Tan Qi's question plunged the restaurant into silence once more. In City B, Duan Yiheng was undoubtedly in the top three of the list of most eligible bachelors.
However, over the years, no one in his circle had ever heard of any scandals involving him. His mysterious love life only fueled speculation. Those who had met him in the business world had considered marriage alliances with him, but he had always effortlessly rejected them.
Initially, some were unconvinced, but since Duan Yiheng had refused, they had reached a tacit understanding. Therefore, Tan Qi's question was simply a matter of curiosity. Lin Xi also stared at him, watching as Duan Yiheng slowly sipped his champagne, then turned his head to look at her.
Lin Xi's sixth sense was always excellent; her eyelids twitched, and she instinctively felt something was amiss. Sure enough, Duan Yiheng chuckled lightly: "Unfortunately, she asked you the same question. Perhaps you could ask her."
Lin Xi: "..." Was he here to have fun? Or was he trying to trick her?
Tan Qi looked at Lin Xi, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes. Before coming, Meng Huaishan had mentioned the adopted daughter of the Duan family, saying she was childhood sweethearts of the second young master of the Duan family and had a close relationship with him, but didn't seem to have much interaction with Duan Yiheng.
However, judging from Duan Yiheng's tone, the two didn't seem to be as at odds as the rumors suggested. Mu Zhao almost choked on his drink, suppressing a laugh, and asked Lin Xi on Tan Qi's behalf, "Little sister, what did your older brother say?" Duan Yiheng glanced at Mu Zhao, his eyes carrying a warning.
Mu Zhao, taking advantage of the crowd, deliberately played dumb. Lin Xi was extremely embarrassed, her gaze towards Duan Yiheng slightly accusing. Tan Qi, however, wouldn't let her off the hook either.
"Miss Lin, may I know how Mr. Duan answered you at the time?"
Lin Xi: "..." He himself said he had no plans to marry for the time being. If she said that, wouldn't that be a direct rejection? Could it be that Duan Yiheng was trying to use her words to reject her? Duan Yiheng remained composed, as if he weren't the one creating the problem for Lin Xi.
Lin Xi said, "Miss Tan is stunningly beautiful. With more opportunities to spend time together, I'm sure my brother will change his mind." This remark wasn't offensive, but Tan Qi understood Duan Yiheng's meaning.
However, Lin Xi wasn't wrong. She and Duan Yiheng had only met a few times; no one could predict the future.
At least by using her sister's words, she hadn't directly rejected her, which was a way of saving face for her. Duan Yiheng, unaware of Tan Qi's thoughts, merely raised an eyebrow at Lin Xi.
Lin Xi, thinking he was praising her, smiled reservedly.
Duan Yiheng: "..." After a few rounds of drinks, Lin Xi got up, saying she was going to the restroom, but then turned and went to find the club's manager.
"Miss Lin," the butler inquired respectfully, "What can I do for you?"
Lin Xi asked, "Don't you know today is my brother's birthday?" The butler smiled, "Yes, we do."
"Then why isn't there a cake?" Lin Xi asked again. The butler replied with a smile, "Mr. Duan ordered it. He said he couldn't stand a bunch of people surrounding him singing 'Happy Birthday' and making him make a wish."
Lin Xi imagined the scene and chuckled, "Could you prepare a blueberry cake for me? A small one."
The butler said, "I'll have the pastry chef prepare one for you right away." Lin Xi nodded.
Before coming to North District No. 1, she asked Sister Mei about cakes. Sister Mei said they had everything here, just give the order.
Now that the gift was smashed, they couldn't be without a cake. When Lin Xi returned to the dining room, everyone had already gotten up and was leaving.
She went to greet them, "Have you finished eating?"
Duan Yiheng replied, "Almost. Mu Zhao and Meng Huaishan want to play cards." So they're moving to another location? When Duan Yiheng arrived, every corner of the club had been meticulously prepared.
The butler led everyone to a room at the end of the east corridor on the first floor.
A dark carpet covered the entire room, auction paintings hung on the walls, and a corner featured a square floor-to-ceiling window framing a view of lush greenery.
A card table was set up in the center, complete with fruit platters, chips, glasses, cigars… everything was in place.
Meng Huaishan and Mu Zhao wanted to play Texas Hold'em. Except for Liang Yutong and Lin Xi, who didn't understand the game, everyone else sat down at the table. Liang Yutong was very interested, sitting behind Mu Shuo watching.
Duan Yiheng took off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and was teased by Mu Zhao: "Are you serious now?"
Duan Yiheng crossed his long legs, leaning slightly towards Lin Xi, and laughed: "Who's serious with you?"
Mu Zhao: "Fine, let's drink tonight, whoever loses drinks."
Zhou Li joked: "I remember you lose nine out of ten bets, especially when you play cards with Yiheng."
Mu Zhao, however, was confident, glancing at Lin Xi out of the corner of his eye, and said: "It's okay, I have a cheat code tonight, he'll definitely lose."
Meng Huaishan became interested: "What cheat code?"
"It won't work if I tell you." Mu Zhao kept her in suspense, turning his head to meet Lin Xi's gaze, "Come on, little sister, deal the cards to the brothers."
Duan Yiheng looked up: "Who are you ordering around?"
Tan Qi was to Duan Yiheng's left, listening to him protect Lin Xi, and glanced at him discreetly. Mu Zhao stood up and led Lin Xi to the button area, pressing her down into a chair. "Please, Miss, deal us some cards."
Lin Xi hurriedly turned her gaze away. "I don't know how to play cards."
This wasn't a card game like Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), she really didn't know how. She had tried playing with Duan Mingxuan before, but Chen Baiwei had called her away before they even started, saying she was leading Duan Mingxuan astray. Being dependent on Chen Baiwei, she had no way to defend herself.
From then on, she avoided all entertainment activities that Chen Baiwei considered frivolous and wasteful. Duan Yiheng undoubtedly held the power in the room, and Lin Xi cast a pleading look at him.
Duan Yiheng fiddled with the chips, noticing Mu Zhao's teasing gaze, and said, "Go ahead and deal. It's fine, just playing around, no need to take it too seriously."
Liang Yutong chimed in, "It's okay, just deal! They can't blame you for losing, can they?"
Meng Huaishan laughed, "Deal! Your cousin's alcohol tolerance is pretty good."
Lin Xi was startled. Meng Huaishan was Duan Yiheng's uncle's only son, and she had absolutely no connection to him. Yet today, in front of Duan Yiheng, he was actually giving her face, letting her address him as Duan Yiheng.
Perhaps she should comply. Lin Xi glanced around, "Then I'll really deal?" No one objected, and Lin Xi picked up the brand-new cards.
Mu Zhao was teaching her how to deal, telling her it was okay if she didn't know how to play; she only needed to deal, shuffle, and manage the pot. It really didn't require much skill.
Lin Xi shuffled the cards; the cards were uneven, and two were even missing.
Duan Yiheng chuckled softly and shook his head. Mu Zhao's smile was enigmatic; his brother was doomed to lose tonight. Lin Xi could laugh like this just shuffling cards; how could he possibly have time to calculate the odds?
Meng Huaishan was also amused: "A 'scattering flowers' shuffle, I've never seen anything like it."
Lin Xi blushed with embarrassment and explained softly, "This deck is new, it's too slippery."
That one sentence made everyone burst into laughter. One of Lin Xi's personality traits was that if he did something, he'd do it well, even if it meant making a fool of himself. The blinds had already been set before the cards were dealt.
Lin Xi dealt the hole cards to the players one by one, almost slipping once, but managing to steady himself in time. The others took their cards and held them down discreetly. Lin Xi raised his eyes and met Duan Yiheng's gaze.