The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 23

Yao Yuan snapped her eyes open and sprang up from the bed: “Xing kong, Xing kong!” “It’s alright, the nightmare is over.” The Devil was lying right beside her, sharing the same pillow.

“Wow, that scared me to death! Who is playing such a trick on me?” She collapsed back onto the bed.

“It was just a guy who borrowed a tiny bit of the False God’s power. I’ve already dealt with him.”

“Was it the Succubus’s people or that Chu Yan’s people?”

“Both are possible, but the key is the False God’s blessing. The person named Chu Yan is more suspicious; that Succubus might not need to rely on tools and rituals.”

Hearing this answer, Yao Yuan’s mood improved instead: “Since that’s the case, I’m going to go beat her up right now!”

Are you kidding? The opponent is conveniently trapped on the ship, too. If she doesn’t go turn her into a little biscuit now, is she going to wait to be dried into salted fish later?

She flipped off the bed, picked up the phone, and dialed the service desk: “Hello, I want to order some food. Yes, yes, is it free? Ah, that’s good. I want two basins of spicy crawfish, or just whatever spicy seafood with lots of sauce~ Can I get some chili oil and mustard? And a plastic container, please.” She hung up with a big smile.

An hour later, the waiter pushing the dining cart delivered a plastic jug in addition to the requested items.

Yao Yuan winked at Xing kong, rolled up her sleeves, and started working. She picked out the crawfish one by one and put them into the plastic box, then poured all the crawfish broth into the plastic jug, mixing it with the chili oil and mustard.

After the mixture was complete, she valiantly pushed the door open: “Now we can go~ We are fully prepared!” “Xiao yuan.”

“Don’t try to stop me, my mind is made up!”

Xing kong: “I can splash more accurately. She won’t have time to run.”

Yao Yuan: “Hahaha, it’s okay, I’ll do it myself!”

She walked along, carrying the plastic jug and praying: Chu Yan, please don’t be hiding in your room. If we get off the boat, I won’t be able to find you. Perhaps the divine being heard her prayer, as the moment she stepped into the hall, she saw Chu Yan sitting with Fire Opal.

Upon closer inspection, they were playing cards, and from the dealing technique and the layout on the table, it was clearly the classic game of 21 points (Blackjack).

Waiting on the side, Yao Yuan’s anger suddenly subsided a lot: What if this has nothing to do with Chu Yan, and I run over here for crawfish broth revenge? Wouldn’t that be bullying the weak if I can’t find the Succubus?

She shook her head and looked at the card game on the table.

Chu Yan was dealing the cards, and Fire Opal was the opponent. Judging by the number of chips, Fire Opal seemed to be winning more.

The two cards dealt to Fire Opal were exactly 18 points. This score is in between taking another card and staying. If she compares cards directly, the winning rate isn’t very high, but if she takes another card, the probability of busting is higher.

Should I draw another card? Chu Yan fiddled with the chips in her hand.

“No more, 18 is strong enough,” Fire Opal bit her lip. “I’ll bet this much; you open your cards.”

Chu Yan flipped over her cards: 4 of Hearts, 6 of Spades, 10 of Spades—a total of 20 points.

“I’m not playing anymore. Quit while I’m ahead,” Fire Opal patted her skirt, wanting to leave.

“A sensible choice. If you continue to play, you will definitely lose.”

“What do you mean?” She was provoked by the sentence and turned around.

“Nothing. Some things aren’t like playing cards. It’s better for the weak to leave early.” Chu Yan’s eyes were fixed on Yao Yuan as she said this.

Fire Opal was so angry she sat back down: “Alright, what would have happened if I had asked for one more card?” She swiftly drew a 5 of Hearts. “See? Wouldn’t that have made me bust?”

“Yes, that’s why I praised you for being sensible just now.”

“You, you’re just being unreasonable.” Fire Opal picked up her chips and left the hall without looking back.

“Do you want to play too?” Chu Yan slightly raised her chin towards Yao Yuan.

“No need. I came to ask you something.”

Chu Yan ignored Yao Yuan’s refusal. She picked up two fingers and drew the next card.

“It’s the 7 of Diamonds.” She shook her head. “It seems you are destined to lose.”

Yao Yuan raised an eyebrow: “I think the problem is with the person drawing the cards. By what right do you draw for me?” Her wrist flashed, and a 3 of Hearts was clipped between her fingers.

Chu Yan didn’t look up: “The previous round belonged to Fire Opal. Continued Do you want to sit down and play seriously?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I just said I wanted to ask you a question. Last night…”

Chu Yan smiled: “I won’t answer your question. What does what happen to you have to do with me?”

“Nothing, then nothing.” Yao Yuan clenched her fist, but she wasn’t ready to teach a lesson to someone who was only suspected.

As she turned to leave, Chu Yan’s last words slowly entered her ears: “The fact that you are still alive is something that disgusts me.”

Yao Yuan suddenly twisted around and opened the lid of the plastic jug. Unexpectedly, the sitting Chu Yan was faster; she instantly got up and avoided the splash.

The mocking expression on Chu Yan’s face hadn’t fully materialized when the chili oil suddenly swirled back, rushing from behind towards her front.

Xing kong took the plastic jug from the stunned Yao Yuan’s hand. The chili oil just now hit the back of Chu Yan’s head and was now dripping down her dark, shiny hair. Those nearby could easily smell the strong, fishy odor of crawfish.

Yao Yuan’s lips moved a few times, unsure of what to say.

Xing kong picked up Chu Yan’s shawl, wiped off some chili oil, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it back into her hand: “Compared to black or pink, you are more suited to the color you have now.”

Yao Yuan awkwardly scanned the surroundings. Strangely, the people around did not notice what was happening here. Even if they did, they were only staring at Xing kong, who was holding the empty container; no one was looking at Chu Yan.

Yao Yuan peered out from behind Xing kong: “Hey, did you hear that? Don’t provoke us again in the future.”

Night fell. When Yao Yuan got off the ship, the sea breeze made her shiver. She still couldn’t clearly remember what Chu Yan looked like, but that vicious glare was finally etched into her mind: “Xing kong, do you think I shouldn’t have provoked her? It might not have been her who did that.”

“You shouldn’t have let her live,” the Devil gently draped a gauze scarf over her. “Did you forget? She told me before that she wanted you dead.”

That’s true, Yao Yuan was speechless.

“You two, please wait a moment!” The voice sounded a bit familiar. She turned around and, good heavens, it was the blonde woman who was looking for someone with a photo earlier!

She stopped: “Are you here to ask about the photo again today?”

“Ah, you misunderstand.” The other party blocked their way: “The two of you just got off that ship, right?”

“Yes, we were attending a group friends’ gathering.”

The blonde woman pulled an instrument out of her pocket, which looked a bit like a scanner used for security checks: “Please raise your hands for inspection.”

Yao Yuan subconsciously raised her hands, only to see the blonde woman suddenly retract the instrument and leave.

“Xing kong, it doesn’t look like we were carrying anything suspicious.”

“I don’t want to get involved with these guys.” The Devil put his arm around Yao Yuan’s waist: “Let’s go rest at the nearest hotel.”

“Why not take a taxi back to the rental house?”

“There are some things I want to talk to you about openly and honestly.” Xing kong’s reply this time was very serious.

Since it was serious business, there was nothing to be done.

Yao Yuan casually asked: “Can we go somewhere that doesn’t cost money?” Like a park or something.

“Alright, we’ll go somewhere that doesn’t cost money,” Xing kong complied readily.

An hour later, Yao Yuan, with an ice cream cone in her left hand and an egg roll in her right, looked speechlessly at the house in front of her: “Breaking and entering is a crime.”

“Did you forget? This is our house.” The door opened in response.

The interior decoration was extremely simple. The four walls were painted a light blue, and the light fixtures were unpretentious ovals. Beige storage cabinets and a glass coffee table showcased a modern style. The genuine leather sofa was a gentle, yet easily stained, cream color.

Most of the space was still empty, and the large appliances in the living room were spaced far apart. The TV was mounted on the wall, the computer was connected near the windowsill, and the upright air conditioner stood alone in the northeast corner.

“The decoration of the upstairs and the basement needs your input. How about keeping this style? Just tell me what you want to add.” The Devil took a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator and popped it open, the two glasses of golden liquid serving as the only decoration here.

Yao Yuan sat cautiously on the sofa, tossing her handbag on the other side: “What do you want to tell me? Say it quickly.”

“Don’t be nervous,” the Devil smiled. “You can take a shower and change your clothes first. We can talk slowly in the bedroom.”