Truth or Dare (I)

Gao Chang wasn't good at much anything, but he was undeniably talented in setting up a game and going after his prey.

With Jiang Jinchen around, however, he didn't dare to fool around. In the end, they just played cards, drank some booze, and chatted about everything they could think of.

A car sped down the beach to the huge cruise ship anchored by the shore. It was brightly lit, like a city tower that had suddenly sprouted in the middle of the seaside.

A group of people got on the ship with much effort, and a majestic table greeted them upon their arrival. It was laden with fruits and all kinds of snacks, and waiters were shuffling back and forth, carrying trays of champagne and beer.

Tao Xingxing felt like Grandma Liu entering the Grand Garden for the first time. Everything here was so new to her. Her eyes were wide with awe, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Only Ming Jing remained composed since the moment they had alighted from the car. If one didn't know better, they would think she was just walking through her own backyard.

Gao Chang stood on a stool in the middle of the hall, looking every bit like the magnanimous host that he was. "Everyone, eat and drink to your hearts' content! Let's have fun tonight! Everything here has been paid for by yours truly!"

"Whoo! Whoo!" Cheers were ringing out from every possible corner and crevice of the humongous ship.

"Let's go, Old Gao! Same old routine!" Situ Lin wrapped an arm around Gao Chang's neck, pulling him over to some of their good pals.

Gao Chang instantly twisted out of his grasp and pushed Situ Lin's arm away. She glanced at Ming Jing before saying in a low voice. "You guys go ahead and have fun. I won't be joining you."

"Are you serious?" Situ Lin asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

Gao Chang ran a hand through his hair, which was slick and shiny with the latest premium wax product in the market. "Of course."

Situ Lin looked miffed. "Don't start blowing your friends off now, dude. That girl is just a passing fancy."

"Just you wait and see."

They had a lot of guests tonight, understandably so, given how many friends Gao Chang had. Some of them even brought their girlfriends and other close friends along. All in all, there were probably more than twenty people in attendance.

"It looks like it might rain," Situ Lin murmured as he looked up at the sky.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jinchen padded over to a sofa in the corner and sat down. Li Jiaojiao was quick to follow, plopping down next to him.

"Senior, I heard that you got accepted to Jiangcheng University. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Jiang Jinchen replied coldly, nodding once.

Li Jiaojiao rolled her eyes subtly, then found Zhu Xiangxiang standing not too far away. Sun Ji was standing beside her. Although she couldn't see the girl's face clearly, Li Jiaojiao was fairly certain that Zhu Xiangxiang wanted to strangle her at that moment.

She burst out laughing and intentionally leaned closer to Jiang Jinchen.

Then, in a high and throaty voice, she called out to him: "Brother Jinchen…"

One corner of Jiang Jinchen's mouth twitched. He gave Li Jiaojiao a sharp, sideways glance, then deftly moved away from her.

Soon, the cruise ship lifted anchor and slowly drifted to sea. The salty breeze flew through the windows, accompanied by the lulling sound of soft waves rolling beneath them. Most people would call it a romantic experience.

"It's too boring in here," Zhao Zhen called out. "Why don't we play a game?"

"What game?" someone asked.

"Truth or Dare! I know it's a little old-fashioned, but it's still exciting. Whoever draws an adventure card will have to jump off the ship, okay?"

Someone barked out a laugh. "Isn't that too ruthless of a consequence? That means one of us is going to be very unlucky by the end of the night."

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Gao Chang interjected in a smug tone. "We have lifeguards onboard the ship."

Without any more protests, a group of people huddled together, and Zhao Zhen proceeded to shuffle the cards. Her fingers were fast and undoubtedly skilled, comparable to the tricks usually shown in movies. "The King of Hearts represents Truth, while the King of Spades represents Dare. Everyone, watch carefully."

Gao Chang leaned close to Ming Jing and whispered, "Watch carefully. She's going to prank people again. I just don't know who her target is this time."

Tao Xingxing glanced over the deck at the dark waters that awaited the unfortunate person. She shivered and rubbed her arms. "The fall alone is so high. Even if I know how to swim, I might fall from the impact."

To prove that she wasn't cheating, Zhao Zhen deliberately shuffled the card repeatedly before walking around and holding them up, so the participants could draw one.

"Please, don't let it be me," one of them muttered under their breath.

When it came Li Jiaojiao's turn, the two girls exchanged a look. Then Li Jiaojiao smiled and confidently pulled out a card.

"Brother Jinchen, if I drew the adventure card, will you jump for me? I'm afraid of heights."

Jiang Jinchen opened his mouth to speak, but Zhao Zhen beat him to it. "No, you have to bear the consequences of your draw. Otherwise, they will be no point to the game."

A few of the girls who had been silently hoping to let their boyfriends take their place suddenly changed their expressions.

Zhao Zhen stopped in front of Ming Jing, her eyes glittering like that of a shrewd fox.

"Xingxing," Ming Jing said dryly. "You draw first."

Tao Xingxing took a deep breath and hesitated for a long while before finally choosing her card.

Then Zhao Zhen turned back to Ming Jing.

Ming Jing reached out, her slender fingers flitting over the cards, her eyes never leaving Zhao Zhen's face.

Zhao Zhen managed to maintain her smile, but those eyes were simply too oppressive. Cold sweat began to bead on her forehead.

At last, Ming Jing pulled out a card, and Zhao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Xangxiang had been staring at Zhao Zhen all this time, her eyes filled with pride and indignation. Her palms, too, had broken out in a sweat.

"Our dear campus belle, Senior Zhu," Zhao Zhen greeted as she stopped in front of Zhu Xiangxiang. "What's the matter? You're not scared, are you?"

Zhu Xiangxiang straightened her back and calmly countered her with, "What is there to be scared of?"

Her finger was hovering over a card as she said this, and she tapped it several times, trying to make up her mind. After a while, she made a decision and pulled it out.

She looked up then and caught sight of the sly grin dancing on Zhao Zhen's face.

Zhu Xiangxiang froze.

The card in her hand suddenly felt hot to the touch.

Beside her, Sun Ji had already drawn a random card. He was about to compare his luck with Zhu Xiangxiang when Zhao Zhen stopped him. "You can't look before everyone has taken a card."

Sun Ji had no choice but to let it go.

Once she had gone through the round of attendees, Zhao Zhen placed the last card against her chest. She had saved it for herself. Then, sweeping a gaze over the guests, she announced that they were going to look at their cards at the same time.

In order to keep Zhu Xiangxiang from possibly switching cards with someone else, Zhao Zhen had been keeping a watchful eye on her enemy.

She knew what was in Zhu Xiangxiang's hand, and she was more than satisfied with it.

However, when Zhao Zhen looked down at her card a few seconds later, she was dumbfounded.

She stared at it in stunned confusion, then her gaze swung to Ming Jing.

The girl was practically nestled in the middle of the crowd. Other than her exceptionally slim figure, she didn't have anything else that could catch people's attention.

But in that tense moment when their eyes had met, as Ming Jing chose her card, Zhao Zhen felt a cold air rushing from the top of her head down to the soles of her feet.

She had originally meant for Ming Jing to take the King of Hearts, but she ended up being the one to pull out the card.

Zhao Zhen had been training very hard on her card skills. It was just a personal interest of hers, really, and she had eventually honed the ability to serve others any card she wanted. But wasn't all speed and dexterity, it also involved a bit of psychological manipulation. And in this aspect, it was safe to say that she had never met her match yet.

That was, until tonight, perhaps. She had never expected to fail, much less in the hands of that girl.

Zhao Zhen smiled to herself. 'Interesting. Very interesting.'

As for Zhu Xiangxiang, she wasn't all too surprised to find that she was holding the King of Spades. In the next second, Sun Ji snatched the card from her hands and replaced it with his own.

Li Jiaojiao, who had been attentively watching them, immediately protested. "Hey, Sun Ji! I know you want to be a hero and save the damsel in distress, but we have to follow the rules of the game. If everyone acts like you and just does whatever he wants, then why are we even playing?"

"That's right, Sun Ji. Stick to the rules, man."

"Well, I can't blame him. It isn't easy to impress the campus belle, after all. Only a fool would pass up such an opportunity."

"That makes him rather desperate, though, doesn't it?"

The hall was suddenly filled with mocking laughter. Mortified, Sun Ji stood tall and pointed a finger at Zhao Zhen. "You did it on purpose, didn't you? You wanted to bully Xiangxiang!"

Zhao Zhen sneered and flicked her hand. "You say I did it on purpose? If so, then how come I'm holding the King of Hears?"