Chapter 234: The Ring Toss Stall Owner’s Resentment
"Thirty for twenty rings. You ring it, you win it."
The ground was covered with a wide assortment of prizes: toy cars, dolls, alarm clocks, and more.
However, the grand prize seemed to be a large teddy bear placed at the very edge.
But Yun Zijin had already won three dolls at the balloon-popping stall, so she wasn’t interested in another one.
Instead, her eyes were drawn to an inconspicuous jade bracelet in the middle.
’Logically, a bracelet at a stall like this was almost certainly fake, but Yun Zijin wanted it anyway.’
"Can you win that bracelet?"
The jade bracelet wasn’t at the very edge, but it was far off to the front left.
Yun Zijin wasn’t sure if Lu Yunque could manage it.
"I’ll give it a try."
With twenty rings, Lu Yunque felt somewhat confident.
Lu Yunque tossed the first one just to get a feel for it.
It went a little off course and landed on a nesting doll next to the bracelet.
The ring toss owner’s expression changed as he looked at Lu Yunque. ’Was that a happy accident?’
Yun Zijin gave an awkward smile and placed the nesting doll the owner handed her by her feet.
’It’s so ugly-cute... but the longer I look at it, the prettier it seems?’
Lu Yunque threw the second ring. A gust of wind blew it off course, and it landed over a small potted succulent.
Yun Zijin was speechless.
’Maybe she and that bracelet just weren’t meant to be?’
’Is her boyfriend’s luck good or bad?’ the owner wondered. ’On one hand, he never gets what he’s aiming for. On the other, he always gets *something*.’
Yun Zijin gave another awkward smile and placed the potted succulent by her feet.
Lu Yunque took out a third ring. The instant he threw it, a dog bumped into his leg, causing his hand to slip.
The stray ring landed perfectly on the ear of the large teddy bear in the far corner.
The ring toss owner thought, ’Are they f*cking here to clean me out?’
Yun Zijin was speechless.
’I guess I’m really not meant to have that bracelet.’
Seeing the owner’s face, as black as thunder, Yun Zijin rubbed her nose, feeling a little guilty.
"Maybe... you should just toss the rest randomly. We’ve won more than enough already."
Yun Zijin pointed to the nesting doll, the succulent... and the giant teddy bear at her feet.
’I seem to have a strong connection with dolls today.’
Lu Yunque glanced at the prizes by Yun Zijin’s feet, then at the owner’s resentful glare. He knew they’d won a bit too much.
The teddy bear alone was worth more than thirty yuan.
"Okay, whatever you say."
Lu Yunque tossed all the remaining rings out at once.
And in the end... a single white ring landed perfectly over the jade bracelet Yun Zijin had her heart set on.
Lu Yunque was speechless.
Yun Zijin blinked. ’Something about this doesn’t seem right.’
"Here, here, take it! The bracelet you wanted."
’Don’t come back, please don’t come back! Any more of this and I’ll have worked all day for nothing!’
The owner shot Lu Yunque and Yun Zijin one last, deeply resentful glare.
’I knew it. The moment I saw them carrying that black-and-white furball and that fat blue-and-white thing, I should have been on high alert.’
"We really weren’t trying to clean you out! Hope business is booming!"
With that, Yun Zijin grabbed Lu Yunque’s hand and bolted.
Naturally, the bodyguards would take care of the prizes they had just won.
The owner’s mind went blank as he watched several tall, brawny men suddenly appear.
"You’re... These are the things that young couple just won..."
"We’re the young miss’s bodyguards."
To prevent any misunderstandings that might reflect poorly on his young miss, Zero One stated his identity succinctly.
"B-bodyguards, huh... Well... take them, then. Your young miss has some crazy good luck."
’To think she even got the one she really wanted in the end... I don’t even know what to feel anymore.’
Meanwhile, Yun Zijin, who had dragged Lu Yunque away, didn’t stop running until she felt they were far enough away.
"Why were we running?"
Lu Yunque didn’t understand why she had pulled him away in a run.
He had won everything fair and square—by "skill"—and he’d even tossed all the remaining rings at once to keep the owner from losing too much money. He’d been more than fair.
If he had followed his true profiteer’s instincts, he would have made sure every single one of those rings won a prize to maximize his returns.
"I don’t really know why. We’re already gone, and no one’s chasing us, so it’s fine.
I’m tired. Why don’t we find a place to eat and then head home?"
Yun Zijin felt that the bad mood brought on by the Xia Family father and son earlier in the day had now completely lifted.
Lu Yunque opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately decided against it.
But Yun Zijin was busy looking around for a restaurant and didn’t notice the change in his expression.
"There’s a Chinese restaurant over there. Let’s go?"
There were plenty of places to eat inside Jinsheng Amusement Park.
There was Chinese, Western, and even some Japanese cuisine available.
But Yun Zijin had a classic Hua Country palate; she still preferred Chinese food.
Lu Yunque, of course, had no objections and led Yun Zijin by the hand toward the restaurant.
Carrying the dolls, the two of them were quite conspicuous in the crowd, and they were noticed the moment they entered the restaurant.
A server immediately came to greet them. "A table for two?"
"There are others with us. Could we get two tables, please?"
Yun Zijin hadn’t forgotten that Zero One and the others were always with her and Lu Yunque.
Lu Yunque knew she was getting a table for Zero One and his team.
The server glanced behind Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque and saw several bodyguards laden with prizes—a giant teddy bear, a nesting doll, and a potted plant.
"Are these the other members of your party?"
"Yes. Please arrange another table for them."
"Of course. This way, please."
The server took in the scene and quickly guessed the situation.
’A young master and miss out on the town, nothing unusual about them having a few bodyguards.’
As it was a Chinese restaurant, the decor was fittingly traditional in style.
The server led them through a few winding corridors before finally arriving at the tables she had prepared for them.
"I have a table for eight here, and a table for four here. Is this alright?"
The location was quite nice. Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque’s table was next to a floor-to-ceiling window, offering a view of the people passing by outside.
"This is fine."
Yun Zijin had no objection, and neither did Lu Yunque.
"Alright. Please take a look at the menu."
The server brought two menus, one for each table.
"It’s just the two of us, so we shouldn’t order too much, right?"
Yun Zijin placed the menu between herself and Lu Yunque, speaking as she browsed.
"Okay."
"Let’s start with three dishes, then. We can always order more if we’re still hungry."
With that decided, Yun Zijin began to study the menu in earnest.
"Let’s get the signature Shredded Pork with Beijing Sauce, and Kung Pao Chicken... oh, wait. Can your stomach handle spicy food?"
She had just been about to suggest Kung Pao Chicken when she remembered Lu Yunque’s sensitive stomach.
"A little is fine. That dish isn’t really that spicy."
Lu Yunque didn’t want her to miss out on something she wanted to eat because of him.
"Let’s skip it just in case. How about the Braised Prawns, and an order of Vinegar-Sautéed Shredded Potatoes?
And maybe a soup, too?"
Having grown up in the south, Yun Zijin felt a meal wasn’t complete—that it lacked a soul—without a soup on the table.