Chapter 1173, The Final Heat

Translator: Silavin

 

A few minutes later, the girls each held only two or three cards.

 

The game was entering its final stage. Yu Ying and the others looked tense.

 

They watched their own hands, then looked up to study whoever was about to draw from them next.

 

“My turn. I only have two left. If things go well, I should be the first one out.” Su Bai drew from the next player, matched a pair, and dropped it into the discard pile. “I’m afraid I only have one card left now. Best of luck to all of you.”

 

He said it deliberately, wanting to pressure them a little. Without that pressure, the cheerful mood from earlier might make them forget there was a forfeit waiting for them.

 

“My turn.” Yan Hua reached across to draw from Sha Lan.

 

She compared the card she drew against the two in her hand. Her face fell.

 

“Don’t tell me that bottom card ended up with me.” Yan Hua looked a little rattled.

 

She glanced at the others’ hands. If her luck didn’t turn, she was looking like the loser.

 

“Everyone be careful. The bottom card is currently with Ah’Hua. Keep your eyes open.” Su Bai stirred up the tension without hesitation.

 

That was the effect he wanted. This game could be genuinely nerve-wracking, even when all one did was drawing cards and making pairs. The tense atmosphere was something everyone had to build up.

 

“I see, I see. So that card is the bottom card. Thank you, Ah’Hua, for pulling it away from me.” Sha Lan laughed with obvious relief.

 

“I need to be careful then. The Shaman draws from Ah’Hua’s hand, and if he happens to pull it back again, I’ll be the one in danger.” Yu Ying spoke up quickly.

 

“Let me draw first, before you worry.” Sha Lan reached across and drew from Yu Ying’s hand. The card matched. She discarded the pair at once.

 

“One less is one safer. Shaman, it’s my turn to draw.” Yu Ying’s voice was still soft and round.

 

“Go ahead.” Su Bai simply turned and held out his last card. “No need to worry about drawing from me. This is all I have left.”

 

That was how the game worked. The first person to empty their hand was out, and safe. There was only ever one loser. The sooner one cleared their cards, the better.

 

“You scared me. I thought you were going to make me draw from you again. Now I don’t have to worry about pulling that bottom card.” Yu Ying let out a breath.

 

She matched the card she had just drawn and discarded the pair. One card left in her hand.

 

“That’s not quite how it works,” Su Bai said. “When the next round comes, you’ll still draw from Ah’Hua. Just because I’m out doesn’t mean you skip your turn.”

 

That was part of what made the game enjoyable. Each player drew from the next one in sequence. Even if someone finished early, the person before them couldn’t skip ahead. They still drew from whoever was next in line.

 

“Then I’m in a very dangerous position. I’m drawing directly from Ah’Hua’s hand.” Yu Ying went tense at once.

 

“Don’t make me sound so frightening.” Yan Hua began composing her expression and casually shifting her cards.

 

She still had cards to go before she was done. If her luck held up, she would form a pair up and escape.

 

“Give me one.” Yan Hua reached across and drew back a card. Luckily, it matched. The pair went into the discard pile.

 

One less card meant one step closer to safety.

 

“Then, it’s my turn to draw from Xiao Yu.” Sha Lan reached across and drew one back. “Yes! Mine matched too.”

 

Sha Lan’s hand was now entirely empty. She was the second one out.

 

“You’re done too? Then the loser is going to be me or Ah’Hua?” Yu Ying went rigid.

 

There was a good reason for that. She only had one card left.

 

Yan Hua still held two. If she accidentally drew the bottom card, there would be no matching it, no escaping.

 

“So, this is the real heart of the game,” Yan Hua said, and something genuine kindled in her expression now.

 

She had been a little anxious at first. Now she felt it. The pull of it, the real tension. She straightened up her remaining cards carefully, then fanned them out, ready to be drawn from.

 

“Surely it won’t come down to me having to draw.” Yu Ying muttered, even as she reached out her hand toward Yan Hua’s cards.

 

Her eyes stayed narrowed, fixed on Yan Hua’s face, trying to catch some flicker or tell.

 

Yan Hua, for her part, had stopped looking at her own hand entirely. She was gazing off to the side, deliberately giving nothing away so Yu Ying wouldn’t be able to guess which card was which.

 

“Ah’Hua is so cunning. I’ll just have to trust my luck then.” Yu Ying solemnly said.

 

She hovered her fingers back and forth over the two cards, unable to commit.

 

“Hurry up,” Su Bai said, already impatient to see how it ended. “Any more hesitation and I’ll count it as a forfeit.”

 

“Ah! All right, I’ve decided.” Yu Ying made up her mind and drew.

 

She did not dare look at the card at first. After a long hesitation she slowly peeled back one corner and peeked.

 

“Well? Did you win or lose?” Su Bai asked.

 

“Yes! Ah! It’s matching pair! That means Ah’Hua loses.” Yu Ying laughed out loud with delight.

 

“What!? I thought we’d at least go a couple more rounds. I didn’t expect your luck to be that good. You just pulled the right one straight away…” Yan Hua put on a long-suffering face.

 

She did not really mind losing. She just had been hoping to keep playing a little longer. This game was genuinely fun.

 

“Ah’Hua loses! Looks like you’ll be accepting your forfeit.” Yu Ying swung her pink fox tail happily.

 

“I accept the loss. So, what is the forfeit exactly?”

 

“The loser gets their face drawn on by everyone else.” Su Bai had already asked for the quill pen.

 

“That’s a reasonable forfeit.” Sha Lan was working herself up to do it. “Ah’Hua is so lovely that even with something drawn on her face she’ll still look fine.”

 

Which was really just her way of convincing herself to go through with it… something that felt both a little wrong and very satisfying at the same time.