KN | Chapter 16

So Damn Beautiful

Chen Wan’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

“No.” He still looked composed.

The flame cupped in his palm flickered in the night, swaying in the boundless darkness, like surging waves hidden beneath still waters below a ship. It froze those ten silent seconds of eye contact into a dense, deep-blue painting.

A trace of mockery seemed to flicker across Zhao Shengge’s face. He directly took the lighter from Chen Wan’s hand. The cigarette had already gone out during their wordless gaze. He lowered his head slightly, brows faintly furrowed, and lit it again himself.

The sea wind snapped his shirt loudly, outlining his tall, striking figure. His hair was a little disheveled. Standing by the railing, he looked like some arrogant, untamed superstar from a Haishi film of the 1990s.

Damn, so fucking beautiful, Chen Wan thought expressionlessly.

But he only glanced once before looking away. With polite restraint, he stepped back half a pace, widening the distance into something safe.

It did not help.

Zhao Shengge held the cigarette between his teeth. A faint fragrance lingered. Chen Wan did not know what it was, yet it felt like lethal rosemary, unsettling his mind, scattering his senses.

Zhao Shengge idly toyed with Chen Wan’s lighter, even lifting it to eye level to inspect it for a moment, with no intention of returning it.

His private property had been taken without reason. Chen Wan did not ask why. He only regretted not carrying something more expensive, something better.

A Cartier, after all, seemed far too modest for Zhao Shengge.

After lighting his cigarette, Zhao Shengge paid him no further attention. He leaned both elbows on the railing, calm and unhurried, watching the night sea.

Chen Wan was still wondering whether he should leave when Qin Zhaoting came out, smiling. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. So you two are out here.”

The way he said it made it sound as if they had arranged to slip out together.

Chen Wan smiled faintly and said calmly, “Came out to clear my head. Just happened to run into Mr. Zhao.”

His tone was impeccably polite, leaving no room for anyone to assume he was familiar with Zhao Shengge.

Only when facing Zhao Shengge alone would Chen Wan show the slightest, almost imperceptible fluctuation. Those subtle cracks made him seem a little more alive, a little less artificial.

But once others were present, his mind and body would automatically switch into a flawless standard mode. The smiling mask was perfect and appropriate, leaving nothing to criticize.

The amusement in Qin Zhaoting’s eyes deepened slightly. “If you’re done resting, come back. Youming is already urging people to the table.”

The starting time had been calculated. Once midnight passed, the second half would begin.

Chen Wan had just taken a step inside when Zhao Shengge said calmly, “What’s the rush? Can’t even let someone finish a cigarette?”

“…”

Chen Wan was pinned in place again.

Zhao Shengge did not sound harsh, yet his status and methods gave his every word an overwhelming presence. The calmer he sounded, the more intimidating he was.

Qin Zhaoting raised a brow. “If the hour passes, wouldn’t that be inauspicious?”

Going out to sea paid attention to feng shui. There was even more to consider at the gambling table, seating directions, auspicious timing.

Zhao Shengge did not care for any of that. Before absolute strength, feng shui could be ignored. He stood there steadily, like an iceberg on the open sea. Whale pods kept their distance, ships diverted their course.

Since he had spoken, Qin Zhaoting did not leave either. Neither of them said anything.

“…”

Chen Wan put on his usual easygoing smile and smoothed things over. “Mr. Zhao has already taken so much of the prize tonight. He’s leaving a bit of luck for everyone else.”

Qin Zhaoting turned his head toward him. “And what about you, Mr. Chen?”

Zhao Shengge also looked at Chen Wan.

One urging him to go, the other refusing to let him.

Chen Wan would not offend Qin Zhaoting, but he leaned toward Zhao Shengge. “I’ll stay here and catch some of Mr. Zhao’s good fortune. We’ll see later at the table whether it works, how about it?”

Since he had said so, Qin Zhaoting smiled. “Alright. Then we’ll see if it works.”

It was impossible to tell whether Zhao Shengge was satisfied. He remained leaning against the railing, unhurriedly finishing his cigarette, then watched the sea for a while, head tilted slightly, completely at ease.

Chen Wan stood quietly beside him and waited.

…

In the second half, everyone grew more excited.

Since Chen Wan had already said he would take Zhao Shengge’s good luck, he naturally could not lose. But he understood how to conduct himself. After winning a few rounds, he began to hold back, and even preemptively rounded off his words, saying Mr. Zhao’s luck was loyal, others could not take it away, he was fortunate to catch just a little, and now it had already run out.

Even Qin Zhaoting could find no fault with that and burst out laughing.

Chen Wan was willing to lose, and everyone happily accepted the favor, winning from him again and again.

Money itself was secondary. What mattered was the auspicious momentum. Businessmen in Haishi valued such things greatly.

But the young masters had no restraint when they played. One or two of them had no real concept of money. Toward the later rounds, someone became addicted and carried away, like a drunken man loudly urging others to drink, stirring up the crowd to make Chen Wan take off his watch as well.

What was the point of playing with only money? To people like them, money meant nothing.

The watch on Chen Wan’s wrist was not particularly valuable, but he had worn it for many years. It was a personal belonging. Taking off a watch at the gambling table carried a faint sense of humiliation.

This round, he did not intend to hold back any longer.

Let people know your bottom line. That was the first lesson Chen Wan had learned at Xiaolan Mountain at the age of nine.

The group chattered noisily. Zhao Shengge grew irritated, lifted his eyelids lazily, and pushed all his chips forward with a clatter, declaring himself the banker.

The solid gold chips crashed loudly. Everyone looked over and immediately said they would follow the bank.

Zhao Shengge spread his hands, indicating they could do as they pleased.

There were four players at the table. The two opposite had already formed a pair in the previous round. This round they would play as opposing partners and could not follow. That left Chen Wan. He could either follow Zhao Shengge or set up his own bank.

After a long moment without hearing a response, Zhao Shengge did not look up and asked casually, “Are you following?”

Chen Wan paused. He had not planned to follow. He did not have many chips left. Even if he followed, he would not be of much help to Zhao Shengge. But he would not refuse him in front of so many people.

So he said he would follow.

Off the table, following or not did not matter. But once seated, it was different. Zhao Shengge directly called him by name. His tone was calm, but the words were firm and forceful.

“Chen Wan, when I play, I play to win.”

For a moment, Chen Wan felt as if he had returned to that summer ten years ago on Xiaolan Mountain.

He went along naturally, smiling faintly, making a “please” gesture, gentlemanly, indulgent, yet confident.

“Of course.”

Two clever players seated together made a formidable alliance. Between Chen Wan and Zhao Shengge, there were easily eight hundred schemes if not a thousand. Without needing words, they launched into a ruthless offensive.

When drawing cards, their fingertips brushed unintentionally, like a brief electric current, and then separated.

Playing cards felt almost like flirting. They anticipated each other, chased and responded, feinted and counterattacked, covering for one another. The others could only watch in envy, sighing that they were perfectly matched, as if destined to be one.

Chen Wan absolutely did not dare accept such praise. In Haishi, who would dare claim to be one with Zhao Shengge? He remained courteous and modest, saying it was Mr. Zhao’s generosity, that he was merely lucky enough to share a small portion.

The others at the table were red-eyed with envy. Only Chen Wan smiled bitterly inwardly.

Following Zhao Shengge’s bank was not easy.

His mind was unfathomable. His play style was unorthodox. When he went wild, he would even consume his own partner’s cards.

In any case, he had plenty of chips. He did not care about a card or two, mere expendable pieces.

Zhao Shengge enjoyed himself. The one who suffered was Chen Wan. Without strong mental resilience, it was impossible to handle his plays.

Zhao Shengge was ruthless. He could never fully grasp Chen Wan’s patterns, so he had no intention of letting Chen Wan grasp his.

Was Chen Wan not supposed to be flawless? Then he would strike him full of flaws.

Whenever Chen Wan was about to have his card taken by the next player, Zhao Shengge would suddenly intervene like a savior, like a sly cat toying with a mouse. Advance or retreat, win or lose, live or die, all depended on his will.

By the later stages, Chen Wan felt his brain was almost running out of capacity.

Yet it felt worth it.

Because he sensed that Zhao Shengge was enjoying himself.

With two rounds, Zhao Shengge won a plot of land at Jiaoxi Building and a building at Sheng Tiandi.

The opponents’ expressions had already begun to collapse. Chen Wan could not help wanting to laugh.

Following Zhao Shengge’s bank was mentally exhausting, but also genuinely exhilarating. Sparks flew from high-speed thinking. Open and hidden moves collided. After crossing blades, they became each other’s strongest support. It was the thrill of meeting an equal opponent while standing united against others. The surge of adrenaline brought an almost overwhelming rush.

The night deepened. The ship moved further into the open sea.

Zhao Shengge held a cigarette between his teeth without lighting it. He glanced down at his newly dealt cards, casually played a spade. Chen Wan reacted instantly, feeding in a diamond Ace. Before the next player could calculate, Zhao Shengge stepped directly across the bridge Chen Wan built and laid down a “Queen.”

His tone was polite.

“I want Qiongxi Estate.”

He sounded as if he were politely negotiating.

The opposing player’s face changed immediately. It was the one who had earlier urged Chen Wan to remove his watch.

He hesitated, considering whether to make a desperate move. Chen Wan immediately played his highest remaining club King to suppress the “King,” coordinating with Zhao Shengge’s suit.

Whatever Zhao Shengge wanted, Chen Wan did everything he could to secure.

They each played their own cards. They did not look at each other. They did not speak. Each fulfilled his role, held his position, struck decisively. At the gambling table, they were ruthless executioners.

With that, the outcome was decided.

With Zhao Shengge present, Chen Wan played freely and won quite a lot. Naturally, his watch remained firmly on his wrist.

Someone jokingly suggested trading for a shop at Wangchun Corner. Chen Wan declined smoothly.

The shop was small, and the location was not particularly good. But it had been won in the previous round through Zhao Shengge’s setup. The card had happened to land with Chen Wan, so it belonged to him.

Although Zhao Shengge had done it casually, without intention, Chen Wan chose to treat it as something Zhao Shengge had given him.

The game did not end until after one in the morning. Chen Wan had won a fair amount and treated everyone to a late-night meal.

Zhuo Zhixuan went with him to place the order and asked why he had not taken Zhao Shengge’s knight card in the last round.

People like Zhao Shengge and Shen Zongnian never played knight cards outside.

“What a waste. Do you know how many people were staring?”

The knight card was a convention in such circles. Whoever obtained it could make a request of its owner.

In business, it was part of exchanging favors. Even at the gambling table, there were rules of trust and sentiment. Many deals were struck there, no different from drinking culture.

Chen Wan shook his head. “Not appropriate.”

Too ambiguous.

Knight cards also differed. The last one remaining had been the King of Hearts. Anyone who played outside understood. It was often used by casino hostesses, carrying a certain sexual implication.

Not appropriate.

Even putting that aside, if it were him, it would look like he was using the opportunity to climb the ladder.

Zhuo Zhixuan rolled his eyes. “You’re overthinking it. Zhao Shengge wouldn’t take it seriously.”

They played these things all the time. If everything had to be examined so carefully, it would never end. The entire system in business existed to build connections. Drinking tables and gambling tables were no different. Zhuo Zhixuan, raised in such circles, understood this deeply. Tan Youming and Zhao Shengge even more so.

“But I would take it seriously.”

Chen Wan stopped and turned to look at him. His calm gaze carried a dark, restrained obsession.

“I don’t have that intention.”

“I don’t do ambiguity.”

He was firm. He patted Zhuo Zhixuan’s shoulder and gave a rather inappropriate and impossible example to make his point clear.

“Even as casual partners, I wouldn’t do ambiguity.”

Zhuo Zhixuan fell silent.

“Haven’t you always thought there’s something wrong with my mind?” That was why Monica had come to him.

Chen Wan did not want his relationship with Zhao Shengge to involve anything beyond ordinary friendship. A patient could not fully control himself. It was impossible to predict what he might do.

If that boundary were crossed, if that door were opened, then he would absolutely, absolutely not let Zhao Shengge go, regardless of whether Zhao Shengge loved him or not.

Zhuo Zhixuan looked at his calm expression and felt a chill rise along his spine.

Yet he still thought it was an excuse. “It’s not that extreme. Monica said if you cooperate with treatment, it’s not impossible. You’re just…”

Chen Wan shook his head again, stopping him from continuing.

There was nothing to discuss.

…

Chen Wan was gentle with others, but cruel to himself. He seemed easy to get along with, yet he had an unshakeable set of principles for his secret love and his conduct.

Zhuo Zhixuan had grown up in this circle and had never seen someone like him.

The most extreme form of obsession was not madness directed at the person one loved, but restraint and rationality pushed beyond the limits of desire, and an almost self-inflicted coexistence with the pain of unattainable longing.

Yet Chen Wan had always been internally consistent.

He knew exactly what he wanted.

What he wanted was not Zhao Shengge’s love.