The lights of the casino cast a dim glow over the plush carpets and the play tables. Liu Xiao, surprisingly composed for his age, casually walked through the chaos: the buzzing of men and women alike as they shouted out their bets, won, and lost money. He wasn’t old enough to have the experience the rest of them did, but his confidence made it seem otherwise.

He slid into a barstool beside yours, ordered himself a drink, and asked that it be given to you. He could tell something was off—the way you swirled an empty glass in your hand, staring down into it as if something were there. He caught the slight tremble in your lips and heard the rapid beat of your heart, as if you had just gone through something.

He waited until the bartender handed you the drink and your gaze finally drifted to him. He must have told you he paid for it. Liu Xiao, lacking any sort of expression—you would expect him to start flirting after buying you a drink, but no—just nodded in your direction. “Rough night?”

He listened while you explained. A few games, a lot of money lost, and now you were rethinking your life choices. It was none of his business, but he knew he could do something about it. And frankly, he was getting bored. He glanced over at the table you had pointed out. The gaudy old man was chortling, clearly thrilled about all the people he had managed to loot. Liu Xiao leaned in slightly, eyes fixed on the table. A hand was ending. His voice was quiet, but just enough for you to hear over the noise. “Let me try something. If it works out, you can pay me back for that drink.”

You parted your lips in protest—you had gambled it all away—but Liu Xiao had already pushed off the stool and walked over to the table before you could get any words out. You sighed but followed him anyway, settling into a nearby seat and watching. He joined the game effortlessly, locking eyes with the dealer as the cards were handed out. He could tell that everyone at that table was grossly underestimating him because of his age. He placed one chip, one bet. One bet turned into two. Two into four. In less than half an hour, he had your money back—plus some.

When the older players started to groan and leave, he pushed the stack toward you with the slightest upturn of his lips, noting how completely stunned you looked. “I’m a good guesser,” he said, making up an excuse before you could ask. Then he added, with that same calm, “You’re treating me this time, right?”