Chapter 11: He doesn’t want to play with me.

Qi Qin didn’t take Ning Wang’s coldness to heart. After going downstairs, he quickly walked over to Wen Jiu.

“Pretty lady!” he greeted her and sat down in front of her.

“Drinks are free today. Mind if we borrow a table to have our meal?”

Wen Jiu’s slender fingers gently stroked the curved surface of the dice cup. Her charming, sly phoenix eyes curved like they held a pool of clear spring water.

Hearing Qi Qin’s words, she nodded nonchalantly: “As you wish.”

It was just a meal with a few people—it didn’t affect her much.

Getting the answer he wanted, Qi Qin immediately walked to the booth next to Wen Jiu and waved at Jiang Yanci and Ning Wang.

“So embarrassing!” Ning Wang muttered in a low voice, full of disdain.

He’s at least the owner of this place, yet he still has to borrow a table from a guest just to eat.

This is all the fault of that silly pig Qi Qin!

In contrast, Jiang Yanci didn’t seem affected at all. He withdrew his gaze from Wen Jiu’s direction, then unhurriedly walked over and sat down beside Qi Qin.

While waiting for the food to be served, Qi Qin lay sprawled on the sofa near Wen Jiu, watching her play dice with the people who came over to flirt.

Time ticked by second by second, and the number of people in front of Wen Jiu had dwindled.

But aside from occasionally losing a few rounds and letting the challengers add her contact information, Wen Jiu had been winning almost nonstop.

The man sitting across from Wen Jiu rolled a one-one-two with the dice and looked at her with a confident, sure-win smile.

This round, they were competing to see who had the lower total — he didn’t believe this girl could really be that lucky.

But that smile froze as soon as he saw Wen Jiu calmly lift her dice cup to reveal three ones. The next second, he spoke up in defiance:

“In this place, the best at playing dice isn’t us.”

Wen Jiu raised an eyebrow: “So?”

“If you can beat that guy, I’ll admit you’re good.”

“Did I ask for your approval?” Wen Jiu glanced at him and impatiently reminded, “Take off your clothes, then you can leave.”

It was nothing more than a way to kill time for her, and he still tried to provoke her with reverse psychology.

How boring.

The man clearly hadn’t expected Wen Jiu to have this kind of attitude. Laughter rippled through the crowd, as if mocking his lack of awareness.

He suppressed a surge of frustration and said, “Those few people who just came out of the elevator—you noticed them too, didn’t you?

Wen Jiu raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

She didn’t feel the need to deny it. After all, their looks and presence were striking, and their appearance in the lobby had caused quite a stir. Claiming she hadn’t noticed would just be hypocritical.

Seeing this, the man gave a sly smile. “The one walking in the middle—his dice skills? In this place, if he’s not number one, no one else dares claim the title.

“If you even manage to beat him, then I’ll admit defeat—fair and square.”

Wen Jiu let out a soft scoff. “I don’t care whether you admit it or not.”

The man was caught off guard by her attitude and opened his mouth to say something more, but Wen Jiu cut him off directly: “Next.”

Seeing that Wen Jiu wasn’t taking the bait, the man clenched his fists in frustration, resentment boiling inside him.

Unfortunately for him, the next challenger stepped up and pulled him aside without ceremony, immediately taking the seat across from Wen Jiu to start the next round.

That person happened to be someone he couldn’t afford to offend, so he could only leave reluctantly, stewing in silence.

After a few more rounds, Wen Jiu lazily tossed the dice onto the table.

“Not playing anymore.”

These people had all sorts of body types—some good, some not so much—but after seeing so many, it all started to feel the same.

“Hey, don’t leave yet! We haven’t even played!” someone called out as soon as she announced she was done, prompting complaints from the people still waiting in line.

But Wen Jiu didn’t even spare them a glance. She stood up, ready to leave.

“You’re leaving already?” Qi Qin was caught off guard by her sudden move and quickly said,

“Actually, what that guy just said—you might want to consider it. My buddy Yan’s dice skills are seriously impressive.”

He still hadn’t had his fill of admiring this girl’s looks and didn’t want her to go just yet.

Wen Jiu’s steps slowed slightly. She turned her head, her gaze landing on the man who was quietly looking down at his phone.

To be honest, among all the men she had encountered, this one matched her taste the best.

But when he lifted his eyes, the dark brows carried a sharp, unruly edge—just one look and you could tell he wasn’t someone to mess with.

Wen Jiu smiled at him boldly, then stepped forward toward him.

It was the moment when the music had just switched; the crisp sound of the girl’s high heels echoed against the floor as she walked. The music resumed the instant she came to a stop.

Jiang Yanci put down his phone, leaning back casually, his long legs bent at ease. Those eyes—deep and unreadable—watched Wen Jiu as she approached.

Until she stopped right in front of him.

Amidst the noisy music, he only heard the girl ask, “Wanna play?”

Jiang Yanci let out a soft chuckle and asked knowingly, “Play what?”

Wen Jiu frowned slightly. “Dice…”

There was such a big commotion on her side—had he really not noticed?

It was possible. After all, he had been playing on his phone.

Wen Jiu thought for a moment, then completely lost interest.

She had only come over in the first place because she caught him looking at her.

Since he wasn’t interested, then forget it. She wouldn’t play anymore.

Thinking this way, the light of interest faded from her eyes. She offered a polite smile and said, “Sorry for disturbing you.”

As soon as the words fell, Wen Jiu turned to leave.

“Play.”

Jiang Yanci stared at her departing back. For some reason, a tightness gripped his chest, and the word “play” slipped from his lips without thinking.

Wen Jiu heard it but pretended not to.

However, Qi Qin couldn’t let her leave just like that. He quickly rushed over to block her path, flustered and anxious as he blurted out,

“Play, play, play! Miss, my Yan-ge says let’s play!”

He braked so hard he almost lost his balance. The red cowlick on top of his head swayed wildly, and it made Wen Jiu laugh.

Her smile was bright and dazzling as she teased,

“I don’t want to play with him. How about I play with you?”

“Ah?!!” Qi Qin froze.

But the next moment, a chill ran down his spine, snapping him back to reality. He quickly shook his head, stammering,

“I-I don’t know how! You, you play with my Yan-ge! He’s really good at it!”

While his mouth was saying words of praise, his eyes were filled with pleading.

Heaven knew it was rare for Jiang Yanci to even spare a second glance at a girl. If he messed this up, the big shots in the Jiang family would probably skin him alive.

Even though it was their first meeting, Wen Jiu quickly understood the look in this redhead’s eyes.

She frowned slightly and said,

“He doesn’t actually want to play with me.”

It was the truth.

“No way!” Qi Qin immediately denied it. “He’s just pretending every word clearly, Ning Wang—who had been quietly watching from the corner—gave Qi Qin a big thumbs-up.

Wen Jiu couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes curving. She turned to look at Jiang Yanci and saw that he was clearly caught off guard by the conversation. His expression was awkward and stiff, but he was trying his best to act like nothing had happened. That only made her laugh even harder.

Sitting back down across from him, Wen Jiu shook the dice cup on the table and asked,

“So… how do we play?”