Chapter 374: Chapter 373: A Gift for Shen Chen

Shen Chen didn’t seem to mind. Looking perfectly good-natured, he taught her which tiles to play and how to analyze the board.

"Brother Yu will definitely call that one, so don’t discard it yet. Let’s see if you can draw a tile to go with it."

"It’s so late in the round and you’re not ready to win yet. Don’t risk discarding a tile no one else has played. We don’t make losing bets."

"Baiyi is playing before you. If he discards something, don’t call it unless you have to. It’s better to just draw from the wall."

"Xie Er has been ready to win for a while. He’s just waiting for that tile. Don’t discard it."

Xu Su listened attentively to Mr. Shen’s lecture the entire time. It was only at this last piece of advice that she couldn’t help but retort, "How do you know that?"

She was holding a one of bamboo tile. Feeling defiant, she was about to discard it when Shen Chen quickly stopped her. "Just listen to me and you can’t go wrong. You could figure it out yourself if you just used your head a little."

He snatched the one of bamboo from her, chose a different tile, and discarded it. Afraid she’d get angry, he reflexively started to soothe her, "Come on, use that brain that got you into University B. Don’t be stubborn. Be good and listen to me."

Flattered by his praise, Xu Su started trying to seriously figure out the game’s patterns. ’Relying on micro-expressions is useless. None of these guys care about winning or losing a few hands, so their faces won’t change just because they have good or bad tiles.’

Soon enough, Xu Su started winning rounds too—a first milestone for a beginner on the road.

Once she could win rounds on her own, she started getting annoyed with Shen Chen constantly chattering in her ear and shooed him away.

Shen Chen was so exasperated he had to laugh. "Xu Su, you’re just casting me aside now that I’m no longer useful, you know that?"

"I’m not trying to get rid of you, I have a favor to ask." Feeling a little guilty herself, Xu Su replied in the middle of the game, "Go get me a glass of ice water. And remember to add sour plum and lemon."

Xu Su was used to treating Shen Chen this way, but the jaws of the other three men at the table were about to hit the floor.

They knew from dinner that the two of them were close, but they never expected them to be *this* close. For a woman to so casually order Shen Chen to go get her a glass of water...

’Even after more than a decade of friendship, they wouldn’t dare order Young Master Shen around to do menial chores like that, okay?’

Shen Chen noticed their strange looks. Pretending not to, he stood up and said to Xu Su, "No ice water. I can get you a cup of hot water, though. You want that?"

Xu Su was taken aback. She couldn’t help but look up and glare at him. "Why are you acting just like Zhou Mochen all of a sudden!"

"What way am I acting?"

Zhou Mochen was standing at the entrance to the game room and happened to overhear Xu Su. He pressed, "What way do I act?"

Caught bad-mouthing him, Xu Su guiltily changed the subject. "I’m thirsty. I want water."

Zhou Mochen hummed in acknowledgment, not having the heart to give her a hard time. He gestured to a uniformed waitress in the corner. "A glass of warm water."

With that, he walked over and sat down beside Xu Su. "You came to play mahjong without telling me? Do you even know how?"

"Shen Chen just taught me." Xu Su was still holding a grudge that he hadn’t let her drink earlier, so she wasn’t in the mood to talk to him.

A hand wrapped around her waist. Xu Su turned her head to see Zhou Mochen’s face just inches away. He was pressed against her back, pulling her into his embrace.

When Xu Su turned her head, Zhou Mochen gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then smiled at her. "I’ll teach you. Your boyfriend knows how to do everything, believe it or not."

Xu Su licked her lips, tempted to kiss him back...

But considering where they were, she managed to restrain herself. She lifted her chin haughtily. "Fine."

Standing nearby, Shen Chen let out an indecipherable snort. "Could you two be a little more considerate of your audience?"

"..." Xu Su fell silent. She glanced across the table at Liu Mingyu, who was frequently making out with his female companion, and then at Xie Si, whose hands were roaming freely all over his own date. ’She had no idea how a simple peck on the lips with Zhou Mochen was considered ’inconsiderate of their audience’.’

Zhou Mochen’s arm around Xu Su tightened. He suddenly turned to the woman Shen Chen had ignored and said, "Have your manager arrange for a few girls who aren’t wearing perfume to come over. Don’t let Ah Chen be the only one without company."

"Exactly. He’s got no one, so he can’t stand to see other people getting close," Xie Si said as he casually discarded a tile. He opened his mouth to accept a piece of fruit fed to him by his companion, then added with a laugh, "Our Young Master Shen won’t accept just anyone subpar. See if there are any new girls. Bring a few of the innocent-looking ones."

Shen Chen’s expression darkened. He frowned and refused, "I don’t need any."

Jiang Baiyi chimed in, "Just take a look. If you really don’t like any of them, then forget it. No one’s going to force you."

Liu Mingyu didn’t join their conversation at all. He had already grown tired of mahjong. After calling for Shen Chen to take over his seat, he led his companion to a sofa in the corner.

The sofa was behind Xu Su, and her eyes couldn’t help but follow them. She had only turned her head halfway when Zhou Mochen took her by the chin and turned her face forward again. "Don’t look."

"???" Xu Su blinked, looking up at Zhou Mochen.

He patted her on the head and repeated, "Don’t look at that. Just focus on your game."

’...Are they getting that intense over there?’

Seeing her expression, Zhou Mochen knew she had misunderstood. He thought for a moment but decided not to explain.

’In fact, he’d already given his friends a heads-up a long time ago. Whenever he brought a date, they absolutely couldn’t get too out of hand. Liu Mingyu knew where to draw the line; he would never do anything for real in front of her.’

’If they really couldn’t control themselves, there was a private suite next door.’

’That was also why Xie Si had said earlier, "This is off-limits, and you have to be careful about that."’

A few moments later, several young women dressed in tube tops and miniskirts were led into the room. They lined up, waiting to be chosen.

’It seemed their uniforms were also ranked. The ones allowed to wear cheongsams were probably the top-tier escorts.’

’And these girls in the simple tube dresses were all fresh and dewy. Compared to the top escorts, they lacked a certain worldly charm but had more of an uncorrupted innocence.’

’Several of them looked like they were only eighteen or nineteen, maybe not even that old.’

Seeing how intently she was watching them, Zhou Mochen asked with an amused smile, "Susu, want to help Ah Chen pick a few? Think of it as a gift to him."

’A gift?’

Xu Su asked curiously, "You’re paying?"

"Mhm, I’m paying." Zhou Mochen laughed. "I’ll cover all the expenses, including the women you choose for him."

"Okay!" Xu Su’s eyes widened as she began her careful selection.

’Whether Shen Chen had some kind of problem or not, since he hadn’t said anything, she’d just assume he didn’t. And even if he did, maybe picking a girl for him could help cure him. That would be even better.’

’In Xu Su’s opinion, Shen Chen was just refusing to face his problem. He was either living a life of debauchery or avoiding women like the plague. There was no in-between with him. How could anyone be like that?’

’Men, especially young men, couldn’t possibly feel no desire for a beautiful woman unless there was something wrong with them from birth.’

’It’s worth a shot. Maybe this will fix him,’ she thought. With that in mind, Xu Su’s selection process became incredibly serious.

The girls allowed up here had all been told that the guests on the top floor were of distinguished status. Their job was simply to accompany guests for drinks in the private rooms, so of course they hoped to be chosen by someone young, powerful, and wealthy. They weren’t looking for any special favor, but earning a bigger tip was always a plus.

And so, the entire row of girls stared on with eager anticipation, hoping to be picked.