The card game was set in Jiang Man's room. When Chu Lulin and Xu Zhi arrived, a waiter from the restaurant had just delivered a fruit platter and a pot of black tea, which Jian Ran had ordered from her room moments ago. Although Jiang Man's room was right next to hers, her long-standing habit made her feel uncomfortable visiting empty-handed.
"Why are you here?" Jian Ran was somewhat surprised to see Chu Lulin. "Are you done with your schoolwork?"
She knew he was busy, so she hadn't called him earlier. She hadn't expected him to come on his own.
Hearing this, Chu Lulin breathed a subtle sigh of relief. So that was it.
He curled his lips into a smile. "It's fine. I'm done."
Jian Ran nodded. Good, he was done.
"Do you have playing cards in the room? If not, I'll go get some from the front desk," Xu Zhi said.
Jiang Man had looked around the room earlier but hadn't found any. "Okay, go ahead."
After Xu Zhi left, Chu Lulin came to the table and took the teapot from the waiter. He naturally poured a cup of tea and handed it to Jian Ran.
"Big Sister, have some tea."
Jian Ran took the cup and took a sip. "Thanks."
Chu Lulin smiled and shook his head, then poured another cup and handed it to Jiang Man. "Miss Jiang."
"You call her 'Big Sister,' but you call me 'Miss Jiang.' Little bro, that's such obvious favoritism," Jiang Man teased with a smile.
She had met Chu Lulin before and knew he was Jian Ran's butler, so she made a harmless joke.
Chu Lulin naturally caught the teasing tone and gave her a smile with a nod, but didn't take the bait to call her "Big Sister." "Miss Jiang is joking."
Jiang Man raised an eyebrow and gave him a meaningful glance.
"I got two decks of cards. What are we playing?" Xu Zhi walked in, holding a deck in each hand.
Jian Ran quickly spoke up. "Um, sorry, I only know how to play Dou Dizhu. I don't know any other games."
Jiang Man spread her hands and smiled. "Then we don't need to choose. Let's play that."
She then looked at Chu Lulin and Xu Zhi. "What about you two? Do you know how to play Dou Dizhu?"
Both nodded and answered simultaneously, "Yes."
There was a wooden square table in the living room, with the fruit platter and tea nearby. Rain pattered softly outside. The four sat around the table. After Jian Ran sat down, Chu Lulin naturally took the seat to her upper left.
The four-player Dou Dizhu rules were simple. Two decks were used, with eight cards set aside as the landlord's hidden cards. One card was revealed, and whoever got that card became the landlord. The landlord was one side, and the other three were the other side. The side that emptied their hand first won.
In the first round, Jian Ran became the landlord. She thought her hand was decent, so she accepted the role. But after picking up the eight hidden cards, she frowned.
What a terrible combination.
But it didn't matter. They were just playing to pass the time without any stakes. Everyone was relaxed and chatted while playing.
"Xiao Chu takes good photos. Is your college major photography?" Jiang Man asked casually.
She had just added Jian Ran on WeChat and seen her latest Moments. Jian Ran had told her that Chu Lulin took the photos. Jiang Man knew a fair bit about photography and could tell the photos were quite professional.
Chu Lulin shook his head slightly, but before he could speak, Xu Zhi explained, "No, he studies computer science."
Jiang Man said, "Oh," a little surprised but not too much. Many people took photography as a hobby, so it wasn't strange.
"What direction in computer science?"
That stumped Xu Zhi. He only knew Chu Lulin was always typing incomprehensible code but didn't know the specific field.
"Artificial intelligence," Chu Lulin replied calmly.
AI was a hot trend. Although the other three weren't very familiar with it, they had seen it in the news. Jiang Man, who ran her own company, knew more.
The conversation then shifted to their majors. Xu Zhi studied art. Jiang Man majored in finance. As for Jian Ran...
"Your college major was broadcasting and hosting?" Jiang Man looked at Jian Ran in surprise. "With your looks, why didn't you consider working at a TV station or even entering the entertainment industry?"
Jian Ran smiled. Jiang Man's question was normal. Many of her college classmates did work at TV stations or went into entertainment, like Lu Chuchu.
But that topic ran deep, and she didn't want to explain much.
"I'm just unambitious, I guess."
Everyone present had high emotional intelligence. Seeing Jian Ran's evasive answer, they didn't press further.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask which university in Jing City you're from. I'll come visit you sometime," Xu Zhi said, casually playing a pair of fours and looking at Chu Lulin.
Jiang Man, sitting after Xu Zhi, followed with a pair of tens.
Chu Lulin raised his hand to indicate he wouldn't follow. "A University."
His words stunned the other three. They all looked up at him.
Xu Zhi's mouth fell open in disbelief. "No way, I thought you were from some third-rate university like me. Turns out you're a top student! My respects!"
Jiang Man was also surprised. A University's AI program was a top-tier major at a prestigious school. Its value went without saying.
Jian Ran's eyes widened, and she blurted out, "You're also from A University!"
When she first arrived, she hadn't been in the mood to ask. Later, she just forgot. So she really didn't know which school Chu Lulin was from.
"Also?" Jiang Man and Xu Zhi turned to look at her.
"What, Big Sister Jian is also from A University?" Xu Zhi asked.