The clock hand quietly pointed to one o'clock in the morning. The distant singing, the whispering moonlight, and the continuous chirping of insects under the mottled city walls all slowly melted into the night of Wuzhou.
Viper parked the car in front of a five-star hotel, which was also the hotel where everyone stayed tonight. Compared with the night of the spring outing in Yishan, it was a real upgrade and a new chapter. However, the girls who had passed the sleeping time were still in high spirits and had no fatigue. They went back to their rooms to take a shower and then came to Wenliang's room. They sat around on the sofa and chatted. I don't know who suggested that the front desk send a deck of cards, and they started to play upgrade in pairs.
Uncle Wen did not make a vulgar request for a game of strip poker, but just responded to the girls' call for the loser to put a note on his face. After three rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Wen Liang and Ning Xiaoning were assigned to the same group. It must be said that Ning Xiaoning was definitely possessed by bad luck today. The cards she drew were so bad that even the gambling god Gao would have to kneel down. She played ten games in a row and didn't win once.
Seeing that his face was about to be covered with paper strips, Xu Yao and Ji Su took one on each side, dipped it in water and prepared to start. Wen Liang decisively protected his face and said, "Wait a minute, let me and Xiao Ning resolve the internal conflict!"
Xu Yao said with a smile: "Okay, when I play cards I like to watch the opponents quarreling among themselves. I will solve it slowly. There is no rush!"
Wen Liang had no time to deal with this gloating guy, and said to Ning Xiaoning sincerely: "Coach, although I don't know what you touched tonight, you must listen to me this time... Go wash your hands!"
Ning Xiaoning was also very depressed by her own bad luck. Facing such naked slander, she did not get angry at all. Instead, she said angrily: "Wash it if you want. I don't believe this evil!"
But the facts proved that sometimes it was impossible to disbelieve in evil. Ning Xiaoning came back from washing her hands, but the cards she drew were worse than before she washed her hands. Even Wen Liang, who was beginning to be infected, also became foul-handed, and Xu Yao and Ji Su were defeated. In two of the rounds, Ning Xiaoning surrendered directly after picking up the cards. In the next three rounds, Ning Xiaoning could not even play a single card. It was extremely miserable.
After 20 rounds, Wen Liang had completely given up resistance and shouted that he wanted to stop playing and go to bed, but was ruthlessly rejected by Ning Xiaoning. She was more courageous and not moved by the failure in front of her. She played very hard every time, but unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes, and in the end, her face was covered with notes.
Compared to her usual cold and aloof attitude, this was the first time Ning Xiaoning appeared in front of everyone, making people want to laugh out loud.
As the game progressed, time passed quickly. Another round ended. Wen Liang looked at his watch and saw that it was already past three o'clock. He threw away his cards and said with a wry smile, "Xiao Ning, why don't we stop here? We have activities tomorrow, so let's go to bed early."
Xu Yao and Ji Su were already feeling tired. They kept yawning during the last round, which almost allowed Ning Xiaoning to seize the opportunity to get 80 points. They felt relieved when they heard what was said, leaned back on the sofa, expressed their active attitude, and agreed to a truce.
Ning Xiaoning raised her eyebrows and said coldly: "No!"
Xu Yao complained, "I really can't open my eyes. Let's go to sleep, okay? I'll play with you tomorrow..."
Ji Su was half lying on the sofa, unwilling to even lift his head, and said, "I can't do it anymore, I'm so sleepy..."
Ning Xiaoning still said those two words: "No!"
Wen Liang looked at Xu Yao and Ji Su, who were in agony, and said with a smile, "You are asking for trouble. I made you two so heartless just now. At least let us win once, so the coach won't give up!"
"There is no father-son relationship in the card game. Showing mercy is disrespectful to you!" Xu Yao muttered. When she saw Ning Xiaoning shuffling the cards again, she held her head with both hands and said, "Okay, we surrender. You win this time!"
Ning Xiaoning snorted, "No!"
Xu Yao whined, threw her head back and fell on the sofa, curled up into a ball, and refused to get up. As for Ji Su, her pretty eyes were slightly closed, her breathing was orderly, and she actually fell asleep on the sofa.
Ning Xiaoning was at a loss now. She couldn't really force them to play cards with a knife, could she? Wen Liang smiled, pointed to the balcony over there, and stood up and walked over first.
A few minutes later, when Xu Yao also fell asleep on the sofa, Ning Xiaoning followed. Standing on the balcony overlooking Wuzhou, the stream under the curved stone arch bridge flows eastward to the sea, but the beams of light reflect the high-rise buildings on the shore. The imprint of history and the symbol of the times are perfectly intertwined in this city. When you are in it, there are poems everywhere, and when you are outside, there are paintings everywhere!
A gust of wind blew Ning Xiaoning's long hair with a hint of coolness. She shivered slightly, then leaned over the railing with her arms folded.
"Are they all asleep?"
Ning Xiaoning nodded and said nothing.
Wen Liang glanced at her and said softly, "Coach, are you worried about something?"
Ning Xiaoning shook her head silently. Her worries were not for Qingshan, nor could she tell Yaoqin about them. She could only hide them deep in her heart, and let them rot in her heart. She could never let anyone else know.
Wen Liang didn't say anything else. He took off his coat and put it on her shoulders. He leaned his hands on the railing, looking at the rolling mountains in the distance, wondering what he was thinking.
"Can you tell me about your time in the capital?"
After an unknown amount of time, Ning Xiaoning suddenly asked about the trip to the capital. Wen Liang shrugged and said, "They are all business matters. They sound very boring."
Ning Xiaoning raised her head, the moonlight poured down on her cheeks, but it was even more beautiful than the moonlight: "I want to listen."
It was rare to hear Ning Xiaoning speak in such a gentle tone. Wen Liang felt something strange in his heart and smiled, "As long as you don't feel bored. But where should I start..."
There were several lounge chairs on the balcony, and the two sat down side by side, listening to Wen Liang talk about how to be the banker, how to build momentum, how to sneak into Chencang, and how to lure the enemy into a trap. In just a few words, he vividly described the thrilling scenes that took place in the capital.
Ning Xiaoning hugged her knees with her hands, her long, straight legs outlining a curve that was more thrilling than those in the business world and officialdom. She listened intently, her eyes flashing with a strange light from time to time, as if she had lived in those legendary stories, fighting side by side with Wen Liang and Ning Xi, and being invincible!
This is the world she has always dreamed of. The girl whose back she could only see since childhood has now stood at the forefront of the times and is writing her own glorious chapter. This is her inevitability.
But is it inevitable for me
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Liang yawned and turned to look at Ning Xiaoning, only to see that she had a smile on her rosy cheeks. She had fallen asleep with her head tilted to one side without him noticing.
Holding his eyelids that were about to droop, Wen Liang picked up Ning Xiaoning and put her on the sofa. He looked at Ji Su and Xu Yao who were also sleeping soundly. Their long hair was like waterfalls, their skin was whiter than snow, and they looked like sleeping crabapples in spring. They were so beautiful.
Wen Liang sat aside to rest for a while, and was thinking whether to send the three people back to their rooms, but he fell asleep in a daze. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)