Chapter 34: Slap on the Back of the Hand—Clumsy Yet Fond of Playing

In the car, Orange was nearly drooling. “I haven’t had crayfish in ages.”

“You just ate it last year, didn’t you?”

“It’s been a whole year!” Orange puffed out her cheeks in protest.

Cheng Yao hadn’t yet mentioned that he’d already bought a house—after all, it wouldn’t be a surprise otherwise. Nor did he explain anything about the money. Besides, a seventeen-year-old girl didn’t have much of a concept of money anyway.

Midway, Cheng Yao received a call from Wang Wenbo, to whom he said they were already on the way. His friends had gone ahead to the same place as before—Dragon Gate—whose flavors they all remembered fondly.

A dozen or so minutes later, they arrived at the food street. After getting out, Orange clung to Cheng Yao’s sleeve and followed behind him.

The restaurant was already packed, so after heading upstairs, they pushed open the door to the private room. Wang Wenbo and the others were inside, chatting over drinks.

“Hey, who’s this beauty?”

Hearing this, Orange felt a bit embarrassed and shrank behind him, her head bowed.

Cheng Yao teased, “The number one beauty of the Cheng family.”

“There’s a seat here…” Lu Mengyao patted the spot beside her, looking at Orange.

Cheng Yao pulled out a chair. “Sit over there.”

“Okay.”

In front of strangers, Orange was a bit reserved, but she still sat next to Lu Mengyao.

Once seated, Cheng Yao asked, “Have you guys ordered yet?”

“We have. Did you find the house?”

“All settled.”

“Good.”

Orange’s gaze swept over Wang Wenbo and the others, finally landing on Liu Hanyue and Lu Mengyao. She thought both girls were very pretty, especially Liu Hanyue… It surprised her that her brother had such a beautiful classmate. This girl could even rival Sister Zhang Ya.

Lu Mengyao regarded Orange with mild surprise. For someone with a brother as handsome as Cheng Yao, she hadn’t expected his sister to look so ordinary.

“Little sister, what’s your name?”

“Orange…”

Chen Qian smiled. “Call me ‘sister’ and I’ll buy you a drink.”

Orange glanced at her and ignored her.

Sitting next to Cheng Yao, Liu Hanyue squinted her big eyes. “Wanna play a game?”

“What game?”

“Hand-slap. See who gets the most in five minutes—the loser downs a bottle. Are you in?”

Cheng Yao’s eyes lit up. He liked the idea. “Sure, you want to play with me?”

“Yeah, what, don’t think I can? I made Wang Churuo cry once!” Liu Hanyue’s bright eyes were full of mockery.

Wang Churuo muttered, “That was ages ago. Why do you still bring it up?”

“Because it’s true.”

Cheng Yao grinned. “You sure you want to play with me? Don’t cry if you lose.”

“Who do you take me for? Come on!”

“The food’s not even here yet.”

“We can play while we wait. It’s boring otherwise…”

Cheng Yao looked at Wang Wenbo and the others. “You guys playing?”

“We’ll just watch and chat.”

“Alright.”

Lu Mengyao chatted with Orange about school while sharing some appetizers. Gradually, Orange began to relax. She could clearly sense how warm and enthusiastic Lu Mengyao was.

Hand-slap, also called hand-smack, has simple rules: one person places their hand palm-down, the other places theirs palm-up beneath it. The goal is to distract the other and quickly flip up to slap the back of their hand, while the defender tries to pull away in time.

“Who goes first?” Liu Hanyue asked.

“You go ahead.”

“Alright.”

Cheng Yao rolled up his sleeves, and Liu Hanyue straightened her posture, reaching her hand toward his. “Let’s start.”

Smack!

“?”

Liu Hanyue froze for a second, then repositioned her hand with a grimace.

Smack.

“…”

Wang Churuo, watching, said, “That’s two. Maybe you should stop, Hanyue.”

She doubted any girl could beat a guy at this kind of game.

Liu Hanyue braced herself. “Keep going.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Smack!

Smack!

Smack…

Cheng Yao’s hand was so fast that Liu Hanyue couldn’t react. At first, she still wore a fox-like grin, but after a few minutes, her face was a mask of pain, sniffling as her eyes turned red.

Even Wang Wenbo and the others grew uneasy watching—the girl had brought this on herself.

“How many now?” Cheng Yao asked Wang Churuo.

Wang Churuo thought he looked like a demon. “I’ve lost count. Hanyue, maybe you should stop?”

“I… sniff, sniff… keep going, I haven’t gotten mine yet…”

Liu Hanyue’s eyes brimmed with tears as she glared at Cheng Yao.

Orange looked at Liu Hanyue with pity. Maybe this was going too far.

Lu Mengyao said nothing, thinking this little beauty was both competitive and a bit clueless, but Cheng Yao was tactful enough to handle it.

“Hand out,” he said.

“Oh.”

Whoosh!

Liu Hanyue tried to sneak an attack, but struck only air.

Cheng Yao arranged his hand again. Another miss, and tears welled up in Liu Hanyue’s eyes.

Miss.

Miss.

Miss after miss.

Suddenly, Liu Hanyue couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

“…?”

Cheng Yao was stunned. What happened to not crying?

Wang Wenbo and the others watched in silence, unsure what to say.

A waiter brought in the crayfish, glancing curiously at the scene.

After a moment, Liu Hanyue choked out, “We’re not done yet, keep going…”

“…”

Smack.

Smack.

Smack!

Liu Hanyue glared at Cheng Yao, her voice trembling with grievance. “I don’t want you to go easy on me. Dodge, dodge if you can…”

“I’m not, really…”

Cheng Yao was at a loss for words. If he didn’t go easy on her, she probably wouldn’t let him leave today.

Damn it, he decided never to play such a silly game with a girl again.

Afterward, Liu Hanyue wiped her tears, pouted, and took a long swig of beer, feeling like a complete clown.

Cheng Yao peeled a few crayfish, placed them on a plate, and pushed it over.

Liu Hanyue glanced at him, pushed the plate back with a sniff, sulking.

Cheng Yao pushed it toward Orange.

“Thanks, brother,” Orange said.

“You’re welcome. Eat more,” Cheng Yao replied.

Wang Churuo coaxed Liu Hanyue for a while before reminding her, “Weren’t you going to talk to Cheng Yao about something?”

“Forget it.”

“…”

Cheng Yao looked around. Seeing everyone shoot him disapproving looks, he finally relented, “Alright, I’m sorry, my lady. What’s this about?”

“The Top Ten Singers. You didn’t know?”

“Uh…”

Liu Hanyue perked up. “Every school has it. Ours is about to start. Anyone can join. The Student Affairs Office is hosting, with selections by the student council and students. Top performers even get cash prizes.”

“Cheng, you should enter. You’d definitely place well.”

Chen Qian asked, “He’s that good at singing?”

“He’s not bad. And he plays guitar like a pro. He’s famous in our business school.”

Lu Mengyao was surprised. “You play guitar too?”

Cheng Yao gave her a look, as if to say, thanks to you.

…