At the same time, Ruby Blackwell, hiding in the studio, received a message from Olivia asking her to go to the billiards hall.
Ruby thought she would return to school tomorrow, and it was not easy for them to have time to meet, so she agreed readily. She typed a few words on the screen, saying, [Okay.]
Olivia quickly sent a message, saying, [Ruby, are you home? Call Liam, my defeated opponent, along.]
After reading the message, Ruby smiled and replied, [Got it.]
After replying to Olivia, Ruby called Liam.
At this moment, Liam was playing League of Legends. Ruby's call had interrupted his game. He was very anxious, afraid that his teammates would report him and his level would drop, but he didn't dare to ignore it. One could hear the anxiety in his voice through the screen. "Ruby, what's the matter? Hurry up! I'm hanging up."
He was in the middle of the game.
Ruby was 100% sure that Liam was playing games. She said unhurriedly, "Get the driver to send you to the pool hall. Olivia and the others are waiting there."
After Liam's driver's license came out on the first day and Hackett's beloved car was crashed by him and sold for scrap metal, the family stopped Liam from driving.
At that time, the hood of Hackett's beloved car was flattened, and the trunk of the one that was hit was missing. It was a terrible crash for both. Fortunately, both parties were fine. It was just a matter of compensation.
The entire family still had lingering fears and did not dare to let this kid drive anymore.
Liam was anxious to hang up, so he agreed and said perfunctorily, "Ruby, I got it. I got it. I'm hanging up."
Unfortunately, when he hung up the phone and opened the game interface of League of Legends again, the game was over. His team lost, and his teammates reported him. They used some harsh words to scold him.
Half an hour later, in the billiards hall. It was the fifth common gathering place after the gym, barbeque shop, cafe, and gaming hall. It was also a place they often came to.
Liam was the last to arrive. Olivia and Nona both had pool cues in their hands. With a bang, Nona hit a ball, and it fell through the hole.
Olivia had tied her straight shoulder-length hair into a ponytail because she needed to play billiards. She was dressed casually in dark blue wide-legged jeans, a white undershirt, and a loose black casual suit. She was casually wiping the head of the pool cue with shell powder.
When she saw Liam enter, she raised her eyebrows slightly and provoked, "A defeated opponent of mine is here. Did you take a taxi?"
Jasper sat beside Ruby. With a seat between them, both of them smiled faintly.
Nona was dressed especially youthfully and energetically today. She was wearing denim overalls and a white T-shirt. Her ponytail was tied up high by Frank. She handed the cue stick to Liam and said softly, "Liam, here you go. You can compete with Olivia. Good luck."
After saying that, she even made an encouraging gesture.
Liam naturally took the cue and accepted the challenge. Not to be outdone, he said confidently, "Tell me! How do we play?"
Olivia did not dawdle. She touched her ponytail, crossed her arms, and smiled meaningfully. "Oh, you're so confident. Alright, two out of three rounds. Same old rules."
"Ladies first. You first," Liam said.
"Alright, just don't feel too much psychological pressure when I finish the game in one go. Watch." The corners of Olivia's lips curled up. It was apparent that she was mocking him.
Liam said, "Arrogance leads to failure, understand?"
Hearing this, they all laughed. Nona asked cutely, "Liam, is this a new sentence you invented?"
Liam flicked his curly hair. He was dressed a little coquettishly today. He wore a bright red hoodie with white sweatpants, light blue soles, and white-inflated shoes. It was the Memorial Day holiday, but those who didn't know better would think it was Christmas tomorrow when they saw Liam's dressings. "I guess so. I more or less have the talent of an ancient poet. I can't help it."
Everyone was speechless, thinking, 'Was that a compliment?'
Olivia kicked off. The ball hit for a few seconds before stopping. Four balls were scored at the kickoff, and each of the four corners was scored. When the four balls fell into the holes, everyone exclaimed an "oh" from the bottom of their hearts. This "oh" was for the pressure on Liam, standing at the side.
It was as if the beginning was the end and the score was set.
Cyril, who favored light-colored jerseys, felt no suspense in this game. It was just that Liam was struggling to find his dignity. He could not bear to watch, and his hands were itching. He walked to Jasper with a cue stick and invited, "Jasper, let's play a round."
Jasper glanced at Nona, standing at the side and watching the battle. She had a smile on her face. When the ball hit, it was also when Nono was happy. Her smile was very infectious.
He shifted his gaze and looked at Ruby, who was watching the game quietly with a smile. He said calmly, "There's no suspense between us."
Cyril was speechless. He felt it was a little smug and a little insulting. So he said, "Ruby, let's play. Jasper despises my skills."
Upon hearing this, Ruby retracted her gaze from the ball and turned to look at Jasper. She smiled. She was wearing a pair of light pink wide-legged pants and a short white sweater. Her curly hair was tied into a bun, and she had gold-pink-framed glasses on her nose.
She was a little short-sighted, about 100 degrees, and rarely wore glasses.
Thinking she was playing billiards, she put it on when she went out. She stood up, took off her coat, folded it, and placed it in her seat. Then, she followed Cyril to another billiard table.
Jasper also stood up and followed behind the two of them. With his hands in his pockets, he casually picked up a cue stick and handed it to Ruby. "This one."
"Oh, oh, okay." Ruby didn't know about cue sticks, and her skills were average. She took the cue stick, and Jasper handed her the shell powder. Ruby took it and wiped it before returning it to Jasper.
Jasper reached out to take it and smiled. He held it in his hand and stood not far away like a spectator.
Just as Ruby was about to kick off, Jasper's tall figure suddenly covered her. A deep voice sounded above her head. The next second, a slender hand adjusted her posture. "Why do you keep forgetting?"
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