TIAN GUAN CI FU Fan fic stories

HUNGRY EYES

Xie Lian had always had a hard time saying no when people asked him for things. Paired with Shi Qingxuan's unyielding enthusiasm for getting him to 'get out once in a while, for fuck's sake', it was inevitable that he'd get dragged along on whatever outing his younger friend had in mind most of the time. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy spending time with him. Shi Qingxuan was a dear, irreplaceable friend. He was just vastly more outgoing and social, and he loved to party. That often didn't mesh with Xie Lian's whole homebody aesthetic.

Still, when Shi Qingxuan announced that he wanted to visit the famed Paradise Casino in the next city over, Xie Lian knew he'd require a responsible friend to make sure he could drink and play without having to worry about getting home safely. So when his friend had asked him if he wanted to come, ignoring his inner voice screaming, "of course not," Xie Lian had simply smiled and said, "You need a designated driver, right? I'll help you out."

It was laughable, really, that he was going to a casino of all places. He didn't have two coins to rub together half the time (especially when the rent on his tiny apartment was due), so it wasn't as if he could gamble even if he'd wanted to. Besides, he was convinced he wasn't very lucky at those things. It would've been more productive to just hand his money to the dealers directly and save everyone some time.

The Paradise Casino and Hotel was a grandiose building; vermillion walls standing tall, it proudly announced itself with a neon sign of the same color, its flowing script punctuated with elegant, silvery butterflies. As the two men were let through by the doorman to go inside, they spied an establishment plaque by the entrance.

"'Hua Cheng, owner and CEO,'" Shi Qingxuan read aloud as they passed. "I've heard about him. He's really rich."

Clearly, if he runs a place like this, Xie Lian thought as they stepped into the foyer. The floors were polished black marble, shining softly under crystalline chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. The walls here were as red as the outside, lavishly decorated with sconces of burnished silver that were shaped like butterflies at the top.

"Hua Cheng must really like red," Xie Lian mused aloud.

Shi Qingxuan laughed brightly.

"Yeah, I've heard he's kind of eccentric. Always wears red in some part of his outfit, too. They say he also likes to sit in on the games and directly challenge other players sometimes, offering absurd rewards. Supposedly no one's ever beaten him."

"What kind of rewards?"

"Like his vacation home, or a huge sum or cash, or ownership of his casino!" Shi Qingxuan shrugged. "People say all kinds of stuff about him. He's very private. No one even seems to really know what he looks like, not even his employees! Some say he's good-looking, and others have said he's horribly disfigured. So who knows what's real?"

Xie Lian hummed in acknowledgement, not really knowing how to respond to all the hearsay. There were other noteworthy casinos they could've visited, but it didn't surprise Xie Lian that Shi Qingxuan would have chosen the one with a mystery attached. He would find it more fun that way. Truth be told, Xie Lian was also a little curious about the kind of man that might be attached to such stories.

I like the butterflies, though.

The gambling rooms comprised the larger part of the first two floors of the fifteen story building. Shi Qingxuan had started to go off to purchase chips before he paused, turning to Xie Lian with a questioning tilt of his head.

"Did you want to play? I can spot you some cash."

"No, no." Xie Lian immediately waved him off good-naturedly. "I don't want to owe you anything. It isn't like I'll win. You go and have fun."