Chapter 22 Bet (Part 1)

always brought Su Cun along as well because Liu Rui was taller and older than half a year compared to Su Cun, often claiming that Su Cun was his younger brother. This allowed him to take advantage of...Chapter 22 The Bet (Part 1)

Xue Yiyang insisted on dragging Su Can to play soccer. Even if Su Can didn't know how to play, Xue still wanted him to join in just so that after the game, he could thank Su Can for his help by buying him a bottle of soda.

There were many shameless people around, but this boy's level of shamelessness was remarkable. Therefore, Su Can fell for it and agreed to watch Xue play soccer after school in exchange for a bottle of soda.

But what he didn't expect was that he wasn't alone on the viewing platform—three familiar figures were either squatting or standing there, with two bottles of alcohol placed on the ground. It turned out to be Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu; beside them stood Lin Luoran. As a gust of wind blew past her, her curled hair gently fluttered, making the boys playing soccer even more flustered.

Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu were taking sips from their beer as the setting sun cast its rays upon them. Two boys and one girl; in years to come, when they reminisce about this scene, it would surely evoke a sense of nostalgia within them.

Su Can stood at the entrance of the viewing platform, looking diagonally up towards where those three people were sitting on the concrete steps. He could feel their melancholy and was somewhat surprised since he had never seen Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu display such a side before; they usually lived carefree lives and dealt with problems swiftly.

Upon seeing the trio drinking beer in a dejected manner, Su Can wanted to go over and say hello. But then he thought it might be too abrupt.

In fact, sometimes to see if two people are truly friends isn't about how much time they spend together partying at night or indulging in luxuries; instead, it's whether they would call you during your lowest moments or just come over and drink with you on a certain rooftop as if chatting for hours.

Clearly, Su Can could play basketball and hang out with Wang Weiwei and the others. However, such interactions were fleeting encounters rather than the kind of deep friendship shared between someone like Lin Zouwu and Lin Luoran.

At this moment, appearing before them would be inappropriate; thus, Su Can intended to retreat when suddenly, from atop the concrete steps where she was overlooking the soccer field, Lin Luoran spotted him.

"Su Can, come over here! Come!" Lin Luoran waved at him. Her slender figure cast long shadows in the twilight.

With a faint smile, Su Can took the stairs and walked to her side.

Wang Weiwei glanced briefly at Su Can; he was feeling low but didn't want to speak much. He merely nodded towards Su Can as if the heartfelt conversation with Lin Zouwu couldn’t continue either.

Seeing that Su Can wasn't asking questions, Lin Zouwu understood this boy's nature well—although often quiet and introspective, he could see many things clearly.

If they were feeling so down drinking alcohol together and didn't explain themselves to him, it would seem like excluding Su Can from their circle.

Lin Zouwu smiled, "Weiwei is in a cold war with his dad right now, which is why he's depressed. I'm here just to keep him company by having some drinks—do you want one

"No, I won't drink anymore." Su Can shook his head and sat down on the steps beside them. "Was that car which dropped you off this morning driven by Wei Wei's dad"

Wang Weiwei gave a snort while Lin Luoran was surprised. "Were you there at the time"

"I saw you all from upstairs on the bus," Su Can said, "Your father seems like a decent guy."

Turning towards him, Wang Weiwei retorted, "It's just an act in public; he always gets his way. Why should I listen to him What gives him the right I have my own thoughts! When he doesn't care about me, he can leave with a stack of cash, but as soon as he wants to manage me, I'm supposed to follow his plans. Who does he think he is!"

Lin Zhouwu smiled bitterly at Su Can and said, "His dad transferred here to Xi Hai city and wants Weiwei to live with him. Even our things have been moved into the new house..."

The implication was that while Lin Zhouwu thought Wang Weiwei's father was domineering, he hesitated to speak up since Wang Weiwei is a junior family member.

"I won't go! What gives him the right to control me When we were building the city, I didn't see him come and visit. Now that he's here in Xi Hai, feeling lost, he suddenly remembers that I'm still here and wants to manage me. Am I a dog or something"

Wang Weiwei grew more agitated as he spoke while Lin Luoran scolded him with a frown. "Wei!"

The reprimand made Wang Weiwei tone down his angry rhetoric, but he muttered under his breath, "It's all the same anyway..."

Su Can had gotten an idea of what happened from their conversation. Wang Weiwei’s father had been transferred to Xi Hai city for work and wanted his son to live with him; however, Wang Weiwei was so fed up that he refused and started a cold war with him. Considering this, together with the recent movements of high-ranking officials in the city as mentioned by Su Can's dad, and today’s government black car dropping off Wang Weiwei at the slope entrance, there was a ninety percent chance that Wang Weiwei's father might be the newly appointed Secretary of Xi Hai City Committee, Wang Bo.

Su Can thought further. Wang Yuan had originally been the Provincial Party Secretary's Office Director but now he has been reassigned as the Secretary of Xi Hai City. It wasn't clear whether this was a promotion or demotion without knowing the situation better.

But from what they said, Su Can got an idea about Wang Bo’s character; it looked like he had been removed from power and felt isolated and empty due to that loss. That's why he wanted Wang Weiwei by his side.

However, trying to curry favor with Wang Weiwei now after ignoring him for so long only made the latter resistant.

"How can you be so stupid" Wang Weiwei said as he rolled his eyes at Lin Zhouwu. "My dad's a sly fox; that’s exactly why he wants us apart, to create opposition between me and him, making me feel isolated and forcing me back to him."

Lin Zhouwu sighed, “Well, now what Your father asked me personally to persuade you to go back. What am I supposed to do if I don't comply”

"How can you be so stupid" Wang Weiwei said with his eyes wide open at Lin Luoran. "My dad is sly; he wants us separated and for there to be tension between me and him, making me feel isolated and forcing me back to him."

Lin Zhouwu sighed again and said, “Well, what do we do now We can’t stay in the hotel as our things have been moved to the family compound. Do we have enough money for a new room”

If only we had saved some, we could have gone to a better hotel to sleep. Let's continue fighting with your dad!

Lin Zhouda turned around and looked at Lin Geran with ill intentions. "But I heard that girls usually keep some savings... Our good Luoran..."

Lin Anran shook his head immediately, "You guys try to take my pocket money every week; where would I have any left! How could I have a brother like you!"

Wang Weiwei clenched his teeth and said fiercely, "We can go to an internet cafe instead. We'll play games all night long! Are you guys in"

Lin Zhouda always got excited at the mention of playing around. He said, "If you say so, let's do it."

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Luoran said, "I will get dark circles if I don’t sleep enough. Alright then."

When both of them agreed, Wang Weiwei suddenly looked at Su Can and asked, "What about you Are you going or not!"

"Me..." Su Can was taken aback for a moment. After a lightning-fast thought process, he nodded his head.

“Of course.”

Wang Weiwei didn’t expect Su Can to agree so readily. He remembered that Su Can seemed like an obedient student who did well in school and was very accomplished. Such outstanding youths wouldn't usually act recklessly, but Su Can’s nod made Wang Weiwei feel closer to him from the bottom of his heart. People tend to become more affectionate toward those who stay by their side during their most desolate and helpless times, whether it's then or long after.

After finishing the football match, Xue Yiyang, wearing his sportswear with one hand holding his coat and the other carrying a ball, was looking around the spectator seats. He didn't see Su Can anywhere and got rather annoyed by this. "Damn it! This guy said he would wait for me, but instead ditched me!"

The 'Pentium Computer' internet cafe, newly opened in the city center, was considered to be the most upscale and had the best machine performance among all internet cafes in Xiahai.

A large hall could accommodate one hundred people and was divided into several areas. Most were playing LAN games such as Diablo or StarCraft.

On a comfortable sofa in a VIP area, Wang Weiwei and Lin Zhouda sat side by side with their computers in front of them.

Su Can and Lin Luoran sat on the opposite sofa facing them. The two sides were sitting across from each other, manipulating mice to play games.

"Hehe, Su Can's treating us! I didn’t expect you to be so decent, Geran, go get four bottles of Coke and order me a plate of shredded pork in fish-flavored sauce, let Luoran get what you guys want!"

"I won't go, why should I!" Lin Luoran was straightforward and shot a look at Wang Weiwei who had just given an order.

"Then let's play one game. Whoever loses has to go!" Wang Weiwei set up the StarCraft host.

The four of them engaged in chaotic combat, and before long, Su Can was defeated by a round-robin match from Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu. He could have salvaged his defeat with some micro-management tricks but instead he quit the game and stood up. "I'll go get it, I'll order dinner too."

Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu poked their heads out from behind the computer screens and said, "Ah It's you! Not Guran then, why did she scream like she was being raped when we destroyed her base!"

Lin Kuran stuck out her tongue. "The two of you planned to get even with me all along. War has no rules." Then she winked at Su Can and used the beauty charm on him. "Sorry..."

Su Can smiled helplessly as he walked out from the private room, it was his treat today and now he had to take care of these two boys and a lady.

He didn't know that Su Can sitting together with Lin Luoran had already raised envy in many netizens. They all whispered among themselves, "This kid is lucky. His girlfriend is beautiful." A StarCraft match was held around 8 PM inside the Internet cafe, and Wang Weiwei who loved to make a scene dragged everyone else into joining the local network battle. This boy truly showed his exceptional talent as he played against all comers in this huge Internet cafe and nobody could defeat him, earning a crowd of spectators around him. Of course, there were also some people who specially came here just to watch Lin Luoran's beautiful oval face from Su Can's angle.

When Wang Weiwei was having fun playing the game, a man wearing glasses with a pumpkin-head cut suddenly spoke up in a sinister voice, "Grade one."

The expression on Wang Weiwei's face froze. This guy had a calm demeanor and audacious words; he must have some real skills. "Come!"

"Such a simple match is too boring, why don't we bet"

Wang Weiwei's heart skipped a beat. He was the most lacking in money right now.

"I don't have any money and I don't gamble." Pumpkin-head shook his head slowly and calmly. Everyone around him looked at him with admiration; it could be known that this pumpkin-head might actually have some skills in this area of the Internet cafe.

Wang Weiwei asked, "Then what do you bet"

Pumpkin-head pointed to Lin Luoran and ignored her startled expression. He curled his lips into an evil arc and said with a grin, "If I win, I want her to set up the host, then I'll use my little dog to destroy her base and workers one by one without quitting in between."

Thanks to everyone who has been giving me votes for my story. Every single vote is hard-earned and builds confidence for me. My monthly rankings are not as good as those ahead of me, but I hope to surpass them with your help. With more monthly votes, I'll have even more motivation to write about Su Can making up for his regrets in this large era and taking steps towards success.d schools."This question had been lingering in Lin Luoran's heart for some time. Sometimes she even wanted to ask about it, but she always held back. Now that they were alone and talking quietly toget...