Yara Lu's face flushed a deep, ugly shade of red, as if blood were about to surge from her throat. This Xia Xiaofu!
"Alright, let's move on to round two."
The bottle spun again, this time landing with its mouth pointing at Yara Lu and its tail at Celia.
Yara's eyes lit up instantly. Perfect! Now it was finally her turn to take control. She would enjoy every moment of this.
With a triumphant smile, she leaned forward. "Celia, let's go with a dare."
Celia paused for a second. "…Alright."
"Then from these men, pick one—and kiss him."
Celia's bright eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Yara actually wanted her to choose a man to kiss?
The young heirs around the table erupted with laughter and excitement.
"Thank you, Miss Lu! You're doing us a huge favor tonight!"
"Celia, pick me, pick me! I've admired you for so long!"
"Don't listen to him—pick me instead!"
Amidst the rowdy teasing, Celia rose stiffly to her feet. She moved slowly around the circle of men, her every step watched with eager anticipation. Yara felt her chest swell with satisfaction. She was savoring the moment, waiting to see which man Celia would humiliate herself with.
But Celia knew exactly what Yara was plotting. She lifted her gaze toward the head of the table, straight to Nathaniel Fu.
Nathaniel's dark eyes met hers, calm on the surface but carrying a flicker of interest, as if testing how far she dared to go.
Without another moment of hesitation, Celia walked directly toward him.
Her clear, luminous eyes remained locked on Yara as she curved her lips into a faint smile. "Yara, I've made my choice. I choose President Fu."
"What?!"
Yara's smile froze instantly. Her voice rose shrill with outrage. "Celia, Nathaniel is my fiancé! And you're actually going to kiss him?"
Celia straightened her slender frame, her tone calm but cutting. "Yara, you said I could choose any man here. You never said I couldn't choose President Fu."
If Yara wanted to play games, then Celia would play them to the end—and make sure Yara suffered the consequences.
"You—!" Yara sputtered furiously.
Just then, Xia Xiaofu interjected with a mischievous grin. "Miss Lu, you're not backing out already, are you? My Cici clearly has a crush on Mr. Fu and wants her kiss."
Yara's face went pale with fury, nearly losing her composure.
Meanwhile, Celia leaned down, her delicate features edging closer to Nathaniel Fu's chiseled face. Her voice was soft but mocking. "Yara, this kiss is for you."
"Celia, don't you dare!" Yara shouted, nearly leaping from her seat.
But she did dare.
As Celia closed the distance, her heart unexpectedly tightened. Nathaniel tilted his head slightly, lowering his lashes as he observed her. His gaze was deep and steady, unreadable yet charged with a quiet tension. He didn't move to stop her—instead, he seemed to be waiting, testing whether she truly had the courage to cross that line.
Since his return from abroad, he had kept his distance, cold and aloof. The last time she had tried to stop his car, he hadn't said a single word. Now, with her breath almost brushing his skin, Celia felt the weight of his presence pressing in on her, like gravity pulling her closer.
Nathaniel's thin lips curved almost imperceptibly, as if the thought of her boldness amused him. But beneath that calm façade, his Adam's apple bobbed once in restraint. A part of him wanted to see what she would do next.
The space between them shrank—only a breath away from a kiss.
And at that very moment, Yara suddenly shot to her feet. "I don't want to play anymore!"
Celia had been waiting for exactly that. She knew Yara's proud and possessive nature would never allow this kiss to happen.
She straightened and stepped back smoothly, her eyes gleaming. "Well, Yara, those were your words."
With that, she returned to her seat, her steps light with victory.
The faint fragrance around her faded, and Nathaniel casually withdrew his gaze. His expression remained unreadable, but his hand moved to his pocket. He pulled out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, and lit it.
As he exhaled a thin stream of smoke, his Adam's apple rolled again, the subtle motion betraying the tension he had just suppressed. His eyes, dark and fathomless, flickered briefly toward Celia before masking themselves in indifference once more.
"Miss Lu, this really is on you," one of the men laughed. "How can you take back your dare now?"
The others quickly chimed in, their voices mocking.
Yara, her pride wounded, snapped back in defiance. "So what? I changed my mind. What can you do about it?"