Supreme Heir Son-in-law

Chapter 870: Sore Loser

"By the way, Xu, do you know how to play mahjong?" The young man asked casually.

"I know a little, but I’m not very skilled." Xu Ke replied.

"As long as you can play, it’s fine. I need to go to the bathroom. Come over and play a game for me." The young man didn’t give Xu Ke any chance to refuse, directly pulling him over and forcing him into his seat at the mahjong table.

"But I’m not very good. What if I lose? There are so many people here, get someone else to substitute for you. I’ll go find the boss." Xu Ke waved his hand and declined.

"Why do you need to find him? He’s busy right now. Where would he find the time to entertain you? Just stay here. After all, what’s the point of being alone every day? Let my brothers keep you company, make a few more friends. More friends mean more opportunities, and I won’t say more. Just play for now. If you win, it’s yours. If you lose, it’s mine. I can’t hold it any longer, gotta go." The young man patted Xu Ke’s shoulder, not giving him any room to refuse, and clutched his stomach as he rushed to the bathroom, looking truly desperate.

"It’s okay, buddy. You just feel free to play. If it really doesn’t work, a few of us here will have your back. We won’t let you suffer. Besides, it’s not your loss if you lose. What are you afraid of?" said a guy with dyed yellow hair and a mohawk sitting next to the young man.

He looked quite bold, with a bit of a boss-like aura. With other people at the table egging him on, Xu Ke found himself unable to escape and had to sit at the table with an expression of ’I’m really weak, so don’t bully me.’

"It’s your turn to play." Sitting at the table, Xu Ke didn’t know what to do for a moment, and a person sitting next to him reminded him.

"Oh. Oh, okay." At the other person’s words, Xu Ke quickly drew a tile and played it, inadvertently ruining the young man’s hand and giving the opponent a winning tile. But Xu Ke was so fast that the person sitting next to him didn’t react in time, and the game was settled, leaving them gasping in astonishment while the others at the table laughed heartily.

Sure enough, not long after, someone at the table won thanks to Xu Ke’s constant mistakes.

Seeing the opponent win, a hint of guilt appeared on Xu Ke’s face. "I’m really not good at this game. I’m sorry. I’ll go get Zhao to come back and continue playing with you." Xu Ke said as he stepped away from the table and went to the bathroom door and said, "Brother Zhao, I just lost the game. I’m really not good at this. Why don’t you come out and take over, or have someone else substitute for you?"

Brother Zhao, hiding in the bathroom and quietly listening to everything, had a sly smile on his face, but his words carried a hint of pain, in stark contrast to his expression.

"I don’t know what I ate today, but it looks like I have an upset stomach. I can’t come out right now, so just hold on for me. It’s okay. If you lose, I’ll cover it," the young man said to Xu Ke from behind the door.

"But I’m really not good at playing. I think the two guys sitting next to you play better than I do. Maybe they can substitute for you." Xu Ke continued to decline.

"You’ve been here so long, and I haven’t really entertained you well. This time all my friends are here, and they grew up in this town. They know what’s fun and what’s not. Get to know them at the table, and later they can show you around town and really make you feel welcome," the young man said sincerely, making it hard for Xu Ke to find words to oppose him.

"Alright, I’ll go play then. If you’re really uncomfortable, let me know and I’ll take you to the town hospital. Some things can’t be delayed," Xu Ke said with concern.

"Go on and play. I’ll call if I can’t handle it," the young man replied.

Standing outside, Xu Ke heard him and returned to the mahjong table. However, even guided by two people next to him, Xu Ke, a novice at the table, kept losing, becoming a prime source of money, making everyone else very pleased.

When the young man estimated that enough time had passed and finally came out of the bathroom, Xu Ke had already lost fifty thousand yuan. Seeing him come out, Xu Ke’s eyes were filled with relief and guilt, pausing the young man in his steps momentarily.

"What’s wrong?" the young man asked.

Xu Ke wore a shameful expression, lowered his head, and answered softly, "I lost."

"So what if you lost? There are wins and losses in gambling." The young man waved his hand casually, successfully earning a grateful look from Xu Ke. But the young man felt even more uneasy inside and casually asked, "How much did you lose?"

"Fifty thousand." Xu Ke whispered, his eyes showing a hint of schadenfreude under his long eyelashes.

"No problem, just fifty thou—wait, how much?" The young man choked off his words like a chicken with its neck caught, and his eyes bulged as if they would pop out any moment.

"Fifty thousand, what’s wrong?" Xu Ke looked at him innocently as if he didn’t realize what he had done.

"Nothing, nothing." The young man gritted his teeth, practically bleeding inside, but for some reason, he had to swallow this loss like nothing happened, even playing it cool, saying to Xu Ke, "It’s just fifty thousand, a few rounds’ worth, no big deal, really just a trifle."

Though he said it was a small matter, his expression and tone betrayed him, showing it was anything but trivial. Everyone in the room could see he was upset, except he thought he had masked it well.

To Xu Ke, this amount might not even cover a meal, but to the young man, it was not insignificant. In this impoverished and backward town, fifty thousand yuan equated to an annual salary. Although he earned a lot yearly, thriftiness and stinginess were ingrained in him. Even when buying groceries, he would pinch pennies, so losing fifty thousand was like cutting his flesh. How could it not cause heartache?

Seeing his pained expression delighted Xu Ke internally.