Chapter 26 He Is Free

Chapter 26 He Is Free

Chen Wan hesitated whether to play the Ghost King card. He Shengyuan said in a low voice, "A Wan, show some of the courage you had at the hearing."

Chen Wan's hand hesitated briefly, and he turned to meet He Shengyuan's smiling gaze.

Chen Wan also smiled calmly, "Mr. He is here too?"

"I was in the audience," He Shengyuan exhaled a puff of smoke, "I recognized you the moment you arrived." Chen Wan's calm and composed demeanor at the hearing was a stark contrast to today, almost like two different people.

Chen Wan turned back to look at the cards in his hand, "Really?"

"Is it for the Shenzhen project?" He Shengyuan asked, as the project was somewhat related to him, "Aren't you worried about offending Luo Qiansheng?"

Chen Wan didn't deny it, thinking that nothing ventured, nothing gained, and simply said, "I've already offended him, being afraid won't help."

For some reason, this made He Shengyuan burst out laughing. Chen Wan was baffled, and He Shengyuan patted his shoulder, "No need to worry."

Chen Wan: "Hmm?"

He Shengyuan looked at him and said, "Looking forward to working together in the future."

Chen Wan, clever as ever, smiled and said, "Then I'll have to rely on Mr. He's care."

They spoke in hushed tones, and Zhao Shengge assumed they were just strategizing over the cards. After waiting for a while, he reminded them politely but distantly, "Are you playing this card?"

Chen Wan truly displayed the courage he had shown at the hearing, going all in with the Ghost King, and even managed a flush. It wouldn't be fair to let his future half-client lose two games in a row.

But Zhao Shengge seemed determined to crush them tonight, revealing the bottom card from the previous game again.

The second round ended.

He Shengyuan wasn't upset even though he lost, and he poured Chen Wan a drink. Chen Wan smiled sheepishly, feeling guilty for not letting the other win even once. He took the drink and poured one for He Shengyuan, "Sorry, Mr. He, I'm just not as skilled."

He Shengyuan said to Chen Wan, "You're too straightforward."

Losing two games in a row made the atmosphere somewhat tense.

But Zhao Shengge, having won two games in a row, showed no signs of satisfaction. He was always like this, his emotions never showing.

After the game, someone offered him a cigarette in congratulations, but Zhao Shengge declined, taking a sip of the drink by his side.

The boy had topped up his drink again. Seeing that Zhao Shengge hadn't refused his drink earlier, the boy struck up a conversation. Zhao Shengge was looking down at his phone, seemingly indifferent to the conversation.

He Shengyuan pulled Chen Wan aside to analyze the previous game, insisting on finding out at which step they started falling into the opponent's net.

After looking back and forth, they realized that every step was questionable; Zhao Shengge had laid a trap from the very beginning.

Zhao Shengge asked, "The final game," his dark, calm gaze sweeping between Chen Wan and He Shengyuan, "Are you two together?"

Chen Wan looked at He Shengyuan; he wasn't in a position to make that decision.

He Shengyuan, not believing in this bad luck, waved his hand and appointed, "Chen Wan will continue on my behalf."

Chen Wan said okay.

But Zhao Shengge said, "Then I'll switch someone on my side."

"Sure," He Shengyuan responded quite readily, "Mr. Zhao, feel free."

Mr. Zhao casually raised his chin, signaling the boy beside him, "You go ahead."

The guests' gazes were subtle, and the room grew noisy and chaotic. It was hard to tell if it was raining outside.

Chen Wan continued shuffling the cards, slightly raising his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, the boy blushed, feeling flattered and overwhelmed, "I... I can't, Mr. Zhao, I'm not good at this..."

Mr. Zhao looked back at his phone, replying to messages as he said, "It's okay, you can lose."

His tone was calm and indifferent, almost indulgent to others.

Chen Wan focused on shuffling the cards, feeling a bit thirsty, and reached for the glass beside him.

The condensation on the glass wet his warm hand. The berry-colored liquid flowed down his throat, slightly stimulating, cold but quickly sobering.

It sobered him up so quickly that he reminded himself to control his emotions and behavior, not to repeat the noticeable mistakes from the previous two games—that would be unprofessional.

Now, it was also very unprofessional.

His mind flashed back to when Mr. Zhao called his name during the last poker game on the high seas, saying, "Chen Wan, when I play, I play to win."

But now Mr. Zhao said it was fine to lose.

The third game began swiftly.

The boy went first. He told Mr. Zhao he couldn't play, but it wasn't true—it was more like flirting and feigning weakness.

He couldn't figure out if Mr. Zhao wanted to win or lose this game because after saying he could play, Mr. Zhao never looked at the table or asked about the progress of the game. He was either replying to messages on his phone or talking to his secretary.

So, the boy's plan to get Mr. Zhao's advice didn't work out.

But he soon realized.

Winning or losing wasn't in his hands because Chen Wan was too strong.

He played seriously, but he was outmatched.

The boy looked up, struggling to believe that the gentle, refined man across the table could be so ruthless. The points from the first two games were mostly gone in this round.

Luckily, there were only three games, and it was over. Thankfully, he didn't lose everything on his own.

Even though Mr. Zhao won two games in a row, the final scores were nearly tied. The spectators agreed that Mr. Zhao and Mr. He were evenly matched. If they teamed up, it would be a powerhouse, proving this partnership was ideal.

Poor kid, he couldn't read the intentions of the higher-ups. Chen Wan noticed the boy looking at him with some curiosity and responded with a polite smile.

Mr. He enjoyed watching the third game. He knew Mr. Zhao brought in a novice to save face, but watching Chen Wan play was thrilling.

In the next game, he would personally take on Shen Zongnian, inviting Chen Wan to watch from the sidelines.

Chen Wan accompanied three games before stepping down from the table.

Walking out of the side hall, he glanced around but didn't see Mr. Zhao. When he reached the window, he realized that it had indeed started raining outside at some point.

Xiaotan Mountain wasn't high, but the trees were dense. The sound of the forest leaves and the rain falling straight into the sea like glowing white lines.

The girl originally arranged to sit next to Chen Wan poured him a drink. Chen Wan glanced at his watch and asked, "What time do you get off work?"

The girl found him very gentle and told the truth, "There's no specific time."

Chen Wan understood that this meant the people here could be taken away by the guests at will. Mr. Zhao and the boy beside him had already disappeared.

Chen Wan told the girl, "You can head back; I’m all set here."

The girl paused, then softly asked, "Mr. Chen, did I do something wrong—"

Chen Wan quickly said, "No, I don’t need anything else. Don’t overthink it."

The girl left, feeling reassured.

Chen Wan picked a drink for himself, and Zhuo Zhixuan ambled over, asking, "You okay?"

Chen Wan was confused.

Zhuo Zhixuan hesitated, and Chen Wan wondered if something had gone wrong at the party. After a long pause, Zhuo Zhixuan finally muttered, "He’s not usually like this..."

"?"

Zhuo Zhixuan muttered, "No idea what’s up with him tonight."

"..." Chen Wan got it and was both amused and annoyed, "What’s on your mind?"

Zhuo Zhixuan’s expression said it all: "It’s fine, you don’t have to fake it."

"..." Chen Wan replied, "I’m really okay, don’t worry—"

Zhuo Zhixuan wasn’t convinced, trying to figure out how to explain. They all mess around outside, and it’s not like they’re saints, but he still said, "You know how Tan Youming and I get up to stuff outside, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, but Shen Zongnian and Zhao Shengge don’t—"

"..." It was getting ridiculous, and Chen Wan cut him off, "Ah Xuan."

Chen Wan calmly said, "He’s free, and so am I."

There was nothing between them; they weren’t even friends.

"I don’t know how to explain it, but you don’t need to feel sorry for me."

Unrequited love that’s never acted on keeps things equal between us. Zhao Shengge can do what he wants, and I can stop dreaming whenever I choose.

As long as it’s just me, I’m in control, and I can walk away anytime.

Seeing how laid-back Chen Wan was, not at all like someone who’d been pining for years, Zhuo Zhixuan sarcastically called him a ‘genius of unrequited love,’ then added, "Don’t drink any more tonight. Monica said your meds don’t mix well with alcohol—it’ll mess with your nerves."

Chen Wan agreed, set down his glass, and headed to the restroom. The warm lighting and faint perfume made his head feel fuzzy. He’d just turned on the faucet to splash water on his face.

The cubicle door clicked open, and suddenly he locked eyes with someone—calm, dark eyes. Chen Wan snapped back to attention.

"Mr. Zhao."

"Hi."

Zhao Shengge glanced at him, walked over, and stood beside him at the sink, turning on the faucet, pumping soap, rinsing, and drying his hands.

Chen Wan glanced at Zhao Shengge’s strong hands and thought of the legs under the tablecloth, though he knew it wasn’t him.

"What’s wrong?"

Zhao Shengge asked.

"Nothing..." Chen Wan showed no trace of guilt on his face, smiling as he said, "I thought you had left."

Zhao Shengge threw the paper towel into the trash can, looked up, and met his gaze in the mirror, "Were you looking for me?"

Chen Wan paused for a moment and quickly replied, "No."

"..."

Zhao Shengge had likely stepped out for some air, and seeing that he didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave, Chen Wan wouldn't let the conversation drop: "Mr. Zhao, you were on a roll tonight."

"Thank you, but," Zhao Shengge rolled up his sleeves, slowly lifting his eyelids, and seriously commented, "You've slipped."

Chen Wan was surprised by his directness and smiled, "That time was just a stroke of luck from Mr. Zhao."

Perhaps because they had seen each other less recently, that night on the open sea when they teamed up and cleaned house seemed like a distant memory.

Zhao Shengge adjusted his wristwatch, which had shifted while washing his hands, looked up from the mirror, slightly raised his chin, and said to Chen Wan, "You might want to try your luck with Mr. He."

He said it offhand, like it was just a throwaway joke, but his eyes were locked on Chen Wan.

"..."