“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan took a step forward with a smile and said, “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun looked exasperated. “Can you be serious for once?”
“Fine, I’ll cut to the chase—let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I came up with a new idea. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ at the same time, left and right hands together. Once we’re done using them, we’ll swap them back like nothing happened. No hard feelings, both sides get extra points—how’s that sound?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted slightly, clearly weighing the proposal’s feasibility.
If it were a straightforward exchange, there’d be little reason to worry about deception.
But the real question was—did the ‘character’ in his hand hold the same value as hers?
Chen Junnan seemed to sense her hesitation. He clenched and unclenched his fist.
**Clink.**
A crisp metallic sound echoed clearly in the ears of all three present. It sounded as though he were gripping a set of keys.
“Come on, Sis Yan—what’s there to hesitate about? Would a chain make that kind of noise?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no bullshit.”
“Let me hear it again,” Yan Zhichun demanded.
“Fine, still don’t believe me?”
Chen Junnan turned, cupped his hand like a bowl—his palm concealing the ‘character’ while the back faced Yan Zhichun—and tapped it against the metal door handle.
**Clang! Clang!**
Two sharp metallic clinks confirmed that whatever was in his palm wasn’t a chain.
“Convinced now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more—another **clink.**
Now, Yan Zhichun was certain—his hand held a ‘character,’ and it was indeed of **left-right structure.**
“You don’t even know what ‘character’ I have, yet you’re so eager to trade,” Yan Zhichun said skeptically. “What if mine is a **solid structure**?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan smirked. “I’ll lay it out plain—whatever ‘character’ you’ve got, as long as it’s usable in this game, I won’t give you trouble.”
He slowly extended his right hand. “Neither of our teams has taken a ‘character’ from the other yet, right? Let’s swap. We both score points for our sides, then go back and brag about our badassery. What’s not to like?”
Yan Zhichun wasn’t thinking about **badassery**—her mind was on something far more practical.
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun’s expression turned exasperated. “Can you be serious for once?”
“Fine, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I’ve got a new idea. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left hand, right hand, simultaneous exchange. After we use them, we return the ‘characters’ as if nothing happened. No hard feelings, and we both score extra points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she was considering the feasibility of the plan.
If it were a straightforward hand-to-hand exchange, there would be little reason to worry about deception.
But the only question now was… Was the ‘character’ in the other party’s hand as important as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to sense Yan Zhichun’s hesitation. He opened his fist and clenched it again.
A crisp *clink* sound clearly reached the ears of all three people present. It sounded as though Chen Junnan was holding a set of keys.
“Spring Sister… Why are you still hesitating? Would a chain alone make that sound?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no tricks, I swear.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun said.
“Alright, alright, still don’t believe me, huh?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl, palm facing up with the ‘character’ inside, and the back of his hand toward Yan Zhichun. Then he tapped his palm against the metal doorknob.
Two crisp *clangs* rang out as the object in his palm struck the doorknob. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another *clink* sounded.
By now, Yan Zhichun was certain that what Chen Junnan held was indeed a ‘character,’ and it was indeed of left-right structure.
“You don’t even know what ‘character’ I have, yet you’re so eager to trade…” Yan Zhichun said. “What if mine is a ‘single-structure’ character? What would you do then?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan replied. “I’m putting it out there right now! No matter what ‘character’ you have, as long as it’s usable in this game, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
With that, he slowly extended his right hand. “Neither of our teams has taken a ‘character’ from the other side yet, right? If we swap, we both score points for our teams. We can go back and boast about our heroic deeds. How’s that sound?”
Yan Zhichun wasn’t thinking about “heroic deeds” in her mind—she was considering a much more practical issue.
Because what she held was “砲” (pào, cannon).
In this game, the Red side only had three left-right structure characters:
“相” (xiàng, minister), “帅” (shuài, marshal), and “炮” (pào, cannon).
The rules of “Cangjie Chess” meant that these left-right structure characters could be used as two separate characters. The team leaders would naturally assign these characters to capable individuals, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan carried a left-right structure character.
But there was a catch: if the other party had “帅,” this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, whether it was “リ” or “巾,” neither could form many characters. Even if a few obscure characters could be勉强拼凑出来, their value paled in comparison to the “砲” in her hand.
If the other party had “炮,” it would be like swapping radicals—exchanging the “火” (fire) radical for the “石” (stone) radical. Both radicals were quite useful, so it would be a fair trade overall.
The most profitable scenario would be swapping for “相.” Both “木” (wood) and “目” (eye) could serve as radicals. Although she couldn’t immediately think of what characters they could form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell whether Chen Junnan was just lucky or if he had calculated this deeply.
On the surface, it seemed like an even one-for-one exchange, but the three characters she could potentially get corresponded to “profit,” “break-even,” and “loss.”
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the chance of not profiting was two in three. In theory, this round wasn’t worth gambling on.
After all, she had no way of guessing which character Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he held “帅,” which was the least useful among all left-right structure characters. If he could swap it for any of Yan Zhichun’s left-right structure characters, he would come out ahead.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a left-right structure character at all—what if she had “车” (chē, chariot) or “马” (mǎ, horse)?
Among the pieces that could “cross the river,” there were only four: “车,” “马,” “卒” (zú, soldier), and among the left-right structures, only “砲” remained.
This was a gamble where both sides had slim odds of winning—it all came down to whether the other party dared to agree.
“So, what’s it gonna be, Spring Sister?” Chen Junnan asked, holding up his ‘character.’ “Swap or walk away?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to make up her mind. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving an object—the ‘character’ hidden in her hair.
“Wow…” Chen Junnan exclaimed softly. “I really didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the ‘character’ to your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Instead of immediately acting, Chen Junnan stared at Yan Zhichun’s fist and said, “I need to confirm that what you’re holding is really a ‘character.’ Otherwise, if things get messy later, it won’t be good for either of us.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around and mimicked Chen Junnan’s earlier动作, placing the ‘character’ in her palm and tapping it against the doorknob.
*Clang, clang.*
Two crisp sounds confirmed that she was indeed holding a ‘character.’
“Classy,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, let’s do it. Sweet Sister, bear witness for us.”
Sweet paused for a moment, then nodded and walked solemnly to stand between the two.
Both of them held their left hands in fists and their right hands open, taking slow steps toward each other.
When they were close enough, they placed their fists above each other’s open palms. The tension in the air was palpable.
“Spring Sister… We’re agreed,” Chen Junnan said. “Once it’s done, no complaints.”
“Alright,” Yan Zhichun replied. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We’ll check what we’ve exchanged only after we’re outside. No take-backs.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as you give me a ‘character,’ I won’t cause trouble. But if you hand me a chain…”
“You don’t need to worry either,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain. How could I possibly have another one?”
In this game, the Red side only had **three left-right structured characters**:
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun’s expression turned utterly bewildered. “Can you be serious for once?”
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I’ve got a new idea. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left hand, right hand, simultaneous exchange. After we’re done using them, we return the characters like nothing ever happened. No hard feelings, and we both score extra points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she was considering the feasibility of the plan.
A straightforward exchange would naturally minimize the risk of either side pulling a fast one.
But the only question now was… was the ‘character’ in his hand as important as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to read her hesitation. He opened his fist and then clenched it again.
A crisp *clink* sound clearly reached the ears of all three people present. It sounded as though Chen Junnan was holding a set of keys.
“Spring Sister… why hesitate? Would a mere chain make that kind of noise?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no fooling around.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun said.
“Fine, fine, still don’t believe me, huh?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl—palm holding the ‘character,’ back of his hand facing Yan Zhichun—and then tapped his palm against the metal door handle.
Two clear *clang* sounds rang out as the object in his palm struck the handle. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another *clink* echoed.
Now Yan Zhichun was certain: Chen Junnan was indeed holding a ‘character,’ and it was indeed of ‘left-right structure.’
“You’re proposing a trade without even knowing what character I have…” Yan Zhichun asked. “What if mine is a ‘single-unit character’?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan replied. “I’ll lay it out straight: no matter what character you’re holding, as long as it’s usable in this game, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
He slowly extended his right hand. “Neither of our teams has managed to take a ‘character’ from the other side yet, right? If we swap, we both score points for our teams. We can go back and boast about our heroic deeds. How’s that sound?”
Yan Zhichun wasn’t thinking about “heroic deeds”; she was considering a much more practical issue.
Because she was holding “砲” (pào, cannon).
In this game, the Red side only had three left-right structure characters:
“相” (xiàng, minister), “帅” (shuài, marshal), “炮” (pào, cannon).
The rules of “Cangjie Chess” meant that these left-right structure characters could be used as two separate characters. The team leaders would naturally assign these to capable individuals, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan carried a left-right structure character.
But there was a catch: if he was holding “帅,” this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, whether it was “リ” or “巾,” neither component could form many characters. Even if a few obscure characters could be勉强拼凑, their value paled in comparison to the “砲” in her hand.
If he had “炮,” then they’d essentially be “exchanging radicals”—trading the “fire” radical for the “stone” radical. Both radicals were quite useful, so it would be a fair trade, neither gain nor loss.
The most profitable scenario would be swapping for “相.” Both “木” (wood) and “目” (eye) could serve as radicals. Although she couldn’t immediately think of what characters they might form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell if Chen Junnan was just a lucky fool or if he was actually this shrewd.
On the surface, it seemed like an even exchange, but the three characters she might get corresponded to “profit,” “break-even,” and “loss.”
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the chance of not profiting was two in three. In theory, this round wasn’t worth gambling on.
After all, she had no way of guessing which character Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he was holding “帅,” the least useful among all the left-right structure characters. If he could trade it for any of Yan Zhichun’s left-right structure characters, he’d come out ahead.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a left-right structure character at all—what if she had “车” (chē, chariot) or “马” (mǎ, horse)?
Among the pieces that could “cross the river,” there were only four: “车,” “马,” “卒” (zú, soldier), and the left-right structure character “砲.”
This was a gamble where both sides had very low odds of winning—it all came down to whether the other dared to agree.
“What’s it gonna be, Spring Sister?” Chen Junnan asked, holding up his character. “Trade or walk away?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to reach a decision. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving an object.
It was the character hidden in her hair.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan let out a soft exclamation. “I definitely didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the character to your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Hearing this, Chen Junnan didn’t immediately move. He just stared at Yan Zhichun’s fist and said, “I need to confirm you’re really holding a character first. Otherwise, if things get messy later, it won’t be good for either of us.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around and模仿 Chen Junnan’s method, placing the character in her palm and tapping it against the door handle.
*Clang, clang.*
Two crisp sounds confirmed it was indeed a character.
“Classy,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, come on. Sweetie Sister, bear witness for us.”
Sweetie paused for a moment, then nodded and walked solemnly to stand between them.
Both of them held their left hand in a fist and their right hand open, slowly stepping closer.
When they were near enough, they each placed their fist above the other’s open palm. The tension in the air was palpable.
“Spring Sister… we’re agreed then…” Chen Junnan said. “Once it’s done, no complaints.”
“Okay…” Yan Zhichun said. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We’ll only look at what we’ve got once we’re outside. No take-backs.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as you give me a character, I won’t cause trouble. But if you hand me a chain…”
“You rest assured, too,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain. Where would I get another one?”
The rules of **Cangjie Chess** dictated that these left-right structured characters could be split into two, and faction leaders would entrust them only to the most capable members. So it made sense that Chen Junnan carried one.
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun’s expression turned utterly bewildered. “Could you be serious for once?”
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I’ve come up with a new plan. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left hand and right hand together. After we’re done using them, we’ll return the ‘characters’ as if nothing happened. No hard feelings, and we both get extra points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she was considering the feasibility of the plan.
If it were truly a simultaneous exchange, there would be little reason to worry about the other party pulling a fast one.
But the only question now was… Was the ‘character’ in the other party’s hand as important as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to read her hesitation. He opened his fist and then clenched it again.
A crisp *clink* sound clearly reached the ears of all three people present. It sounded as though Chen Junnan was holding a set of keys.
“Spring Sister… Why are you still hesitating? Would a mere chain make that kind of sound?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no tricks, I swear.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun insisted.
“Fine, fine, still don’t believe me, huh?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl, placed the ‘character’ in his palm, and knocked the back of his hand against the metal doorknob.
Two clear *clang* sounds rang out as the object in his palm struck the doorknob. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another *clink* echoed.
Now Yan Zhichun was certain that what Chen Junnan held was indeed a ‘character,’ and it was indeed of ‘left-right structure.’
“You’re offering to trade without even knowing what ‘character’ I have…” Yan Zhichun questioned. “What if mine is a ‘single-structure’ character? What would you do then?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan declared. “I’ll say it right here, right now! No matter what ‘character’ you have, as long as it’s one that can be used in this game, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
With that, he slowly extended his right hand. “So far, neither of our teams has managed to take a ‘character’ from the other side, right? If we swap, we both score points for our teams. We can go back and boast about our heroic deeds. How’s that sound?”
What crossed Yan Zhichun’s mind wasn’t “heroic deeds” but a far more practical concern.
Because what she held was “砲” (pào, cannon).
In this game, the Red side only had three left-right structure characters:
“相” (xiàng, minister), “帅” (shuài, marshal), and “炮” (pào, cannon).
The rules of “Cangjie Chess” meant that these left-right structure characters could be used as two separate characters. The “marshal” would naturally assign these characters to capable individuals to carry, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan had a left-right structure character.
But there was a catch: if the other party had “帅,” this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, whether it was “リ” or “巾,” the number of characters they could form was limited. Even if a few could be勉强拼凑出来, they might be obscure characters. Its value was nowhere near that of the “砲” in her hand.
If the other party had “炮,” it would be like exchanging radicals—trading the “fire” radical for the “stone” radical. Both radicals were quite useful, so it would be a fair trade, neither gain nor loss.
The most profitable scenario would be trading for “相.” Both “木” (wood) and “目” (eye) could serve as radicals. Although she couldn’t immediately think of what characters they could form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell if Chen Junnan was just a lucky fool or if he was actually this shrewd.
On the surface, it seemed like an even one-for-one trade, but the three characters she could potentially get corresponded to “profit,” “break-even,” and “loss.”
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the chance of not profiting was two in three. In theory, this round wasn’t worth gambling on.
After all, she had no way of guessing which character Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he had “帅,” which was the least useful among all the left-right structure characters. If he could trade it for any of the other party’s left-right structure characters, he wouldn’t lose out.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a left-right structure character at all—what if she had “车” (chē, chariot) or “马” (mǎ, horse)?
Among the pieces that could “cross the river,” there were only four: “车,” “马,” “卒” (zú, soldier), and among the left-right structures, only “砲.”
This was a gamble where both sides had very low odds of winning—it all came down to whether the other party dared to agree.
“What’s it gonna be, Spring Sister?” Chen Junnan asked, holding up his ‘character.’ “Trade or walk away?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to reach a decision. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving an object.
It was the ‘character’ hidden in her hair.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan let out a soft exclamation. “I really didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the ‘character’ to your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Hearing this, Chen Junnan didn’t act immediately. Instead, he stared at Yan Zhichun’s fist and said, “I need to confirm that what you’re holding is really a ‘character.’ Otherwise, if things get messy later, it won’t be good for anyone.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around and, imitating Chen Junnan, placed the ‘character’ in her palm, then knocked it against the doorknob.
*Clang, clang.*
Two crisp sounds confirmed that what she held was indeed a ‘character.’
“Classy move,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, Sister Sweet, bear witness for us.”
Sweet paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly and walked to stand between the two.
Both of them held their left hand in a fist and their right hand open, taking slow steps toward each other.
When they were close enough, they each placed their fist above the other’s open palm. The atmosphere grew tense.
“Spring Sister… Let’s be clear,” Chen Junnan said. “Once the deal is done, no complaints allowed.”
“Agreed,” Yan Zhichun replied. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We’ll only look at what we’ve received once we’re outside. No take-backs.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as what you give me is a ‘character,’ I won’t cause you any trouble. But if you hand me a chain…”
“You don’t need to worry either,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain. How could I possibly have another one?”
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun’s expression turned utterly bewildered. “Can you be serious for once?”
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I’ve come up with a new idea. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left hand and right hand together. After we’re done using them, we’ll return the ‘characters’ as if nothing happened. No hard feelings, and we both get extra points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she was considering the feasibility of the plan.
If it were truly a simultaneous exchange, there would be little reason to worry about the other party pulling a fast one.
But the only question now was… Was the ‘character’ in the other party’s hand as important as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to read Yan Zhichun’s hesitation. He opened his fist and clenched it again.
A crisp *clatter* rang clearly in the ears of all three people present. Chen Junnan’s hand seemed to be holding a set of keys.
“Spring Sister… What are you hesitating for? Would a mere chain make that kind of sound?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no fooling around.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun said.
“Fine, fine, still don’t believe me, huh?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl, placed the ‘character’ in his palm, and knocked the back of his hand against the metal doorknob.
Two crisp *clangs* echoed as the object in his palm struck the doorknob. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another *clatter* sounded.
Now Yan Zhichun was certain that Chen Junnan was indeed holding a ‘character,’ and it was indeed of ‘left-right structure.’
“You don’t even know what ‘character’ I have, yet you’re so eager to trade…” Yan Zhichun asked. “What if mine is a ‘single-structure’ character? What would you do then?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan said. “I’m putting it out there right now! No matter what ‘character’ you have, as long as it’s one that can be used in this game, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
With that, he slowly extended his right hand. “So far, neither of our teams has managed to take a ‘character’ from the other side, right? If we swap, we both score points for our teams. We can go back and boast about our heroic deeds. How’s that sound?”
What crossed Yan Zhichun’s mind wasn’t ‘heroic deeds’ but a far more practical concern.
Because what she held was ‘砲’ (pào, cannon).
In this game, the Red side only had three ‘left-right structure’ characters:
‘相’ (xiàng, minister), ‘帅’ (shuài, marshal), and ‘炮’ (pào, cannon).
The rules of ‘Cangjie Chess’ meant that these ‘left-right structure’ characters could be used as two separate characters. The ‘commanders’ would naturally assign these characters to capable individuals, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan carried a ‘left-right structure’ character.
But there was a catch: if the other party had ‘帅,’ this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, whether it was ‘リ’ or ‘巾,’ neither could form many characters. Even if a few obscure characters could be勉强拼凑出来, their value was nowhere near that of her ‘砲.’
If the other party had ‘炮,’ it would be like ‘exchanging radicals’—trading the ‘fire’ radical for the ‘stone’ radical. Both radicals were quite useful, so it would be a fair trade overall.
The most profitable scenario would be trading for ‘相.’ Both ‘木’ (wood) and ‘目’ (eye) could serve as radicals. Although she couldn’t immediately think of what characters they might form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell whether Chen Junnan was just lucky or if he had actually planned this.
On the surface, it seemed like an even one-for-one trade, but the three characters she could potentially get corresponded to ‘profit,’ ‘break-even,’ and ‘loss.’
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the chance of not profiting was two in three. In theory, this round wasn’t worth gambling on.
After all, she had no way of guessing which ‘character’ Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he held ‘帅,’ the least useful among all ‘left-right structure’ characters. If he could trade it for another ‘left-right structure’ character, he would come out ahead no matter what.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a ‘left-right structure’ character but rather ‘车’ (chē, chariot) or ‘马’ (mǎ, horse).
Among the pieces that could ‘cross the river,’ there were only four: ‘车,’ ‘马,’ ‘卒’ (zú, soldier), and among the ‘left-right structure’ characters, only ‘砲.’
This was a gamble where both sides had slim odds of winning—it all came down to whether the other party dared to agree.
“So, what’s it gonna be, Spring Sister?” Chen Junnan asked, holding up his ‘character.’ “Trade or walk away?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to make up her mind. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving an object—the ‘character’ hidden in her hair.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan exclaimed softly. “I really didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the ‘character’ to your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Instead of acting immediately, Chen Junnan stared at Yan Zhichun’s fist and said, “I need to confirm that what you’re holding is really a ‘character.’ Otherwise, if things get messy later, it won’t be good for either of us.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around, mimicking Chen Junnan’s earlier action by placing the ‘character’ in her palm and knocking it against the doorknob.
*Clang, clang.*
Two crisp sounds confirmed that she was indeed holding a ‘character.’
“Classy,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, Sister Sweet, bear witness for us.”
Sweet paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly and stepped between them.
Both of them held their left hands in fists and their right hands open, slowly stepping toward each other.
When they were close enough, they placed their fists above each other’s open palms. The atmosphere grew tense.
“Spring Sister… We agreed…” Chen Junnan said. “Once it’s done, no complaints.”
“Alright…” Yan Zhichun said. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We’ll only look at what we got after we’re outside. No take-backs.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as you give me a ‘character,’ I won’t cause you any trouble. But if you hand me a chain…”
“Don’t you worry either,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain. How could I possibly have another one?”
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun wore an utterly bewildered expression. “Could you be serious for once?”
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? I’ve come up with a new plan. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left hand and right hand together in one trade. After we’re done using them, we’ll return the ‘characters’ as if nothing happened. No hard feelings, and we both get more points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she were considering the feasibility of the plan.
If it were truly a simultaneous exchange, there would naturally be little reason to worry about the other party pulling a fast one.
But the only question now was… Was the ‘character’ in the other’s hand as important as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to sense Yan Zhichun’s hesitation. He opened his fist and clenched it again.
A crisp *clatter* clearly reached the ears of all three people present. It sounded as though Chen Junnan were holding a set of keys.
“Sis Chun… What’s there to hesitate about? Would a chain alone make that kind of sound?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no fooling around.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun said.
“Fine, fine, still don’t believe me, huh?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl, placed the ‘character’ in his palm, and knocked the back of his hand against the metal doorknob.
Two crisp *clangs* rang out as the object in his palm struck the doorknob. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another *clatter* sounded.
Now Yan Zhichun was certain that what Chen Junnan held was indeed a ‘character,’ and it was indeed of ‘left-right structure.’
“You don’t even know what ‘character’ I have, yet you’re so eager to trade…” Yan Zhichun asked. “What if mine is a ‘single-structure’ character? What would you do then?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan replied. “I’ll lay it out straight: No matter what ‘character’ you have, as long as it’s one that can be used in this game, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
With that, he slowly extended his right hand. “So far, neither of our teams has managed to take a ‘character’ from the other, right? If we swap, we both score points for our teams. We can go back and boast about our dashing heroics. How’s that sound?”
What occupied Yan Zhichun’s thoughts, however, wasn’t any “dashing heroics” but a far more practical concern.
Because the character she held was “砲” (pào, cannon).
In this game, the Red side had only three left-right structure characters:
“相” (xiàng, minister), “帅” (shuài, marshal), and “炮” (pào, cannon).
The rules of “Cangjie Chess” meant that these left-right structure characters could be used as two separate characters. The team leaders would naturally assign these characters to capable individuals, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan carried a left-right structure character.
But there was a catch: If the other party had “帅,” this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, whether it was “リ” or “巾,” the number of characters they could form was limited. Even if a few could be勉强拼凑出来, they might be obscure characters. Its value simply couldn’t compare to the “砲” in her hand.
If the other party had “炮,” it would be equivalent to “exchanging radicals”—trading the “fire” radical for the “stone” radical. Both radicals were quite useful, so it would be a fair trade, neither gaining nor losing.
The most profitable scenario would be trading for “相.” Both “木” (wood) and “目” (eye) could serve as radicals. Although she couldn’t immediately think of what characters they might form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell if Chen Junnan was just a lucky fool or if he was actually this shrewd.
On the surface, it seemed like an even one-for-one trade, but the three characters she could potentially get corresponded to “profit,” “break-even,” and “loss.”
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the chance of not profiting was two in three. In theory, she shouldn’t gamble this round.
After all, she had no way of guessing which character Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he held “帅,” the least useful among all the “left-right structure” characters. If he could trade it for any of Yan Zhichun’s “left-right structure” characters, he wouldn’t lose out.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a “left-right structure” character at all—she might have “车” (chē, chariot) or “马” (mǎ, horse).
Among the pieces that could “cross the river,” there were only four: “车,” “马,” “卒” (zú, soldier), and the only “left-right structure” character, “砲.”
This was a gamble where both sides had very low odds of winning—it all came down to whether the other party dared to agree.
“What’s it gonna be, Sis Chun?” Chen Junnan asked, holding up his ‘character.’ “Trade or walk away?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to reach a decision. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving an object.
It was the ‘character’ hidden in her hair.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan exhaled softly. “I really didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the ‘character’ to your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Instead of acting immediately, Chen Junnan stared at Yan Zhichun’s fist and said, “I need to confirm that what you’re holding is really a ‘character.’ Otherwise, if things get messy later, it won’t be good for either of us.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around and mimicked Chen Junnan’s earlier action, placing the ‘character’ in her palm and knocking it against the doorknob.
*Clang, clang.*
Two crisp sounds confirmed that she was indeed holding a ‘character.’
“Classy,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, Sister Sweet, bear witness for us.”
Sweet paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly and stepped between the two.
Both held their left hand in a fist and their right hand open, slowly stepping toward each other.
When they were close enough, they placed their fists above each other’s open palms. The atmosphere grew tense.
“Sis Chun… Let’s be clear…” Chen Junnan said. “Once the deal is done, no complaints.”
“Alright…” Yan Zhichun replied. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We’ll only look at the ‘characters’ once we’re outside. No backing out.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as you give me a ‘character,’ I won’t cause you any trouble. But if you give me a chain…”
“You rest assured too,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain. Where would I get another one?”
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun looked utterly bewildered. “Could you be serious for once?”
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I’ve come up with a new plan. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left hand and right hand together. After we’re done using them, we’ll return them. It’ll be like nothing ever happened. No hard feelings, and we both score extra points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she was considering the feasibility of the plan.
If it were a straightforward exchange, there would be little reason to worry about the other party pulling a fast one.
But the only question now was… Was the ‘character’ in the other’s hand as important as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to read her hesitation. He opened his fist and clenched it again.
A crisp *clink* echoed clearly in the ears of all three present. It sounded as though Chen Junnan was holding a set of keys.
“Spring Sister… Why are you still hesitating? Would a mere chain make that sound?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no tricks, I swear.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun insisted.
“Fine, fine, still don’t believe me, huh?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl, placed the ‘character’ in his palm, and knocked the back of his hand against the metal doorknob.
Two clear *clangs* rang out as the object in his palm struck the doorknob. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another *clink* sounded.
Now Yan Zhichun was certain—Chen Junnan was indeed holding a ‘character,’ and it was of left-right structure.
“You don’t even know what ‘character’ I have, yet you’re so eager to trade…” Yan Zhichun said. “What if mine is a ‘single-structure’ character? What would you do then?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan replied. “I’m putting it out there right now! No matter what ‘character’ you’re holding, as long as it’s usable in this game, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
With that, he slowly extended his right hand. “So far, neither of our teams has managed to take a ‘character’ from the other side, right? If we swap, we both score points for our teams. We can go back and boast about our heroic deeds. How’s that sound?”
Yan Zhichun, however, wasn’t thinking about “heroic deeds.” She was considering a much more practical issue.
Because she was holding “砲” (pào, cannon).
In this game, the Red side only had three left-right structure characters:
“相” (xiàng, minister), “帅” (shuài, marshal), and “炮” (pào, cannon).
The rules of “Cangjie Chess” meant that these left-right structure characters could be used as two separate characters. The “marshal” would naturally assign these characters to capable individuals, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan carried a left-right structure character.
But there was a catch: if he was holding “帅,” this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, whether it was “リ” or “巾,” neither could form many characters. Even if a few obscure characters could be勉强拼凑, their value paled in comparison to the “砲” in her hand.
If he was holding “炮,” then they’d essentially be swapping radicals—exchanging the “fire” radical for the “stone” radical. Both radicals were quite useful, so it would be a fair trade, neither gaining nor losing much.
The most profitable scenario would be swapping for “相.” Both “木” (wood) and “目” (eye) could serve as radicals. Although she couldn’t immediately think of what characters they might form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell if Chen Junnan had stumbled upon this by chance or if he was actually this shrewd.
On the surface, it seemed like an even exchange, but the three characters she might get corresponded to “profit,” “break-even,” and “loss.”
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the chance of not profiting was two in three. In theory, this round wasn’t worth gambling on.
After all, she had no way of guessing which character Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he was holding “帅,” the least useful among all left-right structure characters. If he could swap it for any of Yan Zhichun’s left-right structure characters, he wouldn’t lose out.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a left-right structure character at all—she might have “车” (chē, chariot) or “马” (mǎ, horse).
Among the pieces that could “cross the river,” there were only four: “车,” “马,” “卒” (zú, soldier), and among left-right structures, only “砲.”
This was a gamble with low odds for both sides. It all came down to whether the other party dared to agree.
“What’s it gonna be, Spring Sister?” Chen Junnan asked, raising the ‘character’ in his hand. “Swap or leave?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to reach a decision. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving an object.
It was the ‘character’ hidden in her hair.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan exhaled softly. “I definitely didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the ‘character’ to your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Instead of acting immediately, Chen Junnan stared at Yan Zhichun’s fist and said, “I need to confirm that you’re really holding a ‘character.’ Otherwise, if things get messy later, it won’t be good for either of us.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around and mimicked Chen Junnan’s earlier action, placing the ‘character’ in her palm and tapping it against the doorknob.
*Clang, clang.*
Two crisp sounds confirmed it was indeed a ‘character.’
“Classy,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, Sweet Sister, bear witness for us.”
Sweetie paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly and stepped between them.
Both held their left hand in a fist and their right hand open, slowly stepping toward each other.
When they were close enough, they placed their fists above each other’s open palms. The tension in the air was palpable.
“Spring Sister… Let’s be clear about this…” Chen Junnan said. “Once it’s done, no complaints allowed.”
“Alright…” Yan Zhichun replied. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We’ll only look at what we’ve got once we’re outside. No take-backs.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as you give me a ‘character,’ I won’t cause trouble. But if you hand me a chain…”
“You don’t need to worry either,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain. How could I possibly have another one?”
She couldn’t tell if Chen Junnan had stumbled into this or if he’d planned it all along.
On the surface, it seemed like an even trade—but for her, the odds were:
– **1/3 chance to gain**,
– **2/3 chance to break even or lose**.
Statistically, she shouldn’t gamble.
Not when she had no idea what ‘character’ he carried.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was racking his brain too.
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun looked utterly bewildered. “Could you be serious for once?”
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I’ve come up with a new plan. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left hand, right hand, simultaneous exchange. After we’re done using them, we return the ‘characters’ as if nothing happened. No hard feelings, and we both score extra points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she was considering the feasibility of the plan.
If it were a straightforward hand-to-hand exchange, there would naturally be less worry about the other party pulling a fast one.
But the only question now was… was the ‘character’ in the other person’s hand as important as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to read Yan Zhichun’s hesitation. He opened his fist and clenched it again.
A crisp *clink* sound clearly reached the ears of all three people present. It sounded as though Chen Junnan was holding a set of keys in his hand.
“Spring Sister… why are you still hesitating? Would a mere chain make that kind of noise?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no fooling around.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun said.
“Fine, fine, still don’t believe me, huh?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl—palm holding the ‘character,’ back of his hand facing Yan Zhichun—and then tapped the metal doorknob with his palm.
Two clear *clang* sounds rang out as the object in his palm struck the doorknob. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another *clink* echoed.
Now Yan Zhichun was certain that what Chen Junnan held was indeed a ‘character,’ and it was indeed of ‘left-right structure.’
“You don’t even know what ‘character’ I have, yet you’re so eager to trade…” Yan Zhichun asked. “What if I have a ‘single-structure’ character? What would you do then?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan replied. “I’m putting it out there right now! No matter what ‘character’ you have, as long as it’s one that can be used in this game, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
With that, he slowly extended his right hand. “So far, neither of our teams has managed to take a ‘character’ from the other side, right? If you and I swap, we both score points for our teams. We can go back and boast about our heroic deeds. How’s that sound?”
What crossed Yan Zhichun’s mind wasn’t “heroic deeds” but a much more practical concern.
Because what she held was “砲” (pào, cannon).
In this game, the Red side only had three left-right structure characters:
“相” (xiàng, minister), “帅” (shuài, marshal), and “炮” (pào, cannon).
The rules of “Cangjie Chess” meant that these left-right structure characters could be used as two separate characters. The “marshal” would naturally assign these characters to capable individuals, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan carried a left-right structure character.
But there was a catch: if the other party had “帅” (marshal), this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, whether it was “リ” or “巾,” neither could form many characters. Even if a few obscure characters could be勉强拼凑出来, their value was nowhere near that of the “砲” (cannon) in her hand.
If the other party had “炮” (cannon), then both sides would essentially be “exchanging radicals”—trading the “fire” radical for the “stone” radical. Both radicals were quite useful, so it would be a fair trade, neither gaining nor losing.
The most profitable scenario would be exchanging for “相” (minister), as both “木” (wood) and “目” (eye) could serve as radicals. Although she couldn’t immediately think of what characters they might form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell whether Chen Junnan was just a lucky fool or if he was actually this shrewd.
On the surface, it seemed like an even one-for-one exchange, but the three characters she might receive corresponded to “profit,” “break-even,” and “loss.”
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the chance of not profiting was two in three. In theory, this round wasn’t worth gambling on.
After all, she had no way of guessing which character Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he held “帅” (marshal), which was the least useful among all the left-right structure characters. If he could trade it for any of Yan Zhichun’s left-right structure characters, he wouldn’t lose out.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a left-right structure character at all—what if she had “车” (chē, chariot) or “马” (mǎ, horse)?
Among the pieces that could “cross the river,” there were only four: “车” (chariot), “马” (horse), “卒” (zú, soldier), and among the left-right structures, only “砲” (cannon).
This was a gamble where both sides had very low odds of winning—it all came down to whether the other party dared to agree.
“What’s it gonna be, Spring Sister?” Chen Junnan asked, holding up his ‘character.’ “Trade or walk away?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to reach a decision. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving an object.
It was the ‘character’ hidden in her hair.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan let out a soft exclamation. “I definitely didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the ‘character’ to your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Hearing this, Chen Junnan didn’t act immediately. Instead, he stared at Yan Zhichun’s fist and said, “I need to confirm that what you’re holding is really a ‘character.’ Otherwise, if things get messy later, it won’t be good for either of us.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around and, imitating Chen Junnan, placed the ‘character’ in her palm, then tapped the doorknob with her palm.
*Clang, clang.*
Two crisp sounds confirmed that what she held was indeed a ‘character.’
“Classy,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, let’s do it. Sweet Sister, bear witness for us.”
Sweet paused for a moment, then nodded and walked solemnly to stand between them.
Both of them held their left hand in a fist and their right hand open, taking slow steps toward each other.
When they were close enough, they each placed their fist above the other’s open palm. The atmosphere grew tense.
“Spring Sister… we have a deal,” Chen Junnan said. “Once it’s done, no complaints from either side.”
“Alright…” Yan Zhichun replied. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We’ll only look at what we’ve received once we’re outside. No backing out.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as you give me a ‘character,’ I won’t cause trouble. But if you hand me a chain…”
“You can rest assured too,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain—where would I get another one?”
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move doesn’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun looked utterly bewildered. “Could you be serious for once?”
“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I’ve got a new idea. We’ll both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left hand, right hand, simultaneous exchange. After we use them, we’ll return the ‘characters’ as if nothing happened. No hard feelings, and we both score extra points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she were weighing the feasibility of the plan.
A straightforward exchange would naturally minimize the risk of either side pulling a trick.
But the real question was… Was the ‘character’ in his hand as valuable as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to read her hesitation. He opened his fist and clenched it again.
A crisp, metallic jingle echoed clearly in the room, audible to all three present. It sounded as though Chen Junnan held a set of keys in his hand.
“Spring Sister… Why hesitate? Would a mere chain make that sound?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no fooling around.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun insisted.
“Fine, fine, still don’t believe me?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl—palm holding the ‘character,’ back of his hand facing Yan Zhichun—and tapped it against the metal door handle.
*Clink, clink.* Two clear, sharp sounds rang out as the object in his palm struck the handle. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another metallic jingle echoed.
Now Yan Zhichun was certain: Chen Junnan indeed held a ‘character,’ and it was of left-right structure.
“You’re proposing a trade without even knowing what ‘character’ I have…” Yan Zhichun said. “What if mine is a ‘monolithic structure’?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan replied. “I’ll lay it out straight: No matter what ‘character’ you’re holding, as long as it’s usable in this game, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
He slowly extended his right hand. “Neither of our teams has taken a ‘character’ from the other yet, right? If we swap, we both score points for our teams. We can go back and boast about our brilliant moves. How does that sound?”
Yan Zhichun wasn’t thinking about “brilliant moves”; her concerns were far more practical.
Because she was holding “砲” (pào, cannon).
In this game, the Red side only had three left-right structure characters:
“相” (xiàng, minister), “帅” (shuài, marshal), and “炮” (pào, cannon).
The rules of “Cangjie Chess” meant that these left-right structure characters could be used as two separate components. Team leaders would naturally entrust these characters to capable players, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan carried a left-right structure character.
But there was a catch: If he was holding “帅,” this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, neither “リ” nor “巾” could form many characters. Even if a few obscure combinations were possible, their value paled in comparison to her “砲.”
If he had “炮,” it would be an exchange of radicals—her “火” (fire radical) for his “石” (stone radical). Both radicals were quite useful, making it a fair, break-even trade.
The most profitable scenario would be swapping for “相.” Both “木” (wood) and “目” (eye) could serve as radicals. Though she couldn’t immediately think of which characters they might form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell if Chen Junnan was just lucky or if he had calculated this deeply.
On the surface, it seemed like an even one-for-one exchange, but the three characters she might receive corresponded to “profit,” “break-even,” and “loss.”
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the odds of not profiting were two in three. Statistically, this round wasn’t worth the gamble.
After all, she had no way of guessing which character Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he held “帅,” the least useful among all left-right structure characters. If he could trade it for any of Yan Zhichun’s left-right structure characters, he’d come out ahead.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a left-right structure character at all—what if she had “车” (chē, chariot) or “马” (mǎ, horse)?
Among the pieces that could cross the river, there were only four: “车,” “马,” “卒” (zú, soldier), and the left-right structure “砲.”
This was a high-stakes gamble for both sides—it all came down to whether she dared to take the risk.
“What’s it gonna be, Spring Sister?” Chen Junnan asked, holding up his ‘character.’ “Trade or walk away?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to reach a decision. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving an object hidden within her hair.
It was the ‘character’ she had concealed there.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan chuckled softly. “Didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the ‘character’ in your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Instead of acting immediately, Chen Junnan kept his eyes fixed on her clenched fist. “I need to confirm you’re really holding a ‘character.’ Otherwise, things could get messy later, and nobody wants that.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around and mimicked Chen Junnan’s earlier gesture—placing the ‘character’ in her palm and tapping it against the door handle.
*Clink, clink.*
Two crisp sounds confirmed it was indeed a ‘character.’
“Classy,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, Sweetie Sister, bear witness for us.”
Sweetie paused, then nodded solemnly and stepped between them.
Both held their left hand in a fist and their right hand open, slowly stepping toward each other.
When they were close enough, they placed their clenched fists above each other’s open palms. The tension in the room was palpable.
“Spring Sister… We’re agreed,” Chen Junnan said. “Once it’s done, no complaints.”
“Fine,” Yan Zhichun replied. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We’ll check what we’ve exchanged only after we’re outside. No take-backs.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as you give me a ‘character,’ I won’t cause trouble. But if you hand me a chain…”
“You don’t need to worry either,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain. Why would I have another one?”
“Of course not.”
Chen Junnan smiled and took a step forward. “The same move won’t work twice on a Saint.”
“A Saint…?” Yan Zhichun’s expression twisted in disbelief. “Can you be serious for once?”
“Fine, I’ll cut to the chase. Let’s swap our ‘characters’ right here,” Chen Junnan said. “You don’t trust me, right? Well, I’ve got a new idea. We both hand over our ‘characters’ to each other at the same time—left and right hands together. After we use them, we return the characters like nothing happened. No hard feelings, and we both score extra points. What do you think?”
Yan Zhichun’s expression shifted noticeably, as if she was considering the feasibility of the plan.
If it were a straightforward exchange, there would be little reason to worry about the other party pulling a fast one.
But the only question now was… was the ‘character’ in the other person’s hand as important as the one she held?
Chen Junnan seemed to read her hesitation. He opened his fist and then clenched it again.
A crisp *clatter* rang clearly in the ears of all three present. It sounded as though Chen Junnan were holding a set of keys.
“Spring Sister… why hesitate? Would a mere chain make that sound?” Chen Junnan said. “Left-right structure, no tricks, I swear.”
“I need to hear it again,” Yan Zhichun said.
“Alright, alright, still don’t believe me?”
Chen Junnan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl—palm holding the ‘character,’ back of his hand facing Yan Zhichun—and tapped it against the metal doorknob.
*Clang! Clang!* Two clear, metallic sounds rang out. It definitely didn’t sound like a chain.
“Convinced it’s a ‘character’ now?” Chen Junnan said. “Listen again!”
He clenched his fist once more, and another *clatter* echoed.
Now Yan Zhichun was certain: Chen Junnan was indeed holding a ‘character,’ and it was definitely of ‘left-right structure.’
“You don’t even know what ‘character’ I have, yet you’re so eager to trade…” Yan Zhichun asked. “What if mine is a ‘single-unit character’?”
“Great question!” Chen Junnan replied. “I’m putting it out there right now! No matter what ‘character’ you have, as long as it’s usable in this game, I won’t give you any trouble.”
He slowly extended his right hand. “So far, neither of our teams has taken a ‘character’ from the other, right? If we swap, we both score for our teams. We can go back and boast about our heroic deeds. How’s that sound?”
Yan Zhichun wasn’t thinking about “heroic deeds”; she was considering a much more practical issue.
Because in her hand was *Pào* (砲, cannon).
In this game, the Red side only had three left-right structure characters:
*Xiàng* (相, minister), *Shuài* (帅, general), and *Pào* (炮, cannon).
The rules of “Cāngjié Chess” meant that these left-right structure characters could be used as two separate components. Team leaders would naturally assign these to capable players, so it wasn’t surprising that Chen Junnan carried a left-right structure character.
But there was a catch: if he had *Shuài* (帅), this trade would put her at a disadvantage.
After all, whether it was the radical *リ* or the component *巾*, there were very few characters they could form. Even if a few obscure characters could be勉强拼凑, their value was nowhere near that of her *Pào* (砲).
If he had *Pào* (炮), then they’d simply be “exchanging radicals”—trading the fire radical (火) for the stone radical (石). Both radicals were quite useful, so it would be a fair trade, neither gain nor loss.
The most profitable scenario would be trading for *Xiàng* (相). Both the wood radical (木) and the eye component (目) could serve as radicals. Although she couldn’t immediately think of what characters they might form, it would likely be more advantageous than the other two possibilities.
Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell if Chen Junnan was just a lucky fool or if he was actually this shrewd.
On the surface, it seemed like an even trade—no loss, no gain. But the three characters she might get corresponded to “profit,” “break-even,” and “loss.”
The chance of profiting was one in three, while the chance of not profiting was two in three. In theory, this round wasn’t worth gambling on.
After all, she had no way of guessing which character Chen Junnan was carrying.
Meanwhile, Chen Junnan was also racking his brains. He knew he had *Shuài* (帅), which was the least useful among all the left-right structure characters. If he could trade for any left-right structure character from Yan Zhichun, he wouldn’t lose out.
But he was worried that Yan Zhichun might not have a left-right structure character at all—she might have *Jū* (车, chariot) or *Mǎ* (马, horse).
After all, among the pieces that could “cross the river,” there were only four: *Jū* (车), *Mǎ* (马), *Zú* (卒, soldier), and among left-right structures, only *Pào* (砲).
This was a gamble where both sides had very low odds of winning—it all came down to whether the other party dared to agree.
“What’s it gonna be, Spring Sister?” Chen Junnan asked, raising the ‘character’ in his hand. “Trade or walk away?”
Yan Zhichun seemed to reach a decision. She slowly reached behind her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft *click*, undid a small hair clip. She then clenched her fist, retrieving something hidden within her hair.
It was the ‘character’ concealed there.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan let out a soft exclamation. “I really didn’t see that coming. You used a hair clip to pin the ‘character’ in your hair?”
“Chen Junnan, let’s trade,” Yan Zhichun said.
Instead of acting immediately, Chen Junnan stared at Yan Zhichun’s clenched fist. “I need to confirm that you’re really holding a ‘character.’ Otherwise, if things get ugly later, it won’t be good for anyone.”
“Don’t worry.” Yan Zhichun turned around and mimicked Chen Junnan’s earlier action, placing the ‘character’ in her palm and tapping it against the doorknob.
*Clang! Clang!*
Two crisp sounds confirmed it was indeed a ‘character.’
“Classy,” Chen Junnan said. “Alright, come on. Sweet Sister, bear witness for us.”
Sweet (Tiántián) paused for a moment, then nodded and walked solemnly between them.
Both had their left hands clenched into fists and their right hands open, palms up. They stepped forward slowly.
When they were close enough, each placed their fist above the other’s open palm. The tension in the air was palpable.
“Spring Sister… we’re agreed,” Chen Junnan said. “Once it’s done, no complaints.”
“Alright…” Yan Zhichun replied. “After the trade, we leave this room immediately. We only look at what we’ve got once we’re outside. No take-backs.”
“Don’t worry…” Chen Junnan said with a smile. “As long as you give me a ‘character,’ I won’t cause trouble. But if you hand me a chain…”
“You don’t need to worry either,” Yan Zhichun said. “You stole my chain. Why would I have another one?”
This was a high-stakes gamble for both sides. It all came down to whether she’d take the risk.
“So, Sis Yan?” Chen Junnan raised his fist, the ‘character’ concealed within. “Trade or walk?”
Yan Zhichun hesitated—then, as if making up her mind, she reached behind her head, unpinned a hairclip with a soft **click**, and curled her fingers around something hidden in her hair.
Her ‘character’.
“Whoa…” Chen Junnan exhaled. “Didn’t see that coming—you pinned it in your hair?”
“Let’s trade, Chen Junnan,” she said coolly.
He didn’t move immediately, eyeing her fist. “I need proof you’re holding a real ‘character.’ Wouldn’t want things to get ugly later.”
“Relax.” Yan Zhichun mimicked his earlier move—placing the ‘character’ on her palm and tapping it against the door handle.
**Clang! Clang!**
Two clear metallic rings. No doubt—it was a ‘character.’
“Classy,” Chen Junnan grinned. “Alright, Sis Sweet, be our witness.”
Sweet hesitated, then nodded solemnly, stepping between them.
Both raised their left hands in fists, right hands open, inching closer.
When they were within range, they hovered their fists above each other’s palms. The tension was palpable.
“Sis Yan… no take-backs,” Chen Junnan warned.
“Agreed,” Yan Zhichun said. “Once we trade, we leave this room immediately. No peeking until we’re out—no regrets.”
“Deal,” Chen Junnan said lightly. “As long as you give me a real ‘character,’ I won’t cause trouble. But if it’s a chain…”
“Don’t worry,” Yan Zhichun replied flatly. “You already stole my chain. Where would I get another one?”
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