“By the rules of this game, can I shoot you now too?”
Lin Cheng suddenly picked up the revolver from the table and aimed the barrel straight at Hyacinth sitting across from him.
The two men in suits beside Hyacinth quickly stepped in front of her, and the atmosphere grew taut in an instant, like swords drawn and bows bent. Xu Wanyue, standing behind Lin Cheng, held her breath, not daring to exhale.
“Move aside.” Hyacinth’s voice rang out from behind the two suited men. They shifted out of the way, allowing Lin Cheng to lock eyes with her once more. She had lowered her leg from the table and now sat quietly in her chair, though her eyes gleamed with an eerie light. “Of course… if you can kill me today, all the debts will be wiped clean.”
“What’s so bad about staying alive?”
Lin Cheng let out a light chuckle and pulled the trigger. The shot blew the head off the girl across from him.
Xu Wanyue clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream, but her arms began to spasm. The gory scene before her was enough to turn anyone’s stomach, yet the two suited men didn’t bat an eye, and Lin Cheng simply set the gun down with calm composure.
“Relax.” Lin Cheng turned to Xu Wanyue, his voice gentle. “She won’t die.”
The moment those words left his mouth, all the blood and flesh scattered across the floor, the table, and the ceiling suddenly floated upward. Even the girl’s headless corpse stopped gushing blood. Everything reassembled itself into its original position, like a puzzle snapping perfectly back together. In a little over ten seconds, Hyacinth across from him was restored to her former self—the bloodstains on her dress had vanished too, everything pristine once more.
Her head had clearly been blown apart just moments ago, but now Hyacinth regarded Lin Cheng without a trace of anger. Instead, that strange gleam intensified in her eyes. “You seem to know my ability pretty well.”
“Not exactly. I just pieced together a bit, so I figured I’d test it with a shot.”
“What if… I couldn’t come back, huh?”
“Testing’s free. What does your life or death have to do with me?” Lin Cheng shrugged.
“Have you considered… that neither of you might leave this private room tonight?” Hyacinth’s gaze turned icy as it fixed on him. One of the suited men handed her the handgun, and she loaded three bullets into it, one by one.
She leveled the muzzle at Lin Cheng. “I’ll fire three shots.”
“I’m curious… how long can the luck she bestowed on you hold out?” Hyacinth clearly had some insight into Xu Wanyue’s ability as well. The so-called “Favor” wasn’t some absolute, heaven-defying stroke of fortune. She raised the handgun and took aim at Lin Cheng’s head, but he abruptly thrust out a hand. “Hold on! Give me one minute!”
Lin Cheng glanced at Xu Wanyue.
For some reason, a sense of foreboding washed over her.
“Guess… this is our only option.” Lin Cheng sighed and shook his head in resignation. He rose to his feet and drew close to Xu Wanyue. Still unsure what was happening, she found herself gently pulled into his embrace.
Xu Wanyue stiffened.
She rarely had any physical contact with others. Even a quick hug from her closest friends felt awkward—not unpleasant, just unfamiliar. In the past dozen years, she’d never hugged anyone, not even her own sister. Before turning eighteen, she hadn’t understood how her misfortune spread, so she’d done her best to avoid all touch.
But now Lin Cheng held her tight.
“I brushed my teeth before heading out.” His lips brushed her ear, his voice barely above a whisper. Xu Wanyue’s body trembled faintly. She leaned toward his ear in turn, her tone tinged with grievance. “Does it have to be this way?”
“Die together, or lose your first kiss. Your choice.” Lin Cheng patted her back lightly, sounding almost apologetic. Xu Wanyue could only murmur, “F-Fine… okay…”
She hugged him back gently and shut her eyes.
Xu Wanyue wore only light makeup that day, her pink lips still bearing faint traces of gloss. Her lashes were long and fine, casting delicate shadows across her cheeks. She truly was a strikingly beautiful girl, with porcelain skin and a flawless figure—a fact that stirred a faint pang of guilt in Lin Cheng’s chest.
…He had to do this, but he’d fudged a few details.
…Kissing her cheek first might make the real thing easier for her to handle.
Lin Cheng leaned in slowly and pressed his lips softly to hers.
Xu Wanyue kept her eyes squeezed shut. Her soft lips parted just a fraction as she yielded like a startled doe cornered with no escape, forced to follow his lead. Dizziness clouded her mind, leaving her limp, so she clung to him tighter. Unfamiliar emotions sprouted within her, twisting like rampant vines. At last, she cracked her eyes open, desperate to see the face of the man who’d claimed her first kiss.
Tears suddenly welled up; she wanted to cry.
Over ten seconds later, Lin Cheng released her from his arms. He grabbed a tissue from the table and meticulously wiped her lips before returning to his seat. Flashing a grin at Hyacinth, he said, “Your turn. Fire away.”
Hyacinth pulled the trigger. First shot: click—empty.
Second shot, third shot: empty again.
Yet the smirk curling her lips grew ever more sinister.
“I was just kidding.”
She squeezed the trigger a fourth time, sighting down the barrel at Lin Cheng’s forehead.
The fourth shot couldn’t possibly be a blank.
But the bullet merely grazed Lin Cheng’s shoulder before smashing into the glass outside, shattering the window entirely. Lin Cheng blinked innocently at Hyacinth. “Your aim’s terrible. This isn’t some kid’s toy, you know.”
Xu Wanyue had nearly jumped out of her skin, but Lin Cheng’s unflappable calm made her own freak-out seem almost comical. She stepped back behind him, resting her hand lightly on his shoulder.
“Your hand’s freezing.” Lin Cheng tilted his head up at her.
“Cold womb.” Xu Wanyue shot back with a pout, her voice awkward in the extreme. After all, they’d just spent over ten seconds locked in an embrace and kiss under everyone’s stares. This wasn’t how she’d imagined her first kiss at all…
“I know a great old-school TCM doc. Next time we’re free, I’ll hook you up. A couple prescriptions ought to fix you right up.”
“Herbal meds are bitter as hell. Pass.”
Lin Cheng suddenly captured her hand between both of his, rubbing it briskly to warm it, his tone indulgent like he was soothing a child. “Good medicine tastes bitter, remember? Cold womb means killer cramps—you’ll regret skipping it when you’re doubled over.”
“Nice guys finish last… right after dogs.”
“Hey, come on—I rode through a downpour to rescue you today! A little gratitude?” Lin Cheng craned his neck, pulling a woebegone face. Heat crept into Xu Wanyue’s cheeks. She averted her gaze and mumbled, “Sorry…”
She shouldn’t be getting snippy now.
“Just venting. No big deal.”
Lin Cheng kept gently chafing her pale, delicate hand. It really was lovely—slender joints, soft and white as spring onions. She could model hands for a living. Girls with hands like that probably had adorable little feet too.
As they bantered, Hyacinth rose to her feet across the table. Their utter nonchalance was clearly grinding her gears. She tightened her grip on the handgun and fired once more—one shot, two shots. The blasts made Xu Wanyue flinch, but both bullets veered harmlessly out the window. Not one touched Lin Cheng or Xu Wanyue.
“Revolvers are trickier than standard handguns. Want lessons?” Lin Cheng beamed at her. Fear never crossed his face, not once. His poise only fueled Hyacinth’s frenzy.
Her eyes bored into Lin Cheng with venomous intensity, yet she seemed at a loss.
Lin Cheng leaned forward a touch. “Plotting how to scare me, are you?”
He let go of Xu Wanyue’s hand and fixed his gaze on Hyacinth. “Your power’s Sequence 37, Order Collapse variety. Awakened around age fourteen, I’d bet. Post-Awakening, you got stuck—no eating, no sleeping, no growing, no dying. Explains why you’re still pint-sized at eighteen. On others, it rewinds their power development for a window of time. You rolled back Xu Wanyue’s to three years ago, before she had Luck down pat. Back then, she was pure bad-luck magnet, so you crushed her easy.”
“You probably didn’t count on winning that handily, though. Win or lose, it didn’t matter—you had no intention of letting Xu Wanyue walk anyway.”
“I’m here negotiating for the Fruit Shop. Forgot to pay our respects when we opened the casino two years back. My bad.”
The words rang hollow; not an ounce of sincerity laced Lin Cheng’s tone.
“We’re just trying to make a buck. Casino’s not even our big earner. So, any chance you cut us some slack?”
Hyacinth stared him down, her breaths coming heavier. “Want our cash? Prove you’ve got what it takes first.”
Lin Cheng’s expression twisted into something peculiar.
“Figured out my power yet?”
Hyacinth didn’t mince words. “Nope. But I’m dying to know… what rank was it three years ago?”
Lin Cheng’s face grew odder still. Xu Wanyue tensed anew—the suited men were unbuttoning their shirts, muscles rippling and faintly aglow. Physique Enhancement Ability Users, B+ tier at minimum; a standard A-Rank wouldn’t stand a chance.
Lin Cheng’s look stayed weird, though.
“You’re really, really, really sure you want to lock my power back to three years ago?”
“I wanna see how long you keep up the tough act!”
“No, seriously—chill. I’m begging you, don’t… really, don’t do it.” Lin Cheng sounded genuinely antsy now, but Hyacinth’s eyes ignited with power. Order reshaped itself in her vision as she began forcing his ability into its three-year-prior state. His warning echoed in her ears.
“Screw it up… and you might die.”
