After dinner, in the soft glow of the evening lamps.
Luo Tianyi, having fed San Bao, let out a sigh of relief and returned to the bedroom. As usual, she said, "Here, finish the rest quickly. I need to go take a bath."
With practiced ease, Ye Xuan understood. He took the leftovers San Bao hadn't finished, his mouth a blur as he devoured them. Seeing his enjoyment, Luo Tianyi's cheeks flushed.
*Knock knock~*
Hearing the gentle sound of water running, a moment later, a knock echoed. Aunt Shen, noticing a trace of something on her young master's lips, smiled knowingly.
"Young Master, here are the playing cards you asked for."
"Thank you."
Taking the cards, Aunt Shen, with her usual perceptiveness, smiled warmly. "Young Master, have fun."
"This Aunt Shen."
He shook his head slightly, clearly aware that Shen Yuebing had guessed something. However, it wasn't important.
Tomorrow was Luo Tianyi's birthday, a fact she herself had likely forgotten. These cards were to set the mood for the evening, a warm-up for tomorrow, to help Luo Tianyi release all her worries and stress, and have a good birthday.
The door closed, and the maids, who had been waiting impatiently, crowded around.
"Aunt Shen, what did you just give the Young Master~"
"Yeah, it's a whole box. Could it be... Durex? The packaging looks pretty similar."
"Wow! Really?!!"
"Aunt Shen, the Young Master asked you to buy that stuff~~"
The maids, chattering and imagining scenarios, caused Aunt Shen's face to flush for a moment. "Pah! What nonsense are you girls spouting?"
"Do you think the Young Master would ask me to buy that sort of thing???"
She shot the maids an exasperated look. "I gave the Young Master a deck of playing cards. He plans to play some games with Madam. Also, I'm telling you, the Young Master will be taking Madam and the three little ones to Modu for a trip tomorrow, and to celebrate Madam's grand birthday."
"Besides me, there are two more spots. Who wants to go?"
The maids were first taken aback, then their pretty eyes widened. A trip, and to Modu at that.
"I'll go~"
"Of course, it should be me, Aunt Shen~~"
The six maids chattered and vied for the opportunity, eager to go on a trip with the Young Master and Madam.
"So, do all six of you want to go?"
Aunt Shen smiled at the maids, a subtle, almost imperceptible smile flickering across her lips.
"Mhmm!"
"Aunt Shen, please let me go. I'm very diligent~~"
The other maids weren't happy and began to recommend themselves. Seeing that the time was right, Aunt Shen said, "How about this? Let's have a sumo wrestling match. The top two will go with me to travel with the Young Master and Madam."
Aunt Shen proposed this. The six maids, unable to reach a consensus, finally agreed to the method. Then, in the maids' room, a beautiful spectacle unfolded: three pairs of women engaged in sumo wrestling.
Meanwhile, Luo Tianyi emerged from her bath.
She found Ye Xuan arranging a deck of cards by the bed. Beside them lay a beautifully wrapped, exquisite, and playful note. Clearly, the cards Aunt Shen had bought were no ordinary deck, but 'couple's cards'.
Simply put, by winning a game, the winner could make the loser perform a game from the exquisite and playful notes.
Or, one could say, it was a deck of cards that wasn't entirely proper.
"What are you doing??"
Luo Tianyi looked at the cards by the bed, a little confused, not understanding what he was up to.
"Hehe, the night is long and we have nothing to do. I asked Aunt Shen to buy a deck of 'couple's cards'. How about we play a few rounds?"
"Couple's cards??"
She looked at the lettering on the card box and knew he wasn't lying. "There are cards like these?"
"Of course, where there's demand, there's a market."
Luo Tianyi was suspicious, but when she saw the illustrations on each card, she couldn't help but glare at him. As expected, he had ulterior motives.
A quick glance revealed images like "Swallows Returning to the Nest," "Turning Horse," "Imperial Concubine Gazing at the Moon"...
And so on, cartoon character action poses.
This was utterly... insane!
"You..."
"What, is my dear wife afraid to play~?" Ye Xuan chuckled, seeing Luo Tianyi's slightly flushed face.
"Who, who's afraid to play! I've seen it all before anyway!!"
She glared at Ye Xuan. Today, if this campus belle didn't conquer you, she wouldn't be called Luo Tianyi.
"Come on!!"
"What are the rules of the game!!!"
Luo Tianyi gave Ye Xuan a look. If you lose, you lose, but she wasn't going to back down. Besides, she might not be the one to lose in the end.
"It's very simple. We'll play cards, and the winner gets to randomly pick one of these exquisite notes, which the loser must execute."
"Oh?"
Luo Tianyi glanced at the exquisite notes beside them, the blush on her face subsiding slightly. She had thought... they would have to perform the cartoon character poses. If that were the case, it would be no different from asking for her life.
If it were just these exquisite, playful little games, it would be another matter entirely.
However, what happened next proved how naive her thoughts were, and also how greatly she underestimated the bottom line of the card manufacturers.
"Alright!"
"Then tell me, what should we play? Dou Dizhu, Dou Niu, Blackjack, anything. Just name it."
Seeing this, Luo Tianyi glanced at the couple's cards. "You choose."
"Oh."
"My wife knows quite a few games."
Seeing his wife take the bait, Ye Xuan smiled slightly. "How about this, let's keep it simple. Just a game of high card wins?"
"Sure."
After a moment's thought, Luo Tianyi agreed. In such a card game, luck was the dominant factor.
"Then let's begin~" Ye Xuan said with a smile. He didn't know what was written on the exquisite, playful notes, but he was certain it would be highly improper, as evidenced by the immodest cartoons on the cards.
"Ladies first, my dear wife goes first."
"Okay."
Luo Tianyi didn't refuse. Since each person would choose one card, it was all the same. She drew a card and placed it in front of her, sneaking a peek. Upon seeing the illustration, her face became a little unnatural.
Ye Xuan also chose a card at this time. He didn't look at it much and simply turned it over. What appeared before them was the 4 of Clubs, with cartoon characters depicting the pose "Flying Dragon in the Sky," complete with an action illustration.
Seeing Ye Xuan's revealed card, Luo Tianyi rolled her eyes slightly. She had tried that pose before. But her gaze quickly fell on the 4 of Clubs, and her face lit up with joy. With a snap, she placed her 5 of Diamonds on the bed. The move depicted on it was "Shun Shui Tui Zhou" (Pushing the Boat with the Current).
"Hehe, I won! 5 of Diamonds!!"
Luo Tianyi, seeing that she had won, was as happy as a child who had just received candy. Her expression was like a peacock that had won a battle.
"Hmph, a bet is a bet. I get to choose now~~"
Luo Tianyi was eager to punish Ye Xuan. Her luck today was exceptional; the goddess of fortune was surely on her side. She casually picked out a delicate note. The moment she saw the information on the improper note, Luo Tianyi was completely dumbfounded. "Push-up kisses, this... how could this be?!?"