Truth or Dare?

Lu Yicheng was mildly surprised. He hadn’t expected her to suggest playing this game.

It was mainly because of the last time they’d played it at the farmhouse restaurant — it had nearly left him with psychological scars. He always felt like nothing good came out of it. But then again, she said it would just be the two of them?

Seeing that Lu Yicheng wasn’t saying anything, Jiang Ruoqiao asked again, “What’s wrong? You don’t want to play?”

It definitely wasn’t that he didn’t have time — otherwise he wouldn’t have invited her out to see a movie and go shopping. So… he just didn’t want to play?

Lu Yicheng quickly shook his head. “No, it’s just—” he chose to be honest— “the last time we played this game, it was pretty unpleasant.”

Jiang Ruoqiao burst out laughing, cradling her cup as she dissolved into giggles.

“You mean that time at the farmhouse restaurant?” she asked, barely containing her amusement.

Lu Yicheng sighed helplessly and nodded. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it for the rest of my life.”

It had been too nerve-wracking. He would never forget it, and he suspected that everyone else who’d been there would also think back to that time whenever they played this game in the future. The impression it had left was just too vivid.

Jiang Ruoqiao suddenly grew interested. “So that time, the last person of the opposite sex you’d contacted was me.”

Lu Yicheng glanced at her and gave a small nod.

Of course — if it had been anyone else, why would he have refused to answer that question? Why would he have gone and drunk instead?

Jiang Ruoqiao’s mood suddenly became wonderful. It was completely different from how she’d felt at the time — back then, she’d just been at a loss for words.

“Don’t worry.” Jiang Ruoqiao looked around the room. “There’s no one else here right now, just the two of us. It won’t be unpleasant. Think of it as a way to pass the time.”

A setting like this really was perfect for this kind of game.

It all came down to whether Lu Yicheng would cooperate or not.

Shopping… they could always go tomorrow instead.

Lu Yicheng could only nod. “Wait for me a moment while I tidy up in here.”

Jiang Ruoqiao cheerfully agreed. “Go ahead, Pikachu.”

Lu Pikachu got to his feet and transformed into a diligent little bee, tidying up the small dining table. His movements were swift, and he had all the bowls and chopsticks cleared away in no time. On top of that, Lu Yicheng lit a few candles and retrieved an orange from the storage basket before sitting back down on the sofa with Jiang Ruoqiao, ready to play this heart-pounding game.

By now, Lu Yicheng had become quite skilled at peeling oranges.

Of course, the fruit he bought most frequently had also changed to oranges — simply because Jiang Ruoqiao loved eating them.

Since there was no beer bottle here, Lu Yicheng offered up his fountain pen, and Jiang Ruoqiao enthusiastically spun the pen he’d used for several years on the table. As luck would have it, the nib end pointed directly at her.

Jiang Ruoqiao: Is my luck really this terrible??

Lu Yicheng let out a quiet laugh.

Worried that Jiang Ruoqiao might get upset, he quickly suppressed it.

Jiang Ruoqiao said, “Well, this really isn’t being very kind to me. Fine, I’ll choose truth. Ask whatever you want.”

Lu Yicheng genuinely had no idea what to ask her.

The question he most wanted to ask, he didn’t dare ask — couldn’t get the words out.

As for everything else — he felt that if he just paid close enough attention, he’d be able to find the answers on his own.

Seeing him still thinking, Jiang Ruoqiao sighed. “Are you really not the least bit curious about me? Are you not even interested in my truth, Lu Yicheng?”

Lu Yicheng quickly shook his head. “That’s not it.”

He was very interested. He wanted to know everything about her.

Everything about her childhood, too.

“What’s your favorite color?” he asked.

Jiang Ruoqiao: ???

She stared at Lu Yicheng in disbelief, wondering if she’d heard him wrong.

What had he asked? Her favorite color?

Was that really the kind of question that belonged in a game of Truth or Dare?

Jiang Ruoqiao glanced around the room.

Lu Yicheng asked, “What is it? What are you looking for?”

Jiang Ruoqiao said with a blank expression, “I thought the disciplinary director was here.”

Why else would he ask that question with such seriousness, as though they weren’t playing a game at all but conducting a public lesson?

Even elementary school kids playing this game wouldn’t ask someone what their favorite color was, would they?

Lu Yicheng could tell perfectly well that she was laughing at him, but he replied with complete sincerity, “But I genuinely want to know.”

He wanted to know everything about her — including what her favorite color was.

Jiang Ruoqiao paused, meeting his gaze, and indeed saw that he was being serious.

He truly wanted to know this?

All right, that was very Lu Yicheng of him.

“I don’t think I have one single favorite color,” Jiang Ruoqiao replied with equal sincerity. “The colors I like change every year. This year I’ve been leaning toward purple — I also quite like blue. But just because I like it this year doesn’t mean I’ll like it next year. Last year I liked green, and this year it’s just okay.”

Lu Yicheng’s first reaction: “That’s a thing?”

Jiang Ruoqiao gave him a sideways glance. “You really are sheltered, aren’t you? Don’t you know that every year has its trending colors?”

Lu Yicheng hesitantly shook his head. He genuinely hadn’t known.

“Every year has trending colors, and they’re different every time.” Jiang Ruoqiao sighed. “Well, it’s fine if you didn’t know. The point is, my favorite color changes every year anyway.”

Lu Yicheng said, “Noted. I’ll remember that.”

“Alright then.” Jiang Ruoqiao gestured for him to spin the pen. He leaned forward and gave it a spin…

And it landed pointing at Jiang Ruoqiao again.

Jiang Ruoqiao cried out, “Lu Yicheng, are you cheating?!” Even terrible luck shouldn’t be this terrible.

Lu Yicheng looked equally innocent. “I wasn’t. Do you want me to spin again?”

Jiang Ruoqiao waved her hand. “That would take all the fun out of it. Fine — this time I’ll choose dare.”

Lu Yicheng, who rarely played this kind of game: “……”

This was hard. Harder than working overtime.

“Normally you’d say something like going up to talk to a stranger — that’s for when you’re playing outside,” Jiang Ruoqiao explained to him. “Or you could make someone call a person and confess their feelings. Pick one.”

Her hint was already quite obvious.

If he made her call someone to confess…

His phone would ring in the very next second.

However… the person sitting across from her was none other than Lu Yicheng. Lu Yicheng instinctively shook his head. “No.” He didn’t like making those kinds of demands of people. Whether it was talking to strangers or confessing feelings — he simply wouldn’t make that kind of request.

Jiang Ruoqiao: “……”

Lu Yicheng had absolutely no idea what he’d just missed.

He also had no idea that from the moment she was born, this was the first time she had ever helped a man pursue herself. This was the first time, and it would be the last time in her life — no second person would ever receive this kind of treatment.

“Fine.” Jiang Ruoqiao nodded. “Then come up with something yourself.”

Lu Yicheng thought for a moment. Conveniently, the orange had just finished being peeled. “How about your dare is eating the orange?”

Jiang Ruoqiao was truly speechless. “Is this orange poisoned or something?”

Daring her to eat an orange — only he could come up with something like that!

Lu Yicheng still handed the peeled orange over to her.

……

Two more rounds passed, and this time Jiang Ruoqiao’s luck turned dramatically — the pen finally landed on Lu Yicheng. She cracked her knuckles with excitement. “Lu Yicheng! Fellow student Lu! Your choice — dare or truth!”

Seeing how happy she was made Lu Yicheng happy too. “Truth, then.”

Jiang Ruoqiao laughed. “Good. I’m going all in.”

She looked into his eyes and asked, “Is there someone you like right now?”

She knew it was a needless question — anyone with eyes could see the answer, including herself. But… she still wanted to ask.

The reason she was making an exception for Lu Yicheng, the reason she was helping him pursue her, was because she felt she was doing the right thing — doing what she actually wanted to do.

She knew that even if she stood still and didn’t move, he would still put in the effort to come to her.

He didn’t know her feelings, didn’t understand them, but he would still walk toward her, still treat her well, and then say simply that he was only doing what he wanted to do.

Lately, her conscience had stirred — or rather, her conscience had stirred specifically for him. What she hoped for was that he could experience what was said to be the most blissful feeling in the world.

What was the most blissful feeling in the world?

It was discovering that the person you liked also liked you back.

Somehow, she felt that someone as good as him deserved to be a little happier.

When Lu Yicheng heard the question, he instinctively looked toward her, then dropped his gaze and thought for a few seconds before answering, “Yes.”

He had someone he liked — someone he thought of every day as he folded a rose.

Jiang Ruoqiao fell quiet too.

Even answering with a single word — “yes” — he seemed to do it with a kind of solemnity, a kind of reverence. Jiang Ruoqiao, you’re not getting a bad deal at all. So what did it matter to make an exception for someone like him? Didn’t he deserve it?

Some of the questions Lu Yicheng asked might have sounded dull to anyone listening in.

He either asked what color she liked or what kind of weather she preferred — trivial, small things. The reason Jiang Ruoqiao didn’t find it boring was because she could feel that he genuinely wanted to know. That sensation of being cherished was something no one could resist.

“Lu Yicheng, let’s end it after this round,” Jiang Ruoqiao said. “This time I’ll choose truth, and you can ask one question. Whatever it is, I’ll answer it.”

Lu Yicheng fell silent.

He had a question he most wanted to ask.

Was he really going to let this chance slip away? Lu Yicheng didn’t want that. He finally mustered his courage — with a feeling of absolute resolve — and at last, finally, asked the question he’d been holding back:

“Is there someone you like right now?”

Jiang Ruoqiao finally let out a quiet breath of relief.

She’d known it.

He’d been wanting to ask this for a long time.

“Well, as for that question…” Jiang Ruoqiao had no intention of teasing him. After all, she could answer “yes” — and this was the final question.

But that would leave him in a state of suspense.

Jiang Ruoqiao, this is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime moment. There can’t be a second time, and you can’t make an exception for a second person.

She looked at him, held his gaze. “Hold out your hand. Palm facing up.”

Lu Yicheng didn’t understand why, but he obediently held out his hand. Seeing his expression, Jiang Ruoqiao couldn’t help but smile. “I have this strange feeling like I’m the teacher and you’re the student about to get hit with a ruler.”

Lu Yicheng: “……”

Teachers weren’t allowed to hit students with rulers anymore.

Jiang Ruoqiao extended her own hand. Her heart was climbing higher and higher with each beat. She paused in the air for a moment, then with clear, steady eyes, she took hold of his hand.

Lu Yicheng felt as though he’d been struck by electricity.

The fingers she was holding felt a current run through them.

Jiang Ruoqiao lowered her eyes. With a calm, composed expression, she used her index finger to trace a single character onto his palm — stroke by careful stroke.

Lu.

Lu Yicheng’s heart hammered wildly. He thought he must have felt it wrong, and even almost asked her to “write it again” — but he didn’t. Instead, in a daze, he asked, “Lu Siyan?”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “?”

Oh, for goodness sake.

How could this man lose all his intelligence at the most critical moment? Where was the competence he showed at work and with his studies every single day?!

Jiang Ruoqiao, exasperated beyond words, slapped his palm with some force.

Lu Yicheng, wake up already!

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