On the road, Yang Yi fingered the change in his pocket, thinking he'd find a bank to withdraw more money once they arrived.
He estimated the buy-in would still be 200 a game. He'd take another 400 from his card; win or lose, that would be it.
Ding. Another text arrived. "Bank card deposit: Salary 2,445."
Are you kidding me? That's a huge difference. It used to be 3,300; even the lowest time was 3,200. Yang Yi had been thoroughly disgusted by the salary situation these past few days. He finally dug out the HR manager's number. He never expected that when the salary finally arrived, he'd feel this way.
"Hello, Sister Mei. This is Yang Yi. My salary doesn't seem right; it's short several hundred..."
Sister Mei called him directly. In the car, Yang Yi turned the volume to the minimum, fearing Xiao Lin and the others would hear.
"Ah, Yang Yi?" "Yes." "Your attendance record showed lates last month, and I didn't receive any compensatory leave slips. Also, the salary cutoff is the 25th of every month; the missing amount will be settled and paid out after the 25th of next month." "Mhm... mhm..." "Do you understand? I told you this when you resigned." "Mhm... understood. Okay."
She hung up. Yang Yi vaguely remembered something like that, but he hadn't quite understood at the time and didn't confirm because he was in a hurry to leave.
The car remained quiet. Xiao Lin and the others probably hadn't heard the conversation.
"We're here. Get out. I'll find a parking spot." Xiao Lin stopped the car and pointed at the proof in Yang Yi's hand. "Don't take that. Just leave it in the car. We'll talk when we come out."
The proof was A4 size. Yang Yi had carried it all day without a single crease.
Everyone got out one after another. Before them was a bar with colorful signs that looked out of place next to the neighboring restaurants.
The bank was in the distance. Yang Yi said he was going to withdraw money; Gold Tooth and Zhenzhen went inside first.
Yang Yi withdrew 1,000. He was feeling a bit spiteful. The money in his card this month probably wouldn't be enough to spend; he wouldn't pay back Xiao Hua's 800 for now.
When he came out, he happened to see Xiao Lin and followed him.
Inside the bar, a few tables of guests were scattered about. The soft voice of a female singer drifted through; the guests' chatting was quieter than the singing.
Xiao Lin led Yang Yi toward a corner of the bar. There were no private rooms here; the so-called "corner" was just an elevated lounge area up a step, hidden from view by half-length curtains.
Xiao Lin pulled back the curtain. "Hey everyone, look who I brought."
Yang Yi greeted everyone. A card game was already in progress.
The familiar Blackie, Tian Ci, and Mazi. Mazi was leaning over the table looking at his phone. Tian Ci had swapped to a new set of shiny rings and necklaces.
Two unfamiliar newcomers: a dark, thin man with a buzz cut, and a woman with smoky eye makeup, a headscarf, and vintage earrings. Perhaps because the bar's AC was too low, she had a silk shawl draped over her shoulders.
"Little Yang, you're here! Sit." Mazi straightened up. "Let me introduce you. This is the boss of Wufang, Brother Zhao, and the proprietress, Sister Zhao."
Yang Yi wasn't surprised that Mazi could even call the Wufang owners over. In Yang Yi's mind, the owners should have hated their guts after last night. What surprised him was that the game was already in progress before Xiao Lin arrived.
And the one dealing the cards was Quan Quan.
"Quan Quan?" Yang Yi froze in place without sitting down. That "Quan Quan" contained doubt, reproach, and even a bit of jealousy.
Quan Quan was sitting next to Mazi. After dealing the turn, she glanced at Yang Yi, then moved her gaze back to the table.
"Found a new dealer for everyone. She deals 'bloody' cards, so everyone watch out." Mazi's sentence was clearly directed at Yang Yi.
The word "Dealer" (He Guan) was rarely used by these people. Back with Xiao Lin, they were just called "Card Shufflers." Once the professional term was used, the class level immediately rose.
Yang Yi still didn't understand why Quan Quan wasn't at work and had ended up with Mazi. He had even imagined that if Quan Quan ever appeared at a card game, it would be because he brought her. Asking too much now would seem petty, so he sat down graciously.
As luck would have it, his seat was directly opposite the dealer. If Yang Yi looked up slightly, he'd lock eyes with Quan Quan.
Perhaps because autumn was approaching and the AC was cold, Quan Quan had changed into a waist-length red buttoned velvet top. That tiny waist looked no more than 60cm. Her twin pigtails still hung in front; her bangs were slightly curled. Cute and sexy were perfectly combined.
Yang Yi glanced at those familiar collarbones and the exposed navel, swallowed hard, and let his gaze rest on the cord tied around her waist. Red. No decorations, just a very simple red cord. It looked exceptionally good against her fair skin.
In front of Quan Quan sat the iPhone 3 they had gone to buy together that day.
The game continued. The newcomers watched first.
Brother Zhao's sword-like eyebrows gave off a particularly murderous aura. Though dark and thin, one could see lean muscle definitions under his T-shirt; he likely practiced martial arts. In this five-person endgame after Yang Yi sat down, Brother Zhao eventually won with AsTs against Mazi's As2s.
"Damn, lost on the kicker." Mazi laughed after showing his hand, playfully tossing his cards into the muck. "Let's start quickly. It's a big game today."
The "kicker" is the card used to break a tie when two or three people hit the same pair. Professional term: kicker.
The others joined the game. The action order was Gold Tooth, Zhenzhen, Sister Zhao, Brother Zhao, Mazi, Blackie, Tian Ci, Xiao Lin, Yang Yi.
Blinds: 10/20. 500 chips each. Blinds double every hour. Prize pool: 1,800. First place takes 900; second and third are 540 and 180 respectively.
10:30 PM. An unprecedented nine-person table. The game began.
Mazi had said before that Texas Hold'em supports up to nine players simultaneously, but Yang Yi felt as long as the table was big enough, a dozen people could play together—though the scene would be chaotic.
Brother Zhao, Blackie, and Mazi played back and forth. The sounds of "raise" and "all-in" rose and fell; the three became the protagonists.
The others at the table did almost nothing except fold, everyone waiting for a pair of Aces (AA).
Tonight's game seemed to be split into two camps...