A few cups of tea’s time later...

  "Two pair!"

  "Pass."

  "Full house!"

  Bubai’s lips twitched. "Pass."

  The fairy slapped down her final king card and reached out to scoop in the pile of gold in the pot.

  “Fufufu~ baobao, come to mommy~”

  Bubai set down half a hand of cards and watched the happy fairy’s satchel swallow the shiny gold metal as if it were a bottomless abyss.

  A black hole of no return that will inevitably transfer all the wealth into the granny’s pockets.

  Knowing this, Bubai really didn’t know how this fairy looked like she won the lottery every time.

  A gambler’s optimism? Selective memory loss?

  Bubai didn’t know. He just knew that the more he plays, the more he…

  "Shuffle! Shuffle! Fairy brother, come again!"

  Facing the fairy bouncing in her seat, Bubai helplessly showed his empty hands. “Fairy, there’s no more gold.”

  “Fuu?!” Shu Ling’s searchlights landed on his hands and she sniffed her dainty nose. “Fairy brother can’t do magic anymore?”

  “Um…” Bubai clapped his hand, pulling a silver tael out from his sleeve. “There’s still plenty of silver, does fairy still want to play?”

  Shu Ling pouted and her starry eyes lost all interest. “Why is fairy brother so poor?”

  Bubai’s lips twitched. Him, poor?

  Sure, he wasn’t rolling in riches like those emperors and princes, but the underworld ferry fare collected from those food deliverymen was enough to fund a mortal minister’s household!

  And yet, whatever gold he had left all got devoured by this fairy’s satchel within a single hour!

  That’s just how badly he lost. Hardly surprising though.

  Cards – it seems more complex than dice, but in reality?

  Any sharp mind can count them and divine sense completely strips the luck part out of the equation.

  Is this still called gambling? No, this was passing out money!

  Of course, as the dealer, he can always play tricks to let the odds tilt in his favor if he truly wanted.

  But… why bother?

  The rules of the game may favor the dealer, but the unspoken rules of this transaction were always in her favor.

  After all, this was meant to be a gift package to make the fairy happy.

  But was she happy enough to let him off the hook?

  Bubai looked at the grumbling beauty resting her head on the table and poking the pile of cards like she still hadn’t played enough.

  “Fairy, this… If fairy likes, fairy can keep the cards and we can play again once I collected some more gold.”

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  Shu Ling threw him a glance then her gaze drooped back to the card she was absently nudging.

  Uh… wait, is she sulking? Why all of a sudden?

  “Fairy, what’s wrong?”

  Shu Ling pursed her lips and tapped the king card. “This fairy thought this represents fairy brother, but… why does this king have a blank face?

  Huh? Bubai blinked. Is she sulking over this matter?

  Dear Merlin, women sometimes really do get hung up on the strangest little details.

  But it wasn’t like he couldn’t understand her.

  He knew these king and queen cards have a symbolic meaning, but when it comes to his own face…

  Bubai scratched his cheek. "Well… fairy, you know my face… It’s a bit on the ugly side."

  “Hum?” Shu Ling blinked back cutely. “Not right. How come this fairy thinks fairy brother’s appearance is quite cute?”

  Bubai’s heart skipped a beat, but his mask of calm remained firmly in place.

  “Ahem. Fairy, if your heart sees the truth, then that’s enough. I think it’s better to leave the card like this. At least it makes me seem more mysterious, right?”

  Shu Ling rolled her eyes. “Hum. Men, why do you all like pretending to be mysterious?”

  Bubai smiled back. “Isn’t the fairy the same?”

  “Hum?!” The lady sat up straight, firing back, “How is this fairy mysterious? This fairy already showed fairy brother everything from head to toe!”

  That “innocent” remark made Bubai recall some rogue memories, but he quickly shove those nosebleed-inducers back into the dark corner where they belonged.

  “Ahem. Fairy, you know I didn’t mean that…”

  “Humph, then what does fairy brother mean? Could it be that fairy brother thinks this fairy is some scheming women who still has something to hide?”

  Bubai hastily waved his hand in denial. “It’s not that, it’s not that!”

  “I just think fairy’s beauty is as mysterious as the moon, your charm as great as your heart! It’s no mystery that you are the moon in my heart!”

  A pleased smile bloomed on the enchanting fairy’s face and she gave her elegant hair bun a self-satisfied pat. “Hum, hum, that’s more like it…”

  She then shot him an amorous look.

  “Since fairy brother praised this fairy so hard… how about this fairy rewards you by helping you… relieve your stress?”

  Feeling a bare jade foot creeping up his leg, Bubai nearly choked on his words. “Ahem—Ahem! Fairy… that… tonight…”

  His eyes signaled around. If they go any further, it’ll be a public performance for all those watching!

  Shu Ling rolled her eyes and retracted her foot. “Hum, fine, fine. This fairy won’t tease fairy brother anymore...”

  “Since fairy brother gifted this fairy such an interesting toy, this fairy will be magnanimous and let you off tonight.”

  Bubai sighed in relief inside. Bullet successfully dodged. A big loss turned into a big gain!

  Swapping a pile of mortal knickknacks for all that hidden knowledge and a safety check on his new employee was utterly worth it!

  But seriously, thank Merlin for the list of curated gifts he smartly accumulated.

  Gold, arts and crafts...

  If he didn’t hoard all these lifelines like a squirrel before winter, he’s afraid he might really need to pull off his pants and auction his underwear just to break even tonight!

  As the old saying goes: when dealing with women, keep it fresh, but always leave backup.

  A handy gift can really save a life. They don’t necessarily have to be expensive, just interesting enough.

  Otherwise, how can the fairy let him off so easily tonight?

  Of course, even if he went with the flow and paid off the debt in another way, it was totally fine.

  In fact, it’ll be even more than fine since he could even save his money! But...

  Eating soft rice for free like that… he always feels something off about doing that.

  Free is the most expensive. There’s always a hidden price marked by fate.

  He can’t let his lower half do all the thinking, or who knows what big trouble his little brother will wake up to one day?

  Best to keep indulgence on a leash… well, at least when it came to this fairy.

  Of course, when push came to shove, he really can’t bear to let go of her silken, golden thigh.

  But escaping one night is one night.

  After tidying up the table of cards, Bubai rose to his feet and stretched lazily. “Fairy, it’s getting late. Shall I send you back?”

  The pouting Shu Ling got up and swept the deck of cards into her satchel. “No need. It seems fairy brother is in a hurry. This fairy can go back alone.”

  “Haha, no hurry, no rush at all…”

  But his hands worked faster than his words, soon packing up all the table and chair.

  Shu Ling rolled her eyes at the sight.

  “Then, fairy...”

  “Just go. Remember to prepare well for tomorrow. Don’t disappoint granny after all your smooth talk, or humph! Don’t blame this fairy for not stepping in to save you!”

  Bubai went up to hug the beauty’s slim waist.

  “Oh? Really not saving? And here I was thinking... if I get stomped, I’ll wait for the beautiful fairy to come play the hero to save the beauty!”

  "Humph! Who wants to save you?"

  Bubai chuckled again then gave her a peck on her lips. “Then I’ll be on my way. Fairy, be careful on the way back.”

  Getting a light hum from her, Bubai let go and stepped back to vault over the balusters of the loft, plunging to his fate below.

  Left alone, Shu Ling slowly ambled up to the baluster, leaning there while her moonlit searchlights tracked the target running away into the darkness.

  “...Strange. Did he discover something?”