Come in 211
Posted on July 09, 2025 ยท 0 mins read
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Chapter 211

โ€œYou lost? Let me help you.โ€ Yannis sat down on the sofa next to Zinnia.

Zinnia frowned and asked in doubt, โ€œCan you?โ€

โ€œYannis can do everything. Go Fish is a piece of cake for him. He won a whole estate once when he played it with someone,โ€ Jackson said with a laugh.

โ€œHeโ€™s that good?โ€ Zinnia asked in surprise.

โ€œWell, Iโ€™m not bad,โ€ Yannis nodded modestly.

โ€œYannis, if you join, weโ€™ll keep losing,โ€ Maisie slowed down as she drew a card.

โ€œYannis, sheโ€™s right. If you come in, we probably wonโ€™t win at all,โ€ Isaac smiled, too.

โ€œThen you shouldnโ€™t join. Your skills are too scary. We want to play by ourselves.โ€ Zinnia didnโ€™t want Yannis to join, either. He was too smart. If he played, everyone else would lose their fun.

โ€œIโ€™m just guiding, not playing,โ€ Yannis said.

โ€œIsaac, you can ask Jackson to guide you. Heโ€™s right behind you.โ€ Yannis smiled and slowly turned to Maisie. โ€œAs for youโ€”โ€

โ€œWho should guide me then?โ€ Maisie scratched her head. She thought she was no match for Jackson or Yannis.

โ€œGrandma.โ€ A nice voice came from behind them. Everyone turned and saw Charlie.

Charlie was wearing a camel-colored trench coat, a black turtleneck, and black cropped pants. His face was delicate, and his legs were long. As he walked, a soft breeze seemed to pass by everyoneโ€™s hearts.

โ€œCharlieโ€™s here. Now we can match up, and itโ€™s fair,โ€ Yannis said with a small laugh.

โ€œCharlie, come help me.โ€ Maisieโ€™s eyes lit up when she saw Charlie.

โ€œWhatโ€™s up?โ€ Charlie asked with a charming smile on his face.

โ€œZinniaโ€™s new at this and not very good at Go Fish. Yannis said heโ€™d help her win back, but Isaac and Maisie said they werenโ€™t a match for him, so they were looking for help.โ€

โ€œYour timingโ€™s perfect. There are three of them. Each of you can help one,โ€ Yvette explained with a smile.

Dinner was set for 6 p.m., and it was a little past 5 p.m. now. They could play a bit more and then eat dinner.

โ€œI canโ€™t win against Jackson and Yannis.โ€ Charlie was not that good at this.

โ€œItโ€™s okay. Weโ€™re just playing. If you lose, you just get a sticky note on your face. Charlie, if you donโ€™t help me, Iโ€™ll be two against one.โ€ Maisie casually waved her hand.

โ€œOkay, Iโ€™ll try.โ€ Charlie hadnโ€™t been able to say no. He sat down on the sofa next to Maisie.

โ€œNow youโ€™re not worried, right? Itโ€™s two against two. Nice and fair.โ€ Yannis ruffled Zinniaโ€™s hair.

โ€œIf I lose, the note goes on your face,โ€ Zinnia turned back toward him.

โ€œDeal. Stick it on me. Draw a card,โ€ Yannis smiled.

Zinnia drew a card. It was a 6.

Yannis looked at her hand: 4, 5, 8, 9, 10โ€”all small cards; the highest was a 10. Her cards were a mess.

โ€œZinnia, it looks like youโ€™re a bit unlucky,โ€ Yannis could barely hide his smile.

Zinnia sighed. โ€œMaisie said Iโ€™m the unluckiest beginner theyโ€™ve ever met.โ€

As they spoke, it was Zinniaโ€™s turn to draw again. This time she got an 8.

After a round, Zinnia only had two cards with the same number. Now it was her turn to draw again.

โ€œZinnia, ask Maisie if she has a 5,โ€ Isaac said.

โ€œSeriously?โ€ Zinnia looked at her cards. She thought sheโ€™d have a better chance if she asked for an 8. She wasnโ€™t sure whether to listen to Yannis.

โ€œTrust me. Iโ€™m never wrong,โ€ Yannis said.

And sure enough, Zinnia got all the 5s and immediately ended her bad luck. She hadnโ€™t gotten this lucky before. It was no wonder Maisie and Isaac made fun of her.

โ€œYour luckโ€™s better than mine,โ€ Zinnia said.

โ€œItโ€™s because youโ€™re sitting next to me. Thatโ€™s why my luck is so good.โ€ Yannis turned slightly and placed Zinniaโ€™s set face-up beside her.

Zinnia didnโ€™t say a word, but a small smile crossed her face. Everyone liked compliments, especially Zinnia, who was always unlucky. Yannisโ€™s words made her happy.

In a new round, Zinnia was the dealer, so she went first.

Zinnia picked up her five cards, hoping at least two of them were the same. But this time all her cards were different.

She asked Isaac, โ€œDo you have a 2?โ€

With Yannis guiding her, Zinnia turned things around even with a weak hand. Slowly, sticky notes started piling up on Isaac and Maisieโ€™s faces.

โ€œIsaac, you lost. Stick it on,โ€ Maisie said. The dealer, Isaac, had gotten the worst of it this time.

โ€œPut it on Isaac,โ€ Yannis handed Zinnia a sticky note and nodded toward him.

Isaac leaned forward, and Zinnia pressed it on his cheek. She smiled when she saw his ridiculous face.

โ€œOne more game, then we eat,โ€ Yvette called.

โ€œOkay,โ€ everyone answered.

โ€œYannis, howโ€™d you do it? Did you somehow know everyoneโ€™s cards?โ€ Isaac sighed.

Then he turned back toward Jackson. โ€œJackson, how come you kept losing to Yannis?โ€

Isaac hadnโ€™t expected Jackson, who seemed to know everything, to be awful at Go Fish. His guidance made him lose faster.

โ€œWhat can I say? I tried my best. Remember this: never challenge Yannis in a card game.โ€ Jackson was not much of a card player.

The rest listened to Isaacโ€™s dramatic complaints and tried not to laugh.

โ€œYouโ€™re amazing.โ€ Zinnia looked at Yannis with pure admiration. Sometimes, when she drew a card, she didnโ€™t even know what to do with it because all the numbers were a mess.

โ€œItโ€™s all luck. Zinnia, you bring me that luck.โ€ Yannisโ€™s deep, charming eyes glimmered.

โ€œIโ€™ll shuffle,โ€ he said, leaning forward to gather the messy cards on the coffee table. His hands were well-defined, and the cards in his grip.

โ€œHere, draw again.โ€ Yannis placed the stack back in the center of the table.

Zinnia was the winner, so she drew first. She turned over her five cards and found three were the same number.

Surprised, Zinnia looked up at Yannis. She hadnโ€™t gotten a hand this good before.

Yannisโ€™s gaze softened a little when he saw her happiness.

A new round started, and Zinnia quickly collected all four of the same number.

This time she was the dealer. Maybe it was because she knew Yannis could turn things around no matter how messy the cards were, Zinnia no longer avoided being dealer.

Before long, Zinnia won again. She widened her eyes in disbelief at her own luck.

Suddenly, she wanted to play a few more rounds.


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