Gao Yang walked over to Niu Xuan. "Something wrong?"
"Let's play dice! You game?"
Niu Xuan lounged on the sofa beside the coffee table, exuding arrogance, determined to win back some face. As soon as he spoke, one of his lackeys pressed the call button on the corner of the table.
Moments later, the door opened. A young female server stepped in. "How may I assist you?"
She wore a black-and-red attendant uniform. On most people it might have looked tacky, but on her it felt custom-tailored—professional, elegant, deferential, as though she truly belonged to some aristocratic estate as a personal maid.
A cute white rabbit mask covered her face, clashing sharply with her poised demeanor and adding an air of mystery.
Seeing the puzzled looks, she politely explained, "Today our store's supreme VIP, Mr. Qin, is celebrating his birthday. He was born in the Year of the Rabbit, so all staff are required to…"
"Enough, enough!" Niu Xuan cut her off impatiently. Who cared about someone else's birthday? "Bring me your… whatever that Space Psychedelic special is."
"Space Psychedelic Mix. How many sets would you like?"
"Start with five dozen."
"Um… the Space Psychedelic is quite strong," the server glanced around the room. "For your group, I think two dozen would be sufficient…"
"What's that supposed to mean? Think I can't afford it?!" Niu Xuan, already fuming, unloaded on the easiest target.
"No, my apologies." She gave a slight bow. "Five dozen Space Psychedelic Mix coming right up. Please wait a moment."
Though Niu Xuan was yelling at a server, the outburst was still rude. Wan Sisi and the other girls felt awkward and pretended not to hear, turning their attention to picking songs and singing.
Soon the server returned with a cart and placed five dozen of the cocktails on the table. The glasses were small and elongated, resembling vials of biochemical agents. They sat neatly embedded in a white metal honeycomb tray, refracting dazzling light under the room's colorful lamps—genuinely cyberpunk in vibe.
Niu Xuan grabbed the dice shaker with dramatic flair. "Guess big or small. Loser drinks. If you're a real man, don't chicken out!"
Gao Yang thought: You've already put it like that—how am I supposed to refuse?
Niu Xuan was dead set on getting Gao Yang blackout drunk, making him lose control and humiliate himself in front of everyone. Gao Yang, the classic good boy, probably rarely drank—three cups would be his limit. Niu Xuan, on the other hand, was battle-hardened, a veteran who could handle ten or more without issue.
And dice? Pure luck—no skill involved!
Bang! Niu Xuan shook the cup vigorously and slammed it down. "Big or small?"
"You first," Gao Yang said.
"Big!" Niu Xuan lifted the lid. Three 1s.
He froze for two seconds, then grabbed a glass and downed it in one gulp.
Clack-clack-clack—bang! Niu Xuan glared at Gao Yang. "Again! Big or small!"
"You first." Gao Yang gestured politely.
"You first this time!" Niu Xuan had learned his lesson.
"Then I'll say big."
Niu Xuan lifted the lid. Three 6s.
He stared in disbelief. Coincidence. Had to be coincidence! He finished the second glass, thought for a moment, and pushed the shaker toward Gao Yang. "Your turn to shake."
"Okay." Gao Yang gave it a few shakes and set it down. "Big or small?"
"Big," Niu Xuan said.
Gao Yang reached to lift the lid, but Niu Xuan suddenly pressed his hand down. "Wait! Small!"
"Fine."
"Wait—"
"Big or small?" Gao Yang asked.
"Big! No changes." Niu Xuan steeled himself.
Gao Yang lifted the lid: three 1s.
Niu Xuan was stunned. This was impossible! Was the kid cheating?
He immediately swapped to a different shaker, inspected it thoroughly, then even checked under the table for any tricks. Satisfied, he shook for a full minute until his arm ached before setting it down.
"You choose first!"
"Big…"
"I choose big!" Niu Xuan cut in instantly.
"Then I choose small."
Niu Xuan lifted the lid: three 1s.
His mentality shattered. The two boys watching from the side gasped in shock. "Holy shit! Gao Yang, what kind of luck is that? You're a god!"
Niu Xuan's face burned with humiliation and rage. He lost all reason, downed another glass in one go, then smashed it on the floor. Shards flew everywhere.
"Again!"
A few girls were mid-song when the sharp crash startled them. Glass fragments sprayed outward; one sliced across Wan Sisi's calf, drawing blood.
Luo Xiaodan, the bespectacled girl and Wan Sisi's best friend, immediately knelt to check the wound. Fury surged through her. Normally she wouldn't dare confront a rich kid like Niu Xuan, but this time she couldn't hold back.
"Forget it, I'm fine…" Wan Sisi tried to pull her back.
Luo Xiaodan shook her off and marched up to Niu Xuan. "Niu Xuan! Gao Yang! If you want to drink, go somewhere else! Today is Wan Sisi's birthday—not your playground. Stop causing trouble here!"
"Okay, fine." Gao Yang seized the chance to end it and started to stand.
Niu Xuan slammed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not leaving! Again!"
Luo Xiaodan trembled with anger. "Niu Xuan, can you just act normal for once…"
"Shut your mouth, you dead hag! I'm drinking here today! What are you gonna do about it?!" The alcohol had stripped away Niu Xuan's mask.
"You—you—"
Gao Yang stood up, face cold. "I'm done playing. Find someone else."
"You dare walk away?!" Niu Xuan shot to his feet and kicked the coffee table over with a crash. Bottles, glasses, and snacks scattered everywhere. The room froze; only the backing track continued echoing. Tension crackled like electricity.
Luo Xiaodan, just a girl, had never been yelled at like that. Tears welled up instantly. Covering her face, she ran out. Several other girls, eager to escape, hurried after her.
Wan Sisi glanced at Gao Yang, hesitated, then followed them out.
The remaining boys hadn't expected things to escalate this far. They offered a few half-hearted劝阻—they knew Niu Xuan; once he lost it, no one could stop him.
Sure enough, he ignored them. The boys exchanged looks, mumbled excuses about the bathroom, and slipped away.
In moments, only three people remained in the room.
Gao Yang and Niu Xuan stood amid shattered glass and spilled liquor, facing off. Qing Ling sat in the corner sofa, legs crossed, arms folded, watching the drama unfold like it was a show.
Niu Xuan gnashed his teeth. "Gao Yang! Look at you—playing the hero saving the beauty, painting me as the villain!"
"I don't mean anything by it. I just don't want to play anymore." Gao Yang's expression remained icy; his patience had run out. If it came to a fight, he wasn't afraid. His attributes had grown; he was still no match for a beast, but against a mere "human"? More than enough.
"No meaning? I think you mean plenty!" Niu Xuan stepped forward, grabbed Gao Yang's collar, and sprayed spittle in his face. "Gao Yang, I get it—Li Weiwei's dead, you want to move on. Fine. But you're already with Qing Ling! So what the hell are you doing at Wan Sisi's birthday party?!"
"She invited me."
"Then why didn't you say no?!" Niu Xuan grew even angrier. "Don't tell me you're trying to get with Wan Sisi too! Greedy bastard! Think you can handle that many?!"
"Compared to you? Not even close," Gao Yang shot back.
"You're dead!" Niu Xuan didn't waste more words. He shoved Gao Yang hard and swung a kick.
He expected the blow to send Gao Yang flying into the wall.
Instead, Gao Yang sidestepped smoothly. With a light sweep of his leg, Niu Xuan's footing slipped—he split straight into the splits in front of Gao Yang.
"Ahhh—" Niu Xuan howled, hamstrings screaming.
Gao Yang extended a hand. "Young Master Xuan, you're too polite. It's not even New Year yet and you're already kowtowing. Let me help you up."
"Help your mom—" Niu Xuan spewed curses, clutching his crotch as he struggled to his feet. Before he was steady, he snatched a microphone and hurled it at Gao Yang.
The white-rabbit-masked server had slipped back into the room unnoticed. With a casual flick of her wrist, she caught the microphone mid-air. Her tone remained courteous. "Sir, please calm down. If there's something to discuss, we can sit and talk it over…"
"Get lost! This doesn't concern you!" Niu Xuan roared.
"My apologies, sir. Your current behavior violates store policy. If you insist on harming this gentleman, I will have to ask you to leave."
"Who the hell are you?!" Niu Xuan limped toward her, fist raised. "Get the fuck out of my way—"
Bang—
It happened too fast for Gao Yang to follow. One moment Niu Xuan was charging; the next he was flying backward, slamming into the wall, bouncing off the sofa, and crashing onto the floor littered with liquor and glass. He passed out instantly.
Gao Yang tensed immediately. Qing Ling sprang up from the sofa.
The server tilted her head slightly, regarding the wary pair. Though the rabbit mask was just an object, it somehow seemed alive—smiling at them.
"Hello. Twelve Zodiacs. White Rabbit."
"Twelve Zodiacs?"
"You've met Electric Rat, right?" The girl called White Rabbit stepped forward. "The idiot obsessed with arcade games and human women's chests."
"Wu Dahai! You're from the organization?" Gao Yang's face lit up with joy. Finally—contact. So the organization was called the Twelve Zodiacs.
"Yes." White Rabbit glanced at Qing Ling. "You're carrying a weapon, aren't you?"
Qing Ling didn't answer. That was answer enough.
"Test Two."
White Rabbit looked down at the unconscious Niu Xuan at her feet.
"Kill this Lost One."