The square-faced man glanced around nervously before quickly pressing the button.
His photo appeared on the screen, along with the message: “Waiting for teammates…”
Qi Xia noticed keenly that the man had already lost one matching opportunity.
If his guess was correct, this man had also deceived someone else. Fearing retaliation, he was desperate to leave.
But how many pairs had he actually managed to trick?
“Bro, your turn now!” the square-faced man urged.
“Alright.” Qi Xia nodded and pressed the button as well.
For the first time, Qi Xia’s photo appeared on the “Pairing Machine,” with all three of his matching chances intact.
Seeing this, the man relaxed slightly and pulled out two fans, displaying them to Qi Xia—one with “Sorrow” and the other with “Joy.” After showing them, he inserted them into the machine.
There were twenty-five “Sorrow” fans remaining in circulation.
Qi Xia nodded, inserted his own “Happiness” fan, and then pulled out another fan from his pocket and placed it inside as well.
The square-faced man exhaled in relief and thanked Qi Xia repeatedly.
“Don’t thank me yet—it’s too early for that,” Qi Xia murmured under his breath.
“Identifying…”
A moment later, the text on the screen abruptly changed.
“Identification failed.”
Then, the screen went black.
The square-faced man froze in shock.
“What the hell?!” Qi Xia was the first to shout, slamming the machine with his palm. “What do you mean ‘identification failed’? What’s going on?!”
After a brief pause, the square-faced man instinctively joined Qi Xia in pounding the machine.
“Is it broken…?” He hesitated before turning to Qi Xia. “Bro… are you sure you put in ‘Happiness’ and ‘Anger’ just now?”
A flash of irritation crossed Qi Xia’s face.
“What are you implying?” Qi Xia said with exaggerated distress. “I lost two fans too! Who would joke around with their own fans?!”
The square-faced man knew Qi Xia wasn’t lying—even if he intended to deceive, he wouldn’t have inserted the fans first before pulling a trick.
Could the machine really be broken?
“How about…” Qi Xia paused before suggesting, “we try another machine?”
With only one matching chance left, the square-faced man was visibly flustered.
“Bro… I don’t know if the machine is broken or not…” the man said uneasily, “but next time, make sure you check the fans before inserting them… I… I really can’t afford to lose again…”
“I know… I know…” Qi Xia nodded hurriedly. “This time, I’ll open the fans, and we’ll both confirm before putting them in.”
“Fine…”
The two moved to another machine. The square-faced man pressed the button with trembling fingers, consuming his last remaining chance.
“Bro… time to show your fans…”
Qi Xia nodded, then patted his pockets.
“Oh no!” Qi Xia suddenly exclaimed in shock. “I don’t have any extra ‘Happiness’ left!”
“What?!”
“I just remembered I only had one ‘Happiness’…” Qi Xia said apologetically. “The one you gave me earlier is already in the machine!”
“You—!” The square-faced man clearly hadn’t expected this, but upon reflection, Qi Xia had asked for “Happiness” from the very start—proof that he had no spares.
After a long hesitation, the man reluctantly pulled out a “Happiness” fan and handed it to Qi Xia. “Take mine! But you have to put in an ‘Anger’! Otherwise, I’m screwed!”
Qi Xia nodded and accepted the fan.
“No problem,” he said. “Let’s insert them now!”
“Mm…” The man nodded and inserted his “Sorrow” and “Joy” fans.
But the next second, he realized something was off—he had acted too hastily. Qi Xia hadn’t even pressed the button yet.
Instead, Qi Xia paused, pocketed the “Happiness” fan, and then unfolded the remaining three fans in his hand—all of them were “Sorrow.”
“Sorry, bro, my mistake,” Qi Xia said. “Turns out all I have left are three ‘Sorrows.’ Not even a single ‘Anger.'”
“You… you…”
A look of despair flickered across the square-faced man’s face. After a long silence, he muttered, “You dragged me into hell.”
“Did I?” Qi Xia replied. “If you give me an ‘Anger’ now, we can still get out.”
“You think I’d believe you after this?!” the man roared. “You’re nothing but a liar!”
“Thanks for the compliment,” Qi Xia said. “But I’m not negotiating with you.”
“What?”
Qi Xia slowly raised his hand and placed it over the button.
“Right now, you have one way out—wait here quietly for someone else to become your teammate.” Qi Xia’s voice was calm. “If another person comes and presses the button, inserting ‘Happiness’ and ‘Anger,’ you can still leave with them.”
“So what are you saying?”
“It’s simple.” Qi Xia’s eyes were cold. “Hand over all the fans you have left, or I press this button and waste your last chance.”
The square-faced man stiffened.
He knew that if Qi Xia pressed the button, they would begin “pairing.” But Qi Xia wouldn’t insert any fans, and with all three chances gone, he would be doomed.
The man had never felt so powerless.
Though Qi Xia was merely resting his hand on the button, it felt like a knife pressed to his throat.
“Do we have a deal?” Qi Xia asked.
The square-faced man had never been so thoroughly cornered. He had used similar tactics earlier, but never with such ruthlessness.
“Don’t…” The man finally caved. “Don’t press it…”
Slowly, he pulled out his remaining fans—two in total. He must have swindled them from someone else.
“After I give them to you… what will you do?” the man asked weakly.
“Even though I’ve left you with nothing, you’re not my real target,” Qi Xia replied. “So at some point later, I might just save your life.”
“Why take such a huge risk?” the man asked in confusion. “Even if you gather twenty fans, the most you’ll get is a hundred ‘Dao.’ But you’ll make enemies of everyone… Will you even survive after the game ends?”
“Offending everyone for a hundred ‘Dao’?” Qi Xia smirked. “You underestimate me.”
“What? Then… how much do you actually want?”
“A little more than a hundred.”
The man fell silent for a long moment before finally handing over his fans.
Qi Xia opened them—two “Anger” and one “Joy.”
Combined with his earlier stash, he now had three “Sorrow,” two “Anger,” one “Happiness,” and one “Joy”—seven fans in total.
Enough to be considered “wealthy.”
But while he could already make a small profit, it was still far from enough to “win all of Di Yang’s Dao.”
True to his word, Qi Xia took the man’s fans and walked away without another glance.
Since the square-faced man couldn’t leave the “Pairing Machine” he had already activated, Qi Xia was relatively safe.
If the man recklessly abandoned the machine and someone else pressed the button, it would be a death sentence for him.
If he stayed put obediently, Qi Xia could ensure his survival. But if he tried anything else… well, he’d only have himself to blame.
Now, with only two matching chances left, Qi Xia’s expression darkened.
He had to act fast—the second wave of fan distribution was coming soon.
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