The cards had been shuffled on the table.
Qingque glanced at her hand and smiled faintly. "I've never seen such a perfect opening!"
With that, she played a "Two of Bamboo."
Fu Xuan seized the moment and snatched the tile. "Pong!"
She then discarded a "Four of Circles," smiling at Qingque.
"I've studied the tile manuals day and night just to crush your mahjong ambitions and show you there's always someone better."
Qingque smacked her forehead. "Miss Fu, didn't Su Chen ask the three of us to team up against the Professor? Why are you going all out on me?"
"Uh... well, I figured it's the same whether I win, you win, or Sushang wins, right?"
"Hmph!" Veritas Ratio meticulously examined his tiles before gripping them tightly. "Kong!"
After drawing a replacement, he surveyed the table, deliberated deeply, and finally made his move.
When it was finally Sushang's turn, she remained motionless.
"Hey, hey!" Qingque nudged Sushang's head. "Wake up, wake up! Time for the 'chest-smashing boulder' performance!"
Sushang instinctively raised her head. "If you've got money, spare some; if not, hit subscribe."
"Stop sleeping! It's your turn to play!"
"Oh, oh." Sushang rubbed her head. "Sorry, sorry, I totally forgot."
As she spoke, she pulled out a copy of Mahjong for Absolute Beginners from her pocket.
Ratio was stunned. "You haven't even cleared the tutorial?!"
Suddenly, he felt a tightness in his chest.
What's going on?
Is my mysophobia acting up again?
He steadied his breathing, suppressing the rising discomfort.
However—
Sushang glanced at her tiles. "Huh? I've got four here too! Concealed Kong!"
After setting down the four tiles, she drew again.
"Hey, another four! Another Concealed Kong!"
"Tsk..." Fu Xuan frowned slightly. "Is this the so-called 'newbie protection'? This is too fast!"
Just then—
Ratio grabbed the tile Sushang had discarded. "Pong! My apologies, everyone. I'm ready to win now."
"What a hand! Professor's on fire! He can win with a One, Four, or Seven of Characters—I think he's got this in the bag!" Sampo observed Ratio's tiles closely.
"Relax, we've still got an ace up our sleeve." Su Chen maintained his composed, strategic demeanor.
"An ace? What ace?"
"Did you know Fu Xuan has another title? I heard it from Jing Yuan—Fu Xuan has a pivotal trait that once saved Jing Yuan and even the entire Security Bureau from dire straits."
Sampo perked up immediately. "Boss, do tell. I'm all ears."
"I remember Jing Yuan looking at me meaningfully and saying, 'If you want to unleash Fu Xuan's full potential, learn to summon the Conceptual God. Once summoned, she can defy fate itself.'"
Su Chen curled his lips slightly and sent a text to Sushang.
Sure enough, upon receiving the message, Sushang read it aloud word for word:
"Is miHoYo disbanding?"
Suddenly, the other three at the table stared wide-eyed at Fu Xuan.
Her aura had completely transformed.
"Q-Q-Qingque, what's wrong with Fu Xuan? She looks terrifying!" Sushang whispered frantically.
At that moment, Qingque finally recalled the past. "Oh no... I remember now. Captain Jing Yuan once said never to say the word 'disband' around Fu Xuan. Uttering those two words will trigger her hidden trait—Fu Xuan of the Abyss, the Ultimate Carry!"
Fu Xuan slowly raised her head. "Was it... you... who just said... 'disband'...?"
It was as if her meridians had been unblocked. She swept her gaze over the remaining tiles, her mind rapidly calculating all possibilities.
Seeing this, Ratio smirked. "Not a bad look. But have you figured it out? If you have, you'd know what's coming next. What will you do?"
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Unlike the intensity at Qingque's table, Argenti's presence created an entirely different atmosphere.
It was Topaz's turn to play, but before she could even draw a tile, Argenti's voice rang out.
"Fair lady, forgive my inelegant words, for I cannot possibly express the depth of your beauty and grace."
"Huh? Me?!" Topaz's face flushed red.
"Why are you blushing like a teapot?!" Aventurine sighed. "Don't get distracted."
But things were far more complicated than he imagined.
From then on, no matter whose turn it was, the "inelegant" Argenti would spend minutes showering praise—without repeating a single phrase.
The mahjong tiles barely moved, as most of the time was spent listening to Argenti's compliments.
And it was impossible to interrupt him—after all, who slaps a smiling face, especially one that won't stop flattering you?
The most terrifying part? A closer look at Argenti's expression revealed he was utterly sincere.
...
"Mr. Argenti!" Aventurine finally raised a hand to stop him. "Where exactly do you work? How do you manage to praise people so endlessly without repeating yourself?"
Argenti smiled gently. "My words are truly lacking, for I am unskilled at expressing myself. You flatter me, Aventurine. Compared to my roommate, whose speech is far more elegant—he never utters a sentence without calling someone 'darling'—if he were here, he'd surely offer a far more delightful experience."
"Uh, no need," Topaz interjected. "How about this? Let's finish this round properly, and then... see that potted plant over there? You can praise it as much as you want!"
"Of course, fair lady. But before that, allow me to regale you all with the tale of the peerless beauty of the Aeon Idrila the Magnificent."
"Uh... isn't that fictional?"
At the same time...
At the hotel entrance, March 7th and Stelle had arrived on schedule.
"Wow, this is the place!"