Chapter 1020: Money for Goods

"Of course not," Chen Jun Nan said with a smile, stepping forward. "The same move can only be used once against a Sheng Dou Shi."

"Sheng Dou Shi...?" Yan Zhi Chun's face crumpled in disbelief after hearing this. "Can you be serious for once?"

"Alright, then I'll get straight to the point. Let's swap our 'zi' right here," Chen Jun Nan said. "You don't believe me, right? I've got a new idea. We both give our 'zi' to each other at the same time, a left-hand right-hand trade. After we use them, we can just take them back, like nothing ever happened. No hard feelings, and both sides end up with a few extra points. What do you think?"

Yan Zhi Chun's expression changed noticeably as she considered the proposal's feasibility.

If it were a straightforward exchange, there wouldn't be much risk of deception.

But the only issue was... were the 'zi' in the other person's hand as important as the one in her own?

Chen Jun Nan seemed to sense Yan Zhi Chun's hesitation. He opened his fist and then clenched it again.

There was a clear, crisp jingle, like the sound of keys, ringing in the ears of the three people present. It was as if Chen Jun Nan held a bunch of keys in his hand.

"Sis Chun... why hesitate now? Could anything but a chain make that sound?" Chen Jun Nan said. "Zuo you jie gou—it's honest as can be, no tricks."

"I want to hear it again," Yan Zhi Chun said.

"Fine, fine, still don't believe me?"

Chen Jun Nan turned around, cupped his hand like a bowl with the 'zi' in his palm and his backhand facing Yan Zhi Chun. He then tapped the metal doorknob with his palm.

There were two sharp clinks—"ding ding"—as the object in his hand struck the doorknob, sounding nothing like a chain.

"Now you can confirm it's a 'zi', right?" Chen Jun Nan said. "Listen again!"

He clenched his fist once more, and again came the jingle.

Now Yan Zhi Chun could be certain that what Chen Jun Nan held was indeed a 'zi', and it was truly of the 'zuo you jie gou' type.

"You don't even know what 'zi' I have, and you're proposing a trade..." Yan Zhi Chun asked. "What if mine is a 'zheng ti jie gou' 'zi'? What then?"

"Good question!" Chen Jun Nan replied. "I'll lay it out right here today! No matter what 'zi' you have, as long as it's something that can be used in this game, I won't cause you any trouble."

With that, he slowly pushed his right hand forward. "For now, neither of our teams has gotten a 'zi' from the other, right? We swap, and we both score points for our teams. Then we can go back and brag about our heroic deeds. Isn't that great?"

What Yan Zhi Chun was really thinking about wasn't any "heroic deeds," but a more practical problem.

Because the 'zi' in her hand was "pao."

In this game, each side only had three 'zi' of the 'zuo you jie gou' type.

The red side had "xiang," "shuai," and "pao."

The black side had "shi," "jiang," and "pao."

The rules of "Cang Jie Qi" meant that these 'zuo you jie gou' 'zi' could be used as two 'zi.' The "main commanders" only entrusted these to capable people, so it wasn't surprising that Chen Jun Nan had a 'zuo you jie gou' 'zi.'

But there was one problem—if his was "shuai," then this trade would be a loss for her.

After all, whether it's "ri" or "jin," the characters you could form were too limited. Even if you barely pieced a few together, they might be obscure words, nowhere near as valuable as her "pao."

If his was "pao," it would be like swapping radicals—"exchanging 'huo' for 'shi'"—both useful radicals, so it would be an even trade, fair and square.

The best scenario would be getting "xiang," since both "mu" and "mu" could serve as radicals. Even if she couldn't think of words off the top of her head, it would definitely be more worthwhile than the other options.

Yan Zhi Chun didn't know if Chen Jun Nan was just lucky or if he was playing a deeper game.

On the surface, it was a straight one-for-one swap with no gain or loss, but the three possible 'zi' she could get corresponded to "profit," "even," and "loss."

The chance of "profit" was one in three, while "no profit" was two in three. Logically, it wasn't a bet worth taking.

After all, she couldn't guess what 'zi' Chen Jun Nan had.

Meanwhile, Chen Jun Nan was racking his brains. He knew his own 'zi' was "shuai," the least useful among all 'zuo you jie gou' 'zi.' If he could swap for any other 'zuo you jie gou' 'zi,' he'd come out ahead.

But he was worried that Yan Zhi Chun's might not be 'zuo you jie gou,' but something like "che" or "ma."

In this game, the pieces that could "cross the river" were four in total: besides "che," "ma," and "zu," the 'zuo you jie gou' type was only "pao."

It was a gamble where both sides had slim chances of winning—it all depended on whether the other dared to agree.

"So, what do you say, Sis Chun?" Chen Jun Nan asked, holding up his 'zi.' "Swap or walk away?"

Yan Zhi Chun seemed to make up her mind. She slowly reached her hand to the back of her head, lifted her long hair, and with a soft click, unclasped a small hair clip. She clenched her fist and removed something from it.

It was the 'zi' hidden in her hair.

"Whoa..." Chen Jun Nan exclaimed softly. "I never thought you'd use a hair clip to pin the 'zi' in your hair."

"Chen Jun Nan, let's swap," Yan Zhi Chun said.

Chen Jun Nan didn't move right away. He just stared at Yan Zhi Chun's fist and said, "I need to confirm it's really a 'zi' in your hand, or else things could get unpleasant for everyone later."

"Don't worry," Yan Zhi Chun replied. She turned around, mimicking Chen Jun Nan, placed the 'zi' in her palm, and tapped it against the doorknob.

"Ding ding."

The sharp clinks confirmed it was indeed a 'zi.'

"Classy," Chen Jun Nan said. "Alright, Tian Tian, you be our witness."

Tian Tian paused for a moment, then nodded and walked seriously to stand between them.

Both held their fists in their left hands and palms open in their right, stepping closer step by step.

When they were close enough, they positioned their fists above each other's palms, the atmosphere growing tense.

"Sis Chun... we agreed on this..." Chen Jun Nan said. "Once it's done, no takebacks."

"Alright..." Yan Zhi Chun said. "After the trade, we leave the room immediately. Once we're out, we look at the 'zi,' and no one can back out."

"Don't worry..." Chen Jun Nan said with a smile. "As long as what you give me is a 'zi,' I won't cause you any trouble. But if you hand me a chain..."

"You can relax too," Yan Zhi Chun said. "You stole my chain already—who said I have more?"