Chapter 12: Rock, Paper, Scissors

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“This lousy bed is really uncomfortable. Cheap hotels really have no quality.”
Song Shiqiao rubbed her stiff neck, feeling quite annoyed.
She threw back the covers, stepped barefoot off the bed, and, dressed in loose pajamas, walked to the bathroom.
“It looks like I’ve got another wrinkle!”
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she sighed helplessly.
Suddenly, the ‘her’ in the mirror displayed a strange smile. “Do you want to become young again?”
“Ah!”
Song Shiqiao screamed and stepped back, only to find her legs frozen in place.
It was as if she were nailed to the ground, only her upper body able to move.
The ‘Song Shiqiao’ in the mirror smiled cheerfully at her. “Don’t be afraid. Make a bet with me. If you win, you’ll become young again.”
“Are you a ghost?”
“No, I’m the Weird One!”
“What’s the Weird One?”
Having worked in her family business since graduating from university, Song Shiqiao had seen a fair bit of the world.
She quickly forced herself to calm down and asked the reflection a question.
The ‘Song Shiqiao’ in the mirror raised her right hand, pinching her thumb and forefinger together as if counting money. “Consultation costs, please!”
“How much?”
“One question costs one year of your lifespan.”
Song Shiqiao’s pupils shrank sharply; she hadn’t expected it to ask for lifespan. “Then I won’t ask. Can you let me go?”
“You can only leave if you make a bet with me.”
“How do we bet? What’s the wager?”
“Very simple. Rock-paper-scissors, best two out of three, with three years of lifespan at stake. Win or lose, you can leave.”
Song Shiqiao’s face darkened. Three years of her life—how many three-year spans does one have?
But on second thought, she couldn’t leave anyway; refusing to bet was no option.
“Fine, I’ll bet with you. I hope you keep your word.”
“We’ll hide our right hands behind our backs. I’ll count to three, and we reveal our hands simultaneously.”
The ‘Song Shiqiao’ in the mirror rubbed her hands excitedly, like a gambler long deprived of a game.
Outside the mirror, Song Shiqiao’s expression was grave; she had already prepared herself to lose.
Unexpectedly, she won the first two rounds.
“Ah, I lost. You’ve won three years of lifespan.”
The ‘Song Shiqiao’ in the mirror looked melancholic, waved her hand, and an invisible force drifted out from the mirror and entered Song Shiqiao’s body.
Immediately, she felt energized, light and nimble, as if she had become young in an instant.
She looked at her reflection, noticing her skin seemed more radiant, several wrinkles around her eyes disappeared.
“Did I become young?”
“Of course, increasing lifespan means improving the physical body, allowing you humans to live longer.”
The ‘Song Shiqiao’ in the mirror explained.
Her initial fear was gradually replaced by joy.
Adding three years to one’s life so simply?
Who wouldn’t want to live longer, to reverse aging?
“Can I bet again?”
Now freed, her legs could move, yet she didn’t leave but instead actively proposed continuing the game.
She understood well that nothing came for free; there must be a trap.
But the chance to become young again was right before her eyes—no one could refuse such temptation.
“Of course.”
The ‘Song Shiqiao’ in the mirror smiled in agreement.

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“Can we lower the stakes? Just one year of lifespan per round.”
Song Shiqiao was no fool; lowering the stakes meant if there was a trap, her losses wouldn’t be too great.
After all, she had already won three years of life; if she lost it all, she could just stop playing.
“No problem. You’re the guest, so we’ll do it your way.”
The ‘Song Shiqiao’ in the mirror agreed readily.
So the two of them began playing rock-paper-scissors again.
Whether by luck or skill, Song Shiqiao won more often than she lost.
As they continued, her total gained lifespan increased, and her appearance gradually reverted to a smooth, youthful 20-year-old.
This delighted her immensely, prompting her to raise the stakes again to three years per game.
She thought to stop once she reached 18 years old.
But soon, she lost far more than she won, often losing three rounds before winning one.
Unconsciously, all the lifespan she had gained was lost, and her own life force rapidly dwindled, making her look like a woman in her forties.
Song Shiqiao had lost her reason, desperate to turn the tide and reclaim her lost years.
She was so weak she had to lean on the sink to stand, suddenly jolting awake.
“Ah! Why… why do I look like this?”
She stared into the mirror to see a face full of wrinkles, sagging skin, and hair that was mostly white instead of black.
She looked like a woman in her sixties.
Finally realizing the danger, she wanted to stop, but the Weird One refused.
“You’ve forfeited your chance to leave. You must keep playing until death.”
This death rule was designed to lure humans into gambling their lives away until the very end.
Yet within this grim scenario, a glimmer of hope remained.
In the first round, when Song Shiqiao first won three years, if she had left then, nothing would have happened and she would have gained three years for free.
But her greed kept her playing, triggering the death rule.
“Even if you trap me here, I won’t bet anymore.”
Song Shiqiao resolved; if she didn’t play, there would be no win or loss.
The Weird One sneered, “One round per minute. If you don’t throw your hand, you lose.”
This shattered Song Shiqiao’s last defense; she broke down sobbing and struggled desperately to escape the bathroom.
But her lower body was nailed to the ground, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move an inch.
At that moment, behind the hotel room curtains, a man suddenly appeared.
It was Xia Tianqiong, who had teleported there.
He walked straight to the bathroom, first noticing the Weird One in the mirror, then the struggling Song Shiqiao.
“Oh, so there’s someone else in this room!”
The Weird One seemed surprised but its eyes suddenly gleamed. “If you don’t want to die, you can let him bet for you.”
Song Shiqiao stared at Xia Tianqiong in astonishment.
She knew no one else was in the room, the door hadn’t opened, so how did he get in?
There was no time to ponder; she urgently said, “There’s a ghost here! Call the police and save me!”
Xia Tianqiong stood at the bathroom door, calmly observing the two. “Tell me, what happened here?”
Song Shiqiao glared at him, wondering why he was so calm.
Before she could speak, the Weird One in the mirror smiled brightly. “Want to bet with me? Win and get three years of lifespan!”
Hearing this, Xia Tianqiong’s eyes suddenly sparkled, a subtle smile creeping across his lips.
So it was a Lifebet Weird!
This was a rare kind of Weird, highly coveted by all humans, some even trading higher-level Weirds for it.
All because it could extend human lifespan.
“Don’t listen to it. Look at me! It stole my lifespan.” Song Shiqiao warned urgently. “Call the police! Don’t just stand there!”

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Xia Tianqiong shook his head. “The police can’t save you.”
Seeing his calm indifference, Song Shiqiao suddenly felt a flicker of hope.
“Then can you save me?”
“Saving people entangles you in karmic consequences. I’m not planning to save you.”
His detached tone stirred hope yet also frustration within her.
He meant he could save her but chose not to—a cold-hearted man indeed.
“I’ll pay you. Please save me.”
Xia Tianqiong shook his head and folded his arms, watching silently as if at a show.
Song Shiqiao’s anger flared but she held back. “Name your price—anything. How about two hundred million?”
“If you could really produce that much, I wouldn’t mind getting involved in some karmic debt.” Xia Tianqiong sneered.
This was a cheap hotel room costing only a few hundred yuan. How could a wealthy person stay here?
Song Shiqiao realized this too. “I’m the CEO of Songtian Group. You can check my ID—it's on the table, or online. My family is very rich. If you save me, I’ll give you two hundred million immediately.”
Xia Tianqiong was stunned, then turned to rummage through the room, finding her ID and business card.
“Indeed, the CEO of Songtian Group!”
Holding the card, he returned to the bathroom door. “If you’re so rich, why stay in such a low-end hotel?”
“I’m planning to buy several nearby budget hotels, renovate them into five-star hotels, so I’m here to inspect.”
Song Shiqiao spoke quickly. “Please save me! Every minute, it steals three years of my life.”
“No rush.”
Leaning against the doorframe, Xia Tianqiong said slowly, “If you’re so rich, why not spend two hundred million to buy your life? Isn’t that a small price?”
“How much do you want?”
“At least one billion, and it must be transferred today.”
“No problem! Save me now—I’m about to die of old age!”
During their conversation, the Lifebet Weird drained another three years of Song Shiqiao’s life.
She aged further, her body stooped.
Xia Tianqiong frowned. “You agreed too quickly. You probably don’t intend to pay.”
“...”
Song Shiqiao did indeed think that way. Survival was priority; there was no time to bargain. She’d discuss everything after being saved.
Just as she was about to protest, Xia Tianqiong smiled indifferently.
“That’s fine. I can save you, or I can kill you.”
Before Song Shiqiao could react, he looked at the Lifebet Weird in the mirror. “I’ll bet for her.”
“Good, welcome!”
The Lifebet Weird smiled brilliantly.
From the moment Xia Tianqiong appeared, its eyes had lit up.
This man’s lifespan was vigorous, far beyond ordinary humans.
If not for the rules preventing a forced target change, it would have abandoned the woman and locked onto him already.
Now that he voluntarily offered to replace her, it didn’t violate any rules.
Xia Tianqiong stepped into the bathroom and stood before Song Shiqiao. In an instant, the Lifebet Weird in the mirror transformed into his image.
For some reason, its smile looked a bit sleazy.
At the same time, Song Shiqiao’s legs regained mobility, and she staggered out.
“I’ll use underworld coins instead of lifespan as the wager.”
When leaving the room, Xia Tianqiong had stuffed some smaller golden ingots into his pocket—just the thing to use now.
The Lifebet Weird’s eyes widened at the sight of the glittering ingots. “Are you human? How do you have so many underworld coins—and all made of underworld gold?”