Playing Poker

Fu Nanzhi nestled close, while Cheng Jun leaned lazily against him.

The only one left, Shu Yunyi, had even secretly draped her leg over him.

The three women sprawled around Shen Yi in various poses, leaving him utterly immobilized.

‘Well, this is what they call a happy problem,’ Shen Yi mused to himself as he carefully took a sip of tea and placed the cup back on the table.

He worried that any sudden movement might spill it—scalding someone would definitely ruin the mood.

Fu Nanzhi pressed against Shen Yi’s side, whispering into his ear in a soft, coquettish tone,

"Honey, I ate a bit too much… My stomach feels so bloated…"

"Rub it for me?"

Shen Yi chuckled. It was rare for Fu Nanzhi to overeat like this—strictly speaking, she was just showing her support for him.

"Next time, don’t eat so fast. It’s bad for digestion."

Fu Nanzhi nuzzled her head against his shoulder and murmured,

"It’s different this time. I was really hungry."

Shen Yi shook his head helplessly but obliged, pressing his hand against her lower abdomen.

His palm gently massaged her stomach, helping her digest.

Fu Nanzhi relaxed completely, her eyes closing in contentment.

Shu Yunyi, one leg crossed, stared at her phone, though her attention wasn’t on it at all—her ears were perked up, listening intently.

The whispered conversation didn’t escape her. Her eyes flickered, and the corner of her mouth curled imperceptibly as she spoke up,

"Xiao Yi, rub my legs for me."

"I stood for too long today—my calves are sore."

It wasn’t jealousy, just a bit of mischief to tease him.

Shen Yi’s lips twitched, but he couldn’t play favorites. So, he clamped her leg between his knees and freed up his other hand to massage it.

‘This is revenge. Pure revenge…’

As Shen Yi multitasked, a sense of foreboding crept over him.

He quickly glanced at Cheng Jun, silently praying she wouldn’t stir up any trouble—he was out of hands to spare.

The moment he turned, Cheng Jun met his gaze.

Fortunately, she merely rolled her eyes, gave him a light kick in the side with her bare foot, and left it at that.

Then she tilted her phone sideways and started playing a round of online poker, ignoring the others.

Shen Yi exhaled in relief. Even though the three women got along well now, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

Women’s thoughts were the hardest to decipher—if any conflict arose, he’d be the one suffering in the end.

Since it was their first night after moving in, none of them were fully settled yet.

They lounged lazily on the sofa, barely moving, exchanging only the occasional quiet remark.

It was still too early to sleep, so they passed the time scrolling through their phones.

They weren’t strangers—in fact, they were so familiar that forcing conversation felt awkward.

Hearing the poker game’s background music from Cheng Jun’s phone, Shen Yi had a sudden idea.

This dull atmosphere couldn’t continue—he needed to liven things up.

Without hesitation, he set Shu Yunyi’s leg down on the coffee table and stood.

Fu Nanzhi felt the warmth on her stomach vanish and looked up in confusion.

"What’s wrong?"

"Where are you going?"

Shen Yi grinned mysteriously.

"Just grabbing something."

He headed to the kitchen and returned with a plastic bag.

As he walked back into the living room, all three women watched curiously. With a smirk, he dumped the bag’s contents onto the table.

"What’s this?"

Shu Yunyi picked up a square cardboard box, squinting at the intricate characters.

"…Sanguosha?"

Cheng Jun glanced over. Being the most knowledgeable about games, she recognized it immediately.

"It’s a role-playing card game based on Three Kingdoms generals—hence the name."

Shen Yi clapped his hands together.

"Since we’ve got time to kill, why not play something?"

"I bought all this at the mall earlier. Let’s pick one."

Shu Yunyi eyed the elaborate packaging hesitantly.

"I… I don’t know how to play. Maybe I’ll just watch."

Shen Yi wasn’t letting her off that easily.

"Don’t worry, you can learn as we go."

Fu Nanzhi, meanwhile, picked up a large pink box and brightened.

"Monopoly! I know this one."

A classic from her childhood—she was surprised it was still around after all these years.

Shen Yi had gone all out: besides Monopoly and Sanguosha, there were also Ludo, Jungle Chess, Werewolf, playing cards, and even a chess set.

Cheng Jun perked up, closing her poker game and sitting upright.

"Alright, let’s kill some time."

After some discussion, they decided to stick with games everyone knew.

Chess was out—it was strictly two-player. That left playing cards and Ludo.

Both were simple, universally understood, and even Shu Yunyi, self-proclaimed gaming disaster, could manage them.

"So, which one? Cards or Ludo?"

Shen Yi packed away the other games, leaving just the two options.

Fu Nanzhi thought for a moment.

"Let’s go with cards."

"Poker’s the easiest."

Shu Yunyi nodded reluctantly. She wasn’t good at either, but at least this was slightly better.

"Fine, let’s do that."

Cheng Jun smirked, her tone teasing.

"Easiest? Oh, it’s anything but."

Fu Nanzhi huffed and took a seat opposite her.

"Bring it on!"

Card games were deceptively simple—rules were easy, but the real challenge lay in outplaying opponents.

Shen Yi was glad to see everyone engaged. He cleared the table and announced,

"Then it’s settled—we’re playing cards."

"Four-player poker. Everyone knows the rules, right?"

When the women nodded, he tore open the pack and started shuffling.

Cheng Jun’s eyes gleamed mischievously.

"Wait a second."

"Just playing is boring—we need stakes."

Shen Yi paused. A little wager could spice things up.

"Sure. What’s the bet?"

Fu Nanzhi hesitated.

"Money… feels wrong."

It wasn’t about the cash—she just didn’t want to mix money with fun and risk souring the mood.

Cheng Jun waved a hand dismissively.

"Relax, no money. We’ll bet something else."

Shu Yunyi raised her hand nervously.

"Hold on."

"Can we do a practice round first? I need to get the hang of it…"

As the others grew more serious, her confidence wavered.

Even with two lifetimes’ experience, she’d barely played cards—most of her knowledge came from watching others.

"Okay, let's have a practice round first. Just ask if there's anything you don't understand."

Shen Yi was considerate and readily agreed first.

After all, this was essentially just for fun. It wouldn't be interesting to pick on a newbie who didn't know how to play.

Cheng Jun also agreed, saying,

"All right, this round doesn't count."

Fu Nanzhi stared at the stack of well - shuffled cards on the table and asked,

"Then who will take the cards first?"