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墨書 Inktalez
"Where?" Chen Rui asked. "Weren't you the one who said we were almost cut from the same mold?"
"He never expresses his true thoughts directly. Ninety-nine percent of the time, no matter how he feels, he always manages to smile, giving people a sense of ease. I think that's what makes him the most terrifying—his endless concealment of his true self..." Bai Qingyu murmured, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
Seeing Bai Qingyu in this state, Chen Rui felt it was best not to press further. Even if he forced the topic out of her, he might not get the information he wanted.
"Alright, since you're not willing to open up to me, I won't disturb you any longer," Bai Qingyu teased with a smile, throwing Chen Rui a flirtatious glance, resembling a living embodiment of a seductress.
Chen Rui smiled wryly at Bai Qingyu and watched as she left the balcony.
He had gathered a lot of information, though it was quite mixed. However, he could vaguely weave it into a larger picture, with the center being the truth behind the Chen Zijing incident.
But Chen Rui did not intend to get further involved in this matter. After all, it was too broad and involved parties that were ruthless and would eat anyone alive without hesitation. As someone without any backing, trying to navigate through their murky waters would likely lead to a fate similar to Chen Zijing's.
Thus, Chen Rui planned to quickly distance himself from Li Xue and others. Their relationship was merely professional; he couldn't afford to get entangled with that group any longer.
Having made up his mind, Chen Rui stretched a bit and stepped out onto the balcony, only to spot a familiar figure approaching down the corridor leading to it.
"Mr. Li!" Chen Rui smiled awkwardly. He wasn't sure if Li Li had overheard their earlier conversation. If so, his position was indeed quite awkward. If Li Li still had feelings for Bai Qingyu, he should be thanking Chen Rui; but if...
"Ah." Li Li sighed softly, said nothing, and walked away alone.
This attitude suggested that he had indeed heard their conversation and still harbored feelings for Bai Qingyu. Yet at the same time, he seemed tied to another woman—too much sentiment could lead to such melancholy.
There was no helping it; men like Li Li were practically role models for their peers. His initiative was undoubtedly above average; his silver tongue only spoke sweet words when it came to women. With his youthful looks and weathered gaze that belied his age, he could easily captivate countless women.
Add in his billion-dollar fortune, and he was practically a treasure; marrying him was a thought every girl had entertained at some point.
It was only with the support of such hardware that Li Li's charm could ensure that those women loved him wholeheartedly. After all, even if one were to overlook his billions, he was still a very worthy life partner; not everyone could cook as well as he did.
Seeing that Li Li didn't want to engage in conversation, Chen Rui didn't force the issue and silently followed him into the living room. There weren't many activities in the afternoon; some people were resting while others had gone off to find their own entertainment, leaving the living room empty.
"Just ask whatever you want," Li Li said as he found a sofa to sit on, casually leaning back with a look of enjoyment on his face.
Chen Rui smiled and sat down on another sofa, resting his elbows on his thighs and leaning slightly forward. "You still love Bai Qingyu, right?"
Li Li shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.
"You asked me to ask! Now you're acting mute—what's that supposed to mean?" Chen Rui pretended to be angry.
Li Li coughed a couple of times and looked at Chen Rui with a smirk. "Do you know how fake your expressions are when you pretend? It's quite amusing. Besides," he shamelessly added, "I only told you to ask; I never said I would answer."
Chen Rui smiled helplessly. Compared to the previous flirtatious woman, this old fox was clearly much harder to deal with.
"I know what you're thinking, but I don't want you to meddle too much in my personal affairs. That's just how it is," Li Li said with a smile, firmly putting an end to the topic and making it clear that he wouldn't allow any questioning.
Seeing Li Li's attitude, Chen Rui had nothing more to say. After all, it was his own business; what did it have to do with him?
The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence as both of them stopped talking, and the living room was filled with an eerie quiet. Suddenly, a crisp sound broke the silence.
"Yeah!" Zhou Yan's ecstatic voice echoed throughout the villa. It was clear he was playing some game and had just crushed his opponent again.
Li Li chuckled. "Want to go play?"
Chen Rui was completely bewildered. Although he guessed they were playing a game, he had no idea what kind of game it was. What if he didn't know how to play?
Li Li seemed to see right through Chen Rui. She stood up and walked toward the room where the voice was coming from, waving her hand. "Don't worry, it's a game you're best at."
Reluctantly, Chen Rui followed her. A game he was best at? What game was that? He couldn't even figure it out himself; how did she know?
Li Li expertly led Chen Rui into a billiard room. In the center of the room stood a three-meter-long pool table, one side filled with various brown cues and accessories, while the other side featured elevated seating for spectators.
Beside the pool table, Zhou Yan was excitedly leaning over, her face flushed as she aimed at the white cue ball with her cue.
Hearing someone enter, Zhou Yan looked up slightly. Upon seeing Chen Rui, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Her hands, which had been pushing and pulling the cue, didn’t stop in time and she accidentally pushed it forward. The cue lightly tapped the white ball, causing it to move slightly before stopping after just two rolls due to insufficient momentum.
At this moment, the entire billiard room fell silent. The next second, Wang Xinzhuo's laughter broke the quiet. "Hahaha… let's see how smug you are now!"
Zhou Yan was so frustrated she couldn't even be angry. She shot a glare at Chen Rui, stamped her foot in annoyance, and huffed, "That doesn't count! It's all your fault!"
No wonder Zhou Yan had been ready to continue her turn when Chen Rui's arrival startled her, causing her to make a mistake that gifted her opponent four points.
Chen Rui chuckled helplessly. "What did I do? Why am I being blamed?"
"How can you not be blamed? It's all because of you! You made me lose four points and messed up my shot!" Zhou Yan sulked from the seating area.
"I don't understand what's going on at all," Chen Rui said with a wry smile, shaking his head. He genuinely hadn’t done anything; he had just followed Li Li into this billiard room.
Li Li stepped in to ease the tension, laughing as she patted Chen Rui on the shoulder. "It's fine; just blame me. I brought you here, and your presence scared Zhou Yan."
"Who! Who is scared of him!" Zhou Yan said angrily, but her slightly trembling fingers betrayed her true feelings.
Chen Rui shrugged. "Why would she be afraid of me? I don't even know how to play billiards."
"What kind of joke is that!" Zhou Yan immediately shouted, disbelief etched on the faces of the others. "If you can't play, does that mean we haven't even touched a cue stick!!!"
Chen Rui glanced at the expressions of the four people present, all of whom seemed to agree with Zhou Yan. He helplessly replied, "Although this is quite embarrassing for you, I really have never even touched a billiard cue."
Once again shocked, Wang Xinzhuo, Li Li, and Zhou Zhi looked at Chen Rui in disbelief. Only Zhou Yan, after pondering for a moment, revealed a mischievous smile. "Let's play a game later. Don't worry, I'm also a beginner and not very good." She turned to Zhou Zhi in the audience. "Make sure to record this on your phone for me."
With such shamelessness from Zhou Yan, Chen Rui had no room to argue. The other three seemed eager to watch the match between him and Zhou Yan, with even Wang Xinzhuo, who was currently playing, wanting to give up his turn so they could start right away.
The current game was nearing its end. Li Li walked over to Chen Rui and saw that his hands were still empty. She laughed, "Aren't you going to pick a cue? So confident?"
Chen Rui shot her a disdainful glance; her sarcasm was so on point. "I'm not confident at all. I've never even touched a cue stick before, and I'm not clear on many rules. I'm probably just going to make a fool of myself!"
Chen Rui was genuinely wronged by Li Li's misunderstanding; she thought he was confident to that extent. But upon seeing his helpless expression, she realized he wasn't prepared to win at all. She silently patted his shoulder and returned to the audience, pulling out her phone.
Wait! Is my loss really worth recording? Chen Rui felt his nose crinkle in annoyance at Li Li's actions. Nevertheless, he followed her advice and walked over to the rack to choose a suitable cue.
To conserve her energy, Zhou Yan deliberately lost the final crucial match against Wang Xinzhuo, eagerly anticipating her game with Chen Rui.
As Chen Rui approached her, Zhou Yan suddenly felt an immense pressure but still forced herself to appear confident. "You know the specific rules, right?"
Chen Rui waved his hand dismissively. "I have a general idea, but I'm sure there are some specific rules I don't know about. I definitely know about the point values of different balls and that you have to hit the red ball first."
Zhou Yan smiled, "Let's do it this way. Knowing this much is enough. We'll decide the order by flipping a coin and play three matches, best two out of three. Can we flip the coin now?"
Li Li, acting as both referee and scorekeeper, pulled out a one-dollar coin from under the pool table. "Who wants to flip the coin first? The winner gets to break."
"I have bad luck," Zhou Yan shook her head and declined to take the coin.
Chen Rui took the coin, glancing at the presidential portrait and the Statue of Liberty. He raised his thumb and flicked the coin into the air.
Ding... The coin hit the ground and bounced slightly before settling down, the golden presidential portrait shining brilliantly under the lights.
The corners of Zhou Yan's mouth lifted slightly; it seemed she wanted Chen Rui to break first.
Reluctantly, Chen Rui walked over to the pool table, bent down, and aimed his cue at the cue ball, focusing on the triangle of red balls not far away.
Li Li stepped closer to Chen Rui and whispered, "A friendly tip: hit the second-to-last red ball on the right side first, and put some power into it."
Zhou Yan shot Li Li a glance but said nothing, smiling as she waited for Chen Rui's first shot.
Chen Rui nodded in appreciation for Li Li's advice, continuously adjusting his grip on the cue. Suddenly, he pushed with force; the cue collided with the cue ball, sending it flying like it had been equipped with a rocket engine as it struck the red balls.
After a crisp sound of impact, a dull thud echoed as one of the balls landed...
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