Chapter 520: Set Up??!!! The Sky Has Fallen

He Lingyi froze for a moment. “Why?” she asked in confusion.

“Because with your grades, if you perform a little better, you can get into a much better university,” Jiang Sifan explained. “Jinling Institute of Technology isn’t exactly a great school. It’s just a bottom-tier 211 university. I only went there because my English is terrible. You’re different. Your foundation is better than mine. If you work hard, a 985 university is definitely within reach.”

He Lingyi fell silent for a while before saying softly, “But I want to go to your school.”

“Don’t be silly.” Jiang Sifan chuckled. “Choosing a university isn’t about choosing a person; it’s about choosing your future. You’ll have your own path to walk later on. You can’t let me hold you back.”

He Lingyi didn’t say anything, but her arms tightened around him.

They arrived at the gate of her residential compound, and Jiang Sifan stopped his scooter. He Lingyi hopped off. Clutching the shoebox, she stood under the streetlamp and looked at him.

“Brother Sifan, thank you,” she said softly.

“Don’t mention it,” Jiang Sifan said with a smile. “Go back and eat properly. Don’t lock yourself in your room anymore.”

“Mhm.” He Lingyi nodded. She hesitated for a second, then stepped forward, stood on her tiptoes, and gave Jiang Sifan a gentle hug.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely work hard.” Releasing him, she took a step back and smiled. “I’ll make sure to get good grades.”

Jiang Sifan looked at her and smiled, saying nothing.

He Lingyi turned and ran into the compound. After a few steps, she glanced back over her shoulder and waved. Jiang Sifan waved back. She then ran deeper into the compound, soon disappearing from the glow of the streetlamps.

Jiang Sifan got back on his electric scooter and headed in the direction of his school. Shaking his head, he accelerated.

***

Yangcheng. At a local gym.

Jiang Ming was in the weight room, guiding a member through a set. His demonstration was textbook perfect. After finishing the set, the member gave him a thumbs-up.

“Coach Jiang, your physique is seriously impressive. How many years have you been working out?” the member asked.

Jiang Ming smiled. “A little over three years. I used to be skinny, but I slowly built it up.”

The member nodded and moved on to the next set. Jiang Ming wiped his sweat and walked over to the front desk for a sip of water.

A young man wearing a basketball jersey walked in through the front doors, a basketball tucked under his arm. “Jiang Ming, are we playing ball today?” he called out.

The guy’s name was Liu Wei. He was in his mid-twenties, not very tall, but quite heavily built. He was a regular at the gym, coming in three or four times a week, and he loved playing basketball. Jiang Ming had played ball with him a few times. They had good chemistry on the court and gradually became acquainted.

“Not today. I still have two more classes to teach,” Jiang Ming said with a smile.

“Alright, another day then.” Liu Wei walked further inside with his ball, but after two steps, he turned back. “Oh right, are you free this weekend? I’m getting some friends together for mahjong. We’re short one player. Want to join?”

Jiang Ming paused in surprise, then chuckled. “I don’t know how to play mahjong.”

“You can learn! It’s super simple,” Liu Wei said cheerfully. “I’ll teach you. You’ll pick it up in just two rounds.”

“Are we playing for money?” Jiang Ming asked.

“Just a one-yuan base stake, very small,” Liu Wei smiled. “A little harmless betting makes it fun. If you lose, it’s on me; if you win, you keep it.”

Jiang Ming hesitated. He really didn’t have any plans for the weekend, and staying cooped up alone in his rented apartment was boring anyway. Besides, Liu Wei was a decent guy who had treated him to meals a few times, so he felt bad rejecting him too often.

“Alright, I’ll go check it out,” Jiang Ming agreed with a nod.

On the weekend afternoon, Jiang Ming followed Liu Wei to a mahjong parlor. The place wasn’t large, but it was kept quite clean. Several automatic mahjong tables were arranged neatly, there was an air conditioner on the wall, and a water dispenser sat in the corner.

The other two players had already arrived.

One was Chen Haopeng. He wore glasses, had a fair complexion, and spoke in a slow, methodical manner. The other was Wang Leihai, a chubby man whose eyes crinkled into thin slits when he smiled, giving him a very amicable appearance.

Liu Wei introduced them. The group shook hands and sat down.

“It’s Jiang Ming’s first time playing, so go easy on him,” Liu Wei said with a smile.

“Of course,” Wang Leihai said happily. He pushed the mahjong tiles onto the table and began shuffling.

Liu Wei sat beside Jiang Ming, teaching him as they played. Jiang Ming was a fast learner. After just two rounds, he had figured out the rules. Pong, Kong, Chow, and waiting for a winning tile—after going through the motions, he found that he actually quite enjoyed the game.

After playing all afternoon, Jiang Ming won over two hundred yuan.

“Beginner’s luck strikes!” Wang Leihai exclaimed dramatically. “The three of us lost to you alone. You’re no novice; you’re the God of Mahjong reincarnated!”

Chen Haopeng also chuckled. “Impressive. Let’s play again next time.”

Liu Wei patted Jiang Ming on the shoulder and laughed. “Told you you’d be good at this.”

Jiang Ming smiled and pocketed his winnings, feeling pretty pleased with himself. Two hundred-something yuan was enough to cover quite a few meals.

After that, Liu Wei started inviting him to play mahjong every few days. Sometimes they played at the parlor, and sometimes at Liu Wei’s house. At first, Jiang Ming still won a little money—one or two hundred yuan. It wasn’t much, but it kept him happy.

Gradually, however, he realized something was off. He was winning less and less often, and losing more and more. Sometimes he would lose three or four hundred yuan in a single afternoon, sometimes even more.

He started thinking that he could win it all back in the next hand, that the next round would be his comeback. But the next hand would always be another loss.

One particular afternoon, Jiang Ming sat at the mahjong table, his palms slick with sweat. He had already lost six consecutive hands, and the pile of chips in front of him was dwindling rapidly.

Wang Leihai discarded a tile. Jiang Ming hesitated but decided not to claim it.

Liu Wei drew a tile, his eyes lighting up. He pushed his hand forward to reveal it. “Mahjong. A full flush.”

Jiang Ming looked at his own tiles, then at Liu Wei’s. His head was buzzing. He did the math in his head. Just this afternoon, he had lost over eight hundred yuan. Eight hundred yuan was nearly half a month’s food budget for him.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just a streak of bad luck,” Liu Wei said with a smile. “Just win it back next time.”

Wang Leihai chimed in, “Exactly. That’s mahjong for you—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. You’ll definitely win it back next time.”

Chen Haopeng said nothing, keeping his head down as he shuffled the tiles, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Jiang Ming forced a smile and stood up. “I’m done for today. I have things to do.”

“Alright, catch you next time then.” Liu Wei patted his shoulder.

Jiang Ming walked out of the mahjong parlor and stood by the road, staring at his wallet. He had arrived with a bulging wallet, but left with a flat one. Taking a deep breath, he shoved it into his pocket, hopped onto his electric scooter, and drove toward his rented apartment.

Along the way, his mind was a chaotic mess. He thought back to when he first started playing and how incredibly thrilled he had been to win over two hundred yuan. Looking back now, he realized that two hundred yuan might have just been bait.

He shook his head, trying to banish the thought. Liu Wei was his friend. He wouldn’t set him up like that.