Your father...
Rui felt her chest squeezing.
“Something wrong?” Zizi asked.
“Nothing. I have to go,” she mumbled, grabbing the new talisman. Ignoring his questions, she hurried from the room and ran out the front door.
5
Yiran
Four boys sat in a circle by the swimming pool on the roof deck of a swanky condominium. Expensive cologne wafted, hiding the after-school musk of teenagers and exhaust from the city streets below, while the late-afternoon sun glistened off limited-edition watches on tanned wrists and hair shiny enough to rival that of a shampoo model’s.
We look like an ad for people who take tropical vacations in the dead of winter, Yiran thought. It wasn’t far from the truth, he supposed, glancing at the cabanas around them, presumably added to give a cheesy sense of ambiance despite the season.
He picked at an uneven patch at the hem of his cashmere sweater-vest, rolling the fabric into a tiny ball between his fingers. He was bored, bored, bored. Bored with the scenery, bored with the noisy traffic, and bored with... everything. Mostly though, he was sick of waiting for his opponent to decide his next move.
“Hurry up, Cheng. We haven’t got all day.” Yiran flicked the ball of cashmere at his schoolmate. “Do you want another card or not?”
Nicholas Cheng tugged at his collar. “Give me a sec. I need to think.”
“It’s just math.” Yiran yawned. A wide, satisfying stretch of the jaw.
Cheng polished his glasses with his shirttail and put them back on. “Okay, hit me.”
Yiran flipped the next card and slid it toward him. “Nine of diamonds, for a total of”—he looked at Cheng’s other two cards—“twenty.”
Cheng looked relieved. “I’ll stay with what I’ve got.”
“As you wish, Nicky boy. Theodore, my friend?”
Theo threw his cards down with a grunt. “Stand.”
“Good choice.” Yiran glanced to his right.
The last boy, Sweets—nicknamed for his love of candied jellies—shookhis head. “I’ll take my chances with eighteen.”
“Dealer’s turn.” Yiran assessed the two cards in front of him. His five of hearts was open for everyone to see. His other card was face down, but he knew what it was. “Ta-da—four of spades.”
Sweets raised his eyebrows. “Yikes.”
Theo cracked his knuckles, casting a look at Yiran that said,That’s rough, buddy.
Sensing an impending victory, Cheng relaxed.
Yiran stretched his neck. Five and four. It wasn’t promising. Blackjackwasa game of math. Simple to understand, trickier to execute. Luck and a player’s appetite for risk went hand in hand, but Yiran didn’t care about the win. The thrill of the bet was enough to keep him going.
He reached for the deck and drew a card. “Two of hearts. Total of eleven.”
Theo snickered.
Edging closer, his face slightly pale, Cheng tapped the table. “It’s not over yet. Hurry up, take another card.”
“Aren’t you enjoying the suspense?” Yiran teased.
“You have to take another card. The rules—”
“I know my own house rules.” Yiran slid a finger over the smooth surface of the topmost card of the deck. His chances of winning had gone up with the last draw. There was still no guarantee of a win, but maybe today was his lucky day.
