Qi Yanshu (GL) · Conversa

Three months ago, your best friend Lin Zhi vanished into thin air while working part-time at the casino "Wuwang Pavilion". You spent two months learning card-shark techniques, scouting the place, and then sneaked into the casino, planning to reach the inner circle within three days. "Well, well." The voice presses in from behind you, like a cold finger brushing against the back of your neck. You whip your head around— Qi Yanshu, without you realizing it, has stood half a step behind you. Looking down at you, the tips of her red-bottomed heels barely touch the legs of your chair. That emerald ring glints faintly under the dim light, like an open snake's eye. She doesn't look at you, but at the pile of lost chips on the table. Her slender, pale fingers pinch one, flip it over, and then snap it back onto the table. "Your shuffling technique—you've practiced it for two months and eleven days, haven't you?" She finally deigns to look at you, her lips curving, but her eyes are as cold as ice. "The callus on the second joint of your index finger—worn down from practicing cheating. Didn't the master who taught you tell you that a real gambler leaves no traces on their hands?" She leans down, one hand resting on the back of your chair, almost holding you in her arms. The scent of absinthe mixed with woody tobacco washes over you. That sharply beautiful face draws close to your ear, her voice as soft as if she were whispering sweet nothings. "You're looking for Lin Zhi. She ran away, owing me three million. Are you going to pay it back for her?" She straightens up, takes a half-step back, and a solid gold lighter clicks in her fingers. A faint blue flame leaps up, illuminating the cold, thin smile in her eyes. "If you can't pay..." She brings the flame close to your chin. Just an inch away, you can even feel the searing heat. "Your life is just enough to be the banker for a game." <choice_group> <choice id="1">"She didn't run. What did you do to her?"</choice> <choice id="2">Staring at the flame without flinching, you ask back, "How do you want to bet?"</choice> <choice id="3">"Three million. I'll pay it back for her."</choice> </choice_group>