As Lucas Lu pressed the start button, the silver needle began to spin rapidly. The first person it landed on was someone I didn't know, a young woman who had been sitting next to Lucas Lu. She must have been brought by Jiang Yingqiu.
"I'll go!" she exclaimed, raising her hand excitedly. She then scanned the group, deciding who to pick.
In the end, Jake Fu was the unlucky one, the first to be called out. He chose "dare."
"Go up to a man you don't know, and tell him, 'Your lips are very sexy.'"
After hearing this, Jake Fu looked like he was having a heart attack. The rest of us burst out laughing. Wasn't this asking a die-hard straight man to kill himself?
He gritted his teeth, looked at the woman, and spat out three words, "I'll drink!"
With that, he picked up a glass and downed it in one go.
After Jake Fu finished his drink, it was his turn to press the start button. This round, it landed on Evan Yu.
Evan Yu, wearing a white sweater, looked indifferent. "Truth."
Jake Fu chuckled slyly. "Hehe, Yifan, are you really still a virgin?"
The question made everyone's eyes widen. Evan Yu was indeed a rare exception in their circle. No one had ever seen him being intimate with any woman. He was like a monk, devoid of desire.
But that was all on the surface. Some people were very good at hiding things. Who knew if he had ever been with a woman?
Even Hugh Pei looked at him with interest.
I thought Evan Yu would choose to drink, but he was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yes."
His answer caused a stir. Several women immediately lit up, their predatory gazes locked on him, as if they wanted to pluck this "unattainable flower" right then and there.
I was right about him. He was a pure-hearted big brother.
The needle spun again, finally slowing to a stop, pointing at me. I sighed and looked into Evan Yu's eyes. "Truth."
"Besides Hugh Pei, are you interested in any other men?" Evan Yu asked slowly.
The previously lively room fell silent in an instant. Hugh Pei's gaze fell on me. His dark, deep eyes were unreadable, but I could clearly feel the oppressive aura, as if a fierce beast was hidden within, ready to pounce and tear me to shreds if I said the wrong thing.
I never would have imagined that someone as unconventional as Evan Yu would ask such a depraved question.
"Can I switch to dare?" I asked after a moment's hesitation.
"You can," Evan Yu smiled slightly. "Kiss any man here, besides Hugh Pei."
Son of a bitch!
Was Evan Yu on something today? This guy seemed to have a personal vendetta against me!
Hugh Pei hadn't said a word. He was very quiet, but his commanding presence made everyone at the table a little nervous. He was now looking at Evan Yu. The two men's eyes met, and I smelled a hint of gunpowder.
What was wrong with them? Had they already started fighting over Lila Wei?
But they shouldn't use me as a pawn. I had been reborn once, and I didn't want to be thrown into this arena of strife.
After a few more seconds of silence, I picked up the glass of strong liquor and downed it in one go. The fiery liquid slid down my throat and into my stomach. I couldn't help but stick out my tongue.
Lucas Lu shouted to continue, and the dial spun a few more times. Everyone was having a great time.
Ginny Deng was the most ruthless. Whenever it was her turn, she would always call out Lucas Lu. Lucas Lu was on the verge of tears, his puppy-dog face full of indignation.
By the time Jiang Yingqiu called on me, I had already had three or four drinks. The liquor was strong. If I didn't have some tolerance for alcohol, I would have been passed out on the floor long ago.
"Take out what's in your pocket and use it on Jake Fu," Jiang Yingqiu said with a smile. For some reason, I felt a sense of hostility from her.
Others had used this trick before. A woman's pocket would likely contain lipstick, perfume, or foundation. Using it on another man was a kind of playful, intimate gesture.
Like Lucas Lu, who, under Ginny Deng's barrage, had been given a full face of makeup by several other women. With his fiery red lips and bold, "wild" eyebrows, he now looked like an old "sister-in-law."
"I'll drink—" I was about to drink again.
"You're no fun. You've only been called four times, and you've chosen to drink every time. What's the point of this game then?" Jiang Yingqiu was not happy.
Ginny Deng glared at her. "What's wrong with that? The rule is that if you can't do it, you drink a glass, right?"
Tilly Ouyang and Ella Li also chimed in, "Exactly. It doesn't say you have to choose dare or truth. Zoe, if you don't want to do the dare, just drink!"
I could feel some people were annoyed. It was true that always drinking wasn't right.
The only thing in my pocket was a box of Durex. Even my phone was on the table.
"Slap!"
I slammed the Durex box onto the table. The black packaging gleamed under the lights.
Seeing it, Jake Fu's face turned pale. He quickly glanced at Hugh Pei, then clasped his hands together and begged Jiang Yingqiu, "Grandma, just let her drink. Are you trying to kill me?"
A look of surprise also flashed across Jiang Yingqiu's face. She blurted out, "What are you doing bringing a box of Durex to a bar?"
I smiled slightly. "To fill them with water and make water balloons for you to play with. Satisfied?"
This woman had a thing for Hugh Pei, which was why she was targeting me, both overtly and covertly. She knew Ginny Deng and I were close friends, yet she still invited Ginny Deng to see Hugh Pei and the others, completely unconcerned that I would find out.
From the moment I walked in until now, every look she gave me was laced with thorns.
"Do you have to be so sarcastic? I thought you had lipstick or something in your pocket. Who knew it was this? Fine, let's just not play this game anymore!" Jiang Yingqiu started to act aggrieved.
"Jiang Yingqiu, that's enough!" Ginny Deng snapped, pointing her finger at Jiang Yingqiu's nose and yelling, "Don't you know Zoe and Hugh Pei's relationship? Pulling this stunt—I'm not your friend anymore!"
Seeing the argument erupt, Hugh Pei roared, "Enough!"
The noise quieted down considerably. Evan Yu looked up at Hugh Pei, then at me, his eyes dark and unreadable.
At this point, the alcohol had gone to my head. Plus, I had just had a fight with Hugh Pei a few days ago and wanted to annoy him. So, in front of everyone, I tore open the Durex wrapper with lightning speed, took one out, and handed it to Jake Fu. "Want to use it?"
Jake Fu clutched his forehead and collapsed onto the sofa, curling into a ball. "My head hurts so much..."
"Zoe Xu, that's enough," Hugh Pei warned, grabbing my wrist.
"Let go of me!" I said, looking at Hugh Pei's handsome face through blurry eyes. His brow was furrowed as if with frost, and he was staring at me.
The drunken show officially began. I shook off Hugh Pei's hand and pointed the Durex at his nose, shouting, "I finally won something, why won't you let me use it? Do you know how rare this box of Durex is? Everyone else got lipstick, perfume, or earrings, but I got Durex!!"