Around seven o’clock, several priceless cars were parked in front of the flower beds.
“Aunt Su, we’ve been missing you, so we came to see you.” Fu Li, a man who could strike up a conversation with anyone and was brimming with social energy, gave Su Rong an exaggerated hug the moment he stepped through the door.
Su Rong pretended to be disgusted and rapped him on the arm. “Missing me? You just miss the tiles in Joy Hall.”
She pulled away from Fu Li and looked at Gu Yan and Xi Yun. “Let’s go sit in the living room and talk.”
“Hey, you don’t believe me.” Fu Li, silver-tongued, continued to sweet-talk her. “Even before we set up the game in the group chat, I was already telling them it had been too long since I’d seen you, and I was missing you a bit.”
Aunt Su teased him back. “I’ll reluctantly believe you this time.”
Fu Li headed inside, talking nonstop. “I called Cen Han. He’s still on the road, probably won’t be back in Xiangtan for another ten or twenty minutes.”
“Tea’s all ready for you. How late are you planning to play tonight?”
“Don’t worry, it’s still early. We can wrap it up early.”
After dinner, Lin Qinghe was watching TV in the main hall. He had stumbled upon a historical drama about court and imperial power and was so captivated that he refused to leave, glued to one corner of the sofa, seriously following the show.
Fu Li’s voice was unmistakable. Lin Qinghe turned his head to greet them naturally, then immediately went back to being engrossed in the drama.
No one brought up the fact that Lin Qinghe was staying at Cen Han’s villa out of curiosity, nor did anyone act inappropriately. As Cen Han’s true friends, they all had a strong sense of boundaries and communicated with genuine goodwill.
“Why didn’t Teacher Lin go to the set today?” Out of a sense of upbringing, and not wanting Lin Qinghe to feel excluded, Gu Yan initiated a topic.
“I don’t have any scenes these few days, so the director gave me three days off,” Lin Qinghe gave a simple and easy-to-understand reason.
“A three-day mini-vacation.” Fu Li leaned back against a cushion and let out a long sigh. “Hey, what’s Teacher Lin planning to do? You can’t just stay at home the whole time, can you?”
The question was a bit hard for Lin Qinghe to answer. Besides staying at the villa, he didn’t really know where else to go. He had no relatives to visit in the Western Capital, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, he couldn’t just go sightseeing everywhere. Add to that his inherent nature, and staying at the villa really was the best choice.
“Probably just that.”
“That’s way too boring. Gu Yan and I are heading to the estate the day after tomorrow. It’s not far, and there are tons of recreational activities. If you want to go, you can come with us.” Fu Li invited him openly and even cracked a joke. “While you’re young and have the time, go out and see the world. Once you hit it big in the future, it won’t be convenient to go anywhere.”
Xi Yun, on the other hand, had quite a bit of experience to share. His significant other was in the entertainment industry, someone Lin Qinghe also knew: the Best Actress Su Zihan, whose personal news was kept extremely tightly under wraps. “With a bit of luck, it’s just tabloid fodder. With bad luck, it’s scandal and slander.”
“Exactly what I was saying.” Fu Li lifted his chin. “With the way your career is going, you’ll definitely become a household name on screen. When that happens, you’ll be surrounded by paparazzi.”
Lin Qinghe felt that Fu Li was a walking drama act and had a natural talent for the entertainment industry. He smiled warmly. “Don’t jinx me.”
“Hahaha, Teacher Lin is too modest.” Fu Li laughed heartily. Every time he interacted with Lin Qinghe, his impressions added up, finally piecing together the picture of a genuinely interesting soul. “It’s completely voluntary. So, how about it? Want to go tomorrow?”
A first invitation might be out of politeness, but two consecutive invitations were sincere. Lin Qinghe thought for a moment and replied, “If I don’t have any other schedule, I’d be interested.”
Fu Li nodded. “Great, then just check with your agent. If it doesn’t work out this time, there’s always a next.”
Gu Yan picked up a tangerine and, while peeling it, added, “There’s still time. We’re not leaving until tomorrow afternoon.”
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. If Cen Han was an upright and honorable man, his friends wouldn’t be far behind. Lin Qinghe was truly experiencing the truth of that proverb.
After chatting for a while, the protagonist everyone was waiting for finally showed his face.
Under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, Cen Han spoke calmly. “What? Is there a flower on my face?”
“Big shots always make a grand entrance last. We’re just expressing our enthusiastic welcome.” Fu Li got up from the sofa. “Are you feeling the love from all of us?”
Cen Han shot him a look, too lazy to indulge him.
“Fu Li, careful that Cen Han doesn’t win so much that you’re left with nothing but your boxers,” Xi Yun laughed, kindly warning him.
“Impossible. Forget everything else, the boxers stay.” Fu Li wagged his index finger. “I don’t care about my life, but I care about my face.”
Xi Yun snorted. “You said that backwards.”
“Does Teacher Lin know how to play Mahjong? Want to play a few rounds?”
Lin Qinghe looked at Gu Yan, slightly surprised. “I’m not really good at these things. You all go ahead and play. I’ll just watch some TV here.”
“The basics are pretty easy to pick up,” Gu Yan said. “A few rounds and you’ll get it.”
Just as Lin Qinghe was about to refuse, Cen Han spoke up. “It’s easy to start. You can draw the tiles for me, and I’ll teach you how to play.”
These words stifled Lin Qinghe’s refusal. He assumed Cen Han’s hand wasn’t very convenient, which was why he was asking him to help draw the tiles.
“Alright, Mr. Cen.”
“Let’s go, let’s go, to Joy Hall.” Fu Li’s smile was deeply meaningful. Walking ahead of Gu Yan, he said in a voice so low only Gu Yan could hear, “I’m taking notes.”
The tiles had already been automatically shuffled. Xi Yun and the others took their seats, and there was one spot left. Cen Han said to Lin Qinghe, simply, “Sit.”
He pulled up a stool from elsewhere with one hand and, as if it were the most natural thing, placed it right next to Lin Qinghe.
Fu Li raised his voice. “I’ll start. I’ll be the dealer.”
The dice in the center of the table vibrated for a few seconds, revealing the numbers.
“Nine. We start drawing from my side. The lowest is a four.”
Fu Li grabbed two stacks of tiles. It was Xi Yun’s turn, and then Lin Qinghe’s.
Cen Han reminded him, “Follow Xi Yun’s lead.”
Whatever Xi Yun did, Lin Qinghe did the same. He was a bit clumsy and a little flustered. The thirteen tiles stood in front of him, each a stranger to the other. He looked at Cen Han as if seeking help.
A deep, cool voice sounded by his ear. Cen Han used his right hand to point at the tiles for him, calmly explaining the rules. “Three suits: Bamboo, Dot, and Man. The pips in each suit go from one to nine.”
Lin Qinghe nodded as if he half-understood.
“See these tiles? There are four of each one.” The hand was refined, elegant, and strong. “Count the circles for the Dot suit. Same principle applies to Bamboo. For the Man suit, you just need to know how to read the characters.”
Things were starting to make a little more sense. Lin Qinghe repeated his understanding back. “Three suits, each with nine pips, and four tiles per pip. This is the Seven of Dots, and this is the One of Man.”
“Mm.” The corner of Cen Han’s mouth hooked up slightly. He was quite bright.
Lin Qinghe looked from left to right, recognizing most of them. When his gaze stopped at a certain point, he asked hesitantly, “Then… what is this one?”
It looked like a chicken, but he sensed it wasn’t one. It had a red crest, a green body, and a few tufts of feathers on its tail.
“The One of Bamboo,” Cen Han informed him.
Lin Qinghe’s brows furrowed, as if not understanding why an animal was used for the One of Bamboo. “Oh, is it a chicken?”
He must have struck a funny bone, as everyone at the table chuckled.
“It’s a sparrow,” Cen Han explained. “Also called the ‘Yaoji’.”
“Hey, hey, you’re about to give away your whole hand,” Fu Li rotated the Mahjong tile in his hand and yelled. “President Cen, quickly tell Teacher Lin how the scoring works.”
Only then did Lin Qinghe realize he had basically announced all the tiles he had drawn earlier—like spilling military secrets to the enemy during a battle. He turned to Cen Han apologetically.
“It’s fine.” Cen Han offered a light smile. His calm presence, steady as a mountain, put Lin Qinghe at ease. “We’re aiming to discard all tiles of one suit first. Pick whichever you like.”
“Two of Dots,” Fu Li relaxed and started the round.
Xi Yun: “Three of Bamboo.”
Cen Han: “Draw one, discard one.”
Lin Qinghe had good luck and drew a Two of Bamboo. One, two, three, four—a connected sequence.
He had learned to hide his hand this time. Tilting his head and covering the side of his face, he whispered to Cen Han, “I have the fewest Man tiles. Should I discard a Man? And what good is the Two of Bamboo?”
Cen Han leaned closer to listen to him. A faint, fresh scent lingered subtly around his nose, impossible to identify. He replied, “That works. Three connected tiles make a set.”
So the Two of Bamboo’s purpose was to serve as a connector.
Lin Qinghe understood. “One of Man.”
Xi Yun laid down two identical Ones of Man. “Pong. Nine of Bamboo.”
Lin Qinghe was once again puzzled.
“It’s your turn to draw,” Cen Han explained. “Like Xi Yun just did. After calling Pong, you can discard a tile from the suit you initially chose to get rid of, or if you don’t have one, you can discard any unwanted tile.”
So that was it.
Lin Qinghe looked at the pips on his tiles. A Six of Bamboo. He now had two Sixes of Bamboo. A look of delight surfaced between his brows. He exchanged a glance with Cen Han, a silent question.
Cen Han gave a sound of acknowledgment. “Mm.”
“You two with your tacit understanding, what kind of secret code are you speaking?” Gu Yan still hadn’t drawn a useful tile. He was practically wilting from the wait.
Fu Li mocked him. “This slow of a start? Gu Yan, you’re off your game tonight.”
Gu Yan: “Talk less.”
The game continued.
Lin Qinghe: “Six of Man.”
Gu Yan: “Eight of Dots.”
Fu Li: “Five of Dots.”
Lin Qinghe drew another Man tile. “Seven of Man.”
Nothing happened. A normal cycle passed. With the little experience he’d gained, Lin Qinghe held onto a Six of Bamboo and sent off his only Man tile. His hand now consisted only of Dot and Bamboo tiles.
Specifically, the One, Two, Three, and Four of Bamboo; three Sixes of Bamboo; two Nines of Bamboo; and the Three, Five, Six, and Nine of Dots.
“Next, discard this to form another set,” Cen Han tapped the Nine of Dots. “Or turn it into a pair.”
Lin Qinghe placed his index finger between the Three of Dots and the Five of Dots. “So, I’m waiting for it.”
Cen Han: “Or you could wait for the one after it.”
He was at a point that was almost a Waiting Hand. Although it was the simplest and least technical way to win, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Winning was already enough.
“Wait.” Gu Yan suddenly picked up a Seven of Bamboo. “Gong. Apologies, Xi Yun.”
“Nice one, Old Gu.”
Fu Li waggled his tile. “Nine of Bamboo, anyone want it?”
Lin Qinghe seized the chance. “Pong. Nine of Dots.”
Xi Yun said in a deep voice, “Winning Hand.”
Gu Yan sighed in admiration. “Quietly pulling off big moves. Not simple at all.”
Xi Yun smiled. “You’re one to talk about being quiet. Going for a Flush again, are you? I’ll bow out first to spare myself your battle royale.”
Seeing Xi Yun had won, Lin Qinghe’s gaze sought out Cen Han’s figure, and he whispered to him.
“Does Mr. Xi’s win count against me? I think I called Pong a bit too quickly just now.”
“Doesn’t matter. If anything, it counts against me. The main goal is to have fun.” Cen Han straightened up. Warm breath brushed against Lin Qinghe’s sensitive earlobe, a little ticklish, and Lin Qinghe discreetly leaned back a bit to avoid it.
With Xi Yun’s win, it was Lin Qinghe’s turn to draw again. It was the Seven of Dots he had been pining for. “What do I do next?”
At this crucial step of reaching a Waiting Hand, Cen Han rested his left hand on the armrest of Lin Qinghe’s stool and reached over the table to lay out a plan. “These three are one set. These three are another set.”
One, Two, Three of Bamboo. Five, Six, Seven of Dots. Four of Bamboo, three Sixes of Bamboo, Three of Dots.
Lin Qinghe’s gut told him the Three of Dots was the extra one. He reached for it, and at the same moment, Cen Han also moved to take it. Their hands touched, an electric numbness rising from deep within his heart. His expression flickered subtly for an instant.
Cen Han’s hand lifted upward, as if he hadn’t given it a second thought, and he just chuckled softly. “Don’t be so impatient.”
Lin Qinghe, maybe not quite processing it, reflexively replied, “I’m not being impatient.”
Realizing it might sound like an argument, he added, “We were thinking the same thing.”
“Mm.” Cen Han’s smile deepened. “Let’s go over how you win. You need one pair and three sets of connected tiles. The sole tile you’re missing is the one you’ll win with.”
The Three of Dots was the extra one. Four of Bamboo, Six of Bamboo, two Sixes of Bamboo. So he was missing the Five of Bamboo.
Lin Qinghe grasped the point and pulled out the Three of Dots. “Is it like this every round?”
Cen Han: “No, this is just the standard pattern.”
With Xi Yun out, the pace between the three players increased. The Five of Bamboo had appeared once before, which meant, logically, there were three more left. They might be in someone’s hand or still in the remaining tiles. It hadn’t shown up again since.
Lin Qinghe drew and discarded, already starting to look the part, a testament to Cen Han being a qualified teacher.
When Fu Li discarded a Two of Dots, Lin Qinghe smoothly drew his tile. The second he revealed it, he smiled at Cen Han. “It’s the Five of Bamboo.”
A hint of praise in his voice, Cen Han said, “You’ve won. A self-draw.”
“Damn, Teacher Lin, impressive,” Fu Li hadn’t expected Lin Qinghe to win with a self-draw. “And it’s only your first round.”
Lin Qinghe felt a wave of relief and said modestly, “It was Mr. Cen’s good direction.”
“President Cen’s good direction,” Gu Yan repeated lazily. He had finally reached a Waiting Hand. This round, he had wanted to discard the Dot suit but kept getting Dot tiles. It had taken a lot of effort just to get to this point.
Cen Han accepted Gu Yan’s pointed comment with a clear conscience. “You flatter me.”
After that, it became a battlefield between Gu Yan and Fu Li. Lin Qinghe opted out for the time being. He had a proper conversation with Cen Han, asking him about the other types of winning hands he had mentioned.
It was a bit too complicated to explain in a short time, so Lin Qinghe played a few more rounds with Gu Yan and the others before getting a grasp of the general picture.
At close to eleven o’clock, Lin Qinghe yawned, sleepiness clouding his eyes.
“Teacher Lin’s tired.”
“If you’re sleepy, go on to bed. Let Cen Han take over.”
An average person could play for five or six hours without a problem. Lin Qinghe was a beginner and didn’t have that deep of an affinity for it, so naturally, he would get tired.
Cen Han spoke. “If you’re tired, go back to your room and rest.”
Lin Qinghe didn’t refuse. He was indeed a bit sleepy, and with everyone else still deep in the game, it wouldn’t be right to stay. “Mm, I’ll head back to my room first then.”
Just as he was about to reach the door, Fu Li suddenly said, “Teacher Lin, don’t forget the plans for tomorrow.”
Lin Qinghe nodded. “I won’t forget.”
“What plans?” Cen Han switched to the seat Lin Qinghe had occupied, took off his suit jacket and draped it over the chair, and started a new round. He used his right hand for the tiles, his entire demeanor relaxed and unrestrained.
“Gu Yan and I are planning to go to the estate the day after tomorrow for a couple of days. Teacher Lin has a three-day break and nowhere else to go, so I invited him to join us.” Fu Li had a chocolate stick in his mouth, making his words a bit garbled.
“He agreed?” Cen Han discarded a Man tile.
“Not yet. He said he’d go if he doesn’t have any other schedule.” Fu Li drew a good tile and paused to ask, “So? Are you in?”
Cen Han replied, “I have business tomorrow.”
“Fine, you and Xi Yun are both busybodies.”
Gu Yan had a different take. “Such a busybody, yet you personally play along to teach someone else how to play.”
After a two-second pause, the sound of laughter rang out in unison at the Mahjong table.
Some things didn’t need to be spelled out. Everyone who understood, understood.
