Su Cheng tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. His youthful and robust body was already restless from the faint sounds of laughter and chatter coming from the other side of the wall. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that inviting these ladies over was more of a torment than a pleasure.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The sudden knocking at the door startled Su Cheng, nearly causing him to fall off the bed. Deep down, he had anticipated something like this. After all, it was unlikely that he could just hide in his room and peacefully get through the night.
But now that the moment had arrived, he couldn't tell whether he was more excited or annoyed.
Regardless, he had to answer the door. Otherwise, there was no telling if the door would still be intact by morning.
"Hey~ Junior, I knew you weren't asleep."
Liu Qingyue stood at the door, knocking with a playful tone.
"Since you can't sleep, why not come and check out our pajama party? If you behave, we might even let you join~"
"Me? Fine, I'll go."
Su Cheng sighed, knowing there was no escaping this. He got up, threw on a jacket, and walked out, asking, "What are you all talking about?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Once he entered the room, his pupils dilated under the soft lighting, and he couldn't help but swallow hard.
On one side, the form-fitting pajamas exuded a stunning allure, while on the other, the casual homewear gave off a refreshing novelty. Both styles had their own unique charm.
Liu Qingyue pointed to a corner, signaling for him to hide there, before rejoining the other two girls in their conversation. Su Cheng listened intently, growing more and more amazed by what he heard.
The trio's late-night chat was nothing short of dramatic. They started with decades of gossip and scandals from the entertainment industry, not only deepening Su Cheng's knowledge of celebrity trivia but also surprising him with the revelation that even Li Guanqi was interested in such topics.
Then, they seamlessly shifted the conversation to recent happenings in campus life, covering every detail with remarkable breadth and depth. Su Cheng couldn't help but think that these three were wasting their talents by not working for CXA.
What surprised him even more was how someone as scatterbrained as Cornelia and as reserved as Li Guanqi could pick up on so much information. Was this some innate talent women possessed?
After what felt like an eternity, the frequency of their chatter began to wane. Just as Su Cheng thought they were finally about to call it a night and prepared to sneak away, Liu Qingyue raised her voice and said, "It's getting late. How about we end with a fun and exciting game before we rest?"
Her tone made it clear that this was directed not only at the other two but also at him.
Sure enough, a moment later, she walked over, pulled him into the center of the room, and introduced him to the group. This elicited gasps, especially from Cornelia.
After some effort, with Liu Qingyue's help, they managed to calm down the explosive blonde.
Finally, Li Guanqi spoke up, "What kind of fun and exciting game are we talking about?"
Su Cheng swallowed hard, glancing at Cornelia, who was wrapped tightly in a blanket on the couch, and then at Li Guanqi, who remained expressionless. He thought to himself, *Well, since I'm already in this deep, I might as well go all out. A gentleman should face things head-on.* With a serious expression, he asked, "Is it fun?"
"Of course it is."
Liu Qingyue gestured with her slender hand, "How about we play 'Chase the Joker'?"
"Huh?"
Su Cheng leaned back slightly, his face filled with disappointment as he stared at Liu Qingyue. His expression practically screamed, *Get out of here, you freeloader, and let me sleep!*
"Chase the Joker"?
*This is supposed to be fun and exciting?*
*Might as well play Monopoly!*
"It seems like Junior isn't too interested. How about this: the winner can make a reasonable request of the loser. What do you think?"
Liu Qingyue continued to tempt him, then turned to the other two girls on the couch, "What do you all think?"
"I'm fine with it."
"Sure."
Both Li Guanqi and Cornelia agreed without hesitation.
"Any request…"
Su Cheng was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at the two girls on the couch in disbelief. To his surprise, they both nodded in confirmation.
But he still felt the need to double-check, "Are you serious?"
"Are you scared to play?"
Cornelia gritted her teeth and said, "If you're too scared, just forget it. We'll play by ourselves."
Hearing this, Su Cheng glanced at Liu Qingyue, who was smiling and nodding, "If it's with Junior, I'm totally fine with it~"
Suddenly, Su Cheng lowered his head and fell silent.
In that moment, all sorts of wicked images flooded his mind…
Like the three of them dressed in white stockings, cat ears, and maid outfits.
Just the thought of it made his entire body burn with excitement…
This kind of temptation was too much for him to resist.
So, he suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, and declared firmly, "Since I can't sleep anyway, I might as well join you."
"Just to remind you again, no inappropriate or ridiculous requests. Only reasonable ones are allowed."
Li Guanqi suddenly interjected with a warning.
"Okay, no problem."
Su Cheng agreed without hesitation, then turned to Liu Qingyue and Cornelia, "Let's do this."
*A gentleman?*
*No one understood the term 'gentleman' better than he did.*
The four of them sat around the coffee table in the middle of the couch, with a deck of cards placed on the table.
"Let me explain the rules first."
Liu Qingyue opened the deck of cards, shuffling them as she explained, "There are 52 cards in total. We'll randomly distribute them among the four of us. Three people will get 13 cards each, and I'll get 12. The Joker is the 'chase' card."
As she said this, she pulled out the Joker and tucked it into her chest, causing Su Cheng to widen his eyes in shock. His gaze instinctively drifted toward that area…
"If you have two matching cards, you can discard them. The first person to run out of cards wins, and the last person loses. The winner can make a request of the loser."
Liu Qingyue continued explaining as she dealt the cards, then added with a smile, "Oh, and you can't reshuffle your hand."
"Let's start the game! Everyone, discard any pairs you have first."
As soon as Liu Qingyue finished speaking, everyone picked up their cards and began discarding their pairs.
Soon, all the pairs were laid out on the table.
Following the counterclockwise order, Su Cheng was seated next to Li Guanqi, followed by Cornelia, and finally Liu Qingyue.
"Junior, you go first."
As soon as Liu Qingyue said this, Su Cheng's heart sank. This game wasn't just about luck; it was a high-stakes psychological battle!
The person he had to draw from was the expressionless Li Guanqi.
And the person drawing from him was Liu Qingyue.
If Liu Qingyue also had the ability to read micro-expressions…
This was practically a game designed to target him!
"Damn it."
Just as Su Cheng was about to suggest that the ladies go first, Li Guanqi suddenly raised her hand and said, "Draw from me."
"Huh?"
Su Cheng narrowed his eyes, puzzled by Li Guanqi's unexpected offer. But Li Guanqi, with her usual stoic expression, fanned out her cards and gestured for him to draw quickly.
Su Cheng: "……"
In the end, he had no choice but to draw a card from Li Guanqi's hand.
Fortunately, it wasn't the Joker.
It was a 6, and he already had another 6 in his hand.
He quickly discarded the pair.
The Joker wasn't in his hand either.
Not long after—
"Junior, it's my turn to draw from you."
Liu Qingyue smiled brightly, reached out, and casually drew a card from his hand. She then discarded a pair, saying, "Oh, look, another pair."
The second round began.
Li Guanqi, still expressionless, held out her cards. Su Cheng reached out to draw one, and his pupils instantly contracted.
It was the Joker.
"I'm done for…"
Su Cheng quickly glanced at Liu Qingyue, who, as expected, had noticed his reaction. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and the corners of her lips curled into a sly smile.
Su Cheng: "……"
He looked at the Joker in his hand and placed it casually among his other cards. But Liu Qingyue's gaze remained fixed on it, making Su Cheng feel utterly hopeless.
Sure enough, when it was her turn, she deliberately tried to draw the Joker first, then suddenly switched to another card, clearly just to mess with him.
This made Su Cheng's heart sink. He knew there was no way he could win this game.
After about ten minutes—
The first and second place were decided.
Liu Qingyue and Li Guanqi took the top spots.
Finally, only Su Cheng and Cornelia were left.
"I absolutely cannot lose," Su Cheng thought to himself, because he really didn’t want to end up wearing a white stockings, cat-ear maid outfit. That would be worse than death.
After all, earlier, he had wanted Liu Qingyue to wear a maid outfit.
Now that she was the winner, he couldn’t even imagine her twisted sense of humor.
So, he was considering whether to use psychological tactics against Cornelia. However, this strategy could backfire badly, especially since they couldn’t reshuffle the cards.
But then again, his opponent was Cornelia.
That thought alone made most of his worries vanish.
As he was pondering, he instinctively glanced at Liu Qingyue beside him, and what he saw nearly made him drop his cards. Liu Qingyue was rummaging through her suitcase, pulling out a black-and-white maid outfit.
"Damn it, she’s using distraction tactics!"
Su Cheng gritted his teeth, lowering his head in frustration. Finally, he decided to use a 'baiting strategy.'
He subtly raised the joker card higher, making it stand out prominently.
He still had six cards left, and by using the 'baiting' tactic, he could turn the six-card choice into a two-card dilemma.
"This one is the little joker. You definitely shouldn’t pick it," Su Cheng deliberately used his words to manipulate Cornelia into making a choice.
Hearing this, Cornelia broke into a slight sweat, clearly torn.
"Damn it."
To pick or not to pick?
That was the question.
Cornelia looked at Su Cheng, who was staring at her with an expectant gaze, as if waiting to see her suffer later.
But in the end, Cornelia took a deep breath and decided not to pick that card. Instead, she reached for a different one. However, the moment her hand touched the card, Su Cheng suddenly flashed a sly smile, startling her so much that she immediately withdrew her hand.
But then, in the next second, Su Cheng’s expression turned slightly disappointed.
"What’s going on?"
Cornelia fell into deep thought, her eyes fixed on the card Su Cheng had placed in the most obvious position.
"That card definitely isn’t the joker!"
Just as she was about to reach out and take the joker from Su Cheng’s hand, a sudden "click" sound came from beside them.
Both Cornelia and Su Cheng turned to look.
Instantly, Cornelia’s face lit up with joy.
At the same time, Su Cheng’s face filled with panic.
Liu Qingyue had opened a bottle of "Eight Walnuts" and handed it to Cornelia, saying, "Drink up. You’ve been sweating a lot. You must be exhausted."
"You said you couldn’t open cans earlier! Why are you so good at it now?!"
Su Cheng screamed internally, but then his expression darkened. Liu Qingyue had just given Cornelia a buff!
"Click~"
Beside them, Li Guanqi also opened a bottle of "Eight Walnuts" and handed it to Su Cheng, speaking softly, "You should have some water too."
"Thank you."
Su Cheng took the drink, but the moment it touched his lips, he almost spat it out. Cornelia had downed the entire bottle in one go, and her demeanor completely changed. She was no longer hesitant or fearful but instead calm and collected, her eyes scanning the cards on the table as if she had already seen through his bluff.
Soon, she began picking cards again, this time completely ignoring the most obvious one and choosing others at random.
"This is bad…"
Su Cheng knew it was almost impossible to turn the situation around now. Since they couldn’t reshuffle the cards, the decision was entirely in Cornelia’s hands.
As long as she remembered not to pick the little joker, she would be the ultimate winner.
Thinking this, he glanced at Liu Qingyue beside him, his heart filled with resentment. "Was this all part of your plan? You’re such a cunning woman."
Now that defeat was certain, his only concern was the 'request' he’d have to fulfill.
『No inappropriate or outrageous requests. Only normal ones are allowed.』
At first glance, it seemed like a lot of freedom.
But in reality, there were heavy restrictions.
A 'normal request.'
They probably already had a 'standard answer' prepared.
Otherwise, the whole thing wouldn’t have been so meticulously planned.
So, it definitely wouldn’t be something like cross-dressing.
Because for him, that was both inappropriate and outrageous.
Liu Qingyue messing with the maid outfit earlier was just to pressure him into making a decision, and then giving Cornelia that buff pushed him off the cliff.
The whole scheme was flawlessly executed.
Sure enough, in the next few rounds, Cornelia didn’t even glance at the little joker.
So, he lost.
"Yay!"
Cornelia excitedly threw her last pair of cards onto the table, her beautiful eyes sparkling with joy as she looked at Su Cheng, her cheeks flushed. "I won!"
The foolish Su Cheng lowered his proud head. Beside him, Liu Qingyue pulled out the big joker from her chest and casually tossed it onto the table, then smiled sweetly. "What kind of request should I make?"
She placed a finger on her lips, as if deep in thought about what condition to propose.
Su Cheng was filled with resentment, but he had to accept his defeat. "I’ll honor the bet," he said resignedly.
"Hmm… Let me think."
Liu Qingyue deliberately dragged out her words, as if pondering something, while Su Cheng waited nervously beside her.
"Alright then."
After saying this, Liu Qingyue’s eyes locked onto Su Cheng, and she subtly glanced at the suitcase.
Su Cheng’s heart sank.
"Here’s the deal. I’ll give you a choice," Liu Qingyue said with a smile, her tone almost negotiable.
"What choice?"
Su Cheng’s guard went up immediately. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Ahem!"
Liu Qingyue cleared her throat, then slowly said, "Truth or Dare."
"Truth!"
Su Cheng blurted out without hesitation.
As long as it wasn’t cross-dressing, he could handle it!
"Then I’ll let Cornelia ask the question," Liu Qingyue said, turning her gaze to Cornelia beside her.
Cornelia seemed a bit surprised but didn’t say much. Instead, she nodded shyly, her cheeks slightly red.
Suddenly, Su Cheng felt a sense of foreboding. He had a feeling Cornelia was going to ask something outrageous.
Sure enough.
Cornelia lowered her head shyly and asked, "Um, I want to know… among the girls you know, who do you like the most? It has to be a girl."
"What?!"
Su Cheng was stunned. This question was bound to hurt everyone present, including Cornelia herself, and yet she had asked it.
It was a fatal move.
He couldn’t answer this.
Who did he like?
The moment he answered, the battlefield would be over before it even began.
Sure, he could use some classic playboy lines like, "I like you… and everyone else," or "You’re all my wings."
But right now, there was a knife in the kitchen that could easily become "Su Cheng’s happy knife."
"What should I do?"
Beads of sweat formed on Su Cheng’s forehead as his mind raced.
He glanced at the three girls.
But surprisingly, they all fell silent at that moment.
Even their eyes seemed to be filled with… anticipation?
Especially Li Guanqi, whose gaze was fixed on him.
As for Cornelia?
She was nervously clutching her clothes, her beautiful eyes locked onto Su Cheng, as if afraid she might miss his answer.
In this tense atmosphere, Su Cheng felt an unprecedented weight on his shoulders.
His heart was a mess, filled with conflicting emotions.
Finally, Su Cheng took a deep breath, lowered his head, and said in a heavy voice, "I choose Dare."
"Ugh, boring!"
The three girls said in unison, clearly disappointed that their high-pressure tactic had failed.
"So… what’s the dare?"
"Wait, we’ll discuss it and let you know."
After saying this, the three girls huddled together and started whispering. After a while, Cornelia walked over, while the other two stayed behind, watching.
They knew Cornelia could handle the rest.
Su Cheng realized that the three girls had already formed a united front.
As the old saying goes, three women make a drama.
"Alright, let’s start the dare," Cornelia said.
"Okay."
Su Cheng nodded, secretly relieved.
Because—
A world where no one got hurt had been achieved!
Cornelia walked up to him, her eyes hesitant. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke.
"The dare is… you have to tell President Ji and Classmate Gu right now, in the middle of the night, that you’re having a great time with three girls and want to share this happiness with them."
"What?!"