Chapter 67: Truth or Dare
Jiang Linmu handed the bag in his hand to Ruan Qinjing.
“Birthday gift. It’s for you.”
Ruan Qinjing produced a handkerchief from who-knows-where and suddenly began dabbing at his eyes. “The child has finally grown up, knowing to buy gifts for his father… I am truly gratified…”
Jiang Linmu forcibly suppressed the urge to smash the bag over the guyâs head. Considering it was his broâs birthday today, he had to give him some face. Instead, he simply flipped him the bird and gave him a swift kick for good measure.
Ruan Qinjing flashed him a thumbâs up.
A true brother indeedâhe didn’t aim for the face on his birthday.
“……”
“Linmu, over here!!!” A guy at a nearby table waved Jiang Linmu over.
“Hurry up, hurry up! Weâve been playing for ages!” A girl urged him with a muffled voice, her mouth stuffed with potato chips.
“Coming,” Jiang Linmu answered and hurried over.
“What are we playing?” He pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at the center of the table. Several opened beers and various snacks sat around a wooden spinner. The wheel was marked with different colored sections: “Truth,” “Dare,” “Take a Drink,” “Designated Punishment,” and so on.
“The Wheel of Fate!” Ruan Qinjing rubbed his hands together with a grin. “A classic that never goes out of style! Whatever it lands on, goes. No cheating!”
“Fine by me! Who’s afraid of who?” Jiang Linmu rolled up his sleeves, his interest piqued.
The game began. The wheel spun, the pointer clicking through the different zones, accompanied by bursts of excitement or wails of despair. Someone was required to stare into the eyes of the person to their left for a full minute; someone else was grilled about their most embarrassing childhood moment; a lucky few only had to “Take a Drink.”
The atmosphere heated up quickly, filled with constant laughter.
It was Jiang Linmuâs turn. He took a deep breath and flicked the wheel.
The pointer spun rapidly, gradually slowing down until it landed squarely on the “Truth” section.
“Here we go! Little Mumuâs Truth segment!!!” A girl laughed as she handed over a stack of cards.
“Draw one from here and answer the question on it.”
Jiang Linmu took the cards and casually drew one from the middle.
the moment he saw the question, he froze.
[Have you kissed anyone recently?]
Sitting beside him, Ruan Qinjing caught a glimpse of the question and gave him a playful nudge with his elbow.
“Hahahahaha! Our Linmu has been a perpetual bachelor. This question is basically a wasted turn.”
“Whatâs the question?”
“Have you kissed anyone recently?”
“Hahahahaha! Kissing? Linmu is so pure-hearted that Iâve never even seen a soul around him. Even if he had a partner, heâd probably be too shy to even hold hands hahahahahaha…”
“Shy? Heâd probably just run away hahahahaha…”
“Iâm telling you, Linmu, show a little backbone! Why are you so innocent…”
The crowd looked at Jiang Linmu while laughing, but then they realized something was wrong.
Jiang Linmu was holding the card, frozen in place. The tips of his ears were turning an eerie, burning red.
At that moment, Jiang Linmu suddenly remembered that nightâhow Jiang Qingâs entire back had been flushed pink. He had been drawn in like a moth to a flame, leaning in to kiss his way up the neck until…
The group watched as Jiang Linmu, lost in whatever thought he was having, turned a violent shade of red from the heat.
“……”
Wait.
Oh ho, look at this unexpected harvest.
Jiang Linmu snapped back to reality only to find the circle of people squinting at him.
“……”
He was screwed.
“Little Mumu!!! Confess everything!!!!!!”
With Ruan Qinjingâs excited roar, the entire private booth erupted. If it was just speculation and teasing before, seeing Jiang Linmuâs “overheated system failure” and “blushing so hard his neck thickened” was the smoking gun. Everyone was certainâthere was major gossip!
His friends swarmed forward, surrounding Jiang Linmu as he tried to shrink into the cracks of the sofa.
“N-No! Thereâs nothing! I just… I just suddenly thought of… something else!” He was still in the middle of a death-bed struggle, his eyes darting around, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze.
“Oh? You can think of ‘something else’ and end up with a racing heart, a dazed look, and a neck so red it’s glowing?” A girl squinted at him, her tone certain. “Jiang Linmu, stop being stubborn! We all saw it! That expression of yours was clearly… savoring the aftertaste!”
The phrase “savoring the aftertaste” hit Jiang Linmu like a bolt of lightning, leaving him charred inside and out. He snapped his head up to retort, only to meet a circle of “we all understand” looks.
“……”
“Aiya, don’t be shy!” Ruan Qinjing leaned in and threw an arm around his shoulder, acting like a good bro, but his voice was dripping with the excitement of someone watching a show. “Weâre all brothers here. Share a bit! Itâs not like youâll lose a limb!”
“Exactly! Spills the beans!”
Jiang Linmu poked half his head out from under a pillow and muttered a single sentence.
“It was… very soft…”
“Ohhhhh~~~”
“And I was… very happy…”
“Ohhhhh~~~”
Ruan Qinjing couldn’t help but ask, “Linmu, when did you get a partner behind our backs?”
“We aren’t… aren’t dating.”
“Not dating??? Are you guys just ‘Lip Friends’ then???” a girl cried out in shock.
“Alright, alright, let’s stop making it hard for Little Mumu. Look at how embarrassed he is,” a guy laughed, trying to smooth things over.
Amidst a chorus of “Fine, we’ll let Little Mumu off,” everyone sat back in a circle to start a new round.
However, it was hard to tell if Jiang Linmu was having a lucky streak or if his luck was just that cursed. To everyone’s delight, he drew a “Dare.”
“Come on, Little Mumu.” The stack of cards was placed before him once again.
Jiang Linmu swallowed hard, terrified of drawing something even more scandalous.
When he flipped the card, the heart he had been holding in his throat finally died.
[Call your top-pinned contact on WeChat and say in a cutesy, spoiled tone: ‘Gege/Jiejie, I miss you~~~~’]
“Holy crap, Linmu! Your luck tonight is incredible! Every time it’s your turn, things get so explosive!!!” Ruan Qinjing teased with a laugh.
“Whoâs Jiang Linmuâs top-pinned contact?”
“Hasn’t it always been his brother?”
“Why couldn’t it be that ‘Lip Friend’?”
“Oh right, thatâs possible too.”
Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Jiang Linmu nervously dialed the voice call.
On the other side:
“Pair of fours.”
“Pair of eights.”
“Bomb!!!”
“…….?” Jiang Qing looked at Lin Siwu with a look of utter confusion.
“I put down a pair of eights and you bomb me???”
“Is… is that not allowed…?”
“……Itâs allowed. After you.”
“Single three.”
“Single five.”
“Single nine.”
“Bomb!!!”
“…….?” Jiang Qing looked at Lin Siwu with confusion once again.
“How many bombs do you have in your hand?”
“Just two, hehe. Not many.”
“…….” As long as you’re happy.
Jiang Qing had finished his hand early. He let out a bored yawn while watching the two of them play. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he stood up and walked behind Lin Siwu.
He saw that Lin Siwu was holding two fours and a six.
“…….” He wasn’t sure if he should praise the boy for at least not holding onto a pair of threes.
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