Since Qin Lu didn't pocket any ball, it was Mo Li's turn. Mo Li walked up to the pool table and assumed her position. Mo Li didn't pay Qin Lu any attention, she was just focused on her game.
Qin Lu though took this as an affront, seeing it as Mo Li's way of belittling her. Qin Lu's fist around the cue stick tightened as she thought about using the stick to stab into Mo Li's eyes.
Mo Li soon finished the third round with an easy win.
Qin Lu recovered in her 4th and 5th round, she was slowly getting back into her groove. As a newbie, Mo Li made no mistake either. Neither party gave the other the chance to breathe.
For the last round, Qin Lu made another clumsy mistake due to the pressure. Qin Lu watched Mo Li walk to the table, she refused to believe that beginner's luck could last so long.
Qin Lu had no idea that Mo Li had stopped relying on luck after her first shot. With the calculations made from her first shot as well as her observations of the other players, Mo Li had managed to sublimate the game of pool into a mathematical problem to be solved. She calibrated the angle before she made each shot.
Now there was only one last black ball left, and Mo Li was feeling fine. This was the first time she took up billiards but she realized that as long as she could control her angle, and force, everything on the pool table could be factored in and calculated.
"Beware of using up all your luck now or you'll end up in last place at the IMO." The moment Qin Lu said that, Mo Li made her last shot. The result was already simulated in Mo Li's head.
The last ball rolled very slowly, giving Qin Lu hope. Stop! Stop! Stop! Qin Lu stood up with excitement, she still had the chance of turning this around!
She was just reaching for her cue stick when the shop exploded with applause and cheers. Lin Fei jumped up and down from excitement. The pool table tremored from her action.
Everyone inside the room saw the black ball wobbled before it fell into the pocket!
The game was over and Mo Li appeared victorious.
"You've lost." Qin Lu was dumbfounded, she didn't expect to lose to a newbie in the sport that she was best at. "You liar! This cannot be your first time playing billiards! The game is foul!" Mo Li's performance couldn't be so stable otherwise.
"Girl, you can't be acting like this. You were the one who said you would go lightly on the other girl because it was her first time playing."
"You called her a genius earlier but now you call her a liar, pick one."
"That's right, even if this is not her first time playing, the fact is you have lost."
There were some adult players in the shop, they didn't know about Mo Li's history, they were only interested in the game of billiards. However, they were there when Qin Lu made those taunts and bet. They were not going to let her renege on it as she pleased.
"I, I..." Qin Lu looked at Mo Li, "Fine, I admit defeat!" She looked at Mo Li with a mixture of hatred and fear. After all, she had bullied her with Zhou Xi before, Mo Li would not spare her now that she was on the chopping block. She had made her bed and now she was to lie in it!
To her surprise, Mo Li only picked up her schoolbag and the sketchbook. Then Mo Li turned to Lin Fei whose face was flushed from all the excitement. "I don't need you to do anything for me. I only need you to promise that you'll not bully her again."
Then Mo Li walked past the stunned Lin Fei and walked out from the shop.
"Young miss." As she walked out, she saw her driver. Mo Li didn't question why the driver knew where she was, instead she started to ponder about what would happen next.
...
Qin Lu probably covered up the incident at the billiards shop because Mo Li didn't hear any news about it when she arrived at the school the next day. The only change was that there was a box of delicate biscuits left at Mo Li's table.
Mo Li caught the shrinking figure at the door and Mo Li smiled at herself. She didn't expose the girl. Mo Li appreciated the gesture.
...
When she returned home, before she could even put down her schoolbag, Mo Yi had already sent people to bring in two sets of gowns for her. Mo Li frowned and picked one to dress in. When she descended the stairs, her father and big brother were waiting for her.
"Tonight, we're bringing you to a charity ball." Mo Yun's tone was as chilly as it had been for these past few weeks.
"Okay." Mo Li nodded. If not for her need to mend the relationship with Mo Family, she would never attend events like this.
When they arrived at the venue, Mo Li had to admit Mo Yun have good taste. Of the 2 sets of gowns, she picked the one selected by Mo Yun. It was an apricot-colored qipao. It lightened Mo Li's fair skin and accentuated her slender waist. Even with just the softest touch of make-up, Mo Li had an ethereal presence about her. The moment she stepped into the ballroom, she attracted many people's attention.
One of them seemed to scan over Mo Li aggressively. Mo Li felt discomfited by the gaze but when she turned to its source, she spotted nothing there.
A graceful woman strode towards them. "Uncle Mo, this is the first time Mo Li attends a ball like this. You and Brother Yun have to go mingle, leave Mo Li with me. I promise to show her around, to introduce her to the way of the socialite."
The woman's name was Xiao Yue, her family was family friends with Mo Family. The original Mo Li had a good relationship with her. Xiao Yue was the perfect socialite, gentle and gracious, Mo Yun and Mo Yi were not worried leaving Mo Li in her hands.