"By the way, where's the boss and the others? Stelle, do you know?" March 7th turned around when she received no response. "What are you doing?"
Stelle stood frozen in place, staring at a hotel attendant in front of her.
"Hey, March, do hotels hire child laborers now?" Stelle stroked her chin and shook her head slightly. "Look at her—she's about as tall as Fu Xuan. Is she even 1.2 meters tall?"
The attendant in front of Stelle maintained a polite smile, showing no signs of annoyance or frustration.
"You two must be March 7th and Stelle, right?"
"Oh, you know us?" March 7th puffed out her chest, her tone slightly exaggerated. "I didn't realize we were this popular already. Ahem, if you want an autograph, it's not impossible."
As she spoke, March 7th extended her right hand, ready to receive a pen and paper.
"Hehe, you've misunderstood." The attendant stepped forward and took both of their hands. "Su Chen said he knew you two had arrived at the hotel entrance and specifically asked me to escort you upstairs."
"How did the boss know we were here?" March 7th turned to Stelle. "Did you tip off your little brother? Come on, we're here to catch him slacking off. If he knows, how are we supposed to catch him red-handed?"
Stelle scratched her head. "Are you talking about me? No way. I was just gaming the whole time."
"That's weird, then. How did he find out?"
"I think you're overthinking it. He knows a lot of things. Haven't you noticed how my brother always manages to push everyone's moral limits with pinpoint accuracy? So don't overcomplicate it. Besides, given our intellect, we're not exactly suited for this kind of deep thinking."
"Ladies, ladies!" The attendant's eye twitched slightly as he glanced around nervously. "Shall we head up now?"
"Sure, sure! Please lead the way."
...
Not long after, a blue-haired attendant appeared in the same spot, muttering to himself.
"Why haven't March 7th and Stelle arrived yet? It's all my fault for going back to get my phone. I could've sworn I brought it—how did it end up in the locker room? Luckily, my colleague covered for me, but where is she now? I don't see March 7th or Stelle either. Maybe I should call to confirm."
At that moment, the blue-haired attendant made a call.
"Hello, Mr. Sunday? This is Misha. I haven't seen March 7th or Stelle yet."
"..."
"Mm, mm! I'll keep waiting!"
——
Meanwhile, in the game room, the mahjong match at Qingque's table was intense.
All four players were one tile away from winning, meaning every discard from this point onward had to be cautious and deliberate. A single misstep could lead to defeat.
Qingque rapidly analyzed the tiles based on experience, the discard pile, and each player's missing suits.
The tile she needed was the one Su Shang was about to draw.
And judging by the table's dynamics, Su Shang would definitely discard it.
Then, she could declare victory.
Though it felt a bit bad to win off her colleague's discard, well—
Winning was everything!
Besides, her motivation for playing mahjong was for the boss's sake.
She never dared to dream that something this good could happen in her lifetime.
She had to win!
If Boss Su Chen was pleased, he might even set up a private game room just for her. Then she'd have a legitimate excuse to slack off!
Flames of determination burned in Qingque's eyes.
At that moment, Su Shang slowly picked up the tile.
She checked her hand, then pulled out a Mahjong Beginner's Guide, comparing each tile one by one.
"Oh! So that's how it works!"
Just then, Fu Xuan and Qingque's gazes sharpened—both of them locked onto the tile in Su Shang's hand, waiting for the moment it hit the table.
However—
What happened next defied all expectations.
Su Shang pushed her tiles forward with a grin. "Hehe, I win!"
"HUH?!"
Fu Xuan and Qingque were stunned. "How is that possible?!"
——
Upstairs, Sampo adjusted his binoculars.
"I swear, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe someone could play mahjong like this!"
"Indeed." Su Chen glanced at his watch. "We're playing Sichuan mahjong, so logically, you'd discard the suit you have the least of. But Su Shang went against all reason—she chose to cripple herself, discarding ten of her twelve Wanzi tiles right from the start."
At this point, Su Chen shuddered. "Her luck is just insane. How the hell did she still win with a self-draw?!"
Sampo burst out laughing. "I almost feel bad for Topaz and Aventurine. They held out for so long against this freak of nature before losing their pants. Truly the Child of Fortune."
"Honestly, the unluckiest one here is Professor Ratio."
"Right!" Sampo slapped his thigh. "The professor had the most Wanzi tiles. Thinking about it, Su Shang indirectly helped him discard a bunch."
"Enough about that. Did you text Sparkle? Why hasn't she arrived yet? Don't tell me you're trying to scam even me now."
"Boss Su Chen~ How could you think so poorly of old Sampo? I'd cry, you know~ I did notify her!"
——
Meanwhile, at the mahjong table, Ratio stared at Su Shang's winning hand in disbelief.
He had calculated that Su Shang was using a self-sabotaging strategy—
But he never expected her to take it this far and still pull off a comeback.
As hard as it was to believe, Su Shang had seized that one-in-ten-thousand chance.
…Was she actually a genius?
But—
It didn't matter. Her winning didn't mean he lost.
Since they were playing Sichuan mahjong, the game wouldn't end until all tiles were drawn—unless someone won outright.
After Su Shang's victory, Fu Xuan, Qingque, and Ratio continued playing.
Su Shang's playstyle completely defied Qingque's understanding of mahjong.
Soon, however, Qingque pieced it all together.
She could only sigh inwardly—No wonder Boss Su Chen brought Su Shang along.
But when Qingque re-examined her tiles, her eyes widened.
"Oh no!"
She knew she had to discard this tile—but doing so would give Ratio exactly what he needed.
"No! Mahjong and I have been bound by fate since childhood. When I grabbed a tile during my first birthday, it was mahjong. Throughout my life, mahjong has brought me endless fortune. It is the pillar of my existence!"
At that moment, it was as if Qingque's meridians had been unblocked. She scanned the table.
"I've found it—the path to victory!"
She swiftly drew another tile and slammed it down.
"I am the tiles. The tiles are me!"
Qingque smiled faintly as she discarded it. "This way, there's still a chance."
Ratio glanced at the discarded tile, picked it up, and pushed his own tiles forward.
With a calm, indifferent tone, he said:
"I win."