"Close together..."
Hearing Jiang Cheng's command, Si Qing couldn't help but shiver, but ultimately chose to obey his instructions.
At this moment, Jiang Cheng's movements did not stop in the slightest.
He quickly reached out a hand and placed it steadily beside the armrest of the sofa that Si Qing was gripping tightly.
At the same time, another strong, powerful hand quietly wrapped around Si Qing's slender and smooth waist, like a water snake, from behind... Time passed minute by minute, and in the blink of an eye, more than an hour had quietly slipped away.
Only then did Jiang Cheng, with Si Qing whose legs were trembling, walk towards the first floor.
After arranging a soothing full-body massage for Si Qing, Jiang Cheng, led by Xu Rui, walked directly towards the cigar lounge.
They soon entered an antique-style corridor.
On the walls on both sides of the corridor hung exquisite Chinese ink paintings.
Every stroke seemed to tell an ancient story, complementing the rustic stone slabs laid on the floor, creating a serene and profound atmosphere.
After passing through this corridor emanating a sense of history, several neatly arranged pivot doors appeared before their eyes.
These were six huge and wide pivot doors, now tightly closed, like guardians of some mysterious space.
Upon closer inspection, the wood grain of the doors was clear.
The tiger-striped color on them was bright and dazzling, as if meticulously painted by nature's top artist.
When the six doors were closed together, their unique interwoven textures miraculously created an artistic conception akin to an ink wash painting, with varying shades of ink, seemingly narrating the passage of time.
This unique charm perfectly matched and complemented the Chinese elegant style of the entire clubhouse, giving a natural beauty.
Xu Rui reached out and gently pushed the heavy pivot door, accompanied by a slight creaking sound.
The door slowly opened, and the sounds of laughter and chatter instantly spilled out like lively musical notes.
As the door opened, a very spacious area came into view.
The room appeared to be over two hundred square meters, spacious and bright.
The surrounding walls were meticulously designed with various display cabinets.
The surrounding walls featured various red wine and cigar display cabinets.
Under the soft lighting, the bottles reflected a captivating luster, each one like a meticulously carved work of art.
In the center of the room, genuine leather sofa cushions were perfectly embedded within rosewood chairs.
The perfect combination of the two not only highlighted the rustic charm of Chinese furniture but also retained modern comfort.
The overall black and red color scheme, coupled with various exquisite Chinese ornaments and the dark red Chinese carpet on the floor, made the entire room extremely stylish.
Upon entering the room, Wang Congcong, Qi Yuan, and Wang Zheng were seen sitting around an exquisite Chinese square table.
A faint wisp of smoke diffused around them.
Evidently, the cigar lounge's ventilation system was excellent, as there was no lingering smoke indoors, and the air remained relatively fresh.
Listening to their continuous calls, they were clearly playing Dou Dizhu (Fight the Landlord).
Wang Congcong held a cigar in his mouth, his gaze focused on the cards in his hand, occasionally glancing up to observe his opponents' expressions.
He then played three 3s.
Seeing Wang Congcong play these cards, the corner of Qi Yuan's mouth, with a cigar in it, immediately curved upwards, revealing a slightly teasing smile.
"Hehe, you're doomed, I'll beat that."
With that, he pulled three K's from his hand and, with a crisp "slap," tossed the cards onto the table with a flourish.
Seeing Jiang Cheng leisurely walk in, the few people who were fully engrossed in playing cards, as if by telepathy, instantly stopped their movements.
They all looked up, their faces immediately filled with enthusiastic smiles, and they greeted Jiang Cheng in unison.
Qi Yuan shamelessly stood up from his chair, gesturing exaggeratedly with the cards in his hand, and shouted, "Brother Cheng, come, come, come, sit here! You've finally arrived, I'm telling you, my luck today is absolutely amazing, I've already won several rounds against these guys!"
Seeing Qi Yuan slightly raise his chin, his eyes gleamed with undisguised pride and arrogance.
Wang Congcong, beside him, shook his head helplessly and rolled his eyes.
He turned his head and grumbled to Jiang Cheng, "Jiang Cheng, look at this guy, winning thirty yuan is like winning several small fortunes, is it really necessary to be so smug?"
Wang Zheng also chimed in, hinting, "Old Qi, don't be too smug. Look, Brother Wang only has three cards left. Maybe he'll turn the tables this round."
Upon hearing Wang Zheng's words, Qi Yuan first casually glanced at Wang Zheng, his face still confidently wearing that self-assured smile.
Then, he slowly responded.
"Old Wang, we're playing Dou Dizhu. I know what I'm doing. I know the Bomb is with you, but don't bomb me. He's the Landlord. I'm telling you, neither of us is as rich as him. We should unite and fleece him. Even though the stakes are only a few yuan, it's a shame not to fleece him. At least we can buy a bottle of water to drink."
Hearing Qi Yuan's words, Wang Zheng was clearly helpless. He slightly opened his mouth, looking as if he wanted to speak but held back.
Jiang Cheng slowly walked over, his gaze sweeping over the cards in their hands.
Only then did he realize that Wang Zheng actually only had a Small Joker, so Qi Yuan had guessed wrong.
Wang Congcong, on the other hand, clearly only had three single cards left: a 4, an A, and a Big Joker.
After seeing their three hands, Jiang Cheng understood that if Wang Zheng hadn't given Qi Yuan a hint, Wang Congcong's chances of winning would indeed be very high.
After all, he held the Big Joker, a trump card, and if his strategy was sound, his chances of winning were extremely high.
However, if Wang Zheng were to speak up and even hint to Qi Yuan that Wang Congcong had the Big Joker, Wang Congcong might not necessarily win all the cards.
As soon as he sat down on the sofa nearby, Qin Fen, as usual, immediately picked up a beautifully packaged cigar from the adjacent coffee table.
He used a special cutter to trim the head of the cigar neatly.
Then, he skillfully lit the lighter, brought the flame close to the cigar, and gently rotated it, allowing the flame to evenly toast it.
Once the cigar was successfully lit, he, as always, handed this fragrant cigar to Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng didn't stand on ceremony, reaching out to take the cigar and taking a gentle puff from it.
As the smoke filled his mouth, he slightly narrowed his eyes, enjoying the moment of relaxation and comfort.
Then, he slowly opened his mouth and exhaled a cloud of white smoke, which swirled and rose into the air, like a nimble white dragon.
After feeling comfortable, Jiang Cheng didn't deliberately act superior, instead raising his chin towards Qin Fen: "Not bad, thank you, Brother Qin."
As soon as Jiang Cheng finished speaking, Wang Congcong on the card table threw down his last card.
He shouted loudly, "Big Joker!"
Seeing Qi Yuan dumbfounded, Wang Congcong mimicked his earlier mischievous look.
With a victorious smile, he said, "I'm here to end the winning streak."
Seeing that the Big Joker was actually with Wang Congcong, Qi Yuan's eyes first widened in surprise.
After a moment of stunned, he shook his head helplessly.
"The Big Joker was yours!"
Wang Zheng then said with a wry smile, "I told you not to be smug. Now look, you've crashed."
Although the two commoners lost, what surprised Jiang Cheng was that Qi Yuan did not blame the other for not secretly giving hints, unlike some card players.
Jiang Cheng had noticed earlier that although the few of them bantered and complained to each other back and forth, they always strictly followed the established game rules.
However, everyone always strictly adhered to the established game rules, and they all respected the rules of the game.
No one spoke up to hint at the other's cards using improper means.
And after Qi Yuan lost, he didn't relentlessly criticize Wang Zheng like some sore losers.
He merely sighed with a touch of regret, "I didn't expect to guess wrong. It's truly a careless loss of Jingzhou, I've overturned."
Clearly, these three all had good card etiquette, and most importantly, they were very rule-abiding.
Although at first glance, this was just a small matter, a person's character is sometimes revealed precisely through such details.
The few of them laughed and stopped playing, all turning their gaze towards Jiang Cheng.
They saw Jiang Cheng leaning lazily on the sofa, yawning casually while rubbing his temples.
His slightly fatigued appearance was as if he had just emerged from an intense battle.
Qin Fen couldn't help but ask, "Are you having a hot spring and spa? Oh, right, I have some things to do later, so I'll be leaving first."
Wang Zheng, hearing this, couldn't help but lean over and tease, "Ah, last night I was still envying you, but now seeing how strict sister-in-law is, I'm immediately disillusioned. It's better to be single."
Chen Hao, deeply moved, chimed in, "People with families are not their own masters."
Qin Fen smiled and responded, "Haha, Old Wang, you still dare to tease Jiang Cheng. Don't forget, your mom has meticulously arranged another blind date for you."
As soon as Wang Zheng heard this, he immediately perked up and retorted without showing weakness, "Blind date is a blind date, but I can rightfully refuse it. Look at Brother Cheng... Sigh."
At this point, Wang Zheng deliberately put on a pained expression and let out a long sigh.
The others also understood and followed Wang Zheng's example, sighing and shaking their heads.
Seeing these guys implicitly criticizing him with such tacit agreement, Jiang Cheng shook his head helplessly.
"Ah, you guys, I forgot to tell you, I came clean with her sister just now, so I'll be taking her back to school later. Next time we go out, there will be three of us."
As soon as his voice fell, the few who were still laughing and joking instantly froze as if struck by a petrification spell.
After a moment, their expressions gradually turned grim, just like last night, appearing almost autistic.
"Oh no, why am I so talkative!" Wang Zheng regretfully slapped his mouth.
"Ah, I deserve to die! Why did I say that!" Chen Hao even more exaggeratedly clasped his hands over his head, feigning a bitter groan.
Qin Fen's reaction was even more exaggerated; he directly raised his hand and slapped himself hard.
He kept muttering, "Let you talk nonsense! Let you talk nonsense!"