"Huff… huff… huff…"

My faint gasps echoed in the quiet open space on the basement floor of the entertainment complex.

After a brief rest, I straightened up, gripping playing cards between both hands. I assumed the attack stance just taught to me moments ago.

"Truly unexpected," Luo Wei said, standing five meters away in an elegant black tuxedo and tiny top hat. Not a bead of sweat marred his confident, cheerful face. He held his cards with one hand, utterly relaxed. "I thought you’d last less than half an hour."

We’d fought like this for a full hour, yet he showed no fatigue. Was it simply that boys had more stamina than girls? Or was he just that strong?

"Do you have something to protect?" He raised an eyebrow, flashing me an enigmatic smile. "Someone you want to save? Speak up if you do. We’re all family here, right, little Ice?"

Card Brother reached playfully for the lollipop held by Lu Yibing—the quiet girl standing nearby—but she kicked him away without mercy.

"Haha! Card Brother, flirting with Ice here? You’re dead tomorrow when her brother finds out!"

"I heard he spoils her rotten at home. You’re finished, Card Brother. Start buying your funeral paper money!"

The banter drew immediate teasing from the men and women lounging around, smoking and playing cards.

"Don’t worry," Card Brother chuckled, returning to his spot. "Ice isn’t the tattling type." He turned to me. "Yi Yao, shall we call it a day?"

I glanced at the wall clock. "It’s barely been an hour."

*You promised to let me join the Card Clan. You promised to teach me their secret techniques. Is this all just a joke?*

My reply seemed to surprise him. "Aren’t you tired?"

"Tired or not, it doesn’t change what needs to be learned."

When working for others, bosses don’t care if you’re exhausted, if your family’s in crisis, or if your loved ones are sick. They pay you because you bring value. No one cares without reason.

Just like now—Card Brother taught me these combat skills for free only because he needed my talent. Nothing more.

"Yi Yao."

Seeing the weariness on my face, Card Brother tucked away his cards and walked over. "We know about your situation."

"Many things in this world can’t be changed by will alone. All we can do is adapt. Staring too far into the future only buries your present."

"When Ice was little, her father abandoned her in the mountains just for being a girl. Her current master found and raised her. I was discarded by my parents too as a child because of illness. Only my uncle refused to give up—he stayed by my hospital bed for three whole months. And then… a miracle happened." He patted my shoulder. "See? Reality isn’t always so cruel."

"You’re the fastest learner I’ve ever seen," he continued. "Today I only meant to teach basic stances and strikes, but you’ve already mastered all the Card Clan fundamentals in an hour."

"Then…" I frowned.

"But there’s one thing you haven’t grasped: the Card Clan’s mindset. Or rather—you couldn’t learn it today, not in your state."

I lowered my head. "A friend of mine… is leaving."

"Hmm. Azure Excellence. Your closest brother."

Card Brother held out several cards. "Pick one."

I drew a random card and flipped it over: the Two of Diamonds.

"And?"

"See? I asked you to draw, and you did—without ever wondering *why* I wanted you to draw."

"I thought you were doing a magic trick."

"Exactly. Humans cling to assumptions. That’s why so many live unremarkable lives. You assumed I’d perform magic—but I’m no magician. When someone who isn’t a magician *acts* like one, you blindly believe the act. It’s simple logic, yet those trapped in the moment rarely see it without a nudge."

I looked up, confused.

"Your brother Azure Excellence is ill. You think he’s heartbroken."

"I—"

"We investigated. Azure Excellence has almost no friends besides you at school. Now he’s gravely sick—and you’ve never asked yourself: *Why him and not me?* Why does his illness weigh so heavily on *your* heart?"

Something ignited in my mind.

Like wandering a vast desert searching for an oasis, only to turn and find it had been following you all along.

"Yi Yao, you’re his friend. What you do is your choice—we won’t interfere. But I hope you learn to let go. For yourself. For him too."

Card Brother stepped back five meters, cards ready. He tossed his top hat onto a nearby table.

"Since you insist—we’ll continue. This next drill will show you the true spirit of the Card Clan."

"Understood."

I wiped sweat from my brow, tightened my grip on the cards, and reset into the Clan’s signature Z-shaped attack stance.

*I understand now.*

*Just like me and my sister.*

*She’s gone… but left me endless wealth and a future.*

*That was her wish. Her happiness.*

Under the sickly pale lights, I adjusted the cap Azure Excellence had given me.

Card Brother blurred into afterimages as he charged.

"*Queen of Spades—*"

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

I knew he wouldn’t truly harm me with the cards—but the terrifying speed of that shadowy streak still drenched me in cold sweat.

"*JOKE!*"

Two more gusts of wind sliced past my ears. With each confident, dazzling move, my defenses crumbled.

"*King of Clubs!*"

He leapt high, slashing downward at my neck with his cards. I barely dodged. He dropped into a crouch, his eagle-sharp eyes suddenly gleaming.

"*HAHAHAHA—*"

His laughter, sharp as his strikes, shattered my rhythm. Black afterimages flickered. I stumbled back, white slash marks blooming across my clothes.

*If he’d used knives… or unleashed the cards’ full power… I’d be in pieces.*

"*HAHAHAHAHAHA—*"

Cards danced like confetti in the air. Card Brother’s aura—so fierce even my taekwondo coach would retreat—drove me cornered against the mahjong room wall.

"*Check.*"

He plucked a Two of Diamonds from beside my neck and flipped it before my eyes, smiling. "Your little magic trick."

*Oh, come on.*

"Haha! My apologies—I got carried away." He turned, watching me struggle to stand. "Feel better now?"

I nodded, rising. "Much."

"Then I take back what I said earlier." His back still to me, his voice turned solemn. "Yi Yao… you’re a strong girl. No—you’re stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. We believe your future achievements will surpass all of ours." He tossed a King of Hearts over his shoulder. "Drill today’s basics until they’re instinct. When the time comes, I’ll send for you."

I caught the card. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

…

After leaving the complex, I stopped by the bank. Using my newly issued ID—barely weeks old—I opened an account and deposited the 100,000 yuan Card Brother had rewarded me.

I’ll never forget the stares from the bank staff.

Shangjing wasn’t a metropolis. One hundred thousand yuan was a fortune for ordinary people—let alone a 16-year-old middle schooler.

"What will you do with that money?"

Ouyang Earth appeared outside the bank, handing me a can of Sprite. "Relax—it’s not alcohol."

"Oh." I popped it open right in front of him. "Broken up with someone?"

He didn’t answer. His gaze drifted to the building on our left. "What do you think of Room 043?"

I shrugged. "We’ve barely exchanged five words these past days."

"Haha. True." He pulled out a beer from nowhere, sat on a bench by the bank entrance, and patted the space beside him.

I sat down—owing him that much for his past help.

Ouyang Earth’s physique was solid muscle, nothing like Card Brother’s carefree playboy aura. Sitting beside him, I felt instinctive unease. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could punch a bull to death barehanded.

"Truth is—I’m with the military."

Sunset light filtered through tree branches, dappling the dusty ground.

"My family sent me to a training camp when I was young. I only returned recently… to learn my parents had passed away."

I sipped my Sprite, watching the sunset. "You all love dumping your stories on me."

Long Fei. Card Brother. Now Ouyang Earth.

"No, Yi Yao. It’s not that I *want* to. It’s that you look… heartbreakingly lonely. I’ve never met a girl like you. Before, you were softer. More… girlish. This version of you—aren’t you exhausted by the solitude?"

"*Either solitude or vulgarity.*"

"…"

"So why find me today?"

"I lost a bet. Huang Zhiqiang asked me to look after his daughter—Huang Yingdie. You remember her?"

"Vaguely."

"This task… I’m not the right person for it. I just returned to Shangjing, and I don’t have any brothers close enough to that little demon—"

"You want me to *watch* those films for you?"

"*Adult* films? Watch your language, kid. Your job’s simple: walk her to and from school. Make sure she’s at class by day and home by night."