Jiang Ye did not know how to play mahjong.
His four friends were all avid mahjong players.
They played round after round, and when it wasn't enough, they started gambling.
A piece of white paper was torn into dozens of similarly sized pieces, each representing a thousand yuan. Each person had a thick stack of paper slips in front of them; when they ran out, they would tear more paper.
Jiang Ye moved a small stool and sat behind Tian Rao, watching the game.
He tried to understand the mahjong rules, but after watching for a long time, he was still confused.
So many years had passed, it was likely that mahjong rules had changed, perhaps becoming much more complex than in ancient times. This was because the four beautiful women were constantly counting on their fingers, as serious as solving a math problem. When Jiang Ye was young, he had watched others play mahjong, and he had never seen anything like this.
After several rounds, the paper slips representing money in front of Tian Rao had piled up like a small mountain. The other three people had already lost their money several times and kept "printing money," the sound of tearing paper rustling.
Tian Rao was very excited, "My luck is so good today! I used to have terrible luck! Is this a sign of good fortune in the Year of the Tiger!"
"Damn it, every time I lose at the last moment, it's uncanny," Isabel said angrily. She suddenly looked up at Jiang Ye, narrowed her eyes, and her expression was murderous.
Jiang Ye put on an innocent expression like a little white rabbit, staring at her blankly, not understanding why Isabel's gaze was as fierce as a knife.
"Jiang Ye, you've been sitting behind Tian Rao. Aren't you helping her cheat!" Isabel questioned.
"How could that be!" Jiang Ye and Tian Rao said in unison.
"Tian Rao's luck is abnormally good. How can she keep winning even when the dealer changes? The three of us have been swept clean. I find it very suspicious," Ju Lanlan also narrowed her eyes.
"I was once crowned the 'Flower of the Mahjong Table,' and I've never lost so badly as I have today," Xu Yan implied her suspicion indirectly.
"Come here, sit on my side," Isabel said.
Before Jiang Ye could react, Isabel stood up and roughly dragged Jiang Ye, chair and all, over to her.
"Alright, alright," Jiang Ye obediently sat next to Isabel.
Heaven and earth bore witness, he was truly innocent. He didn't even know the basic rules!
The four beautiful women played several more rounds.
The situation on the table changed.
Tian Rao lost rapidly. She was both unskilled and loved to play, always betting a large pile of paper slips. Soon, she lost all the money she had won. She looked dejected and very sad.
Xu Yan and Ju Lanlan weren't doing much better, constantly tearing paper to print money.
Isabel, miraculously, had good luck and turned the tide, winning continuously. She won four hands in a row.
"Oh, my luck has turned around!" Isabel beamed.
"What is this? You were so lucky just now, and now I've lost my pants," Tian Rao said listlessly.
"I'm really not as good as I used to be," Xu Yan said sadly.
Ju Lanlan remained silent, staring at the tiles and scratching her head. Many strands of hair fell onto the table; she was clearly experiencing severe hair loss.
Isabel suddenly turned and stared at Jiang Ye.
This time, Jiang Ye straightened his back, "I'm innocent. I haven't helped you cheat all afternoon! Your good luck is just your skill!"
"Indeed not, but I think you're like a mascot!" Isabel smiled. "As soon as you came over, I started winning. When you were with Tian Rao, she won."
With Isabel's words, the other three beautiful women also stared at him.
"Come sit behind me, I'll try," Ju Lanlan beckoned.
Jiang Ye obediently moved his chair and sat next to Ju Lanlan.
Ju Lanlan suddenly reached out and pinched his arm several times.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Ye asked, confused.
"Absorbing good luck," Ju Lanlan said.
Shuffle the tiles, start the game.
Deal the tiles.
Ju Lanlan let out a high-pitched scream, her face filled with surprise.
Jiang Ye was startled, "Why are you screaming? It's just a game, don't use low-level tactics like interfering with your opponent's mind."
Ju Lanlan was so excited that she couldn't speak for a long time.
"Could it be..." Xu Yan's eyes widened.
"No way?" Isabel's eyes also widened.
"A win?" Tian Rao asked in alarm.
Ju Lanlan laid down her tiles, and everyone leaned in to look.
"Tian Hu!" the beautiful women screamed in unison.
Tian Hu, also known as "Heavenly Win," meant that the dealer won immediately after drawing the tiles. It required incredibly explosive luck and was a rare sight. The probability was extremely low, only appearing with divine intervention.
Then, everyone turned to look at Jiang Ye.
"It really works," Ju Lanlan said with surprise, "Mascot!"
"What works?" Jiang Ye asked blankly.
"Mascot, you're a mascot, Jiang Ye. Whoever you sit next to wins!" the four beautiful women said in unison, as if they had opened a synchronized playback device.
Jiang Ye was bewildered. He was just an observer, a clueless bystander who couldn't even understand the game. How could he possibly be a mascot?
However, people who play cards tend to be superstitious. They believe in things like turning around their luck by going to the restroom, spitting on their hands for luck, or wearing a protective amulet. The four beautiful women present were no exception.
Jiang Ye, as an instant good luck charm, immediately became highly sought after!
After each round, the four women would fight over Jiang Ye, wanting him to sit next to them.
Surprisingly, it was true that whoever Jiang Ye sat next to would win that round!
For several consecutive rounds, there was not a single exception.
One or two hands, or three to five hands, could be explained as coincidence. But for over a dozen hands in a row to be like this, it was truly uncanny.
This level of accuracy was no longer that of a mascot, but of a goddess of fortune!
Fighting over Jiang Ye became more important than playing the game itself.
Even if they couldn't get him, the female card players would reach out and try to touch Jiang Ye, to absorb his luck.
Jiang Ye was pushed and pulled, grabbed and hugged, making him dizzy and disoriented. If he were a doll, he would have been chipped and worn down long ago.
The beautiful women were eager to win. When they found that touching him to absorb luck didn't work, their methods began to escalate.
Isabel set a bad example first by kissing Jiang Ye on the cheek.
Tian Rao got anxious and also pecked him on the forehead.
Ju Lanlan hesitated, then kissed her own hand before placing it on Jiang Ye's face.
Xu Yan was too embarrassed and did not participate.
After several rounds of cards, Jiang Ye's face was covered in lipstick marks.
He couldn't take it anymore. He broke free from the crowd and ran up the stairs.
"Damn it, I'm not watching anymore. You guys play yourselves. I'll make some lunch, you can eat when you get hungry from playing."
The beautiful women did not stop him. Since no one could guarantee that the goddess of fortune would be on their side, preventing others from having good luck seemed like a fair option.
Leaving Jiang Ye alone, they focused on playing again. The clatter of mahjong tiles echoed throughout the villa.
Everything Jiang Ye prepared went unused. The four beautiful women were addicted to playing, from the afternoon until midnight, even eating at the mahjong table.
Jiang Ye couldn't understand this scene. Just a pile of broken mahjong tiles, how could they be so fun?
But true seasoned players are like this; when they are enjoying themselves, they can play for more than ten hours straight, not getting tired even if they play all night. Playing mahjong has an indescribable magic to it.
At half-past midnight, the beautiful women were still energetically battling at the mahjong table, occasionally erupting in giggles.
These past few days had been tiring, and being bored without being able to join the game, Jiang Ye couldn't resist and fell asleep on the sofa without realizing it.