the tables.
Everyone has this mentality to some extent.
Gu Zhibei waited quietly for the girl's answer.
"..."
Pei Qingning stared at the deck of cards.
He looked up again.
A bad feeling suddenly rose in Gu Zhibei's heart.
It's always like this.
That's how he lost the first round.
What on earth is she looking at?!
For a moment, Gu Zhibei was restless.
The girl didn't lower her head, but maintained an upward gaze, and said softly:
"I'll go first..."
Hearing this, Gu Zhibei was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm.
To avoid her noticing anything unusual.
He pushed the deck of cards to the opposite side.
Pei Qingning did not reach out.
She looked at the anxious kitten, and sure enough, after she spoke, it wagged its tail with obvious delight.
"...I don't smoke." She added the next two words.
"I won't smoke yet."
The girl's complete words came together in his mind.
Gu Zhibei's relaxed posture froze instantly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
How could this happen?
He began to regret deliberately relinquishing control to satisfy his perverse desires.
"No regrets?" Gu Zhibei asked.
Pei Qingning simply pushed the deck of cards in front of him, just as he had done before.
Gu Zhibei remained silent for a long time before extending his hand.
Draw cards and play cards.
Both sides played their pairs.
According to their original agreement, he was supposed to go first.
Gu Zhibei randomly drew a card and played a pair.
Next up is Pei Qingning's turn.
She had just raised her wrist, ready to repeat the same trick, when she saw the boy suddenly start shuffling the cards.
The order of the six cards in hand was completely shuffled.
Without even looking at it, he placed it face down on the table.
The contents of the cards are unknown to anyone.
"Next, it's an absolutely fair game of luck," he said.