Returning to '97, creating a new life

Xu Kai stopped in his tracks, thought for a moment, and then bought two decks of cards from the pushcart "general store," leading everyone to play a Northeastern Chinese card game called "Pao Da Wang."

This is a five-player game adapted from "Paoyao," which is more suitable for the current situation. There aren't many card games that can be played with five people, and this is one of the most fun. No cards are revealed, and players need to guess who is on whose team. This game has later been hailed as a model of "popularity" card games; if you have good connections, it's relatively easier; if you don't, no matter what card you play, someone will criticize you.

Fei Wenxin was the tallest and thinnest, so he pulled his travel bag and sat on the ground, giving his spot to Xu Kai.

Five people, two decks of cards—this game takes the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the game to the extreme. The emotional playing style of the five players creates countless hilarious moments, with various illogical moves that keep the spectators laughing.

This isn't just playing cards, it's more entertaining than a comedy sketch!

It wasn't until nearly 11 o'clock, when the ticket check began and it was getting late, that their card game finally ended, as the noise was disturbing those who were sleeping.

Back in his sleeper compartment, Xu Kai knocked on the door before opening it.

"Who?"

"I."

Yunshang opened the door and smiled at Xu Kai. She and Su Xingwan both slept fully clothed. It was already the limit for them not to mind the bedding. Even if they were uncomfortable, they would not take off their outer clothes.

By the light of the corridor outside, Xu Kai saw Su Xingwan lying on the lower bunk with her eyes open, looking at him. They looked at each other and smiled, and he also showed what it means to be a man with confidence.

"I'll go to the upper bunk. It'll be easier for you to get up when they check tickets tonight," Yunshang said, stepping onto the footboard at the end of the lower bunk to reach the upper bunk.

The lower bunk where she had just lain still carried her scent. Xu Kai wasn't pretentious; he didn't take off his pants, but he did take off his socks and shirt to make himself more comfortable.

Xu Kai is the type of person who can easily fall asleep while traveling, whether on a plane or a train. He can close his eyes and fall asleep even if there is noise around him. You know, at home, some noise outside will affect his sleep.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, Xu Kai suddenly tensed up, then relaxed. Who says women are inferior to men? Sometimes being too strong-willed isn't a good thing.

Su Xingwan's desire to turn the tables was incredibly audacious; she actually dared to crawl into her own bed in the middle of the night.

It wasn't about throwing herself at him; it was about her finishing her job once they were lying together. She would then show Yunshang their current state and wouldn't give Xu Kai any chance.

Little did she know that in just a second, or perhaps without any hesitation, Xu Kai pulled her close, then wrapped his arms around her and placed his hands on her abdomen.

Even through the clothes, you could feel the heat of those large hands.

The sudden surge of discomfort almost made Su Xingwan roar, and she heard the other person's voice in her ear: "You think this will turn the tide?"

Stunned for a few seconds, Su Xingwan swung her elbow slightly, hitting Xu Kai's ribs. Releasing her grip, she stood up and stood in the middle of the private room. Turning her head, she saw Yun Shang's smiling face with her eyes open, thanks to the dim light from outside.

Su Xingwan didn't feel embarrassed at all. She stepped forward, raised her foot, and gave Xu Kai, who was lying down, a series of flying kicks.

After kicking him more than a dozen times, he finally let out a satisfied snort, went back to his bunk and lay down, only to hear Xu Kai's suppressed laughter again. He got up again and launched another flurry of flying kicks.

Su Xingwan lay down again, not intending to cause any trouble, and prepared to sleep. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, a scene suddenly flashed before her eyes, giving her goosebumps all over.

I...was I...a little annoyed just now?

[Yes, but surprisingly, I didn't feel nauseous afterward?]

Thinking of those burning hands, and the scent of that man wafting through her nose, Su Xingwan dared not think too much about it. It was the bunk where Yunshang had lain before, and her scent still lingered there. She didn't feel nauseous because it was mixed with her scent.

………………

A good night's sleep.

No need to get up early. Just sleep until around 8 o'clock, then get up and wash up. The train will arrive at Songcheng Station around 9 o'clock.

Su Xingwan returned to her 'normal' state, gentle and calm, making everyone who saw her unconsciously lower their voices when speaking to her, as if even a slightly louder voice would frighten her.

"Come to my house last night, Xiao Hu is in your care."

It's our own territory, and the eldest sister, Yunshang, makes all the arrangements. They've come all this way to see us off, so if we don't have a good time in Songcheng, it would be a disservice to the host.

Xu Kai saw the confidence in Yunshang's eyes. "Alright, if you two are willing to fight, then go for it. Excellent people find endless joy in fighting against others and against fate."

"Go to school tomorrow, go home and get some rest today."

Park In-ji gave them a break, but rushed to school herself. National champions! We responded to the national education policy of all-round development of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics and labor. It has achieved great results as soon as it was implemented. This wave of resources from the province to the city has made No. 1 High School think about having enough to eat. There is no opponent. The Provincial Experimental School is only among the top 64. It lost the first round of the knockout stage. How can it be as competitive as us?

"Old Hu, what do you say?"

Hu Yuxuan wasn't being coy at all: "Old Xu, now that we're on your turf, of course we'll listen to you."

Xu Kai looked at Dong Bin and the others, who had been having a bit too much fun these past few days: "How about this, you all go home and let us know you're safe, put your things away, and we'll meet at Baijinhan to take a shower. But let me make this clear first, put away all the dirty thoughts in your heads. I'm not going to lead you into doing anything bad."

"That's enough, that's enough. We still need Brother Kai to show us the world." Fei Wenxin licked his lips. He couldn't wait to go now, because going home would just waste time.

Xu Kai led Hu Yuxuan home. He did not hide the fact that he came from a humble background, nor did he think that his family's small courtyard was anything to be ashamed of.

Hu Yuxuan did not disappoint him. He remained calm throughout the journey. When he heard Xu Kai call his mother at home, saying that he was coming to stay at a friend's house for a few days, Sun Xiuyun on the other end of the phone immediately told Xu Kai to bring his own bedding to the small room and bring his bedding over. She also told Xu Kai to take out a new set of bedding from the kang cabinet.

After running the card and mahjong parlor for a while, Sun Xiuyun met more people and grew in social skills. She tried to invite Xu Kai's child to dinner, but Xu Kai declined. Sun Xiuyun said that she was busy at the card and mahjong parlor and might not be able to take care of the child, so she asked Xu Kai to take good care of the child.

"I can tell that your auntie spoils you a lot." Hu Yuxuan understood the unspoken meaning on the other end of the phone. She was worried that the guest might feel uncomfortable, and that as an elder, she could go somewhere and not come back at night.

"Stop talking nonsense. Bring a change of underwear. You're not planning to change at home before going, are you? That's disgusting."

"grass!"

Hu Yuxuan broke down. It wasn't that he hadn't received similar education; he was just a young man with the laziness typical of his age. He believed that if he didn't change out of the clothes he had worn all night on the train into clean ones, that would be a sign of cleanliness and hygiene.

Little did he know, Xu Kai launched a direct attack to break through his defenses: "You changed out of all that dirty clothes and washed yourself, are the clothes you put on still clean?"

"With your looks, how can so many girls like you? A top handsome guy? Are the girls in your school blind?"

It was Hu Yuxuan's peaceful demeanor that made Xu Kai willing to accept such a new friend, and their interactions became less formal, embracing the fun of young people being good friends and teasing each other.

"Hu Yuxuan, keep it up! Hu Yuxuan, you're the best!" Xu Kai deliberately imitated the cheerleaders' mannerisms, then added a sentence that completely crushed Hu Yuxuan: "That kind of taste, is it the style of someone who hasn't washed their underwear for days, doing a cheerleader dance with a short skirt and high kicks, holy crap, that's amazing, Lao Hu."

"I'll fucking kill you!"

Hu Yuxuan completely lost her temper. If she didn't have a kitchen knife, she'd probably be like Li Baotian chasing the fat chef in "Keep Cool," chasing Xu Kai all the way from his house to the street...

The two took a taxi to Baijinhan.

"Let's wait for them, let's not go in yet."

Seeing Xu Kai waiting in the lobby, Hu Yuxuan was a little puzzled. She suggested he go into the men's bathroom and soak for a while.

Xu Kai was speechless: "Young Master Hu, you've seen it all, do you think those guys would dare to come to a place like this? Even if they had money, they wouldn't have the guts."

Hu Yuxuan didn't mind and lowered his voice to lean closer, saying, "Old Xu, you said there's something here..."

Xu Kai deliberately looked at him with an exaggerated expression of surprise: "Wow, so this is the kind of person you are."

"grass!"

Hu Yuxuan looked at Xu Kai with disdain: "You kid, are you still a virgin? What, you're holding back even with a beauty like Yunshang by your side? Is it because she won't give herself to you, or are you just not good enough?"

It feels good to win back a point.

Seeing Xu Kai speechless, Hu Yuxuan was overjoyed, laughing and humming a song. When Dong Bin and the other two arrived one after another, they hugged each other like brothers, whispering lewd and obscene words as they looked around.

While changing clothes, Hu Yuxuan still wasn't satisfied and moved closer to Xu Kai, whispering, "Hahahaha...uh..."

Xu Kai ignored him, but took off his pants and underwear. Unlike Dong Bin and the others, he was a little hunched over. At his age, he felt a little embarrassed to take a bath with people his own age.

Xu Kai stood there calmly and closed the cabinet door.

Is explanation meaningful? The facts matter most.

"What's there to be afraid of? Yes, definitely, this guy is just a pretty face." Hu Yuxuan straightened his back. So what if he's small? He's in his standard state, capable and well-trained.

He turned around and met Fang Jinyao's gaze. The two were in the same boat. Meanwhile, Dong Bin and Fei Wenxin, well, the two henchmen, had to keep up with their boss.

Hu Yuxuan and Fang Jinyao instinctively moved away from these guys. The two walked together, thinking, "Yes, we're the ones who are right. They just misallocated their talent points."