"What kind of background could he have?" Tian Hai retorted.

"Niu Ben gets into fights at school all the time. Logically, he should have been expelled long ago, but the school never does anything about him. Don't you find that strange?"

"Now that you mention it, that is quite odd." Tian Hai couldn't help but worry about Zhong Yun. "Then do you know that kid's background?"

"His dad is named Niu Shun-jin; word is he’s one of the bosses of Mingzhou City’s underground forces."

"The triads?"

"The triads!"

======================================================================

The next day, led by school officials and teachers, over a thousand students arrived at Feng Hua City’s most famous scenic spot—Baihua Forest.

A large group is both inconvenient and too noisy for movement. Zhong Yun found it novel for the first half hour, but after that, he was so bored he started surfing the internet on his small portable computer. A thousand people crammed together, and you couldn't even see the scenery.

That day was purely for show. The school had even specifically hired a photographer to document the activity. To put it plainly, it was all for appearances.

They finally managed to endure the day.

That evening, Zhong Yun and his two friends, quite bored, started playing an ancient game—cards.

"Thank goodness for my foresight," Tian Hai said, shuffling the deck and taking credit. "This crummy hotel doesn't even have computers, and they won't let us go out. An entire evening is so long—it’s mind-numbingly dull."

The game of cards has a long history. Since technological advances brought about more diverse forms of entertainment, cards have almost been rendered obsolete. No one knew where Tian Hai managed to dig up a deck.

After playing a few hands, Zhong Hai suddenly proposed, "It’s no fun with just the three of us. Let’s drag a few more people in."

"Tch," Tian Hai scoffed. "With your current 'popularity,' they'd practically stab you to death with their eyes. If you go look for them, who’s going to pay you any mind? Don't go embarrass yourself."

"You’re dense," Zhong Yun rolled his eyes. "Who said we should look for the boys? Why not look for the girls?"

Tian Hai smacked his forehead. "Yeah, why didn't I think of that? But who should we invite?"

"This crucial mission is up to you," Zhong Yun and Chen Wen said in unison.

Although Tian Hai felt helpless, he was, after all, the most popular among the three.

After thinking it over, he called a girl he knew fairly well. When he suggested his idea, the girls on the other end chattered amongst themselves before responding.

"So, are you coming or not? If not, I'll ask someone else," Tian Hai said impatiently.

"What’s the rush? Come on over, we’ll book a room upstairs."

After hanging up, Tian Hai made a gesture, and the three of them quietly snuck over.

When the girls saw the three boys arrive, they became quite excited too; everyone was bored, after all.

As the saying goes, work is lighter with a partner of the opposite sex, and entertainment is the same. The three boys and four girls (the girls were sharing one room) played the simple card game with great enthusiasm.

"This is boring," a petite girl suddenly threw down her cards.

"What's wrong? We were having fun," Xiao Ruo asked.

"Those two always win; it’s no fun," the petite girl pointed at Zhong Yun and Chen Wen.

Regarding her accusation, both Zhong Yun and Chen Wen felt rather wronged. Can't people be allowed to win?

The other girls exchanged glances, very put off by the petite girl’s behavior, but it was awkward to say anything in front of so many people.

"How about this," Zhong Yun suddenly had an idea. "Let's play a little game."

"What game?" The petite girl showed a spark of interest.

Zhong Yun explained the rules: Use seven cards—ranks one through six, plus one Joker—and the seven people draw one card randomly. Whoever draws the Joker has the right to order one of the other six people to do something. The called person must not disobey, or they are disqualified.

Then Zhong Yun added, "The Joker can only ask others to do something within their power. For example, if you asked me to do a thousand push-ups, I’d probably collapse dead before finishing."

Everyone else burst out laughing.

"That sounds interesting. Let’s start," the petite girl found it quite amusing.

Seeing that no one objected, Zhong Yun selected seven cards from the deck, shuffled them a few times, and extended them toward Xiao Ruo, who was sitting beside him. "Ladies first."

After everyone had drawn a card, Tian Hai laughed loudly. "A flying start!" He revealed his hand—it was the Joker. His eyes darted around, assessing each face. "Number three..."

He then noticed a subtle change in expression on a girl's face and felt certain. "Draw a design on your face with lipstick."

The girl pouted, dutifully took out her lipstick, and drew a small mark on her cheek.

The other six burst into laughter at her comical appearance, and Tian Hai, who instigated it, laughed so hard he nearly fell over.

Everyone’s excitement intensified. The girl who was just ordered was also eager for revenge, so the second round began.

This game relied entirely on luck. Even if you drew the Joker, you wouldn't know who was designated number X, nor who you might call next. Those who didn't draw the Joker were on edge, terrified of being called, which made it very thrilling.

After a few rounds, the punishments grew increasingly bizarre. First, Tian Hai was ordered to stand on one leg like a golden rooster for one minute, then the petite girl was forced to make a very exaggerated, grotesque face.

In the fourth round, Chen Wen was the Joker. He came up with a truly malicious idea: "Chug an entire bottle of soda in one go."

Xiao Ruo was the unlucky one. She reluctantly opened a soda bottle and started drinking, while the petite girl excitedly held the bottle steady beside her.

After a few gulps, Xiao Ruo couldn't take it anymore. Her fair face turned bright red, completely unable to bear it. With a "Pfft," a mouthful of soda shot out of her nose.

Tian Hai and Chen Wen, the two unscrupulous scoundrels, laughed so hard they pounded the floor, tears streaming from their eyes. The three girls also covered their stomachs, roaring with laughter.

It was Zhong Yun who couldn't stand watching. He helped Xiao Ruo, who was coughing incessantly, by patting her back to help her catch her breath. "Are you okay?"

Xiao Ruo’s face was flushed red from coughing, struggling to breathe, but she waved her hand to signal she was fine.

In this manner, the person holding the Joker naturally enjoyed the thrill of giving orders, the onlookers had a great time watching, and those being punished concentrated intensely, trying to devise insidious methods for revenge in the next round. The atmosphere was steadily pushed toward its peak.

After more than a dozen rounds, the clock showed nearly eleven o’clock. Zhong Yun suddenly said, "The teachers will be doing room checks soon; we should probably break up."

"No way," the petite girl flatly refused. She had just been forced to crawl on the floor like a snake in the last round; if they stopped now, wouldn't that be a waste?

"Just a few more rounds," the rest of them said, still high on the game; they too were reluctant to end it just like that.

Zhong Yun looked at Xiao Ruo. Among the seven present, only she and he were relatively restrained. Xiao Ruo nodded. "Two more rounds, then we stop."

"Alright," Zhong Yun considered that there was still some time and agreed.

"Quick, draw, draw," Tian Hai urged. After drawing, he burst out laughing and flipped his card over—it was the Joker. "I guess I have good luck today."

Saying that, he rubbed his hands together. "Since these are the last two rounds, let's play for something bigger."

Everyone cheered in agreement.

Zhong Yun saw how wild they all were and knew it was useless to try and stop them, so he remained silent.

"Number five..." Tian Hai repeated his old trick, drawing out the sound, trying to spot deception in their eyes, but everyone had already learned their lesson; they wouldn't fall for his tricks again.

"Number five gives number three a French kiss," Tian Hai grinned wickedly.

P: Ten thousand words completed, seeking recommendation votes.