Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

That's right!

The veins on Qin Zheng's forehead twitched slightly, but he maintained a steady tone:

"Where is Chu Sheng?"

He turned to look at Wang Lu.

Wang Lu was taken aback for a moment by his sudden question, then replied:

"I just ran into him. He said he went to find Captain Liu. He said he had washed up and wanted to stay with Captain Liu... I thought he was usually well-behaved, so I didn't stop him."

Qin Zheng frowned slightly, a sense of concern for Liu Yunshu's health quietly resurfacing in his heart.

"You can continue."

He hurriedly left a sentence and turned to walk back.

In a short while, he was already standing at the entrance to his residence.

Before I could even knock, faint sounds could be heard coming from inside the house.

It was a very low, yet still discernible, humming sound.

Wrapped in a delicate tremor, soft and alluring, it was clearly Liu Yunshu's voice.

Interspersed among them were Li Xin's low laughter and Chu Sheng's soft, slightly hurried calls...

The various sounds intertwined, piecing together a blurry image that made Qin Zheng's brows furrow even deeper.

Without further hesitation, he raised his hand and pushed open the door.

Upon hearing the sound, the three people inside all looked up at the same time.

"W-what's going on here...?"

"Qin Mutou, why are you back?" Li Xin looked surprised.

"Big brother," Chu Sheng's eyes lit up, and he asked enthusiastically, "Want to come along?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xin instantly understood and raised an eyebrow at Qin Zheng with a roguish air: "Ahem! Yeah, Qin the blockhead, wanna come along?"

Qin Zheng's silent gaze swept over the cards in their hands, landing on the messy bed: "Playing... poker?"

Li Xin's almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents as she waved the cards in her hand at him:

"Hey! Yeah, Qin Mutou, want to come along?"

Qin Zheng's gaze slowly swept over the crowd:

The smile on Liu Yunshu's lips hadn't faded, but the blush on her ears hadn't subsided.

Li Xin leaned against the headboard, twirling a playing card between his fingers, his eyes full of mockery.

Chu Sheng clutched a deck of cards, his dark red eyes filled with pure anticipation.

Finally, his gaze returned to Liu Yunshu's face.

"OK,"

He heard his own steady voice ring out, carrying a hint of barely perceptible eagerness.

"I'd be delighted... What do you think, Yun Shu?"

Liu Yunshu coughed lightly, the redness at the corner of her eyes still lingering.

She raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and then shook the cards in her hand, feigning composure.

"Everyone's here, that's perfect. Don't stand, come and sit down."

Qin Zheng followed his instructions and slowly approached.

His gaze swept over the scattered playing cards on the edge of the bed and landed on Liu Yunshu's shoulder, which was exposed outside the thin blanket.

He then very naturally reached out and pulled the blanket up, covering her shoulders neatly.

The movements were delicate, silently conveying the usual care.

Seeing this, Li Xin chuckled, nudged Liu Yunshu lightly with his elbow, and teased her in a low voice:

"See that? Our Captain Qin's 'fatherly' mode is ingrained in his bones. He's even worried about you catching a cold while playing cards."

Liu Yunshu glared at him, but didn't brush Qin Zheng's hand away; she just patted the empty seat next to her.

"You talk too much. Sit down."

Qin Zheng sat down beside her, his well-defined fingers inadvertently brushing against the playing cards on the bed, his fingertips lightly touching the back of her hand.

The warmth was fleeting, yet it caused Liu Yunshu's fingertips to tremble almost imperceptibly, and the grip on the cards loosened slightly.

Chu Sheng immediately noticed and quickly moved closer to Liu Yunshu's other side.

Cold fingers tugged at her sleeve, and she muttered softly, "Sister, I want to be on your team."

Li Xin grinned and put his arm around Chu Sheng's shoulder.

"Third brother, you don't understand. Right now, Captain Liu is the 'landlord,' and the three of us are the 'peasants.' We're all in this together!"

Chu Sheng blinked his bewildered, dark red eyes, his gaze lingering on the cards in the three people's hands for a long while before he suddenly exclaimed "Oh."

Qin Zheng cleared his throat at the right moment, bringing the topic back on track: "Let's begin."

Li Xin dealt the cards swiftly and decisively.

The game ended, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he looked at Liu Yunshu: "Captain Liu, you're the landlord. Shall we double down?"

Chu Sheng curiously peeked out: "What does 'double' mean?"

Li Xin lightly tapped the card with her fingertip, suppressing a laugh as she explained to Chu Sheng:

"Doubling down means you get double the chips if you win, and you lose double the chips if you lose. Both the risk and the reward are doubled."

Chu Sheng's eyes immediately lit up, his face full of anticipation:

"Then... if the landlord loses, should he bring 'double the happiness' to every peasant?"

Li Xin's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

Even the usually composed Qin Zheng had a subtle, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.

Liu Yunshu's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the cards.

"You guys...should play cards seriously!"

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she glared at the two conspirators, feeling both annoyed and amused.

Finally, her gaze fell on Qin Zheng's seemingly calm yet subtly smiling profile, and she said reproachfully:

"So the three of you were all in cahoots, just waiting to swindle me, the landlord, huh?"

"I'm innocent, Captain Liu!"

Li Xin immediately raised her hands in surrender, but a cunning glint flashed in her peach blossom eyes.

"It's simply because our third brother is quick to learn; he gets it right away. Right, third brother?"

Chu Sheng nodded hastily, his cold fingers still clinging to Liu Yunshu's arm, and pleaded softly:

"Sister, double it... double the happiness would be so much better!"

Qin Zheng also looked up at her, a faint smile playing in his dark eyes, but his tone remained steady:

"It's okay to try, and it's okay to lose."

Liu Yunshu was worn down by the three of them talking in unison. She rolled her eyes and slapped the card.

"Double it up then! Who's afraid of who!"

"Play your card!" Li Xin immediately shouted in response.

Chu Sheng also gripped his cards tightly, his eyes fixed on Liu Yunshu like a small animal waiting for its prey to make a move.

The three men's eyes met silently in the air, and a tacit understanding was quietly reached—the peasant uprising had officially begun.

Liu Yunshu paused, her fingers holding the cards still. Looking at the exchange of glances between the three, she felt her temples begin to throb again.

So these three are really determined to join forces and take advantage of her, the landlady.

She took a deep breath, threw out a pair of ten first, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "First come, first served."

Li Xin immediately scoffed, tossed out a pair of Queens, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Captain Liu, is that all? You're underestimating the three of us."

Chu Sheng leaned over to glance at the cards, then immediately added a pair of Kings, his soft voice brimming with excitement:

"Sister, I have one too!"

Liu Yunshu looked at the cards that were being played one after another, her face darkening slightly. She picked up a pair of Aces and placed them on the board.

Li Xin and Chu Sheng exchanged a glance, then looked at the cards in their hands, their faces falling.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

"If I can't, then you can?"

Looking at the two of them with their worried expressions, Liu Yunshu's lips just curled into a smug smile.

Then, Qin Zheng's calm and composed voice came from beside him:

"Press it down."

A pair of 2s landed gently on the deck, sealing the deal.

"Damn, Qin Mutou is something else!"

Li Xin whistled.

Chu Sheng clapped along, his dark red eyes sparkling as he stared intently at Qin Zheng, his eyes filled with admiration.

Liu Yunshu's hand, which was holding the cards, stiffened. She said angrily, "Qin Zheng, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Qin Zheng raised his eyes, a faint smile playing in his dark pupils. His tone remained steady, yet carried a hint of deliberate innocence:

"Playing cards involves strategy; you should play when you need to, so how can you say it was intentional?"

"you!"

Liu Yunshu was speechless, her fingers twisting the cards in her hand tightly.

"Again!"

In the new round, she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes as she threw out a straight.

"If you can control it, then suppress it; if you can't, then wait to be dealt with."

Li Xin hurriedly fiddled with the cards in his hand, his brows furrowed, and winked at Chu Sheng.

Chu Sheng quickly searched through the list, but finally shook his head in frustration: "Not long enough... Sister's straight is too long."

The two of them turned to look at Qin Zheng, their eyes filled with anticipation of rescue.

Qin Zheng ran his fingertips across the cards, pondered for a moment, and slowly drew out a straight flush, placing it gently on the deck.

"On the pipe."

"A straight flush!!" Li Xin slammed her hand on the edge of the bed. "Qin Mu Tou, you've been hiding this well!"

Chu Sheng practically leaned close to Qin Zheng's hand, staring at the deck of cards, and whispered in amazement, "Big brother is amazing..."

Upon hearing this, Li Xin immediately became displeased and reached out to ruffle Chu Sheng's hair.

"You brat, which side are you on? Who was just plotting with me to sabotage Captain Liu?"

He then looked at Liu Yunshu smugly, "Captain Liu, play your card!"

Liu Yunshu looked at the flush and sighed helplessly, pressing her fingertips against her forehead.

He glared at the calm Qin Zheng, then glanced at the two jubilant people beside him, and gritted his teeth as he threw the bomb in his hand.

"Alright, you guys are impressive. Let's see if this can handle it!"

The moment the card was played, Li Xin's cheers came to an abrupt halt.

Chu Sheng blinked his dark red eyes, looking blankly at the four identical cards, and tugged at Liu Yunshu's sleeve.

"Sister, what is this? Is it even better than a flush?"

"This is a bomb, the highest-ranking card, it beats everything!"

Liu Yunshu raised an eyebrow, finally regaining some ground, her tone tinged with a sense of triumph.

"Now, do you admit defeat?"

Li Xin's face fell, and she groaned as she fiddled with the few cards she had left in her hand, "No way!"

Qin Zheng remained calm, lightly tapping the table with his fingertips and tossing out two jokers, his smile deepening in his dark eyes.

"Sorry, it's a royal flush, it's in the bag."

The room fell silent instantly.

The cards in Liu Yunshu's hand fell softly onto the bed sheet with a "thud".

She stared blankly at the two trump cards that seemed to mock her, then looked at Qin Zheng with disbelief in her eyes.

"You...you actually had a trump card up your sleeve?!"

Li Xin paused for a second, then burst into a thunderous laugh, patting Qin Zheng's shoulder and bending over backward.

"Incredible! Qin Mutou, you're really something! You've been hiding your true strength! Captain Liu, you've really messed up this time!"

Chu Sheng clapped along, his small, cool hands tugging at Liu Yunshu's sleeve and swaying it gently, his voice filled with pure joy:

"Sister lost! Double the happiness!"

Liu Yunshu was both angry and amused. She reached out and lightly tapped Chu Sheng's forehead, then glared at Qin Zheng, who was trying not to laugh, and Li Xin, who was beaming with pride.

"You three... you planned this trap all along, didn't you?"

Qin Zheng bent down and picked up the fallen playing cards for her. His fingertips brushed against her slightly hot fingertips, touching briefly before separating.

His voice was gentle, yet carried a hint of triumphant composure: "A bet is a bet, Captain Liu."

Li Xin grinned and leaned closer, putting his arm around Liu Yunshu's shoulder, and announced loudly:

"Brothers, the uprising is a success! It's time to 'liquidate' the landlords!"

Chu Sheng was the first to respond, his cool fingers immediately grasping Liu Yunshu's wrist, his soft, sweet voice filled with joy:

"Sister, may you have double the happiness!"

Liu Yunshu was pulled forward slightly by him, while Li Xin embraced her on the other side.

Qin Zheng remained seated beside her, his dark eyes gazing at her with a smile, his fingertips seemingly still warm from their earlier touch.

The three of them, with their warm atmosphere and playful banter, truly extended the "victory" and "defeat" of this card game beyond the card table.

The sounds of laughter and whispers mingled intermittently until the night deepened.