Chapter 14
Originally I was in a private room, but unfortunately more and more people kept coming later. One of my close girlfriends from back then doesn’t like crowded places, so she pulled me and a few others to sit in the public area. After not seeing each other for so many years, things felt a bit awkward with old friends, but that girlfriend of mine is still very lively and outgoing. With just a few sentences, she got the atmosphere going, and everyone started clamoring to play Truth or Dare.
This game has been popular for years. I originally thought it had gone out of fashion by now, but who would have thought that after all these years, this bunch of idiots was still obsessed with it. As we played, it often hit people’s emotional soft spots. When it came time for Truth, someone asked: when were you the happiest?
Several of them started talking about their college days, and what they said made everyone’s eyes turn red. Just as I was about to get emotional myself, I never expected that I would be the one who got picked. I froze for a moment and immediately said I chose Truth. Who would have known that everyone objected: “There have already been five Truths in a row. Besides, you haven’t come to a class reunion in years— you have to take a punishment. Choose Dare.”
This suggestion was met with overwhelming support. Helpless under all the shouting, I could only nod. My girlfriend gave me a sly look, then glanced at Tang Li, who was sitting on the other side, and said, “Go kiss Tang Li!” As soon as she said that, everyone started jeering again, shouting, “Kiss! Kiss!”
At that moment I turned to look at Tang Li and realized he didn’t show any particularly obvious reaction—he just kept his gaze fixed on me. I suddenly felt my face burn hot, so I turned away and immediately refused: “That won’t do! I—I’m married!”
“Married?” Everyone froze at once. My girlfriends also looked at me in confusion. “When did you get married? How come none of us knew?”
“Not long ago… it hasn’t been very long.”
“You little brat, you don’t treat us like friends at all!” The girls seemed a bit angry. “Something as big as getting married, did you ever discuss it with me? Four years of college friendship—are you just throwing it away like that?”
“Don’t be mad~ I just didn’t have time to tell you. Some things went wrong with my marriage too, it wasn’t very smooth. I’ll explain it to you slowly when we get back.” I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around hers. Only then did she calm down a bit.
I could feel Tang Li’s gaze lingering on me, but I didn’t dare meet his eyes at all. I was afraid of seeing something—or perhaps afraid of seeing nothing. Fortunately, someone stepped in to smooth things over, shouting, “Don’t make things hard for Meng Yanshuang. Just give him a hug. A hug between friends isn’t too much, right?”
As he spoke, he turned to look at me. I nodded, then turned to look at Tang Li again. Tang Li didn’t show any resistance, so I stepped up in front of him and gently put my arms around him for a brief hug. He didn’t hug me back, and he didn’t move. I let go quickly and didn’t dare look at his face.
“Meng Yanshuang!”
A sharp female voice screamed my name. I froze, turned around, and saw a face I didn’t recognize—though thinking carefully, it seemed like I might have seen her somewhere before. She walked straight up and pointed at my nose, launching into curses: “You slutty woman! Yu Jin must have been blind to fall for you!”
I was stunned by the sudden, baseless scolding. My girlfriend stood up immediately and didn’t back down at all: “Who the fuck are you calling a slut? Why don’t you take a look at yourself in the mirror?”
It wasn’t surprising my friend said that. The woman in front of us was nothing more than a delinquent-type girl. She wore huge hoop earrings, had oddly permed hair, patchy tattoos all over her body, and a short-sleeved top that almost exposed half her upper body. Compared to her, my clothing was practically conservative.
The girl ground her teeth, stomped her foot, and said, “Just you wait—I’m calling Yu Jin right now!” Without giving me a chance to explain, she dialed the number, saying that I was out here seducing men and being all over them.
