Chapter 13: The Qixi Special

"Lost again, my win rate has dropped below 10%. Wait, no—it’s never actually been above 10%." Chen Fan glanced at his ranking. Other than the day he played Seer and won six games, he’d earned nothing these past two days. He wasn’t as clueless as before, but his luck remained abysmal.

Holding a disposable cup, Chen Fan sipped the free water in the spectator lounge. Unable to win any matches, he could only drown his sorrows with the club’s complimentary drinks.

"Chen Fan, what’s going on with you? Your face is so red—did you just see a pretty girl or something?" Zhou Ji happened to walk by and saw Chen Fan’s flushed face.

Chen Fan swirled the water in his cup. There was no aroma, yet it tasted as fiery as strong liquor.

"What the hell? Didn’t they say the taste would change, not the sensation? Why does my face feel so hot?" Chen Fan covered his face, dumped the rest of the water, and poured himself another cup. "It’s a bit stuffy in the corner, and I got too worked up during my speech. Didn’t you have a shift today?"

Zhou Ji glanced at the air conditioner—the display read 25 degrees—and smoothed his cropped hair. "It’s the Qixi Festival today. The Werewolf club is running a special event, so I took the day off to try and climb the rankings."

Chen Fan’s eyes widened, his leg bouncing unconsciously as he downed the drink like an energy shot. "Werewolf has a Qixi event too? Is it double experience for the first kill of a couple? Or maybe poison a couple for a chance to win an iPad?"

Zhou Ji shook his head and pulled out his queue ticket. "Werewolf Qixi Special: Cupid Edition. Wins are worth double. Winning one Cupid game is like winning two regular games—perfect for ranking up."

Chen Fan’s interest was piqued. This was a fantastic opportunity—just a few more wins and his win rate would finally break 10%. "How does Cupid mode work? Is it pretty much like the regular game?"

"You’d better grab a ticket now," Zhou Ji replied. "Everyone’s here for Cupid; sessions are booked up. Even at lunchtime, you have to queue. If you’re too slow, the club might close before you get a game." He tucked the ticket back into his pocket and pointed Chen Fan to the registration area.

Chen Fan didn’t dare waste time. He hurried to the service corner for a ticket, ending up six spots behind Zhou Ji—who knew if they’d make it into the same game.

"Cupid mode just swaps out the Idiot and Guardian for Cupid; otherwise, it’s mostly the same, just with more variables. The state of the game depends on Cupid’s chosen chain, which makes it trickier but more exciting than Guardian-Idiot mode."

Zhou Ji explained the rules at a leisurely pace, like a museum docent, even delving into the origin of the Cupid role card.

"On the banks of the Rhine, in the village of Dustwald, there was a hunter’s child who loved playing pranks with a bow and arrow. The villagers disliked him. One day, he mastered a mysterious spell that bound two fates together, and he cast it upon his arrows…"

"Stop, stop—I’m not here for your stories. I admit defeat when it comes to Werewolf lore. Just tell me how to play in different situations," Chen Fan interjected, growing impatient. Zhou Ji’s explanations were long-winded and rarely to the point.

Zhou Ji cleared his throat. "There are three possible pairings: villager-villager, wolf-wolf, or villager-wolf. Villager-villager is tough—if you’re about to get voted out by day, break the chain, but you’ll get killed by the wolves at night. Wolf-wolf heavily favors the villagers—villagers are almost guaranteed to win. Villager-wolf is the most common, and the key is to play it safe."

"The highest win rate for villager-wolf pairs is usually witch and wolf, since the witch can use poison to force a balance. I’ve often killed both seers and grabbed the badge to maintain the balance. If you’re not a power role, stay low as a couple and survive until day three—then make your move. Usually, the wolf in a villager-wolf couple doesn’t run for sheriff, since it’s too risky."

Chen Fan memorized Zhou Ji’s advice like reciting formulas. Any of these scenarios could happen, and couples had to guess each other’s roles and communicate well with Cupid—a true test of skill.

"It’s our turn—let’s go. If you’re five minutes late, your slot’s forfeited," Zhou Ji said, glancing at the electronic board. Their numbers were up, and Chen Fan barely made the final cut.

"Not seat six? I can’t play well at seat twelve," Chen Fan complained.

Zhou Ji settled into seat five and replied, "You really think performance depends on seat number? Sounds like you’re just looking for an excuse. But actually, seat twelve has the highest MVP rate—ten percent, in fact."

"Really? There’s a theory about seat position?" Chen Fan had thought it was just superstition, but Zhou Ji’s confident tone made him reconsider.

Zhou Ji shrugged. "That’s what the club’s stats show. Seat six has the lowest win rate, seat twelve the highest. But I suspect it’s because the top players prefer seat twelve—like Gu Kai; he only takes seat one or twelve."

Chen Fan did some mental math, wondering how much he’d dragged down the win rate for seat six.

"It’s not all my fault—newbies love sitting at six for good luck, so most of the weak players end up there," he consoled himself.

The Cupid event room was different from the regular setup. Most tables were round, but this one was heart-shaped—even the chair backs were hearts. It made it awkward to observe opponents’ expressions.

"The masks are different, too. Check this out—channeling my inner Yifan," Chen Fan said, donning a celebrity mask and launching into a freestyle recitation of the Werewolf rules.

Players arrived one after another, and staff handed out the identity cards. Chen Fan didn’t care which role he got—he just wanted to win.

As luck would have it, he drew a wolf card.

"Cupid, please link two villagers. I’m begging you, let me win," Chen Fan prayed before the game even started, pinning his hopes on Cupid.

"Night falls. Please close your eyes."

Chen Fan put on his hip-hop mask, affecting a serious air. This was his first time playing Cupid mode; he had no idea what to expect.

Because of Cupid’s role, the werewolves’ turn was pushed back—first, Cupid would link a pair whose fates would be entwined.

"Two villagers, two villagers, two villagers—please don’t let it be two wolves. If it is, one self-destruct means both go up in flames," Chen Fan thought anxiously, drumming his fingers and waiting for the werewolves’ cue.

"Now, couples, open your eyes and recognize each other."

Someone tapped Chen Fan on the back. "What the—? I was chosen as part of the couple? This is bad—please don’t let it be two wolves."

"Where’s my lover?" Chen Fan nervously pulled off his mask, searching the crowd of celebrity faces for his partner.

Zhou Ji spotted him immediately and flashed a middle finger.

"Damn, I’m paired with this guy," Chen Fan muttered, returning the gesture.

"Couples, close your eyes. Werewolves, open your eyes."

The routine was a bit much—mask on, mask off—but Chen Fan just covered his face and went through the motions, making sure his teammates didn’t realize he was part of the couple.

He scanned the group—Zhou Ji wasn’t among his wolf teammates. Chen Fan recalled Zhou Ji’s earlier advice, and one phrase flashed through his mind.

"Villager-wolf couple. We’re a third faction. This is going to be a tough mission..."