Card Room

Wine and Sugar - Extra Three

Lu Jiuchuan often dreamed about Tang Ci’s legs being cut off. The content of each dream was different but he never dared to ask Tang Ci about how his legs were cut off.

For Tang Ci, it must be the most unwilling memory to recall. Asking him to repeat it was like tearing at the wound that he had managed with great difficulty and exposing it to the sun.

Tang Ci didn’t mention it and no one else asked. This matter became a tacit secret for everyone.

The wounds on his legs gradually healed and Tang Ci was also accustomed to living in a wheelchair.

One day a few months later, Tang Ci suddenly said, “Brother Jiu, we should find some new teammates.”

The previous 15 member team only had four of them left. Lu Jiuchuan knew very well that if he wanted to pass the following secret rooms, he had to find a stronger team. However, where could he find them?

The new teammates must not only be strong but Lu Jiuchuan’s group of four had to have absolute trust in them.

Tang Ci identified many powerful challengers through the Intelligence Bureau’s network but very few people could meet both conditions. In addition, Lu Jiuchuan had a special status at the time. It wasn’t worth the loss if the challengers couldn’t be teammates and instead caused Brother Jiu to be discovered by the hunters.

They searched for half a year and couldn’t find any new teammates.

Perhaps it was the path of Heaven. After a certain mission, Lu Jiuchuan suddenly saw a message pop up in his floating box: Congratulations to Yu Hanjiang for refreshing the world record of the 2 of Hearts secret room, Rose Funeral.

The world record hadn’t been refreshed for a long time and Yu Hanjiang became the focus of the challenger forum for a while.

Lu Jiuchuan saw this name and his heart trembled. He was both happy and sad. He was happy because this Yu Hanjiang was probably the cousin who grew up with him. If Yu Hanjiang could become his new teammate then they might really have a chance to clear the Card World! The sad thing was that his younger brother died unexpectedly in reality and came to this cruel Card World.

Lu Jiuchuan told Tang Ci the news immediately. The four of them decided to wait for Yu Hanjiang to come to the main city before contacting him immediately and bringing him into the team.

The latter plan went well.

They seemed to have suddenly been favored by the Card World. Yu Hanjiang not only agreed to join Lu Jiuchuan’s team but he also brought along Xiao Lou, a very strong secret room master. In addition, the strength of Shao Qingge, Ye Qi and the others also couldn’t be underestimated.

Shao Qingge even got the extremely rare Bug King card that could cure Tang Ci’s legs!

Lu Jiuchuan’s inner excitement couldn’t be expressed in words!

In the past six months, he had watched Tang Ci adapt to life in a wheelchair. Tang Ci might’ve always behaved very calmly but Lu Jiuchuan knew very well that Tang Ci was often awakened by nightmares and waited until dawn with open eyes.

The suffering that Tang Ci had experienced wasn’t something that ordinary people could imagine.

Xiao Tang’s legs could be healed and Lu Jiuchuan was even happier than gaining a new life!

Shao Qingge really healed Tang Ci’s legs in the interstellar secret room. Seeing new bones and muscles miraculously growing from the empty space below Tang Ci’s knees, Lu Jiuchuan was so excited that his hands trembled and he was almost speechless.

Tang Ci’s new legs were white and smooth. Even the skin was consistent with his upper body and there were no traces of any healing. It was as if Tang Ci’s legs had never been cut off.

Lu Jiuchuan was so happy that he stayed up all night. Then he woke up early in the morning and saw Tang Ci leaning against the wall and walking slowly forward step by step, like a child learning how to walk. He still wasn’t used to the new legs and his posture when walking was a bit strange, but the long-lost brilliance on Tang Ci’s face made Lu Jiuchuan feel a pang of pain.

It was also at this moment that Lu Jiuchuan’s heart suddenly had a crazy thought.

He thought that this time, he would definitely protect Tang Ci. Even if he had to give up his life, he couldn’t let Xiao Tang suffer any more damage.

_______________________________________________________________

Once they cleared the Card World and returned to reality, Lu Jiuchuan immediately wanted to contact Tang Ci.

Unfortunately, he returned to the day when he received the special mission three years ago. The comrades around him were ready to go and his superior’s order came from the earpiece. “Major Lu Jiuchuan, please answer when you hear this.”

Lu Jiuchuan took a deep breath and replied softly to headquarters. “Received. Request to go.”

The task received by the special operations force was quite dangerous. At first, it was due to a momentary carelessness that allowed the plane he was piloting to be shot down into the vast sea. The plane crashed and killed everyone. This time around, Lu Jiuchuan would be completely focused. He would avoid all potential crises and survive smoothly. It was only by surviving that he could start over!

Lu Jiuchuan squeezed his fists hard and quickly calmed down.

He relied on his previous experience and the mission went very smoothly. Lu Jiuchuan led the Sharp Arrow Commandos to successfully destroy the enemy’s den and returned as scheduled that night.

His superiors gave him a very high evaluation and gave Lu Jiuchuan a second-class merit.

Lu Jiuchuan returned to his dormitory and immediately picked up his mobile phone.

Sure enough, there were a large number of missed calls from Yu Hanjiang, Xiao Lou, Chu Huaying…

Of course, there was also Tang Ci.

It was just that Tang Ci sent him a text message instead of calling him: Brother Jiu, I know you are on a mission and it isn’t convenient to answer the phone. I wish you all the best and I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Lu Jiuchuan read this simple piece of information several times.

Tang Ci always waited quietly for him.

During his undercover period in the Hunter’s League, every time Lu Jiuchuan set off for the dangerous weekly mission, Tang Ci would say, “I’ll wait for you to come back.” He had spent six months in the Hunter’s League. If it wasn’t for Tang Ci’s strong backing, he wouldn’t have been able to hold on.

Now back in the real world, Tang Ci was the same. He never interfered or disturbed him. Tang Ci just waited for him to come back.

Lu Jiuchuan’s eyes were slightly hot and he immediately called Tang Ci.

It rang twice before the call was connected and a familiar voice entered his ear. It wasn’t as calm as he remembered but contained a slight trembling. “B-Brother Jiu!”

Lu Jiuchuan replied softly, “It’s me, I came back alive.”

Tang Ci gripped his phone tightly and exclaimed, “Great!”

Lu Jiuchuan couldn’t help smiling, “Yes, we finally left that damn Card World! I have confirmed that the comrades around me are real, not hunters. In the future, we will no longer have to sleep in fear!”

Tang Ci gave a soft hum in response. There was a moment of silence before he wondered, “The troops are strictly controlled so outsiders generally can’t get in, right? I… might not be able to see you. Are you injured this time?”

Lu Jiuchuan stretched his body and said with a smile, “Rest assured, I’m now alive and well and I don’t have any injuries. You don’t need to come see me. I have a vacation after this mission and will apply for annual leave with the leader. I will come and see you.”

Tang Ci’s heart started beating faster but he maintained his calmness on the surface. “That’s good. When will you come? I’ll pick you up.”

“Tomorrow. I will book the earliest flight. After booking the ticket, I will send you the specific time.”

Tang Ci immediately nodded. “Okay, let’s add each other on WeChat.”

He sent a friend request to Lu Jiuchuan. Lu Jiuchuan accepted it and sent a row of hugging emojis.

Tang Ci returned the hug.

Lu Jiuchuan immediately took a leave of absence with the leader. He quickly booked a flight and sent the flight number to Tang Ci.

Lu Jiuchuan was about to see Tang Ci in reality and he was so excited that he couldn’t sleep well all night.

The next day, his flight arrived at Jiangzhou on time at 5:30 p.m.

Tang Ci personally came to pick him up.

Lu Jiuchuan came out of the arrivals hall and saw Tang Ci in the crowd in the distance.

He was wearing gray trousers and a white shirt. He had straight and long legs, a tall figure and a handsome face that made him stand out from the crowd. It was just that the expression on his face was somewhat serious and he didn’t seem easy to get close to.

Lu Jiuchuan saw Xiao Tang’s slender legs and thought of Tang Ci, who used to be in a wheelchair in the Card World. His heart was full of mixed feelings.

He quickly stepped forward and gently patted Tang Ci’s shoulder.

Tang Ci turned around and his eyes lit up. “Brother Jiu!”

Lu Jiuchuan smiled slightly before suddenly hugging the other person.

The embrace was so tight that Tang Ci’s bones were slightly painful. Lu Jiuchuan took Tang Ci’s entire body into his arms as if he wanted to fuse their bodies together.

Tang Ci was a bit dazed when he was hugged like this. Once he regained his senses, his ears gradually turned red.

He was held by the man like this and his cheek was pressed against Lu Jiuchuan’s strong chest. He could feel his own violent heartbeat.

Lu Jiuchuan stretched out a hand with a smile and stroked Tang Ci’s hair. “You are much better looking in reality than in the Card World. You looked like a star standing there. Say, are you the most handsome man in your entire company?”

Tang Ci couldn’t help his cheeks getting hot and he gently pushed this person away. “Brother Jiu, don’t joke around.”

Lu Jiuchuan let him go, looked into Tang Ci’s eyes and said seriously, “I’m not joking. Our Xiao Tang is really good-looking.”

Tang Ci, “……”

Lu Jiuchuan stretched out his hand again and poked Tang Ci’s face. “You just don’t like to smile.”

“……” Tang Ci had a sullen expression. “Let’s go.”

Two adult men hugged each other without leaving. The surrounding melon-eating masses couldn’t help but watch.

Lu Jiuchuan saw that Tang Ci’s ears were red and immediately put away his jokes. He picked up the luggage with one hand and asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

Tang Ci answered, “I’ve prepared dinner at home. Let’s go back and eat.”

Lu Jiuchuan looked surprised. “You made it?”

“Yes, I can do simple home-cooked dishes.”

Lu Jiuchuan was a bit puzzled. Tang Ci rarely cooked in the Card World. Of course, there were quite a few people in the team who were good at cooking. Tang Ci was usually busy dealing with data and materials and didn’t have time to cook.

Lu Jiuchuan was very curious about what Tang Ci looked like when he wore an apron to cook.

Soon, he found out.

Tang Ci took him back to the single person apartment near the company, washed his hands and went into the kitchen.

In fact, they could go out to eat. It was just that Tang Ci felt that after experiencing thousands of dangers and finally meeting in the real world, it was better to go home and cook for themselves. This way, they could chat casually and no outsiders would disturb them.

Lu Jiuchuan leaned against the kitchen door and smiled at the person in the kitchen.

Tang Ci always put on a serious expression. Once he wore an apron to cook, it was as if he was meticulously calculating the computer data.

Lu Jiuchuan couldn’t help saying, “Xiao Tang, move to the left.”

Tang Ci took a step to the left and looked back at him doubtfully.

Lu Jiuchuan laughed. “You really are like a voice-activated robot. You are cooking the meal so seriously. It is cute.”

Tang Ci, “……”

He couldn’t wait to hit this person with the iron pot in his hand.

Tang Ci turned back to do his busy work, ignoring Lu Jiuchuan who was ridiculing him.

Lu Jiuchuan took the initiative to go into the kitchen to help. He cut and washed the vegetables while saying, “Remember what I told you before we entered the Two Jokers Secret Room?”

Tang Ci frowned slightly and quickly remembered. “Traveling?”

Lu Jiuchuan stared at Tang Ci and said seriously, “Yes. I said that when we return to the real world in the future, I will definitely take you to Inner Mongolia to see the prairie and experience riding a horse on the prairie at a refreshing speed. Do you want to go?”

Tang Ci, “……”

Can you please choose a slightly warmer entertainment project?

Lu Jiuchuan saw that Tang Ci was silent with a tense expression and decided with a smile. “If there is no problem, I’ll find an off-road vehicle tomorrow. We will take a self-driving tour and then I’ll teach you how to ride a horse.”

“Forget riding a horse, I haven’t even had close contact with a horse. How will you teach me?”

Lu Jiuchuan answered in a matter of fact manner. “You will ride in front and I’ll hold you from behind. I promise not to let you fall.”

It wasn’t known what Tang Ci was thinking as he nodded. “Okay, I’ll go to the company tomorrow to ask for annual leave.”

In addition to horseback riding, would they also go camping?

At that time, he would sleep in a tent with Brother Jiu under a quilt…