"Since the two of you have lost, the outcome of this card game should now be settled."
Dr. Ratio held a thick book in his hand.
"Wait a moment, Professor Ratio." Fu Xuan stepped in front of Ratio and looked up at him. "Though Qingque and I have lost, there's still one person who hasn't been defeated yet."
At that moment, the gazes of all three fell upon Sushang.
She was holding her phone, video-calling someone. "Little Gui, this hotel is amazing! Next time I have free time, I'll definitely bring you here for a couple of days."
Ratio set the book down again and returned to his seat without a word—because even he wanted to know just how far Sushang's limits went.
"Still, even so, does that mean it's just me and Sushang competing now? That doesn't seem like enough people."
A glimmer flashed in Qingque's eyes. "Captain Fu, give me another chance! I swear I'll reflect on my mistakes and come back stronger!"
Just as Qingque was about to sit back down, Fu Xuan grabbed her.
"Qingque, don't worry. We've already seen hope. To defeat magic, we use magic. Professor Ratio is a master of human psychology. If we also send out an expert, how will the professor respond?"
Then, a warm voice called out from behind Fu Xuan. "Fu Xuan! Qingque!"
Qingque turned her head—it was March 7th and Stelle.
"What?! March 7th, Stelle, and Sushang?!"
She understood everything now, letting out a deep sigh before solemnly looking at Ratio. "Good luck, Professor!"
"Fu Xuan, you're here too? Have you finally learned to slack off? Qingque's influence must be strong if even a workaholic like you got infected." March 7th gave Qingque a thumbs-up.
"By the way, where's the boss?"
"No idea, he disappeared a while ago. Since the two of you managed to come here, I doubt it's just a coincidence. My mission should be considered complete."
As they spoke, Fu Xuan grabbed Qingque's hand and headed straight for the door.
Qingque's anguished wails echoed behind them. "Nooo, let me watch for a bit! Just a little bit, please—waaah!"
"No. Come with me and write your report!"
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
Fu Xuan felt her phone vibrate. Seeing the caller ID, she immediately sensed trouble but could only shake her head helplessly and answer.
"Hello, boss?"
"Look up at the second floor. We're on the second floor!"
Fu Xuan raised her head and spotted Su Chen waving at them. "I see you. No need to wave. Boss, what are you up to now?"
"Look how much Qingque is crying. It's good to take a break once in a while. You've always pushed yourself too hard—learning to relax a little is fine. Once you climb higher, you'll be so busy you won't even have time to breathe."
Fu Xuan stared at Su Chen on the second floor. "Actually… I know, but—"
"Come on up. I ordered two glasses of milk for you."
"..." Fu Xuan looked speechless for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Let's go, Qingque. Time to mooch off Su Chen properly and eat something good."
"I knew it! Captain Fu, you're the best!"
——
Su Chen nodded in satisfaction before turning around. "Sparkle, now that you've signed the employment contract—"
"Huh? Where'd she go?"
In front of Su Chen, aside from Sampo sipping his juice, the seat where Sparkle had been was now empty.
"No idea where she went. She's never been one to sit still—wherever there's fun, she'll sniff it out and go." Sampo took a big gulp of his juice.
"Boss Su Chen, let me say something you might not want to hear—don't think a piece of paper can bind Sparkle. You think everyone's as law-abiding as old Sampo here?"
Su Chen looked at Sampo with amusement. "You really don't blush at all when you say things like this, huh? What made you this way? Was it miHoYo?"
"I think she's already taken an interest in you. If she has, she'll come find you herself."
"That… makes a lot of sense." Su Chen leaned his arms against the second-floor railing.
Just then, a figure dressed as a waiter caught his eye.
Unsurprisingly, that person was Sparkle.
——
At that moment, Sparkle stood by the card table, quietly observing everything.
Of course, she also felt it was her duty to escalate the situation further.
"Flip your cards!" Just as Ratio was about to press the button, Sparkle stopped him.
"Hey, playing like this is just plain old mahjong. How boring. Why not try something else? Like… outsmarting each other?"
"Oh! I can do that!" March 7th eagerly raised her hand. "Me first, me first!"
Sparkle took off her hat, dropping all pretense. "Oh? This little pink-haired one seems quite spirited. Alright, you go first."
Ahem. March 7th cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and began.
"Just yesterday, I finally figured something out. You know how prisons are super secure? So how do prisoners get in?"
Seeing everyone shake their heads, March proudly declared, "Because they exploited loopholes in the law!"
Stelle's eyes widened in realization. "Ohhh, so that's how it works? I always thought they were just arrested by Jing Yuan and the others."
Sushang's eyes sparkled. "March, I never knew you were this smart! But when it comes to wisdom, I won't back down either!"
Pfft— Sparkle covered her mouth with both hands. She never expected it to be this hilarious.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the table…
Ratio's face darkened in silence. He kept muttering under his breath.
"I have mysophobia. I can't stand idiots, fools, or morons—seeing them makes me want to die. No, I can't collapse yet. There might still be hope for them!"
"March, while your reasoning makes sense, there's one thing you got wrong." Stelle stroked her chin. "What about the prison guards? They're not prisoners."
"Oh. Right."
"So, I've discovered an even more important question—what is the essence of humanity?"
Sparkle handed Stelle a pair of frameless glasses, which Stelle put on with great gravitas.
Hah… Ratio let out a sigh of relief. "Good, at least you're tackling philosophical questions. So, what do you think is the essence of humanity?"
Stelle adjusted her glasses. "Trash cans."
"Uh… Wh-why?"
"I've noticed that when I step on a trash can's pedal, it opens its mouth. If someone steps on me on the street, I'll also open my mouth and yell. Therefore, the essence of humanity is trash cans. This also explains why I love digging through them."
Pfft— Ratio spat out a mouthful of blood. "These two are hopeless. There's still one left… maybe she can be saved?!"
Clap clap clap— Sushang applauded. "What an amazing deduction, Stelle! You're incredible!"
"Sushang, any new insights lately?"
Sushang leaned in close to March 7th and Stelle. "A few days ago, Little Gui and I noticed that boiling water reaches 100°C—so boiling water is an obtuse angle! But a right angle is exactly 90°, so right angles can't boil!"
Ratio clutched his chest.
With a serene expression, he collapsed backward with a thud.