Lang Qianqiu, from where he was hanging above them, had a clear view and saw how easily he rolled such a high number. His eyes widened, and he exclaimed in awe, “How did that happen?!”
Hua Cheng loosened his hand slightly and beckoned to Xie Lian. “Shake it like this. Now you try.”
Xie Lian mirrored his actions and shook the cup twice, but Hua Cheng said, “Not like that.”
Even though he was reprimanding Xie Lian, his tone was exceptionally gentle and patient. As he explained, Hua Cheng supported Xie Lian’s hand with his own again, but this time, his left hand found its way to Xie Lian’s right, the one covering the lid.
He instructed softly, “Like this.”
And just like that, the backs of Xie Lian’s hands were enveloped by Hua Cheng’s palms.
When skin touched skin, Hua Cheng’s hands felt temperate like jade. The exquisite silver vambraces that Hua Cheng wore were as cold as ice, and yet his movements were careful, and he never allowed them to touch Xie Lian’s skin. His hands guided Xie Lian’s and shook the black wooden gambling cup in a rhythm that was neither hurried nor slow.
Once, twice, thrice.
Clack, clack, clack.
There was a crisp, rattling sound of the two dice colliding and entangling with each other as they bounced inside the black cup. Even though the shakes were gentle, Xie Lian could feel waves of numbness traveling from the backs of his hands, along his arms, spreading through the rest of his body.
As he shook, Xie Lian lifted his eyes to sneak a peek at the other person and realized that Hua Cheng wasn’t looking at the gambling cup at all. Instead, he was watching him intently with the corners of his mouth curved up. Xie Lian couldn’t help but return that smile, but he immediately controlled himself when he remembered the crowd of humans and ghosts watching him from above and below. He lowered his head and diligently studied the gesture that Hua Cheng showed him.
“Like this?” he asked.
The smile curving Hua Cheng’s lips deepened. “Hm. That’s right, just like that.”
After Xie Lian shook the cup a few more times, full of hope, he suggested, “Why don’t you take a look?”
Xie Lian lifted the lid and saw two white dice at the base. It was two threes.
Rolling two threes was already an impossible feat for him. It was like a gentle spring breeze had brushed past Xie Lian’s heart, and he thought, Could I have actually learned the trick?
However, as shocking as the outcome was, six was still slightly less than eleven. He cleared his throat and admitted, “I’m sorry, I’ve lost.”
But Hua Cheng replied, “Don’t worry, this round doesn’t count. I’m teaching you right now, try again.”
At those words, Lang Qianqiu and Shi Qingxuan gawked. The crowd of ghosts in the hall also stared with their mouths agape, then they started to grumble.
“What’s with Chengzhu? I thought he was gonna show him who’s boss, but he’s actually teaching him for real?!”
“How can you not count this round?! Can you even gamble like that?”
“If this doesn’t count, when will it count?”
“Looks like Chengzhu really is in a good mood today…”
Hua Cheng quirked his left brow, and the croupier standing to the side immediately shushed the crowd.
“Everyone, please quiet down.”
In the blink of an eye, the hall went silent again. Although no one dared speak, their stares were more intense. Hua Cheng chuckled and softly whispered words of encouragement into Xie Lian’s ear.
“Again?”
It might have been because there were too many humans and ghosts packed into this Gambler’s Den, but Xie Lian felt his face starting to heat up.
“Okay.”
Rattle, rattle, he shook twice more. This time, when he revealed the cup, it was two fours.
“See, isn’t it a little higher this time?” Hua Cheng asked.
Although Xie Lian felt that something was off, he still nodded his head. “Yes…it’s a little higher.”
Hua Cheng encouraged, “You did well. Keep going.”
With those words of encouragement coming one after another, for some reason, giggles could be heard all around the hall. Judging by the voices, it appeared they all came from female ghosts. Xie Lian also couldn’t figure out what exactly constituted the correct posture. At first, he simplemindedly paid close attention to how Hua Cheng positioned his hands, how he managed the pace, and how he grasped the cup. But now, he was letting Hua Cheng’s hands lead him and shook the dice blindly. As he shook, a suspicion in his mind grew stronger and stronger: Could San Lang be teasing me…？