Chapter One: The Last Coin

“This round,” Zhou Lin said, “no one puts money in a cup.” The boy nodded. No one objected. “You want everyone eliminated?” Cheng Ye asked. “The rules say an empty cup eliminates the chooser. They don't say what happens when there is no valid choice.” “Then we restart.” “No.” Zhou Lin pointed to a dusty board on the wall. “If every cup is empty, all contribution ratios are equal. Your settlement clause says play ends and the highest cumulative return wins. That's the boy.” The final line on the board said exactly that. Cheng Ye stared, then laughed. He pushed one envelope to the boy and another to Zhou Lin. “You understood the game, but you didn't win the cash.” “Cash isn't what I need tonight.”