Serenade

Chapter 22

Another round of Werewolf came and went. During it, Xu Chaoyang was affected and Bao Yan sacrificed himself heroically. The warning from that precedent was right there, so he didn’t dare choose Truth or Dare again. Thus he chose Dare.

Dare wasn’t a good game either. The boys were determined to prank someone, how could they possibly let him off easily.

Especially Bao Yan, who had just been betrayed by him. He must be set on getting revenge now.

After discussing amongst themselves, Jing Chi laughed and said, “From all the girls in the cafe, pick one you find agreeable and kiss her on the lips for fifteen seconds.”

Xu Chaoyang jumped up, “Fuck! Too much! That’s just asking to get slapped! I won’t go!”

“Just now when you were messing with Brother Bao, you even asked such private questions in the bathroom. And now you’re being dishonest, that’s not cool.”

Bao Yan leaned on the table edge, looking at him with dangerous coldness in his jet black eyes. He must have come up with this idea, this sinister mastermind.

Truly, when hell is empty, the devils are here on earth.

Xu Chaoyang regretted a little. Why must men make things difficult for fellow men?

“What a shitty game!” he whimpered. “What if the girl doesn’t want to? What if she slaps me? This is outright hooliganism!”

Jin Xi, kindhearted, gave him advice: “You don’t have to choose a stranger.”

The moment she spoke, Bao Yan’s thigh pressed against hers punitively.

“What a goody-two-shoes you are,” he said softly, looking down at her. “Just you wait until it’s your turn. See what this bastard does to you.”

Jin Xi smiled at him, just like a little Pomeranian in spring, melting Bao Yan’s heart completely.

He indulgently ruffled her hair.

Xu Chaoyang was eternally grateful to Jin Xi for the reminder.

Of course, he didn’t have to choose a stranger. Stranger girls would definitely think he was a pervert. As long as he chose one of the girls here, who knew it was just a game, she wouldn’t take it seriously!

He looked beseechingly at the few girls: “Pretty sisters, kindhearted sisters, who will help me?”

The girls looked at each other, but no one spoke up first.

Who wanted to kiss this big pig’s trotter? None of the girls had ever dated before. This was a kiss on the lips. One kiss and they would lose their first kiss.

Of the girls from the neighboring dorm room, Xu Chaoyang was closest to Jin Xi. As soon as he looked towards Jin Xi, Bao Yan’s icy gaze stabbed over.

He absolutely could not choose her, unless he wanted to drop dead on the spot.

Next was Chu Zhao. Last time in the escape room, he had saved Chu Zhao.

“Zhaozhao, sister,” Xu Chaoyang looked pitifully at her, pleading, “Will you do it?”

“Do your big chicken legs! Who wants to kiss you?” Chu Zhao said.

Xu Chaoyang was about to cry. “Lulu sister, Tangtang sister.”

Lin Luo said, “You should ask Zhaozhao sister. We aren’t as close with you.”

In the end, Xu Chaoyang still turned to Chu Zhao. “Sister, just a touch, a peck, help your Xu instructor get through this round. From now on, whatever you need, Xu instructor will readily go through fire and water for you!”

Seeing that he was truly pathetic, Chu Zhao twisted her clothes and pondered seriously for a long time. “Why...why did you choose me?!”

“Because...there’s no one else left!”

“Then...isn’t it going overboard?”

“Of course not! I promise!”

He would explode just from a touch, let alone her, an innocent girl’s first kiss!

Everyone excitedly cleared space for the two of them. Chu Zhao sat next to Xu Chaoyang, dissatisfied. “You guys are really the worst, coming up with ideas like this.”

“Sister, you’re not being cool. Just now when you weren’t chosen yet you were going along with it!”

Chu Zhao: “Fine, you’ll all get your turn anyway!”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tight. “Come on Instructor Xu.”

Xu Chaoyang leaned his elbow on the table and slowly moved closer to Chu Zhao.

Feeling him getting near, Chu Zhao instinctively leaned back, and he pressed a hand against her back to stop her.

With the determination to go through fire and water, Xu Chaoyang held the back of Chu Zhao’s head and went in for a kiss.

Chu Zhao clenched her teeth, only feeling his soft lips press against hers. She opened her eyes and came face to face with the man’s enlarged handsome features.

His face was as red as a hot air balloon.

Chu Zhao’s mind started crackling with sparks.

Men seemed to be natural-born flirts. Xu Chaoyang’s lips even gently ground against hers.

The people around them shouted the countdown: 15, 14, 13... 3, 2, 2, 2, 2....

Chu Zhao pushed Xu Chaoyang away, red-faced, and said to everyone, “What are you doing, counting 2 for so long, you guys...”

She was breathless, damn near fainting.

Xu Chaoyang: “Too much! Way too overboard!”

“Hey, Xu Chaoyang, taking advantage and then pushing the blame on us.”

Xu Chaoyang didn’t dare look at Chu Zhao now. Chu Zhao didn’t dare look at him either. They returned to their own seats and continued the game.

Xu Chaoyang was determined to get revenge. In the next few rounds, Jing Chi and Shen Ping Chuan were pranked good and proper. No matter if it was truth or dare, there was no good outcome.

Before long, Jin Xi lost to Jing Chi.

Jing Chi grinned and stared at her for a long time. Shen Ping Chuan didn’t stand up for her this time. “Mess with her good. This damn girl, making me lose face just now. Now she’s gotta learn a lesson.”

Just now, Jin Xi had made Shen Ping Chuan ask for the WeChat of the girl at the next table. Her boyfriend happened to return from the bathroom then and saw it happening. Shen Ping Chuan was so embarrassed he wanted to die, with no place to put his old face.

He wasn’t going to cover for Jin Xi anymore. He was determined to fix her good.

Jin Xi glanced at her sisters and knew that if she chose truth, there’s no telling what secrets these fellows might dig up.

Compared to that, she was more willing to choose dare. It was just doing silly things, asking people for their WeChat and number. What’s so hard about that?

Jin Xi cleared her throat. “I choose dare.”

When those words left her mouth, Jing Chi and Xu Chaoyang exchanged conspiratorial glances. They already had a plan, just waiting for this silly girl to step right in it.

Bao Yan leaned lazily against his chair. “Don’t go overboard,” he murmured.

“Oh? So Brother Bao is standing up for her?” Jing Chi laughed. “Shen Ping Chuan hasn’t even said anything yet.”

Bao Yan stretched his wrists. “Nothing indecent. I won’t get involved.”

Jin Xi scooted closer to Bao Yan, as if finding a backer. “You heard him. Don’t go overboard.”

Jing Chi’s eyes curled up. “The new year is almost here. Let’s make this game’s last round a big affair. Everyone here, write your name on a paper ball and put it together for Jin Xi to draw lots. Whoever she draws will spend new year’s eve with her tonight at a hotel.”

“Fuck, how thrilling!”

“I second it. Let’s do it.”

Jin Xi: ......

How is this not overboard?

She immediately looked to Bao Yan. “Senior, don’t you think they’re going overboard?”

Bao Yan and Jing Chi looked at each other, exchanging some unspoken message through their eyes. “You still have half a chance of drawing a girl. What’s there to be afraid of?” he said casually.

“But...it’s still overboard, right?” The last lifeline Jin Xi grabbed onto was Shen Ping Chuan. “Bro, look at them!”

Shen Ping Chuan still hadn’t gotten over it. He said in a flat voice, “I won’t stop you today no matter what you want to play.”

Jin Xi was speechless. She should have left herself a way out when pranking Shen Ping Chuan earlier. At least her older brother could have protected her then!

Jing Chi said, “Don’t be scared, little ass Jin Xi. It’s just spending the night. Even if you draw some lucky boy, we didn’t say you had to do anything. If you want, you can stay up all night studying together.”

Jin Xi: ......

You get a room to study together.

This was the last round of the game. Jin Xi didn’t want to be a wet blanket and ruin everyone’s mood either. She still had a fifty percent chance of drawing a girl anyway, so what was there to fear?

Shen Ping Chuan was quite enthusiastic. He went to ask the cafe front desk for paper and pens, then tore the paper into small squares and handed them out, specially reminding everyone, “Write your own name, don’t mess around.”

After everyone got a pen, they wrote down their names one by one. Xu Chaoyang tried to peek at what Jing Chi wrote, but Jing Chi guarded it like a treasure and wouldn’t let him see.

Bao Yan accepted the pen and casually wrote down “Bao Yan”, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the bowl in front of Jin Xi’s eyes.

The action was quite suave.

Jing Chi skillfully flipped the bowl over on the table and shook it like dice for a short while.

“Little ass Jin Xi, pick one.”

Jin Xi closed her eyes and randomly grabbed a paper ball, handing it to Jing Chi. “This one.”

Jing Chi took the paper ball and said mysteriously, “The lucky person who gets to ring in the new year with our little ass Jin Xi has been decided. Who could it be?”

Shen Ping Chuan urged, “Stop keeping us in suspense, announce it already!”

Jing Chi unfolded the paper and made an exaggerated surprised expression. “Wow!”

Shen Ping Chuan had gone along with it earlier, but now he was also getting anxious. His precious little sister was really going to get a room and spend the night with these brutes. He was a little unhappy about it. He directly snatched the paper from Jing Chi’s hand and looked at it, his expression changing drastically—

“Bo...Bao Yan.”

Jin Xi also felt her head empty out for a second, her feet floating. She asked again, “It’s...it’s Senior Bao Yan?”

An awkward atmosphere permeated the air. Jin Xi didn’t even dare look at Bao Yan’s face. Her ears started burning red hot.

Jing Chi laughed and said, “Looks like you’re fated to review your homework all night with Bao Yan tonight.”

Jin Xi had a flash of inspiration and turned to say to Bao Yan, “If senior doesn’t want to, you can refuse!”

After all, it was her dare, not Bao Yan’s. As long as Bao Yan refused, the game wouldn’t count, right?

Jin Xi looked at Bao Yan full of hope.

Bao Yan leaned back, elbow on the armrest, lazily reclining there. Those long narrow dark eyes swept over her, seeming to smirk—

"I do," Chu Zhao said softly.