Although he was happy to be fed, Cen Chi couldn’t shake the feeling that his gege was just going through the motions.
“Why don’t you take it back and eat it yourself?”
Chu Xingxiao tilted his head, sensing something off. He leaned in closer, looking Chi Zhan straight in the eye.
“Gege, are you hiding something from me?”
Chi Zhan pushed his head back and was just about to respond—when suddenly, the room fell eerily silent.
That familiar, ominous hush…
Chi Zhan turned his head. Zhou Yanxing had just stepped out of the bathroom, hair still damp and tousled, clad in nothing but a bathrobe. He glanced around at the full room.
“……”
Chi Zhan had been so focused on feeding Chu Xingxiao, he’d completely lost track of the bathroom situation. Zhou Yanxing had finished his shower and walked out—right into a room full of people. With perfect composure, he said, “You’re playing cards?”
“Ah… yes. Good evening, President Zhou.”
“So Secretary Chi’s roommate is actually President Zhou, huh? Wow, never saw that coming—haha…”
Everyone scrambled to make awkward small talk.
Jiang Yi, however, looked completely floored. He glanced from Zhou Yanxing to Chi Zhan, his expression practically screaming: You two are together?!
Chu Xingxiao, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised. He casually scooted closer to Chi Zhan and cast a challenging look at Zhou Yanxing.
“It’s getting late. We should probably head out—don’t want to interrupt your evening,” someone offered, the excuse flimsy but effective.
Everyone bolted. One by one, they slipped out like eels, abandoning both the barbecue and the card game.
Jiang Yi, however, stayed put—unfazed by power or status.
Chu Xingxiao didn’t budge either.
“Why aren’t you leaving?” Zhou Yanxing gave Jiang Yi a glance. “Last I checked, you don’t even work at our company anymore.”
Jiang Yi huffed.
“Chi-ge is my friend. You don’t have the right to kick me out. Hmph.”
Zhou Yanxing gave a rare, patient nod.
“If Chi Zhan wants you to stay, then by all means.” He sat down calmly on Chi Zhan’s other side and said casually, “Perfect. I’ll play with you all.”
“Fine!” Jiang Yi snapped. “Losers play Truth or Dare. Deal?”
He was fuming. He just couldn’t wrap his head around how Chi-ge could end up with someone like Zhou Yanxing. That bastard didn’t deserve him! Chi-ge was too good for him!
Jiang Yi was a damn good card player—he could win nine out of ten rounds. He was dead set on stripping Zhou Yanxing down to his underwear!
“Sure,” Zhou Yanxing replied nonchalantly. “You playing too?”
He directed the question at Chu Xingxiao.
“All-nighter tonight. Anyone who doesn’t play is a coward.”
Chi Zhan could practically see sparks flying between them.
“Can you two calm down…”
Please don’t tell me I just hit the 0.1% chance of absolute worst luck. This night officially can’t get any worse.
Chi Zhan wasn’t much of a card player. Or more accurately, he never got good cards. That meant he usually lost—nine times out of ten.
Jiang Yi had already started shuffling the deck.
“Heard you went on a blind date,” Chu Xingxiao remarked. “Congrats. Why didn’t you bring them along to play too?”
That jab was clearly aimed at Zhou Yanxing.
Zhou Yanxing looked at his cards.
“Five-player games are a pain.”
“……”
Zhou Yanxing: “One against four.”
Chu Xingxiao: “One against eight.”
Jiang Yi: “One against two.”
Chi Zhan: “…Bomb.”
Zhou Yanxing: “One against three.”
Chu Xingxiao: “One against six.”
Jiang Yi: “One against two.”
Chi Zhan: “…Bomb.”
Chi Zhan’s entire hand was bombs—so good, even he couldn’t believe it. But Jiang Yi had the banker’s role.
“I lost,” Jiang Yi said with a grin. “I’ll take Dare.”
“Eat a skewer,” Chi Zhan said casually.
In the second round, Chi Zhan glanced at his hand and called the banker position.
Sure enough, he won again.
His hand was full of bombs—how could he not win?
“Gege, your luck is amazing. Let me rub some off you.” Chu Xingxiao leaned in, but Chi Zhan tapped his forehead.
“Sit properly.”
Chu Xingxiao pouted and sat back down, defeated.
“I choose Dare.”
Chi Zhan repeated the skewer punishment. But Jiang Yi wasn’t having it.
“Chi-ge, come on—Dare’s supposed to be exciting! This is way too tame. It’s no fun unless someone takes off their clothes! Or does a headstand around the room! Or barks like a dog! It’s just a game. I’m sure no one here would mind, right?”
Zhou Yanxing smiled graciously.
“If you’d like to.”
Chu Xingxiao chimed in, undaunted.
“I’m down for anything!”
“……”
Winning every round is supposed to be good luck—but right now, it feels like a goddamn curse…
“Then… how about all three of you do ten push-ups?” Chi Zhan proposed.
Zhou Yanxing was only wearing a robe. If he stripped, the headlines tomorrow would be full of “Naked CEO!” As for headstands or barking like a dog… Chi Zhan wasn’t quite ready to hand in his resignation just yet.
Jiang Yi was stunned. After college PE, he never thought he’d have to work out during a card game. By the third push-up, he was half-dead. Meanwhile, Zhou Yanxing was doing one-handed reps, and Chu Xingxiao had already breezed through ten without breaking a sweat, like he’d just taken a leisurely stroll.
“……”
He really was the weakling. He didn’t deserve Chi-ge at all. The realization hit him like a truck. As for working out? Over his dead body.
Next round, Chi Zhan’s luck nosedived—his hand was full of low cards, not a single one playable.
Life was just one long rollercoaster of ups and downs and more downs and more downs…
Might as well get used to it.
Jiang Yi finally won a round. But Chi Zhan was still the banker, so he was the only one punished.
Chi Zhan thought about it and chose Dare.
Truth… is off-limits.
He’d told way too many lies. One question and the whole façade could come crashing down.
Jiang Yi looked conflicted.
“Chi-ge… how about this? Pick anyone here and give them a kiss.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions on the other two players shifted ever so slightly.
