The Female Leads Truly Loves You - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: So, thank me, Sophie
The sight of the four of them walking together seemed like a historic first.

At least Sam had never imagined that he, along with the three others, could actually mingle together for drinks or a meal.

It was unbelievable.

It might as well have been the eve of the apocalypse.

It wasn’t too pessimistic of Sam to think this way, considering if one day he gained the ability to access an internal attribute panel, he would definitely see that these girls’ ‘compatibility’ was absolutely conflicting.

Just being in the same place made things awkward.

Not to mention doing something together; that would be a catastrophic disaster.

But now, here they were, and it seemed… there were no signs of conflict yet. Could this mean that Sam’s efforts were somewhat paying off?

Had he moved a step closer to his goal?

It seemed overly optimistic, but there was no helping it; people need to find solace in the struggles of life.

Even a tiny breakthrough could provide comfort.

The destination wasn’t far—a place recommended by Isabella, the Starlight Bar, where they had first come for a club activity and had drinks with Sophie.

Sam felt familiar here and was quite pleased with the place.

It was lively but not deserted, and there were no drunken brawls.

The staff was of good quality, very enthusiastic, and not overly obsequious like in some upscale venues, which could be uncomfortable.

But for a certain high-maintenance girl, it still wasn’t enough.

“This place? What’s with the decor… Have these cushions even been changed?”

From the moment they entered, Angel began to question various ‘suspicious’ aspects of the place.

Isabella, unfazed, smiled and said,

“Don’t sweat the details. Angel, you’ve been to many upscale places, but I think it’s necessary for you to experience the world of ordinary people once in a while.”

During Isabella’s explanation, Sam had already placed his jacket on the seat for Angel to sit on.

Angel sat down without hesitation.

“Why do I need to understand the lives of ordinary people?” she asked.

Isabella smiled. “Because it’s only by doing so that we can bridge the gap between us, and you, Angel, can better understand why sometimes the actions and thoughts you don’t grasp are necessary.”

“What if I’m not interested in these things?” Angel said nonchalantly, subtly moving closer to Sam.

Sam understood her action; in this uncomfortable setting, she instinctively leaned towards him for a sense of security, much like people often stick close to acquaintances in unfamiliar situations.

Thinking about it, this subtle move was quite endearing. She was like a cat, albeit a hard-to-tame one.

As Isabella began to order food and drinks, she continued with a smile, “Sam is an ordinary person, right? Even if not for others, for Sam, I believe you, Angel, would be willing to spend a little time.”

Angel glanced at Sam. “Just looking at this dummy annoys me, and you expect me to do this for him… Alright, aren’t we here to drink? Why haven’t we started?”

Angel seemed eager to get straight to the point, showing a lack of patience.

Sam thought for a moment and said, “Isn’t it a bit early to start drinking now? It’s only the afternoon, and it’s not even dark yet.”

“So what else are we supposed to do? You want us to chat first?” Angel looked annoyed, not so much at the suggestion itself, but because neither of the girls seemed like easy conversational partners for her.

It seemed they had no common topics to discuss.

Sophie shot Angel a cold glance.

“Don’t flatter yourself, we indeed have nothing much to talk about.”

“Then let’s drink. Maybe after you’ve had enough, you’ll want to chat with me.”

“Heh, we’ll see who can’t keep up first…”

“Snap!”

It was as if the sparks of battle were reigniting.

Whenever these two girls were under the same roof, it seemed like the day of peace would never come.

At this moment, Isabella suddenly clapped her hands, looking excitedly at the two.

“How about this! We can drink, sure, but just drinking is too boring. Let’s play a game!”

“What game?” Angel asked.

Sophie also looked over, her tone cool, “If it’s just a game of luck, I find it utterly pointless.”

Clearly, Sophie didn’t trust her own luck, which indeed seemed worse than anyone else present, as could be inferred from her life’s trajectory.

Angel, with a sly smile, teased, “Isn’t luck part of one’s strength? Picking and choosing—aren’t you just scared to play?”

Sophie smiled faintly, “That’s still better than some people whose only strength is their luck. Right, being born is the biggest luck of all.”

Sam felt a headache coming on.

He picked up a water glass from the table and filled it.

“Have some water. You’ve been arguing all the way here, aren’t you thirsty?”

Under the table, Angel pinched Sam’s thigh. “Really appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

Sam’s mouth twitched slightly. “No need to thank me… So, what game do you actually want to play, Isabella?”

Isabella smiled as she pulled a deck of playing cards from her backpack, just as the waiter brought over the drinks and some snacks to accompany the alcohol.

“It’s simple—this is a game I’ve recently learned about. Everyone starts with five cards. The dealer goes first, followed by the next player. You can play any number of cards, but remember, you can only play pairs, triples, or quads together.

The next player must play cards that are exactly one rank higher than the previous player’s cards. For example, if I play a 3, you can only play a 4, and the next person a 5. The highest card is an Ace, but if you have a 2, it can beat any card. However, if someone plays a pair, you must also play a pair of twos.

If there are jokers, they can be used as any card. The game ends when one player has no cards left, making them the winner. The remaining players must drink a shot for each card left in their hand. Simple, right?”

Isabella explained the game, and Sam quickly grasped the concept as it seemed familiar.

Angel and Sophie asked for some details, appearing unfamiliar but also showing a hint of curiosity. Their detailed questions revealed that neither wanted to lose.

After the rules were fully explained, Isabella, sitting next to Sophie, declared, “Alright! I’ll be the dealer for the first round. I’ll deal the cards in this order: me, Sophie, Angel, and then Sam. Let’s start!”

The glasses were already filled for everyone.

Sam glanced at the expressions of the two girls as the cards were dealt.

Angel and Sophie seemed indifferent, almost nonchalant, but the moment they picked up their cards, the sudden dilation of their pupils betrayed their true interest.

“Alright, it’s my turn! Emmm, three!” Isabella played without any tricks, seemingly accepting that she might not be the star of the evening.

Sophie, who was in luck, played a four.

Angel, however, did not play immediately.

Sam, holding a five, thought that if Angel couldn’t play, it would be his turn next.

Sophie looked at Angel and smirked slightly. “If you don’t have a card, stop looking. You can’t magic one out.”

“Two.”

Unexpectedly, Angel slapped a two onto the table.

Everyone paused for a moment.

Sophie couldn’t help but speak up. “Do you even know how to play? Playing a two in the first round?”

Angel just smiled slightly. “What’s the problem? Is it against the rules to play like this?”

Isabella shook her head. “It’s allowed… but you know there are only four twos in a game, right?”

“Of course, I know. But since none of you can beat it, I’ll take the lead.” Indeed, even the jokers could only become any card up to a two, and a two cannot beat another two.

So, everyone drew a card, and Sam ended up with the most cards in hand.

“A pair of fours.”

At the start of the next round, Angel immediately laid down a pair of fours.

Sam was stunned; he had a pair of fives… What was going on? Had Angel seen his cards?

After Sam played his pair of fives, “A pair of sixes!” Isabella quickly slapped down a pair of sixes.

Only Sophie’s face turned sour. Looking at Isabella, she exclaimed, “How come you also have a pair of sixes!”

Isabella chuckled, “There’s nothing I can do if the person before you plays what you have.”

Sophie snorted. “It doesn’t matter, this round is almost over anyway…”

“A pair of sevens!”

In the next moment, Sophie looked up in astonishment, only to see Angel smirking as she laid down a pair of sevens.

Angel had only one card left in her hand! She smiled at Sophie. “Ending, you say? No, it’s just getting started, dummy.”

“You… don’t get too smug too soon!” Sophie, though visibly upset, was clearly at a disadvantage in this round.

Even though she managed to draw a two in the last few rounds, her accumulated disadvantage only grew, her hand of cards large enough to fan herself with. After all, in the round she lost, she didn’t play a single card but somehow ended up with four more.

Under Angel’s steady and strategic play, it was no doubt that Sophie ended up with the most cards.

Sam was somewhat worried about Sophie, knowing well her low tolerance for alcohol. Last time, she switched modes after just a few sips… What if she switches modes this time, or…

Just then, Angel seemed to remember something. “Cheating isn’t allowed in drinking, right?” she suddenly remarked.

“What do you mean?” Sophie frowned at her.

Angel simply smiled and said, “No particular meaning, just… wondering if there’s an unfair tactic like suddenly switching personalities to help drink, making one person’s alcohol tolerance equal to two. I think that would be cheating.”

Good grief. Angel even thought of that?

Sophie took a deep breath and looked at Angel with a cold laugh. “Don’t worry, that won’t happen…”

She was about to pick up her glass, but in the next moment, Angel grabbed her wrist.

“What are you doing?” Sophie snapped.

Angel, eyes narrowed, stared at the young woman. “You have eight cards left. Are you planning to drink eight glasses?”

“What else?” Sophie retorted.

Angel shook her head. “I doubt anyone here can drink that much at once, so to keep this game going and ensure there’s a next round, don’t make me lose interest so quickly… Just drink two glasses. One glass for every four cards. How about that?”

Sophie hadn’t expected Angel to make such a proposal.

What was this? Crocodile tears?

She wanted to show her strength at this moment, but looking at the brimming glass in her hand, she looked back at her opponent. “I… have no objections.”

Angel released her grip with a smile. “Since I made this suggestion that benefits you, shouldn’t you thank me?”

Sophie gritted her teeth. “You haven’t won just yet!”

Angel casually shrugged. “It’s fine if you don’t want to thank me, and it doesn’t matter if you think I won’t win in the end. So, how about you just drink those eight glasses?”

“…”

Sophie slightly lowered her head. Angel, with narrowed eyes, leaned a bit closer to her. “So, thank me, Sophie.”

Sophie’s hands clenched tightly. But looking at the swaying liquor in her hand, she muttered, “…thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Angel sat back contentedly, arms crossed, looking extremely proud and smug. Sam felt he had never seen her so pleased with herself before. It was almost as if she was gloating.

Soon after finishing two glasses of liquor, Sophie wiped the traces from her lips and lifted her head. Everyone could clearly see the fiery determination in her eyes. Yes, something was indeed burning.

Sam even thought he could smell gunpowder. She wiped the corner of her mouth and then, surprisingly, started to laugh, her cheeks quickly flushing red.

“Come on, next round.” It was as if the battle had just turned brutal from that moment…